Taylor was recommended to us by our friend as well as various Facebook groups. She was super…read morehelpful for the birth of our son at ucsf. The one thing my husband and I loved most about her was her high eq and the ability to read the couple and situation. She was kind and nurturing and always had an answer to support any questions we had. She frequently checked in even when she was on vacation to make sure we were supported. I was also very appreciative of her not being pushy when it came to specific parts of the birth that I had envisioned. She encouraged us to think more holistically about the whole process when we were in the weeds. She helped me through hours of painful contractions which was well worth the money itself but most importantly, she helped my husband through the whole night and supporting him emotionally as he was navigating how to make the best decisions for us as a family. Overall I spent weeks agonizing if I needed a doula for the process and we are so glad we decided on one and that it was Taylor. I'd highly recommend her to our close friends and family should the time come for them as well!

Taylor is simply the best and my wife and I can't recommend her enough…read more We hired Taylor to help us with the birth of our first daughter in December 2022. My wife wanted to try for an unmedicated birth so we thought having the help of a doula would be a good idea. Now on the other side of things we can confidently say that we could not have done it without Taylor. She provided us with amazing support through the several months leading up to birth, a 30 hour labor, and post-partum life. What we loved about Taylor: - Probably the best listener we have ever met - she really worked hard to understand what our goals were and how she could best support them. She always took the time to listen to us intently. - Very knowledgeable about pregnancy, labor, and post-partum life - Taylor is such a wealth of knowledge when it comes to both traditional medicine and holistic medicine. She was able to answer so many of our questions across so many different areas. She shined at helping us understand the pros & cons of various decisions we had to make or decisions that we anticipated we might have to make. We really trusted her judgement by the time labor came around given how much experience she has and how deeply she understands pregnancy & labor. - Never pushes recommendations - Taylor never pushed recommendations or advice on us unless we specifically asked what she thought we should do. We loved this about her. She simply presents the facts and what she's seen in her experience and helps guide you to the decision that you want to make. This approach was refreshing and helped us build so much trust in her. - Willing to help at any time - even after our time with Taylor was over, she took the time to answer calls & texts from us as we were adjusting to new parent life. - Amazing endurance - during my wife's 30 hour labor Taylor helped me provide counter-pressure to my wife, kept her spirits high, had great comfort measure suggestions, and subbed in when I needed a quick break. Having Taylor with us during labor helped my wife achieve her goal of having a fully unmedicated labor. - Kindness - Taylor is one of the kindest people we know. She brought us awesome treats & thoughtful things throughout the entire time we worked with her. Overall we had the best experience with Taylor. If you are looking for a doula I would highly recommend talking to Taylor and you will quickly see why so many people have great experiences with her. If you see this Taylor, thank you again and you're the best!

I am a big fan of abdominal massage to heal all sorts of things both physical and emotional. It is…read moresuch 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.

I received more than a massage from Francine. I received a healing. I first met Francine over a…read moreyear 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.

My wife and I cherished Michi's wisdom, expertise and support before, during and after our daughter…read morewas born. We met Michi when we were seeking advice on how to navigate the bureaucracy of Kaiser. Michi coached us on how to advocate for the type of birthing experience we wanted, and also introduced us to a phenomenal midwife in the Kaiser system who would listen and support us in our birthing journey. We met with Michi several times prior to my wife going in labor. They helped us build a solid birthing plan and also provided ample information about what the experience would be like so we could have an understanding of what was ahead of us. Michi was able to answer all of our questions, and their steady, peaceful confidence was a blessing through the entire experience. When my wife began the laboring process at home, Michi was the first to arrive and was extraordinary in terms of keeping us all calm and focused. They provided a great deal of comfort and support as we began the life changing experience of birth. Additionally, their knowledge of spinning babies techniques was so helpful as the labor continued on. When we needed to transition to the hospital (and pivot from our plans for a home birth) Michi was a godsend. They were an extraordinary advocate and thought partner as we navigated all the decisions that had to be made while also being throughly exhausted (and my wife was still laboring). I truly cannot express how grateful I am to have had Michi by my side as I supported my wife. Michi coached me on what to do while also being a helpful and calming presence for my wife. After our healthy and happy baby came into the world, Michi came to our home to check in on us, do an abdominal massage for my wife, and did a beautiful ritual to acknowledge the transition into motherhood we had experienced. I've recommended Michi to every friend I know who has had a baby recently. I cannot sing their praises highly enough. They have deep knowledge and expertise in the hospital medicine side of things, while also holding vast wisdom and connection to the spiritual core of the experience. Working with Michi is a gift, and I hope you are able to partner with them as you begin your birthing journey.

This is my second (and last) pregnancy and I vowed to myself that I would lean into self-care this…read moretime around. My previous pregnancy was difficult to do so as our first born was born during peak COVID. This second pregnancy was of course much different than the first with more and new aches/pains. I found myself needing more massages and acupuncture, so of course I wanted to continue the act of self-care in my postpartum recovery. I had read about belly binding and the benefits and was researching bay are folks who performed this. That is when I found Michi. She came to my home - very convenient considering we're laying low with a newborn - and combined a very soothing, lovely uterine massage with the belly binding. In addition, she also showed my husband the technique to wrap me so I can take it off here and there. After Michi wrapped me, my uterus and hips felt super supported! It was an unfamiliar feeling (or maybe I had forgotten) to feel as if my uterus was going to fall out prior to this belly binding. Being my second pregnancy I was told it will take longer for my uterus to contract back to normal size, but very confident this belly binding will help with that! I highly recommend Michi! And, I will be looking to book her for other services as well. She is gentle, calm and kind - truly a lovely person.

Alex is easily one of the most impactful humans I've ever had the pleasure to come across. I was…read morelucky to have been referred to her by a mom in my pregnancy and new mother's group. She has been an invaluable resource and support on my journey into becoming a single mother of 3. I found her presence incredibly calm and healing, she was so intuitive and really helped me do a lot of soul work. Even her singing voice is captivating and comforting, lulling me into quiet tears. She helped uplift me from a dark place into a transformed mother, self assured and capable. I had suffered through postpartum depression two times before, and I was fortunate to have evaded it this time around with the tremendous care of Alex. Thank you for your profound impact on my family.

Absolutely LOVE Alex! We gave birth to our first baby girl last month completely unmedicated thanks…read moreto Alex. She is extremely knowledgable, takes time to explain every single detail and gives you the information to make decisions for yourself. I was a skeptic at first before hiring a doula, but thanks to my husband's encouragement, it was the best investment spent for our baby. We've also taken all the foundational courses at the hospitals, but none of them compare to just one session with Alex. Alex is hands on, answers any and all your questions quickly and is the best advocate for you and your health and the health of your baby. From the moment we met Alex, we knew she loves her job. When your contractions start, your immediate response is to go to the hospital, but thanks to Alex, she kept me calm at home for an extra 8hrs, well fed and well hydrated and knew exactly when is the right time to go. She provided all the right massages and calming techniques from start to finish. We can't be more grateful to have found her and we'll definitely be using her for all her post delivery services, she is simply the most amazing woman you'll meet.

Perspective from a new dad:…read more My wife and I hired Jenny because we felt that she understood our concerns around childbirth; while we knew we'd have great healthcare in the Bay Area, we wanted to make sure we had an advocate for our family in the delivery room (not just agents of the hospital). At first we weren't sure what kind of doula would be right for us, as we were a couple of scientists looking for an experienced hand to guide us through the process, not... hippies. With her calm and gentle demeanor, Jenny was more than accommodating during our initial meeting. Throughout our pregnancy, Jenny provided us the research behind any suggestions she made and wasn't dogmatic about any one approach. As a prospective father, Jenny listened to me and made my concerns heard, too. Of course, I played a much smaller part in the engagement, but I appreciated that I wasn't an afterthought. Jenny was very helpful in giving both of us tips and exercises to do to prepare my wife for childbirth. Where Jenny's services really shined was, of course, during the big event. We called her when my wife started feeling early contractions on a Saturday morning and into the evening (10pm) and throughout the night (2am to 4am). She was responsive to text and phone calls throughout. We went to UCSF to see how dilated my wife was, and unfortunately we found out she wasn't that far along, so we returned home to Oakland. The next morning, things were _really_ picking up. We called Jenny over and my wife's water broke on Jenny's way over. When Jenny arrived, she assessed the situation and said we should call and start heading to a hospital. Then, the hospital recommended we call 911. While I coordinated the paramedics and firefighters that were taking my laboring wife into an ambulance, Jenny was coaching my wife and helping her deal with the intensity of the surges. I would not have been able to give my wife the support she needed without Jenny's help. The paramedics didn't think imminent birth was likely at all, but Jenny trusted my wife's instincts, despite the fact that she wasn't showing the traditional contraction pattern that indicates active labor! Jenny continued to help her through the contractions from the front seat of the ambulance. Ten minutes later, as that ambulance flung open its doors at the hospital, out came our baby's head. One more push and our son was born healthy as my wife was being rolled into the Emergency Department! Jenny helped us have the most wonderful (and adventurous) birth story, and we're so thankful for her help.

Jenny was my doula for the birth of my first child and she was wonderful! To be honest, we really…read moreweren't sure what to expect (I didn't know much about doulas and was paired with her through a volunteer program at my hospital), but was with us for ~12 hours of my home labor (i.e., before I went to the hospital and was able to get pain medications) and made this phase a ton more physically comfortable and mentally manageable. To begin with, Jenny came over for a meet & greet, established expectations, and gave us some sage advice and a few handouts to stew on. She was really good about staying in touch for the last couple of months of my pregnancy, asking for updates after each of my doctor's appointments. She also wanted to know when I started going into labor, making sure that I knew to call her, especially if it was in the middle of the night. She was always super responsive by text, and she took a cab over around 4am when I did go into labor and my contractions got very painful - basically when my hospital said I wasn't far enough to come in yet, and this was a good time to focus on home labor and to call my doula if I had one. For my partner and I, who were completely inexperienced and mentally unprepared for the intensity of the contractions, Jenny was a complete godsend. She guided us in setting up several coping "stations" using various props, like pillows, our yoga ball and a hall banister, which each facilitated different stretches or poses. One thing she excelled at was tracking my contractions and managing my expectations for progress. Another was helping me manage my pain. Specifically, she leveraged her training as a massage therapist to massage my shoulders and back, do these great hip presses, and applied a TENS (electric pulse) Unit to my lower back muscles. All these things together made my last 12 hours before I could go to the hospital much more relaxed and manageable, and helped me keep my energy up for the long stretch ahead of me. Throughout the whole process, Jenny did a great job soothing our minds and my cramping muscles. I highly recommend her as a doula!

After having a few friends recommend working with a pelvic floor therapist before giving birth, I…read moreset up an appointment with Charisse for a perineal preparation visit during my third trimester. This was the best thing that I did to prepare for giving birth. Charisse was incredibly professional and supportive. I learned more about the anatomy of delivering a baby, my body, and what my preferences would be for laboring during my appointment with Charisse than the birthing class I took through the hospital. I came away from our appointment excited for my labor and delivery. I highly recommend working with Charisse during your third trimester.

I met Charisse (Dr. Charisse Balance, .. but so unpretentious and assimilating - she never…read moreintroduced herself as such), .. as my Anatomy Instructor, in my Yoga Teacher Training, at Point Reyes Yoga, in Point Reyes Station, California - with Nicholas Giacomini (MC Yogi) & Amanda Giacomini (10,000 Buddhas). As I helped Charisse with her artificial skeleton assistant friend, (sweetly dubbed 'Bone-ita') :-) from her car to class .. I already was falling in love with her. She was (and is still .. so much so), cute, sweet, smart, approachable, .. used words to subtly let me know she was 'getting' me, .. and gorgeous. It's ridiculous to mention her appearance twice, .. but really, .. it's no wonder she was selected as the model throughout and on the cover of this new awesome yoga book that was just published. S/o to : "Yoga Myths: What You Need to Learn and Unlearn for a Safe and Healthy Yoga Practice", by Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D. (I have no affiliation) Speaking of yoga - she practices it, teaches it, .. and lives it. AND, she integrates her years of education, skill, and professional and personal life INTO it, .. beautifully and interestingly intertwined with physiotherapy. A month.ish later, while still hanging out in the Bay Area, CA (I'm a current Nomad, .. from Chicago), .. the chronic pain I've experienced for decades (I've been diagnosed with Degenerative Disk Disease, .. and all the sh*t that goes along with that, throughout the body), .. took a turn toward the super wtf acute version pain. So I contacted Charisse to schedule a phone consultation. I texted with her, while I was at Stanford Hospital, .. but then spoke with her when out. Talking with her was like doing so with a good Friend, .. the smart, reassuring, helpful kind. She incorporated an individualized holistic approach .. sort of augmenting the treatment suggested by the hospital and doctors, .. and addressed my body, mind and spirit. As a woman, mother, yogini, *and* physiotherapist, - she was able to share these offerings with an understanding of the science of movement, biomechanics, kinesiology and anatomy. She seemed to have a respect for the entirety of my person - not just the diagnosis. She was sensitive to the fact that other factors may have contributed to my physical and emotional challenges (shout out to trauma, .. *&* fascia which is likely sort of storing it - my words). And then offered ways to incorporate various tools to work with that - including the suggestion that I look into other teachers and practitioners (very cool), .. and do my own independent research. I love Charisse. And appreciate her dearly - especially for her calming, assuring demeanor, .. during my time of need. And would recommend her for Yoga, Yoga Instruction, or Holistic Health / Physiotherapy Consulting .. anyday.

My husband and I hired Angela when I was 36 weeks pregnant and delivered at 38 weeks on 3/1/2015…read more We chose her out of 2 other doulas. Why did we? Well the first phone conversation I felt her confidence and sincerity. When we interviewed her I sensed her passion and sweetness. I felt comfortable with her and that's very important while giving birth. Speaking of birth, I had a long and tough one. She was AMAZING! Very attentive, very responsive, very patient, professional and just incredible. My husband and I wouldn't have been able to cope with our difficult labor without her. She made my 5 hours of pushing "easier" with her words of confidence and support. Angela, you are wonderful and I would definitely love to hire you for my next baby (not anytime soon!).

We hired Angela to assist us with our home birth and couldn't be more happy that we did! My…read morecontractions started intermittently 3 days before our baby girl arrived. By the middle of the second night we needed some reinforcement. My husband and I were both tired and we had exhausted all of the "tricks" we knew. Angela arrived at 2am with a renewed enthusiasm and full tool box. Her physical techniques were incredibly soothing and helpful through my contractions and during the "breaks" as well. Her calming demeanor and encouraging voice helped get us through the second night. We had a break during the day (my contractions slowed down and with less intensity) and then she was back the next night for the birth. Again she arrived in the middle of the night and didn't skip a beat. She jumped in where she was needed (massaging and applying counter pressure on my hips, back and thighs) and helped us bring our beautiful baby girl in to the world. She was extremely helpful to the midwife following the birth as well in getting things cleaned up and put away so we could be present with our daughter and enjoy our new little gift. We appreciated her enthusiasm, confidence, professionalism and willingness to do whatever was needed and best for our family. She is great and we are so happy she was part of our team!

I am SO grateful I had Eve as my birth doula and acupuncturist! She has the most calming presence…read moreand was an incredible advocate for me during my birth, while working well with the medical staff at the hospital. Her prenatal acupuncture sessions helped me sleep sooo well during the weeks leading up to my birth, which was no easy feat in the third tri. Even though we went through the birthing class through my hospital, Eve's pre-birth sessions offered so much more insight and helped us understand all the options for our birth plan. Would recommend Eve to anyone looking for a birth doula and truly could not have imagined my birth without her!

I started to see Eve 5 months post-partum, and learned through her that some pain I was having in…read moremy joints was common post-partum. Now after a few sessions, my joint paint is gone. I find Eve very calming, and a great expert to speak to about any health issues I'm having, or new mum challenges. I always leave my appointment feeling restored and rejuvenated. I highly recommend Eve.