Ana is very professional and knowledgeable, yet deeply caring and respectful of your opinions and…read morevalues. Even though this was my third pregnancy, I learned so much about how to care for myself and my baby. I loved that she wasn't pushy, but gave us the facts and let us make our own decisions. We often covered the importance of exercise and nutrition, and I made changes from that, which I believe contributed to a smoother and easier pregnancy than my first two. She also was so calm and professional throughout my labor and delivery. My husband noted how much he appreciated her composure during the most intense moments of my labor. She's the kind of person you'd want by your side when you're not in the right frame of mind. She also collaborated very well with her assistant, respecting her skills and experience during my postpartum assessment. We loved having her as our first midwife and home birth experience and will definitely be reaching out to her again in the future!

Ana is a godsend. When I was planning to have my 5th baby, the one thing I knew for sure is that I…read morewanted to have him at home. I interviewed so many great midwives, but as soon as I met Ana, I knew she was the right fit. She took me on late in my pregnancy (27ish weeks), and onboarding with her was so easy. The care that I received from her was supportive, kind, compassionate and steady. I appreciate how calm and nurturing she is while staying firm in her knowledge of pregnancy, birth, and of a woman's body overall. Her care is holistic and evidence-based, and she makes her clients actual partners in their care. We never did anything that I was uncomfortable with (which is almost unheard of in a hospital birth). When I started to go overdue, she was there to reassure me, and because she genuinely trusts the process of birth, she helped me trust my body as well. I had an absolutely amazing birth experience that my husband and I wouldn't trade for anything. My baby is two now (sorry this is so late!), but I still think of Ana often and so fondly. She became part of our family for the time she was with us and I will always love her for helping me have the birth experience of my dreams (even at 43 years old). Thank you Ana!

Where to start? I'm currently writing this 10 days postpartum with my little one in my arms…read more In short, our experience with Erin was nothing short of amazing from start to finish (although we are not finished yet ). For the lengthier review, after interviewing her before booking her, we felt like we just clicked with Erin and her personality/vibe. We knew she would be the right fit for what we were looking for in our first homebirth experience let alone prenatal/birth experience in general. We began care with her at 13 weeks (because we took our dear time early pregnancy lol). Every appointment was filled with attentiveness, education, resources, care, laughs, hearing our baby's heartbeat, and an open field of questions and answers. Although my husband was on board with homebirth, he was still more uneasy about it in the beginning. After each appointment, he gained more and more confidence to the point where he was the one fielding questions by family members and friends during all of the holiday festivities. It was great! After months of appointments and preparation, it was time to meet our baby. Erin was available from the beginning signs of labor to answer my questions and be ready when the time was right to come over and help me through to the end. It was a long weekend for this first time mom, but once things picked up it was go time. Erin arrived the morning of our baby's birthday ready to assist but with just the energy that I would need. I would say I'm more mellow and less high energy personality-wise, and she met me at that level. What I love about Erin and I'm sure midwifery care in general is that everything is on an informed consent basis. She always asked me rather than forced me to do anything. It truly makes you feel empowered about your birth and not tossed around like you're just a patient. The next few hours consisted of checking on me and baby, the assistant midwife Joselle arriving, them filling up the pool, my water breaking over the toilet, laboring/trying to push in the tub, appreciating the suggestions Erin gave that helped me move forward in the pushing stage, and then after much time and depleted but determined effort on my part, meeting my beautiful daughter. In the moment there were so many times I felt like I couldn't keep going, but she and Joselle really helped me push through into the end and helped assist as needed through the last stages. We didn't know the gender until birth, and she made sure that we had full control over that process. It was such an amazing moment. As a first time mom, I listened to and read many birth and homebirth stories to prepare, but you really just don't know what to expect. I'm so grateful for the experience and being able to accomplish it. It was so incredible and beautiful, and I wouldn't trade it for anything because now I know what I am capable of. I ended up delivering on land, and most of those photos are not suitable for the internet, but I'll share some others. Postpartum care started immediately. They take care of you for as much time as necessary and make sure you are all settled in the moments after having your child. It truly was a great transition to motherhood. She's already visited us a couple times to check on me and our daughter. Nothing compares to this sort of treatment and care. You surely won't get this personalized care from your provider in a hospital. We are so happy we chose Erin as our midwife for this miraculous experience, and we surely will be using her next time we embark on this journey again. Thank you, Erin!

Erin is an amazing midwife! I'm so lucky to have been able to work with her during my pregnancy and…read morethe birth of my son. I contacted her when I was already four months pregnant, which is apparently pretty late because you need to retain midwives very early in a pregnancy, but she had one last available spot during my birth month. She answered all of my questions during an initial interview and I immediately felt comfortable with her, and confident that my son and I would be in good hands. I had handled my care through Kaiser up to that point but switched to Erin shortly thereafter. We had regular appointments each month throughout the pregnancy where she came to my house, and more often closer to the birth. She spent at least an hour with me during each appointment and I felt like I had much more personal care than when I was at Kaiser where I saw someone different at every single appointment. I don't have much to say about the labor and delivery because I went through the birthing process unexpectedly quickly, with the help of my doula who is my sister-in-law, and Erin only arrived in time to see my son's head being born. Thankfully, her instincts had told her to leave for my house sooner rather than later so she arrived before he was technically born, but if she had waited, expecting the delivery to take as long as the typical first birth, she would have been too late. All of the care after the birth was great. She took care of my son, checking to make sure everything was fine, and checked me as well. It felt like a much more intimate experience, as it should be, than what I assume hospital births are like. Erin also cared for us through the next few weeks after the birth. My husband had been skeptical about a home birth compared to a hospital birth from the beginning but he was incredibly impressed with the whole process as well, and now highly recommends the home birth process to anyone who asks. My doula/sister-in-law had home births with another midwife years ago, so she was familiar with the process, also since she's now a doula, and told me that she was impressed with Erin's professionalism and knowledge. My little family is very lucky to have found her and if I have another baby, I will definitely contact Erin right away to start the midwifery process earlier.

Ja'Nelle was my midwife for my rainbow baby. One of most cherished memories of my birthing…read moreexperience is watching her silently pray over me, It was reassuring and comforting. Ja'Nelle was attentive and responsive to all of my questions and worries regarding a home birth. I was a second time v-back and thanks to all of the resources provided my baby boy was born safely and quickly onto my arms. I highly recommend Ja'Nelle for your birthing experience.

When me and my husband found out we were pregnant we went to my primary obgyn and absolutely hated…read moreit! So when we were looking for a midwife we went to a few and weren't pleased UNTIL we found Charisma Midwifery! As soon as we met Ja'Nelle I felt so calm and at peace maybe it was her energy or the vibes of the place but I knew she was who we wanted, she took such great care of me and my baby and come labor and delivery I loved that she let me and my husband do all the work I felt so in control of everything and she made me feel so comfortable, loved and took in care of through the whole process! Come baby number 2 we found out were expecting and I did not hesitate to say I wanted Ja'Nelle again she treats us like family welcomes us like we've known each other forever and I can't picture having my babies anywhere or with anyone else!!

We took Lia's virtual Bradley method class, and would highly recommend it for any expecting…read moreparents. First off, it can be hard to find time to take a birth class, and Lia chooses convenient times, with multiple options to choose from. It's a very comfortable classroom atmosphere where I felt good to ask any question, or add any comment. Lia keeps it fun and interesting, and is a great teacher. Lia is also available outside of class for questions, and she is super responsive. It shouldn't really matter if a doula has been pregnant herself.... But it was really helpful to hear about her first hand experiences and to know that she has gone through it all before. I just wish we in lived in LA so that we could have Lia as our Doula.

I cannot say enough good things about Lia and her natural birth classes. I did the 12 week in…read moreperson classes with my husband. I really wanted to know everything I possibly could and I was also looking for a little community as I was feeling very alone in those first weeks of pregnancy (and overwhelmed with what I didn't know). AND THESE CLASSES DELIVERED! My husband is also a knowledge seeker so when I told him these were the classes I wanted he was all in. We learned so much. We joke that he didn't just learn about the natural birth process he learned how to be my "daddy doula". We still enjoy talking to people about everything we learned and how to support each other and how to speak to your doctors or the hospital nurses. Even if you aren't considering a natural birth these classes should be taken by everyone expecting a baby. You learn about the body, you learn about the different stages of labor, how to prep your body and your mind. There is even a class on breastfeeding which was invaluable those first 3 days postpartum. Lia is also an amazing teacher. If I have another I would definitely also hire her as my doula. She is a person you want in your corner during birth.

We had our third child at home under the care of Lisa Marie and Richard. All our prenatal visits…read morewere in our home in south Orange County and involved our other children. Each visit was personal, not rushed, and thorough. We got to know them so well in the months leading up to our daughter's birth. The birth was beautiful, peaceful and exactly what we had been hoping for. We are so grateful for their expertise, gentle spirit and tender care throughout this pregnancy, birth and into postpartum.

I cannot talk more highly of Lisa Marie and Richard. Upon meeting them, I knew right away I would…read moreuse them as my birth team. They have assisted me for two pregnancies and births now and have always received excellent care. There is nothing like having them come to the comfort of your own home and support your family in this way. They have become family and will absolutely use them again in the future if that is what is the plans for us.

Dr. Valenzuela has been very helpful in treating and managing my BHRT in perimenopause with my labs…read moregoing up and down the last two years. She listens to my concerns and symptoms and has always adjusted my dosages as needed. Overall, I feel so much better since starting BHRT with her. She also performed a uterine ablation which completely stopped my heavy cycles and I was able to correct my iron deficiency.

Care for Women? More like care for MONEY…read more Whatever you do, avoid coming here at all costs. Not only does the front desk lack every ounce of professionalism, they do not understand what HIPPA means. The women at the front desk are to check in the patients, not ask us every bit of information regarding our visit for the entire waiting room to hear. The doctors? Don't worry about having an appointment because they will abruptly change it at the very last minute. Do you need to be cared for and taken seriously? Unfortunately this place will have you in and out within 5 minutes and still charge you $60-$130. Every. Time. You're better off at PlannedParenthood.

I am so glad that my husband and I were referred to Jessica for her midwifery services. It wasn't…read moreuntil halfway through our Bradley class that we decided we wanted to do a homebirth. At that point we were already 28 weeks pregnant and now had to find a midwife. Jessica was always so compassionate and helpful in answering all of our homebirth questions and concerns. She also invited family members to come to prenatal visits to feel more comfortable about our homebirth decision as well. That was a huge win for us! She took great care of me During pregnancy and each time we got to listen to our little girls heartbeat. I loved that she focused a lot on making sure I was getting great nutrition via food and supplementation to help make sure my body was as healthy it needed to be for delivery. When it came to Labor Day, Jessica's experience definitely prevailed! As I was slow to progress, she knew exactly what I needed to do in order to help Baby along. Her guidance and experience made our homebirth a reality. Her and her assistant were fabulous during our golden hour that we got to spend with our baby girl in our home. They took amazing care for me and the baby. Postpartum visits were so helpful and informative especially as a first time mom. Jessica took care / monitored both me and baby for six weeks. We put our full trust in her for caring for myself, our new baby girl and all our future babies.

As soon as I found out I was pregnant I knew I wanted to go the natural route and find a more…read moreholistic care provider. I had several midwife interviews lined up and Jessica was my first call. After talking to her, I instantly knew she was THE one and didn't even bother interviewing anyone else. I'm so glad I trusted my gut. Jessica provided the best holistic prenatal care and still continues to do so postpartum. I always looked forward to every appointment with her knowing that no matter what I was feeling I would walk out feeling comfortable, supported, and heard. She made my fiancé feel included throughout the process and always made sure all of his questions were answered too! During early labor she was in constant contact with my fiancé to check up on me. Unfortunately I didn't end up having the home birth that I had planned for, but Jessica was by my side every step of the way. When we ended up transferring to the hospital, she made sure to advocate for me, and thankfully, she was still able to be by my side throughout the rest of my labor and delivery. Mine and my son's health and safety was always her #1 priority through our entire journey. I am so grateful for her holistic approach throughout pregnancy, her informed consent for every single decision, and most importantly, her friendship. Jessica's passion for guiding mothers and bringing babies earthside shines through everything she does. Thank you, Jessica!

Just want to keep this short and to the point. We had a newborn that needed a heart transplant and…read morewere not able to communicate and attend immediately; however, I have made numerous attempts to try and get our placenta. My wife has gone through some serious of emotional hardships and we have heard the benefits of this service. I like to know where is our placenta. Secondly, it would mean a lot to get a response.

At thirty-five weeks pregnant with my firstborn, I knew I wanted a med-free birth in a hospital but…read morewas worried that unnecessary interventions might take place, so we decided to hire a doula for additional labor/hospital birth support. I found Renea online & met with her a few days later in our home. I knew by the end of our meeting that she was who I wanted beside me as I labored and gave birth. On the day I went into labor we were in constant communication via text. Once active labor began she came over to my home (with all of her essential oils!) and worked through the contractions with me. She was a strong supporter for me during this intense time! She came with us to the hospital and was right by my side as I delivered my son. We hired her again for our second-born son's delivery and she was with me, again, during active labor and at the hospital. We also saw her for a postpartum visit after each delivery. It's been 2 years since we first hired her and we are still friends. I text her randomly with a question and she is quick to reply! I've said this before and i'll say it again--i wouldn't want to birth my babies without Renea by my side!