I am a big fan of abdominal massage to heal all sorts of things both physical and emotional. It is such a balancing and grounding experience and Francine is truly a healer in everything she does. Anytime you are feeling out-of-sorts Francine's treatments can put you back into your body and help lessen the stress of life by revitalizing and nourishing your soul. read more

I received more than a massage from Francine. I received a healing. I first met Francine over a year ago when she was the assistant midwife for one of my best friends births. I had heard very good things about her and I knew that she was really known and respected in our community. This dear friend gifted me a massage with Francine following the birth of my own baby. I could not have been more excited and in need of a massage as you can imagine. Two and a half months of breast feeding, sleeping with, and carrying a new baby can really leave you with a sore back and arms. I felt very safe to express my emotions and concerns with Francine around what I was looking for in a massage. She normalized all of my disclosures and was very empathetic as she is a midwife and mother herself. I feel that Francine combined many techniques in her massage to help me realign sore areas in my body and I am certain that she also helped me call my spirit back from wherever it had gone during labor. I had many insights and left her home feeling refreshed emotionally and spiritually. I sincerely believe every mother deserves to treat herself to a massage with Francine. As a mental health therapist, I believe it is a necessity to experience the release and realignment that she can intuitively provide so well. I can't wait to treat my husband and mother to a massage with her as well. Thank you Francine. read more

Francine helped me through an uncomfortable and (seemingly) endless pregnancy with her amazing prenatal massages. Before Francine, I'd had other prenatal massage, and Francine has a special understanding of the pregnant body and the unique challenges it presents. I also used Francine's services for placenta therapy. At first I thought it sounded crazy, but when I asked Francine about the benefits, it made more and more sense. I can't say for sure that it worked, as I diligently took one or two pills daily as soon as I received them back from Francine and so can't speak for how it would have been without them. I can say that I seem to have recovered emotionally and physically very quickly, and they certainly didn't hurt. Lastly, Francine's rates for both massage and placenta therapy are very reasonable- you definitely get your money's worth! read more

Francine supported my husband and I during the birth of our first child this past August and we were quite pleased with her gentle approach and amazing bedside manner. I labored at Sage Femme, but ended up delivering at SF General. Francine came prepared with food, and encouraged me to eat during my labor and as a massage therapist was on point with lower back massage as I approached transition. She transferred to the hospital with me and used my placenta to make pills and tinctures. She also created a nice piece of art with my umbilical cord! After week 36, Francine was available by phone or text to answer any questions I might have. She has 2 children so no topic related to childbirth or children is taboo. Included in my package was a pregnancy massage and several post postpartum doula visits. Her rates are fabulous. Francine is simply wonderful. read more

I've been going to Francine for prenatal massages during my second and third trimester. Before and after each massage, Francine does a physical and emotional check in, which is such a caring approach. The space is very zen and the overall energy is pleasing. These actual massages are magical and really help me feel relaxed. I have a hard time taking naps, but I almost aways fall asleep during each session. I absolutely LOVE these massages - they've helped me throughout these last two trimesters. Francine is also always open to sharing general tips (rebozo, nutrition, pressure points etc.) Highly recommend! read more

My husband and I are so happy that we chose Francine to help us through our birth process. Within minutes of meeting her, we knew she was the right fit for us. She was relaxed, positive, and most of all, trusted that I knew what was right for me. She supported me, my husband and my birth plan until the very end, even when my resolve wavered in hour 25 of labor! FYI: I gave birth at Alta Bates but labored at home with Francine and my husband for as long as possible. Once in the hospital, the ever changing nurses were no where near as present and helpful as Francine. She even told my doctor that my baby was posterior before my doc realized it! Simply put, Francine knows her stuff. She is a nurturing earth mama with all the skills (massage techniques, herbal potions and overall smarts!) to get you through the most intense and amazing experience of your life. read more

I have had a great experience with Francine, I highly recommend! She is caring, supportive and very knowledgeable. I am seeing her monthly for Mayan abdominal massage for a variety of conditions and my results have been amazing in just two sessions. I'm very thankful for her work, and couldn't recommend her more highly! read more

Francine is amazing. She is the fifth person I have seen for the abdominal massage. Out of all of the people I have seen she is the best. I know this type of massage works because it has had helped me in the past for painful cramps. My cycle was less painful that I didn't have to take pain killers and my flow was considerably less. read more

Francine did not show up. My husband and I pre-paid Francine ~$1,700 to be our Doula and she was not there for my labor or birth. It was a horrible experience. I was in contact with her through the time I was having contractions which started at 6:30am in the morning. I called her around 9:30am to let her know about the contractions. She decided to continue with her plans of going to Point Reyes for brunch and assured my husband and I that she would be back within an hour to Oakland where we were laboring in our home. We called at 2pm to tell her labor was moving fast. She told me to have a glass of wine and take a bath. After that point we tried to contact multiple times on her cell phone and her partner's cell phone. NO RESPONSE. I guess she lost reception out there but if you are a doula, pre-paid to be on-call when your laboring mom is having contractions, I guess it's OK to be brunching with friends out in spotty cell phone reception area? No, says many other doulas I've talked to since then. This experience was 2 years ago. I thought, it's not worth it to say anything, but every time I tell my birth story, everyone is so surprised I have not given her this here yelp review. So here it is. The worst part is that she did NOT take accountability for her poor decision making and unprofessional behavior. Instead, she blamed me and got angry at my partner and me for not telling her that we were going to the hospital. She insisted that my labor was just really fast. Francine knew 9 hours about my laboring and contractions before we finally arrived at the hospital. She also totally dismissed my anger about the whole situation and pulled my husband aside and said that I was postpartum and essentially overreacting. After our request for at least part of our payment to be refunded, she mailed a check for $500 a month or so after the birth. Francine, you should have taken accountability. Acknowledged that it was a wrong decision to go to Point Reyes that morning. You should have been more cautious and conservative with your "predicting" that I was going to be in labor longer than I was. You should have come by to check in BEFORE leaving for Point Reyes. You made a mistake. It happens, the important thing is to take responsibility for it. Don't try to dodge the blame. I felt very disrespected by your actions and was really surprised to be treated in the way I was by someone who takes pride in being a conscious, woman-centered healer. Not a good person to deal with. I completely regret picking her. read more

Francine was our doula for a home birth. I was skeptical at first that a doula would be all that helpful or worth the cost, but I can't imagine our birth without Francine. She is very quiet and calm (although she also has a good sense of humor, which was important to me), and put me at ease from our first meeting. In the hours before our midwife arrived, I felt totally confident leaving my partner with her while I got a little sleep. She did a great job supplying my partner with water, massage, and low-key moral support throughout the process. We had some exciting (read: scary) moments towards the end of the birth, which she handled with total poise. She was also good with little details, like helping out with dishes (without being asked to) while we bonded with the new baby. We also both paid for massages from Francine before the birth. She's a good massage therapist, because of her calm energy and her intuition for finding the spots that need work. Our midwife later said to us, "I wish Francine could be at every birth I did!" I second that: I wish Francine could be the doula at all my friends' births. read more

After the fact, I realized something pretty incredible about doulas - you meet with your doula only a handful of times before they share one of the most, if not thee most, momentous occasions of your life with you. My husband's native language is Spanish (mine is English) so I was hoping in case of emergency ("not that there was going to be one", I told everybody) we would have a doula who was bilingual. There are surprisingly few Spanish-English bilingual doulas in the area and we could not have been more pleased, comforted and supported by Francine. Her calm and reassuring manner never faltered during what ended up being somewhat of a traumatic ending to my delivery after all. She was with us for over 30 hours. Francine went beyond expectation in every regard including the ways she helped relieve my pain. She was an amazing friend and confidant to my partner (and will be to you and yours in English or Spanish). Also, it sounds kind of silly putting this in writing but Francine made me feel proud of myself for my efforts and my decisions throughout my labor and delivery in a way that I would have expected my mother to, if she were still alive. As someone who prefers homeopathic remedies, I also appreciate Francine's vast knowledge in this area. She pulled together a mean sitz bath from plants we have in our own backyard! Francine also offers massage and group prenatal classes as part of her service. read more

We were initially unsure if we had made the right call having a doula & a midwife. However when we got to the hospital, my wife had some very intense back labour & pain & Francine was fantastic helping her through these first few hours, getting the baby turned successfully. This all happened before our midwife arrived, so it would have been very challenging had we decided to go without a Doula. Francine was awesome, we would thoroughly recommend her. read more

I am so grateful to have had Francine with me during the birth of my son last month! My birth plan was to labor at home for as long as possible and then have natural childbirth at Kaiser. Luckily, both of my wishes came true and I couldn't have done it without Francine! I labored at home for about 12 hours with the help of Francine's calm, reassuring guidance. Francine's support allowed me to feel completely relaxed throughout, and because I trusted Francine completely, I was able to focus on my contractions and leave the details to her. My labor and delivery were without complications, but we did have a little drama and Francine was amazing throughout it all! My husband wasn't always a fan of the idea of having a doula but once he met Francine he was immediately comfortable. My mom was also with me during my labor and delivery - she said that Francine was a peaceful presence to spend the hours of my labor with and she knew I was in good hands. I cannot say enough wonderful things about Francine - and the fact that she is a massage therapist is a huge perk! I definitely recommend her doula clients to schedule prenatal massage appointments with her, and I just had my first massage with her since my son was born and it was heaven! read more

We hired Francine to be our doula for our homebirth this past November, and we couldn't have been more pleased. Her energy is very calming and she is very knowledgable about the entire birth process. During the prenatal visits she answered all our questions and we felt like we really got to know her before the birth, which was important to us. One of the visits includes a prenatal massage, which is worth the fee right there! She sets up inside your home, no need to travel. During the birth she did so much - helping me eat, guiding my husband on how to help best, pressing my hips and low back, helping me with my breath. When my labor slowed and the midwife left, Francine stayed with us and I was very grateful for that. After the birth she encapsulated my placenta (for an extra fee). She brought the capsules to me just a couple of days after the birth. She is also available to you post-partum for questions and does a visit as well. If you're looking for a doula, she's your lady! read more

Before I was pregnant, I saw Francine for several abdominal massage appointments. The massage treatment and self-massage that she taught me were very helpful for my severe cramps. When my partner and I were preparing for the home birth of our child, our midwife recommended that we work with a doula and I immediately thought of Francine. We had 2 prenatal appointments with her and 2 postpartum appointments in the weeks after the birth. At all these appointments Francine shared her extensive knowledge about pregnancy, labor/birth and infant care, in helpful conversations about making birth-related decisions as well as massage and hands-on support with using cloth diapers and baby carriers. These appointments were great, and Francine was even more supportive at the birth itself. She was at our home for many hours of a challenging labor and birth, and supported me and my partner while calmly coordinating with our 2 midwives and my mom. Her quiet and strong presence, massage skills, suggestions about positions for labor, and frequent reminders to eat and drink were a major part of what helped me through the 24 hours of labor. In the hours after the birth, she emptied our birth tub, prepared herbs for sitz baths, fed me lasagna while I held our new baby in bed, and probably did a lot of other things I'm not aware of! In short, I would highly recommend Francine as a massage therapist and a doula. read more

I went to Francine for Maya abdominal therapy while trying to conceive. I've had many massages in my lifetime...but hers are by far the best I've ever received. They are so fabulous and relaxing that I don't think I've ever been able to stay completely lucid during a single one...which feels floating and magical. She is very intuitive with touch and all the emotions surrounding fertility, conception, and motherhood. And of course since she's training to be a midwife, she's very knowledgeable. I always feel like I'm in safe hands. I ended up deciding to try an IUI, even though my doctor said the chances of success at my age were only 4-8%. I continued with her massages, along with acupuncture and herbs leading up to the IUI. I got pregnant on the second cycle, during a full moon. I have no doubt her treatment helped to prepare my body and optimize my fertility. I'm now 41-years-old and 22 weeks pregnant :-) I feel so grateful and honored to be able to have another child. I plan to go back soon for a prenatal massage. Thank you Francine! read more

My husband and I had the honor of having Francine as our doula for our first born's homebirth. As a new mother to be, planning for a home birth was something that, although felt right, was new, overwhelming, and scary. Francine made us feel welcomed. She was quick and responsive to our first attempt to reach out and throughout our communication. She is bilingual - Spanish and English, which was incredibly helpful for my monolingual mother who I was planning to have at the birth. Her website, http://www.mariposamassageanddoula.com/home.html , gave us an insight to her impeccable work ethic and wealth of experience. As our doula I was able to benefit from her massage work, which was amazing!!! Pregnancy massages are the best!! She has an inviting home in North Oakland, where she holds her consultations and massages. She was also very attentive to our needs and desire to welcome our baby with a ceremony. And her experience with herbs and traditional medicine has helped me in the postpartum phase tremendously, especially the encapsulated placenta. Overall Francine is very warm and inviting and thanks to her and the rest of our amazing birth team I had an AMAZING home birth and welcomed a beautiful, healthy baby girl into the world this past April. It is with deep gratitude and love that I give my highest recommendation to our incredible doula, soon to be midwife, Francine. I could not have done it with her. read more