I had placenta pills made after my first birth and noticed immediately how much more emotionally…read morebalanced and energetic I was when taking them. I feel they really help to even out the postpartum hormones and allowed me to get through the days with very little sleep! I knew that with my second child I'd also want to use placenta pills, so I arranged for Ozzie to process them for me. Ozzie picked up my placenta within several hours after my son was born and had them back to me the same day, beautifully packaged and with easy to understand instructions right on the glass jar. In six weeks time, she had a placenta tincture for me that I use now and again now that the placenta pills are used up. I highly recommend Ozzie to make your magic happy pills!

I highly recommend Marin Placenta Services for your placenta encapsulation needs. Ozzie couldn't…read moremake it easier - she takes your placenta & 2 days later, she will drop off your pills! She is also flexible - I asked her to cut off some pieces for me to freeze to add to smoothies and she was happy to do it. Additionally, she is very easy to communicate with and will respond to your inquiries rapidly. I was very pleased with her services!

I reached out to a few doulas and felt an immediate connection with Alexis. From the first moment…read morewe spoke, she was so generous with her time and wisdom, as well as personal anecdotes to help me get a better sense of the types of scenarios we should be thinking through. She also helped me navigate the world of prenatal care - sharing the names of a wonderful birth class, prenatal masseuse and chiropractor that kept me in decent shape up until my birth. During labor, Alexis was a perfect partner to my husband and me. My labor was long, and having Alexis there with us meant that I always had a rested partner to help me through labor. She also helped us navigate the many decisions that inevitably arise during birth, and I can honestly say that while it didn't go according to "plan," it was one of the most beautiful moments of my life and I give Alexis so much credit for that. She's incredibly passionate about what she does and even after birth, was an incredible resource and partner to us in those early, uncertain weeks. We're lucky to have her in the Bay Area!

This is a long over due review. Alexis was my doula for the birth of my second son (7/24/14). My…read morehusband and I couldn't have done it without her. I contacted Alexis late into my pregnancy because I really wanted my second birth to be without an epidural. I didn't have the best experience with my first birth and I really wanted this time to be different. Alexis reassured me that this was a different birth and that my body was meant for this. From the moment I spoke to her I knew she was meant to be a doula. She is super calm and sweet and you can tell she loves what she does. We met shortly there after and I didn't have to interview anyone else (although I spoke to many over the phone). I wasn't too happy with my doctor at the time and Alexis not only knew who he was but helped me research other doctors and suggested many others to me.. She always responded to all of my silly questions and concerns and helped me come up with a birth plan. The day I went into labor I called Alexis and she gave me the option to come over or let me keep laboring on my own at home and meet me later. I felt calm and confident so I stayed in the tub and labored from home and stayed in touch with her. She could tell just by talking to me if I was close or not. When the time came I called Alexis and we met at the hospital. I can honestly say that thanks to Alexis I was able to have an un-medicated birth, my husband said it was the best money we have ever spent (and he was hesitant about getting a doula). Alexis helped me through the contractions and helped me remain calm. She even stayed long after to help in any way that she could. The only regret I have is that I didn't take any pictures with her that day.

I've been seeing Christina for over a year. Initially I wanted to experience craniosacral therapy…read more Christina starts each session with your intention. Mine was a desire to feel a sense of safety in my body. That was and has been amazing, to be able to feel safe from within. With her support I was able to start to reconnect with my body, which I didn't even realize was numb/disconnected! Due to her additional pre and perinatal training I've also been able to discover and heal early wounds that my body had memory of, but that my mind and talk therapy had not been able to access. Christina has been vital in my healing from childhood developmental trauma in a safe way without retraumatizing. She's role modeled and helped me learn to have compassion and love for myself, and to grow my emotional capacity and tolerance. When I bump into difficult memories or emotions, Christina is there to walk me through it to welcome them in compassionate way. Christina's calming presence helps me to feel safe and supported, which is critical for healing. She is a special soul and a true healer.

We are so grateful to have worked with Christina. When we got pregnant with our first child, we…read moreknew we wanted a natural, peaceful birth and Christina helped support ​our vision​ every step of the way. In the prenatal visits, she helped​ us discover our ideal birth​ scenario and​​ ​provided us with resources (visualization​s​, books, audio recordings) to help support our preferences. She helped ​prepare us for ​the many decisions​ of pregnancy, labor & delivery and newborn care, so we could make the best choices for our family. When our son's birth arrived, Christina was amazing. She was right there from my initial contractions to post-birth. She knew just how and when to jump in, but also when to give both me and my husband our space. Christina reminded my husband and I focus on one another and the incredible event happening to us. She is very familiar with Marin General ​which​ helped us navigate our admission and get comfortable in the hospital space. ​She gave good suggestions on different positions to minimize my pain while also ensuring my labor progressed. With her help, we had a beautiful, all natural birth. ​Afterward, Christina followed up with us and came to visit our new baby multiple times. She even gave our baby a cranial sacral treatment and came back to give me a much needed postpartum massage. I can't say enough good things about Christina. She is incredibly conscientious and caring. She is a wonderful, calming doula and a talented masseuse. I highly recommend her.

I have received multiple massages from Gracie during pregnancy and postpartum and they have all…read morebeen fabulous. Especially when I was 9 months pregnant, she did a fantastic job making sure I felt comfortable and helping relieving the physical pain of the third trimester. During postpartum, I have received a couple of massages for back pain related to breastfeeding and I always leave feeling rejuvenated and more aligned. Highly recommend

I reached out to Brilliant Births to find a birth doula. They offer a matching service and…read moreconnected me to 3 doulas who work independently (not employees of BB). We were really fortunate to find our birth doula (who we love!), but the other 2 candidates were not very impressive. The first doula missed our appointment with no follow-up communication. We were initially confused and thought she was the coordinator for BB, because she only communicated by text. The actual meeting was just by telephone so there was no face-to-face interaction, which felt strange. We could've easily FaceTimed or Zoomed. So communication and reliability were not great. The second doula abruptly canceled our half-hour appointment when we were 10 minutes late for a 30-minute appointment due to my husband wrapping up a Zoom meeting. During our appointment time, she was responding to my emails (in which I apologized for being late), but insisted she could no longer meet with us. I thought this was a really bad sign about what she would be like to work with - labor and delivery is rarely precisely timed and some flexibility is needed. In addition, her email said that she lives in Portola Valley, but we live Berkeley (also where Brilliant Births is located). This also struck me as strange, because it would take 1.5 hours for her to arrive to meet us at the hospital, which is not ideal.

tomi is amazing!!! she has great customer service and the ability to make sure she is delivering…read morequality care....i delivered my bundle of joy and she went to work on my placenta and the results are priceless......i received my capsules in a cute little jar along with a beautiful art piece that she had mad for me and a bunch of other goodies...tomi has once again did her thanggg!!!!! and for that i want to say thank you..ill do it again

I was recommended to Tomi by my families acupuncturist and I am so glad I found her! Tomi was so…read moreeasy to communicate with throughout the whole process. All of the emails she sent were so informative and made the process smooth and so easy to understand. Although I wasn't able to meet Tomi because I am in the North Bay, my mother was able to drop off and pick up for me and said that Tomi was amazing and so nice! I was so nervous going into my second pregnancy because I had such horrible postpartum with my first, but was made aware that encapsulating my placenta could provide multiple benefits. I am absolutely shocked at how well I felt and continue to feel taking the capsules. No baby blues, my mood has boosted, more energy, and have even noticed an increase in breast milk. My package included my capsules and a complimentary picture of my placenta, my babies cord keepsake, and a blood print of my placenta and I couldn't be happier. Tomi, thank you so much!

As a new parent, the postpartum period is challenging enough without having to deal with the stress…read moreand disappointment of a difficult agency. While Stork and Sprout does have some excellent doulas on its team who provided great support and coaching, my experience with the agency's leadership was overwhelmingly negative. We had a particularly difficult time with Brittany. She demonstrated a pattern of manipulation, gaslighting, and lying, both to us and, from what I understand, to her own employees. Our contract promised consistent coverage, but the scheduling was erratic and communication was poor. We were left to wonder many nights if we would have support, and for several weeks, we only received 1 to 2 days of support instead of the 6 to 7 we paid for. When we requested a refund for the services not provided, Brittany refused and even fought our bank with out-of-context emails and more lies. She claims she "offered a refund" but is even today refusing to honor it as she says in the response. The lack of professionalism extended to some of the staff as well; one sick doula was sent to our home and intentionally caused our newborn physical pain. Brittany treated us like we were the difficult ones and responded with empathy-less chatGPT emails to manage the situation. We were also led to believe we would have one primary doula with a backup, but over the course of our service, we had seven different doulas come to our home. This complete lack of continuity made an already difficult period even more stressful. Based on my experience, I would advise new parents to skip Stork and Sprout and work directly with an independent doula. You will not only save the 30-40% extra fee the agency charges for scheduling, but you will also avoid the toxic and difficult management. This experience is unacceptable for a service that costs tens of thousands of dollars and demands payment upfront months ahead of providing the service. We were not able to switch easily due to the inflexible Carrot reimbursement process through the employer.

I truly couldn't have accomplished my VBAC goals without the incredible support of the Stork and…read moreSprout birth doula team. From the very first moment I needed them through labor and all the way until I was settled into the maternity floor with my new little boy, they were there every step of the way. Their calm presence, deep knowledge, encouragement, and advocacy made all the difference during such an intense and meaningful experience. I felt supported, empowered, and never alone. I am beyond grateful for their care and dedication and would wholeheartedly recommend Stork and Sprout to anyone preparing for birth--especially those pursuing a VBAC.

I am so incredibly happy that Becca was our doula for our hospital birth. This was my first baby,…read moreand I knew that all I wanted was for the baby to be healthy and to avoid an emergency C-section if I could. We met with Becca and knew right away that she was the perfect person to help us in preparing for and giving birth. She immediately set us at ease by assuring us that the hospital we chose had an excellent Labor and Delivery team. She was 100% right about that, and everything else. She helped me trust myself and my body. I never thought I would have such an amazing and thoroughly happy birth experience. Becca really cares. It meant a lot to us that she also visited us after the birth to check in and provide some very welcome support. If we have another baby, we will definitely work with Becca, again!

I could not imagine my first birth without Becca! From the very first phone call, I felt an instant…read moreconnection with her--she's such a kind, caring soul and a true expert in her field. One of the things that impressed me most was how seamlessly she read the dynamic between me and my husband. She always knew when to step in with support and when to step back and give us space. That balance was invaluable during such an emotional, vulnerable time. When my birth plan didn't go the way I had envisioned, Becca's expert advice and calm presence gave me so much security in the decisions I had to make. She helped me feel grounded, informed, and confident every step of the way and encouraged me to listen to my instinct and body. Another aspect of her support that you simply can't put a price on is how connected she is at Kaiser. She knew nearly every midwife and nurse, and because of her strong relationships there, I felt reassured that the care I was receiving was exactly what I needed. Her presence gave me an extra layer of trust in the whole process. Becca communicated beautifully, supported us with such compassion, and helped make my first birth experience one that I will cherish forever. I can't recommend her enough--if you're considering a doula, Becca is truly one of a kind! Thank you so much Becca!

Working with Brigette for my birth doula and placenta encapsulation was a great experience…read more Brigette, and Vanessa Norton who she teamed up with last summer, were the doulas for the birth of my daughter this past July. During our pre-birth meetings, Brigette was warm, responsive, and gave my partner and me a sense that she would be a competent, caring, and strong advocate. On the week of my daughter's birth, the City of SF experienced a record birth boom. What this meant for us was that Brigette was in back-to-back births. As soon as I told her my water broke, she arranged for a back-up for us in case the birth in which she was participating didn't finish by the time I was in active labor. It didn't and we went with her back up doula. We stayed in contact throughout the day until I went into active labor. The Universe has a way of giving me what and who I need at the right time, and this was no exception. Even though Brigette had been in 20+ hours of labor and deliveries, she came to my hospital room right after I delivered my daughter. Can you imagine? We hugged and cheered and introduced Brigette to our miracle - it felt as if in a way she'd been there for the birth. Brigette also took my placenta home with her and encapsulated it. Seeing my placenta post-delivery was nauseating, so I was grateful that Brigette was encapsulating it rather than me try to DIY prepare it. The encapsulation process was easy. A couple days later, Brigette came by and visited with us. She gave me the encapsulations and directions on how to use them. Everything was straightforward and simple, which as an exhausted, new mom, was a big help. I highly recommend partnering with Brigette for your birth!

My wife Gwen wrote this review but it speaks to how we both felt!…read more I can't imagine not having Brigette at my (first) birth and postpartum - throughout the process she was a breath of fresh air and allowed me to stay calm and even maintain my sense of humor when things got tough. I joke with her that I can't wait to get pregnant again so she can support me for round two - although I'm going to give my body some buffer time ;) haha. I planned a homebirth, but hired Brigette because I knew she'd be an incredible advocate for me whether I gave birth at home or had to transfer to hospital. She was recommended by our midwife Kara Englebrecht, and I was so grateful that Kara pointed us to her. From our first meeting Brigette was down to earth with a warm and openhearted energy. She made me feel calm and confident - helped me feel empowered about the fact that I was the one giving birth and she was there to support and guide as needed. During my labor she was extremely intuitive. She was great at providing counter pressure on my hips during labor sensations and read my body for what I needed. Most of the time what I needed was to bury my head in her neck during contractions so I could breath through them - she felt like a sister to me, which is incredible when I step back and think that we hadn't spent *that* much time together - but it speaks to how quickly I grew to trust her. When I was pushing, I was concentrating on her bangs, blowing air towards them to focus and she read my mind and made sure to stay close so I could continue to focus that way (strange I know, but it helped, and best part was I didn't have to ask/tell her to stay still - she just knew what to do!). She also encapsulated my placenta and supported our family postpartum. She showed me how to be an excellent burper, and helped me spread my momma wings with little tips and tricks to grow my confidence. I'm *so* glad we got to continue working with her as our postpartum doula - she was so helpful and efficient it was almost difficult for me and my husband to think up additional to-do tasks. But mostly, she was a warm familiar face that helped me exhale and feel at ease in those challenging first couple of weeks. I'd recommend her 100x over, can't imagine it any other way. FYI: I was able to use my FSA health savings account to use pre-tax dollars to pay for her birth doula services. It's an eligible expense ("Birth Coach"), I had my OB fill out a short form (Letter of Medical Necessity) that I got from the FSA website, and attached it to the reimbursement request. I think hiring a doula is worth every penny, but helpful tip to get a "discount" by using pre-tax dollars!

Amber has a beautiful, gentle and calm presence and her time with us after the birth of our…read moredaughter was so very valuable. She came and supported us during my postpartum time, cooking delicious, nutritious meals. Making warm spiced chai, special teas and sweets for lactation. Her expert knowledge around birth, postpartum and hormone balancing is excellent. Combined with her gentle touch through abayanga massage, which was so very restorative for me, especially after I had quite significant blood loss during my birth. I felt totally held and nourished and couldn't recommend her highly enough for this incredibly tender time, she is a really special person. Thank you again Amber! X

My husband and I had a wonderful experience working with Alana Corrin through Healthy Mamas,…read moreHealthy Babies. First, learning about the services and speaking with Amber was great. She is highly organized and very responsive. I also loved the online mom support groups with different topics covered each week - these were so helpful! For the doula services, Alana was wonderful. She is very laid back and easy to talk to while also being super knowledgable and attentive. I wasn't sure if I was going to try to have a natural birth or get an epidural and I felt like Alana was ready to support me no matter what option I wound up choosing. Also, my husband tends to be very anxious around any medical or hospital setting so we weren't sure if he would be able to be with me for all of labor and delivery. Our meeting before birth was great because Alana was able to listen to his concerns and talk him through what L&D would be like so he wouldn't be so nervous. We only wound up being able to have one pre-birth meeting because my baby decided to show up 6.5 weeks early! Thankfully, Alana was able to meet us at the hospital within an hour of my husband calling her (around 3am??). My labor proceeded very quickly and we were both overwhelmed because we had not anticipated having our baby that early. Alana remained a calm and consistent presence throughout my labor and for a while after delivery after they took my baby to the NICU. She was also able to ask the nurses and doctors questions we had completely forgotten to ask and kept us up to date with everything that was happening. My husband wound up being able to stay for most of L&D and I think a lot of that has to do with Alana being there - we both felt fully supported the entire time. We had three post-partum sessions with Alana and they were also incredibly helpful. I would definitely recommend her to others and would love to work with her again if we wind up having another baby (hopefully closer to my due date next time, hehe)!