Having Alicia help us (my husband and I) thru my first pregnancy was the best decision. Having…read moresomeone who knows how to navigate the whole process was so reassuring and gave me confidence to walk into the hospital in labor and know what I wanted. I wasn't scared to go into labor. I wasn't scared of anything. She also took some amazing photos that we will have forever, and wouldn't have had if she wasn't there. Thank you Alicia!!!

I've been working with Alicia as my doula during my pregnancy and she has been an incredible…read moreresource. She has an innate ability to make everyone that she comes in contact with feel safe and supported. She's an educator by training and has taught both my husband and I so much about pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. She's incredibly well organized, and she has agendas, resources, and notes ready for each session. She blends this high caliber of client services with compassion, generosity and deep listening. Alicia has been incredibly helpful in managing my anxiety and stress through pregnancy by incorporating mindfulness practices, such yoga and meditation, into each prenatal session. I feel so blessed to have met her and highly recommend hiring her as your doula if you're looking for a strong advocate and supportive doula!

Amanda cared for my partner and I after our baby was born. She is very skillful as a masseuse and a…read moredelight to have in your home. Couldn't be a bigger fan!

I met Amanda when I was very disappointed and stressed by my OB/GYN and she supported me so much,…read moresince our first talk I felt that I trust her and want her to be with me on my delivery. She is so calm and positive thinker, and when you with her you 100 percent sure that things will go in right direction. She helped me to change doctor, what was right decision and have natural birth without epidural. She was so supportive and always was in touch with me before and during delivery, she was my shrink, midwife and much more. Amanda is amazing person who I'm trust and definitely recommend as great professional doula. P.S. She also do a great massage

I started seeing Dr Karah about 7 months before my first pregnancy to work on my pelvic floor in…read moreprep for labor. My first internal exams was tough for me but her incredibly calm nature and thorough cues taught me how to calm my nervous system and release tension. This ended up having a huge impact during labor when I had many cervical checks. I was able to prep myself to relax and the offer dreaded cervical checks were a breeze for me! The doctors were impressed with my ability to relax and it was entirely thanks to my work with Karah. I previously was tense and coordinating my breathing completely wrong which caused extra stress and pain. I think an appointment or two can do wonders for anyone who dreads gyno exams (paps, iud insertion, cervical checks ect) even if you don't have pelvic floor specific concerns. She is gentle and low pressure. She will also give you tips on how to do work at home if coming in is an obstacle.

Dr. Maryssa Steffen treated me and I am forever grateful for her. I was involved in a car accident…read moreand Dr. Steffen responded to my query with an appointment in less than a week. Make sure to give yourself time to find parking and communication is your friend if it is your first time, as I had walking mobility issues at that point. After months of treatment, she shared her expertise which I was able to take with me even a couple of years later. Certain exercises like squats against the wall are daily habits I do in the morning because of my rehabilitation journey with her. Dr. Steffen supported me by being respectful of who I am. She motivated me to learn more about my body beyond anatomy and physiology-which she also taught me a lot. I felt confident in her care. The office space, especially the room with a window looking over greenery, was conducive to healing. Each activity seemed enjoyable, even if there was pain involved; she was able to explain complex exercises and stretches in a meaningful way. She had a lot of equipment and resources. I regained strength and mobility, and now am getting back into the body before the accident. Thank you for your genuine concern for my overall well-being!

Hiring Lenore as our doula was one of the best decisions we made. She was consistently warm,…read moregenuinely caring, and incredibly responsive. Her professionalism and organization were impressive, yet she remained completely approachable throughout. Lenore empowered me to create the birth plan I wanted and provided resources to help me feel prepared. She walked alongside us through important decisions and connected us to wonderful providers, including a pelvic floor therapist. During labor, her support both at home and at the hospital was critically helpful. I'm so grateful for my beautiful birthing experience! It was also reassuring that she was a known and respected presence at the hospital. My partner was initially uncertain about hiring a doula, but now says without hesitation that it was one of our best decisions. I cannot recommend Lenore highly enough.

If you are looking to hire a doula, look no further. Lenore is absolutely incredible at what she…read moredoes, and choosing to have her on my birthing team was one of the best decisions I've made. I honestly couldn't imagine going through the birthing journey without her. She provided so much insight, support, and value throughout every step of the way. During the prenatal sessions, she was intentional about getting to know my partner and I, as well as my birthing preferences. When the unexpected happened, she was there to offer me a fresh perspective and the right questions to ask. Lastly, when it came to giving birth, she knew exactly what to say, exactly what support I needed, and kept me feeling embodied and empowered throughout the entire experience. I can confidently say that I would never have been able to achieve my desired birth without her.

We feel extremely fortunate that we got to have Keelia help us settle into being a family of four…read more She was a consistently warm and caring presence, not just for our new baby but for all four of us. And she has a special knack for just finding ways to be helpful even if we're frazzled and don't know what to ask. She's also very thoughtful about providing advice--in addition to answering whatever random questions we have, she gently offers advice without it ever feeling like she's forcing it on us or it feeling overly didactic. We could go on about how great she is, but the long and short of it is that she's amazing at what she does.

I am certain that my experience with Keelia made THE difference in achieving the birth of my…read moredaughter the ways that I wanted it- delaying at home for as long as possible, no pain meds and a positive, empowered experience. My biggest fears were my low pain tolerance and lack of control over knowing exactly how it would go. Shortly before our due date, Keelia came over to review our birth plan and a timeline of what to expect for pre-labor, active labor, travel to the birth center, transition, and delivery. She made sure we practiced comfort measures, breathing and how I wanted to be supported verbally. It wasn't until the last moments with Keelia where she looked me in the eye and said I was ready, that I actually felt prepared to go into labor and meet my daughter. 2 days later, my water broke in the middle of the night. For the next 44 hours of contractions, naps, two car rides up to the birth center, a traumatic cervical check on day one to then be sent back home, many walks around the neighborhood, yoga ball bouncing, 1 game of Monopoly, snacks, massages, and support - Keelia was at our beck and call. By the time we got to the birth center (again) on day 2 after 36 hours, I was only at 1cm and 50% effaced. Keelia helped me calm down from exhausition and frustration at this news, and we made a plan to get misoprostol to thin my cervix but hopefully proceed with no other interventions. Miraculously, Ava was born 7 hours later. Keelia coached me through contractions which came back to back for hours, waved lavendar oil in front of my face for nausea, massaged my back, covered the clock when she noticed it stressing me out, got me into the shower with Joe when I hit the wall of transition, and helped me breathe through pushing - 3 contractions! She reassured me every step of the way - calmly & knowing I could do it at all moments. In this amazing doula's hands, I felt loved, safe, and supported. Thank you, Keelia.

Gingi supported my prenatal and postpartum healing journey -- helping both myself and my 8 week old…read morebaby. I attended her womb movement class while pregnant and absolutely love it! She was also incredibly knowledgeable about breastfeeding and newborn care to reduce gassiness and offered the most amazing body massage afterwards! She validated my experiences as a new mother and created a very comfortable and safe space for me. I look forward to working with her again and highly recommend her services!

VBAC/HBAC success story!…read more As a second-time mom, I knew I wanted my birth experience to be drastically different than my first. I lived in New Jersey when we found out we were pregnant, so I started looking for midwives and OBs out there. I could not find someone who felt right for me. Some wouldn't listen/validate my concerns, others were asking over $10K out-of-pocket up front. As a result, I didn't feel comfortable having any prenatal care at all for the first 30 weeks. Fast forward, my husband got a job in the Bay Area. We were eager to find prenatal care that I felt right about upon moving here. I researched midwives and found Gingi's website. I reached out. We chatted on the phone so she could get an idea of my previous birth and I could ask her some initial questions, and we agreed to meet. I kept researching other midwives, but as soon as I met Gingi, I knew she was the one. The search was over and I had finally found a care provider that I felt confident with. This is so key for an expecting mother. Confidence and trust in your care provider is crucial to obtaining the birth you desire. I could not have had the natural home birth I desired if Gingi Allen wasn't my midwife. God led me to her. She was attentive, caring, and so wise. When my labs showed low iron, she recommended natural ways of increasing my levels. It worked. When we found out my son was breech at 36 weeks, she recommended ways we could flip him. He flipped naturally. My husband was working nights 80 hours a week, I was chasing my 18-month old toddler around, working from home full-time, and unpacking from the move. She reminded me to slow down, reflect, meditate, pause. She really looked at my health from a holistic perspective. Because of her recommendations, I have a fantastic acupuncturist, osteopath and massage therapist. The team she assembled for me was amazing. She was approaching maternity leave herself, and made sure that Grace Bender, her fellow CNM, was there to attend to me postpartum. She was amazing and also at my birth. Kai, her apprentice, was fantastic, and conducted my bone closing ceremony postpartum. During my birth, Gingi really encouraged me to listen to my body. I asked her questions, like "should I push now?" LOL and she would say, "What is your body telling you to do?" She was so patient with me. Listen, my birth, from prodromal labor in the beginning to pushing at the end, was literally a total of 48 hours. She never wavered. She never said, "Well, if x, y or z doesn't happen in this timeframe, then we'll have to.....blah blah blah" That's usually what a woman hears before their care provider deviates from the birth plan. That never happened with Gingi. I loved that she didn't tell me how dilated I was. That was something triggering for me, since I stalled at 9 cm with my first son before I had the C-section. That's not even something I asked Gingi to refrain from doing. She just KNEW that dilating to 10cm was something I was concerned wouldn't happen, so she didn't allow me to worry about it during birth. I'm telling you, this woman's instincts are SUPERB. Trust me when I say, Gingi is the midwife YOU WANT AND NEED. I could not have birthed my beautiful 9lb, 11 oz son at home , after a previous C-section, if I didn't have Gingi. A comment my last midwife made (with my first son), was that my son was "big" which is why I stalled. He was 8 lbs, 12 oz. So literally my second son was almost a FULL POUND LARGER, and I had him at home, COMPLETELY NATURAL. I COULD NOT HAVE DONE THAT WITHOUT GINGI! She is amazing. Just hire her already. You'll be thrilled you did. I was only under her care from weeks 30-40 and still had the most amazing prenatal care experience. My postpartum care, first with her and then, Grace, was crucial to my recovery. I had PPD the first time, but not this time! Gingi Allen will do everything she can to ensure all women in her care have an amazing prenatal care and birth experience. As you can tell, I highly recommend.

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.

Laura was amazing. I'm so glad my doula connected me with her. I had just had my second baby, and…read morehad been planning on using the same LC I used for my first baby, but she was out of town for the week . Things were not going well with breastfeeding and I needed help ASAP - she was able to squeeze me in and see me just a few days postpartum. I immediately knew she was phenomenal - such a warm presence, so knowledgeable about all things feeding, and most importantly reassuring and not pressuring and finding ways to support me and baby that felt natural and doable. I had her come back a few more times to make sure we were on the right track, and with every visit I appreciated her support and help and knowledge even more. Can't recommend her highly enough. Plus home visits makes it SO much easier.

Laura is an incredible lactation consultant whose craft is tailored to your specific need. She is…read morekind, empathetic, thorough, communicative (both pre and post appointments), available to meet in your home very quickly, and overall just a true angel to be around postpartum! The post session recap notes she sends are also a life saver to reference when you have brain fog. What I also greatly appreciated about Laura is that she is immensely supportive of any path you choose to go down with zero judgment. I would recommend anyone looking for lactation support go see Laura!