I read so often, "Birth doesn't go as planned so you don't need to take a class" and it just…read moretotally blows my mind. Birth doesn't go as planned and that's exactly why you DO need to take a class. An in depth class. Britta's class. I approached my pregnancy as a 9 month grad school class. I took it upon myself to read books, journal articles, blogs, engage on online discussion groups, listen to podcast... really everything I could to learn the ins and outs of this journey I was on. My husband read a book. Kind of. He definitely skimmed it. I knew that our vocabularies were so different that we needed to find a class that would allow us to have a shared lexicon to properly communicate. I researched (like everything else) just about every class type offered in the greater Los Angeles Metro Area and I was just called to Embodica. My husband likes to refer to a lot of what I'm into as "hippie s**t." From that statement, it's clear he is not. I spoke to Britta on the phone before the class began, worried that her class would be too "wooey" for him, but after our conversation I knew she was grounded and funny enough that he would be won over. Because man did he have to be won over when I showed him the website. Our first class was an eyeopener for both of us. We were one of 6 couples, all due within two months of each other. My husband saw the focal point in the middle of the circle and arched an eyebrow--he just knew we paid a lot of money for woo-woo crap. Then Britta began to talk and I saw him perk up and really began to listen. When Britta demoed what a real contraction could look like, he was all in. Later that evening when we practiced comforting our partners while holding ice, I learned that he thought singing "Henry the VIII I Am" and some Queen son were appropriate comforting strategies, and so the revelation I they were not before labor probably saved our marriage and/or his life. Over the six weeks of class, we learned so much. Despite my exhaustive research, actually learning from someone as knowledgable and grounded as Britta allowed me to put all the information I was learning in context. My husband was able to learn the ins of out of the technical side of all things pregnancy/labor. Together, we developed a coping strategy that worked well for both of us. So yes, you cannot prepare for birth. I was pretty sure when push came to shove, I would lock myself in a room by myself and push everyone away (the perks of a homebirth is that I really could do this!). Yet, when things actually started, I needed my husband to be there for me. We used everything we learned in Britta's class over the course of my 55 hour unmedicated labor. My husband was able to truly comfort me and meet my needs in a way I know for a fact he wouldn't have been able to do before our class. We now talk to a lot of the other couples through a private little FB group one of the mom's created and are planning on meeting up soon so all the babies can meet. My husband and I also reflect on our time in that class often as we navigate the "4th trimester." As a parting gift, Britta gave each member of the class a labyrinth necklace. I haven't taken mine off since I put it on shortly before I went into labor and my husband's cord just broke as he would thumb the pendant so often. It's a reminder that our journey is continuing and to give ourselves patience and grace as we navigate this new world of parenthood. My husband and I will both be forever grateful for our experience in Britta's class and wholeheartedly recommend it to every couple preparing to welcome their child into the world. Oh, and as an aside, I really love how Britta used non-gendered terms even though we were all heterosexual, cis couples. "Birthing partner," "supporting partner," etc. Speaking to trans and lesbian couples, I know finding a safe and supportive birthing class can be difficult, so I think it's important to point this out.

My husband and I felt so lucky to have attended this workshop. We had not taken any other…read morechildbirth classes but we both felt more than sure that we ended up at the best one in the world. Britta's skill as a mentor, storyteller, listener, and communication guide are unmatched and I cannot possibly imagine anyone better suited to exactly the work she does with parents-to-be. I learned so much, yet never felt overwhelmed with information since she made the day so interactive. There is so much that I took with me not only into labor and childbirth but in parenting, life, and my relationships with my partner, my self, and my environment - without a specific to-do list or set of stock instructions. I loved how all the learning was connected to deep reflection into the senses for I believe that this is how real learning takes place - in the whole self.... After we had our baby my husband and I went to Britta for couples counseling and we had another great experience. The three of us sat in her lovely studio and she helped mediate difficulties we were having. Things have been so much better ever since that one session!!

I'm so ready after this! Jana is incredibly knowledgeable and was such a great guide through this…read morenerve-inducing process, full of many twists and turns! The class is fun, engaging and informative. I looked forward to class each week. I've read a handful of books and none of them gave me as much clarity and confidence on how to navigate the birth process as Jana's class did. Can't recommend highly enough!

Jana is the most amazing woman I have ever met. Her classes are so informative and amazing. She…read moreknows her information and she teaches her classes with such passion and love. I would like to address the review that said Jana used a false testimonial. She is the most trustworthy, open, honest, person I know and under no circumstances would she ever do or make anyone feel or write a false testimonial. She has educated and loved hundreds of woman and I have never heard not one complain about her. She has one of the most kind hearts you can imagine. Just trust in your heart and take her class and you will see how kind she is. You will not be disappointed. I have taken her classes. I have done the birthing class and doula training. Jana only has love to give. She's a beautiful soul. Im sure the hundreds of woman will agree. Regarding the dogs she is very aware and asks everyone about the dogs. If it bothers or annoys anyone she handles it. She is not insensitive. Throughout the whole class she is on top of the dogs behavior. The bottom line is if you want to be really informed go to Jana's class because you won't be disappointed. Your birthing experience will be much better in my eyes because you will be so much more informed because of the knowledge that Jana teaches you. Trust your heart not one bad review. Love you Jana. Your the best.

My experience with Atoosa was better than words can describe. From our first meeting to postpartum…read moreshe made bringing a child into the world so special. She is knowledgeable about everything from pregnancy to labor, to breastfeeding and everything in between. She is empathetic (your whole family will fall in love with her). She is organized. And she will be your lifeline and hands during delivery. On my first postpartum visit my baby smiled for the first time when hearing her voice because he remembered her talking to him in the womb. I think my husband loves her more than I do! But really, I love Atoosa and could not have imagined pregnancy, labor, and postpartum without her.

My experience with Atoosa as my midwife was honestly perfect. She took such amazing care of me…read morewhile and my baby while pregnant and we had the most beautiful home birth together. I will forever remember Atoosa and her beautiful soul. You will not regret your decision to birth with her, she's truly a gift.

I had a traumatic birth experience at UCLA Health…read more Teaching hospital: Dr. Brianne D. Romeroso, MD was texting on her phone when she entered my labor and delivery room. She didn't interact with me at all during labor. Only the resident doctor did and she was smugged. I asked for no resident doctors, but patients don't have a choice at the hospital. Dr. Romeroso only chatted with me right after my surgury. Rotating doctors: You may not know who will be there for you when you deliver your baby. NICU: This unit was excellent - care and staff. Billing: They will have non-medical staffs walk into your post partnum room to pay for the hospital services. Do not pay if you're using insurance. The claim should be processed by your insurance. If you pay while still at the hospital, you and the insurance could end up double paying for the service. They won't proactively inform you of the overpayment and credit you the amount.

I cannot say enough good things about our experience at UCLA Santa Monica for the birth of our…read moredaughter. The nurses, midwives and staff were all exceptional. I felt comfortable and supported throughout the entire process. The lactation experts Karen and Deborah were also amazing. The labor room we had was massive and although the post partum room was much smaller it was comfortable and worked perfect for everything we needed. Also, the location of the hospital is next to some amazing food places which is nice if guests want to pick up stuff to bring you (tartine and huckleberry are a quick walk away). Overall I am so thankful we chose UCLA for our birth I would give it a 15/10!

Madalyn was amazing. We're due in a few months and did her birth class at the perfect time. We…read morecouldnt be more grateful that we found her! She has such an amazing amount of understanding and compassion (and charisma!) - and explains everything very clearly of what to expect throughout the final stages of pregnancy, labor, and even early postpartum. She gives great tips along the way and shows you all your options throughout that journey. Love her and couldn't recommend it enough! Even my husband (or as Madalyn calls each partner: coach) also feels confident now as we navigate these precious stages of birth & newborn life. 10/10!

Madalyn was fantastic to work with. Her positive energy, excellent communication, and upbeat…read moreattitude made the experience enjoyable. She explained everything clearly, answered every question with patience, and made the process feel easy and stress free. I highly recommend working with her! She kept it real!

My husband and I took the all day virtual birthing class with Liz. The class was extremely…read moreinformative and gave us both confidence going into delivery. Liz has a very calming and relatable demeanor and is super personable. Highly recommend this to anyone looking to learn more about labor and delivery. If you're in the Santa Monica area you may even be lucky enough to have her deliver your baby! I could not speak more highly of the class and Liz!

We took Liz's class September 2015, about a month before I had my son. it was well worth the money!…read moreAlthough I had been doing a ton of reading to gear up for labor and life with baby my husband was very ill prepared. He had other stresses to worry about then try to read a bunch of stuff. Taking Liz's 2 week birthing class really helped open his eyes and equip him for what lay ahead (as well as myself). I personally loved her down to earth attitude, her wit and sense of humor! She's realistic and will be honest with you about the processes and what the nurses at the hospital are really thinking behind the scenes! I loved that because it really helped me to gage what are realistic expectations and what are just fluff in the books and mommy groups (especially on the Westside of LA). I most definitely would recommend her class to a friend and already have!

As first time expecting parents, the multiday course built a solid foundation for us for the birth…read more It was awesome to do the class as a couple, each person in the relationship plays a critical role. The vibe was calm and expert. With decades of collective experience across hundreds of doula's in their network, Cheryl and Khefri taught it and you just felt their commitment to your eventual birthing experience and that this was their passion in life. They are accessible and show up for you like someone who would do this good work for free because they love sharing their superpower for the good of you and your family. And people would and should pay them millions for the service and everlasting memories they empower us to have, truly a unique and life changing experience and partnership. I got a recorded meditation that I literally listened to 100 times everytime I rested or took a bath. Come time for go time, it all fell into place. They instilled in us that we are not sick, or needing external help to give birth - I truly felt that our bodies know what to do, are built to do this, and that it's a natural and easy process - not something to fear, resist, fight, or try to make go away ie the contractions are our bodies doing a job and nothing to be afraid of. In fact, what if we embraced, allowed for, and appreciated the power of the body and our spirits to see this process through? Khefri's newborn class was incredible. We did a one on one. She gave us a literal list with links if needed, of what to buy if you are having a baby lol! What you'll need within the first 2 weeks. She showed us how to swaddle and bathe, hold and care for a newborn. I attended some of Khefri's kundalini yoga sessions for expecting mothers. It was so soothing and power inducing that I ended up playing the playlists during my 6 hours of labor. I was an over 40 first time mother. With Khefri (doula) and LA Birth Partners (class) and Birthfit (fitness) and LA Midwives as my partners - we had a successful and easy home birth as well! Though all the practices we could easily have tried at the hospital. In fact, a few months ago, I assisted my sister in her first birth as well. We did it at the hospital but was able to get contractions started naturally, used calming homeopathics and techniques (like birthplan on the door, don't ask me if I need pain meds I'll tell you, candles, cover bright machinery and lower beeping, etc). We could not have done it without Khefri! Literally, we did our last class from the hospital room. Then after the class ended, Khefri became available by text and phone to help us through the contractions! We had questions about the homeopathics, dosing etc to try to start the contractions naturally. She helped with all of it! I can't thank her enough, she went above and beyond, sharing love and support and expertise even more than any actual family members! You feel like you owe so much to these amazing doula's who believe in and know what's possible with a birthing experience. Even someone like me who'd never even seen a birth before, was able to have a homebirth when our western doctors were more than ready to receive us as geriatric mothers at the hospital. None of it was necessary. And we knew that, because we kept on top of medical visits etc leading up to the big day.

I really want to thank Debbie for being so wonderful. She is such a professional in her field, and…read moreso knowledgeable. In the crazy tumultuous times of labor and welcoming a newborn into your life, the last thing you wanna do is an extra task. But Debbie was ON IT. she was so well informed, kind and a great communicator. She worked with us, navigated all the Hospital paperwork, had the dried placenta pills delivered it so promptly!!!! I would wholeheartedly recommend this to all mamas to be. Excellent experience all around! Thank you Debbie and LA Birth Partners!

Unfortunately, my experience with this doula was very disappointing and felt centered on maximizing…read morebillable hours rather than providing meaningful support. To be clear, I did not ultimately work with her for my birth, so I cannot speak to how she performs during labor itself. This review is based entirely on my interactions during the consultation and pre-hire phase. That said, I do appreciate that she was willing to speak with me and potentially take me on as a client on relatively short notice. Our initial "introductory" meeting was largely content-free. It consisted mostly of me talking about my ideas around birth, with little guidance, education, or concrete information provided. She requested my insurance information under the premise of checking benefits, and then promptly billed insurance for this meeting, despite it not providing any tangible benefit to me. This felt misleading, when advertised as an introductory meeting. When I asked a straightforward question about her availability for after-hours births via text she said she doesn't provide after hours support and when I asked what backup support she offers if she is unavailable, she declined to provide that information without scheduling another billable Zoom meeting. Similarly, she was unwilling to explain her policies in writing or over email without charging additional time. She also stated that she is not available for after-hours births, which is a significant limitation for labor support, and incorrectly claimed that this was not typically covered by insurance (my insurance and ten other doulas let me know this was not the case). Additionally, she indicated that the long postpartum visits would be used to see clients in the hospital immediately after birth, which is usually considered part of birth support rather than a separate value-added visit. After interviewing approximately ten doulas, this experience stood out in a negative way. I was left with a strong impression that the focus was on maximizing billing for minimal work rather than being genuinely invested in supporting my birth. I would encourage prospective clients to ask very detailed questions up front about availability, backup support, billing practices, and what is actually included in care. I faced a lot of push back when I asked these questions.

We feel extremely fortunate to have found Ivy! It was my first pregnancy and I was overwhelmed with…read moreoptions and other's opinions. She held my hand and guided me through the whole process. I honestly don't know what I would have done without her! She is a wealth of knowledge and very experienced. I didn't realize how much pre-birth work I needed to do but I felt very confident and prepared thanks to Ivy! She helped me work though suppressed trauma that I didn't even realize was affecting me at a subconscious level. Ivy is not only an incredible doula but she was also my confidant, life-coach, soul-sister and helped to mother me with so much compassion as I became a first time mother. My partner was hesitant on hiring a doula at first because he didn't understand why we needed one. Now every time he talks about our baby or birth, he tells people about our amazing doula! Ivy prepared our whole family. Ivy was my rock during labor! She held a phenomenal amount of space for me while helping me get into such a deep and meditative place. Because of her, my dream of a natural birth came to fruition. After working with Ivy I feel capable of anything!

My Postpartum Doula Workshop experience was truly life changing. It was positive, eye opening,…read moreinspiring, and, at times, overwhelming in the very best way. From the moment I walked in, I felt like I was in such a safe, welcoming space. The energy was incredible, and being surrounded by such a wonderful group of women made the experience even more special. There was so much learning, sharing, encouragement, and connection. And Kathrin, our trainer, was absolutely amazing. Her knowledge, passion, the way she guided us through the workshop made such an impact on me. She created an environment where I felt comfortable learning and truly taking in everything this beautiful work has to offer. Honestly, I would do this workshop all over again not because I needed to, but because I would love to experience that same energy and connection with another group of women. Every group brings something different, and I can only imagine how beautiful each experience can be. I highly recommend Kathrin's Postpartum Doula Workshop to anyone who is interested in becoming a postpartum doula. It is an experience I will carry with me as I begin this new chapter. Lizette

Ana Paula is a wealth of knowledge and compassion. She's a beautiful mix of warm and calming with a…read morefun energy and the utmost professionalism.

I took a 3 hour workshop in 2023 for a beginner sewing project and enjoyed myself. My husband…read morebought me a machine to encourage md and support my new hobby. But I felt so intimated by my new machine. I ticked it away for years but I saw an email for a Moving Thread beginner 4-week workshop. 3 hours each session. Last night was class 1 of 4. My class was six ladies aged from mid 20s to late 60s. One never sewed. Two hand sewed. And two of us used machines 20 and 30 years ago and one lady had a machine and used it but felt intimidated. So we were all pretty nervous about our fledgling sewing skills. But the class was paced perfectly and by the end of our first class we successfully completed beautiful reversible totes! The workshop is $550 and it's a great value: project 1 tote, project 2 zipper pouch, project 3 pants (two classes). Our instructor was warm, friendly, funny, knowledgeable, helpful. My only drawback are the chairs. They're not comfortable for me and my leg felt like it wanted to go numb. No one else seemed uncomfortable so maybe it's just me. I'll try a seat cushion to see if it'll help. I brought my machine with me so I could learn how to use it but my husband actually bought the same Heavy Duty Singer sewing machine provided in the class for student use. All the equipment, accessories, fabric needed is provided by the class. You only need to show up. No good or drink allowed in classroom but water is okay. Be sure to enter the rear entrance let the instructions in your student information email. Because to show up on time. Basically no make classes. So if you sign up be sure you're schedule is free for the specified time period. If you're thinking of taking a quick afternoon class or a full workshop I highly recommend you give Moving Thread a try. The instructor we had last night has her own fashion label and is highly knowledgeable but gave us very easy instructions that us newbies could follow. The was patient with our foibles and created an atmosphere of grace and fun. I look forward to my to rest of classes Eventually I look forward to trying the advanced class offerings too. I've hit my eye on the alterations class.

My daughter has taken a few kids classes and loved them…read more I did the intro to sewing and was so impressed with what I made, having never used a machine previously. We were taught how to make the I item look pretty professional.