Such a huge help!!! Jackai and Steven are true experts in this field. They balance gentleness, your…read morehopes/preferences for your birth and help guide you all from a medically grounded place. They helped me to be emotionally, mentally, physically and spiritually ready for the birth of my son. And even when our birth did not go according to plan they were quick to help me readjust and educate me/prep me for a planned c-section. They have a very personal and educational approach which gave me so much peace. They also put an huge emphasis on both partners readiness - getting us ready to handle different situations as a team. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Well worth the investment!

My husband and I truly cannot recommend Jackai and Steven highly enough. They were incredible…read morecoaches: helpful, informative, and empowering. When it came time to make medical decisions during labor, we knew we were informed and able to make the best choices for our baby - without confusion or fear. That sense of clarity was essential to our positive birth experience. The online videos were interesting, well-organized, and high quality. We met regularly with Jackai and Steven on Zoom throughout our third trimester. Their guidance didn't stop after birth; they continued to check in and offer support, which meant so much to us. They are a lovely couple with four kind, beautiful children, and their experience and warmth shine through in everything they do. We left the course not only feeling prepared for birth, but also confident that the knowledge and connection we gained will help us for years to come as we continue to grow our family. Highly, highly recommend!

I had the best experience with Breathe Bitch Doula! Louise and Mahri were incredible. They made me…read morefeel so supported and relaxed throughout my whole journey. They are set up to tag team so one of them is guaranteed to be there for the brith which was so helpful to know that someone would be there no matter what. They helped prep me and we amazing resources throughout my pregnancy, obviously during labor, and even postpartum. I'd text them with all my "my baby is doing this is it normal" questions. I want them there for any future pregnancies and labor!

This doula agency is amazing! We've sent so many of our…read moreclients here and they always have amazing experiences. They also are our go to placenta encapsulation experts! Highly recommend for birth and postpartum doula support!

Sumer and Hugo are two of the most amazing people I've met, and their class is phenomenal…read more My wife and I recently took their 4-week birth class, and we simply could not be happier with the class, what we learned, how connected my wife and I feel, and how much hope and joy we are bringing to this last few weeks before birth. So much of this is because of the outstanding class Sumer and Hugo offer. They only take up to 5 couples per month, which keeps it feeling so supportive and caring. They provide delicious, healthy meals (for free!). The center is wonderful, cozy, and clean, with couches and exercise balls to sit on. There is a wonderful mix of medical evidence, personal experience, and honoring that everyone has their own hopes and plans for birth. We often heard about what ACOG recommended, and we also heard about more holistic approaches. Personally, we are very by the book, birthing in a hospital, but it was wonderful to hear the range of perspectives, evidence, and experiences. With social media and culture today, we tend to forget the wonder and goodness that bringing a new life into the new world brings. Sumer and Hugo bring heart, joy, connection, and hope to birth. One thing that really stood out to me, and really surprised me, was how much Hugo brought to the birth class for me as a father. Hugo is a successful construction management professional and seems quite masculine, yet he is also one of the most compassionate and caring men I've ever met. He is just such a solid father and partner to Sumer. It gave me such a wonderful and unique perspective into not only how to support my wife through pregnancy and birth, but also how to experience it myself and be an integral part of the experience (ie, not just someone there to help his wife). My goal is to be strong, present, supportive, caring, flexible, and vulnerable. And Hugo was such a good role model for this! After this class, we also took a 3-hour class at UCSD on labor and delivery, and though the class was good, we left 60% of the way through because it was uncomparable to what we had learned in Sumer and Hugo's class. UCSD was great, but we had covered everything already. The part that was missing from the UCSD class (and probably most hospital classes) was the feeling, the acknowledgement of what happens emotionally to the mom and family throughout birth. We got so much from this class. It was honestly one of the best experiences of my life. I wholeheartedly recommend this class. Thank you so much, Sumer and Hugo!

Sumer and Hugo's birthing class was exactly what my husband and I were looking for in a class. It…read morehelped us prepare as first time parents and made us excited about labor and birth. My husband was able to learn from Hugo, an experienced dad, on the ways that he could be involved and how to best support me during pregnancy, labor and postpartum. This class gave us the confidence about the birthing process and all the options for any decisions we needed to make during labor and birth. Sumer's prenatal yoga classes were amazing. I felt much less stressed and more relaxed after each class. I learned different poses and breathing exercises I was able to use during labor that helped with the position of the baby and the pain! I had a great labor and birthing experience thanks to everything we learned from Sumer and Hugo and all the support and guidance they provided. Sumer was always checking in on me and we even came by postpartum to her breastfeeding support class and she helped me so much with my breastfeeding journey. My husband and I highly recommend this class and can't thank Sumer and Hugo enough for everything!

Although the name "hypnobirthing" conjures up images of David Bowie from Labyrinth performing a…read morefreaky-mystical birth while looking into a crystal ball, I think a more accurate name might be "focusing your energy through breathing and concentration - birthing". My wife and I first met Julie as our hypnobirthing instructor and felt very comfortable with her and decided that she would be a perfect fit as our doula. We were looking for someone who was familiar with natural child birth but wasn't named "Rainbow" and lived in a VW bus. Julie is that perfect mix of knowledge, experience & assertiveness while still having a calming presence. We had a beautiful 100% natural birth and don't think we could have done it without the support of Julie. She exceeded our exceptations in every way. If you are looking to do the whole natural thing you should definitely give her a call.

This review is way over due but I have a 2 month old now so I am making time to express how amazing…read moreJulie is! Thank God for Yelp/Reviews! After reading all the wonderful reviews on Julie, my husband and I decided to hire her. Being first time parents, we knew we needed support and the moment we met Julie, we fell in love with her! Out of all of the Doulas that I reached out to, Julie was the only one who was very responsive, she makes you feel like you are her only client and this is very difficult to do. Julie met with us several times and explained in detail everything we needed to know, her recommendations, for example taking a birthing class was spot on and it really did help us understand the labor process in phases. Julie is extremely knowledgeable, warm, sincere, genuine and very straight forward. I had a hospital birth and she worked very well with the hospital staff, she always made me feel secure and calm. Unfortunately, I had to be induced at 41 wks & 4 days and during my early to mid labor period, Julie made sure I changed positions so that I could handle the surges better, she did an amazing job at helping me through each surge like the experienced professional that she is. After 13 hours on Pitocin, I decided to get an epidural, I was exhausted and soon after that my baby was not responding well to the surges so I had a c-section. We can't thank Julie enough for the tremendous support and beautiful pictures, we could have not done this without her, we absolutely recommend her! Thank you Julie for an amazing experience! We love you!

I decided to pursue a private class in my home to learn the basics of breastfeeding, newborn care,…read moreand preparation for labor, rather than take a series of separate classes at the hospital. The price was comparable to what I would have paid to take the hospital classes and I was able to learn in a setting that was not only more convenient in terms of location and timing, but more comfortable - and comfort is key in the 9th month of pregnancy! This is my first pregnancy and I had a lot of questions, fears and insecurities. Laura started off by sending me a brief questionnaire to get a sense of my expectations for the class. She made sure to customize the curriculum to not only cover the basics but to allay all of my specific concerns and fears. She even helped me assemble my breast pump! - something that was super intimidating with all of its tubes, parts and pieces, and accessories. My favorite part of the class was a relaxation for labor technique that my husband was also able to participate in. Holding an ice cube in your hand for a minute shows you how long a minute really is (contractions last a minute) and you practice techniques to help you get your mind off of the discomfort and pain until the minute passes. It is really difficult! Now maybe my husband will have a better appreciation for the strength of body and mind that is required to endure childbirth. :-) There's a lot of information in the class but it didn't feel like information overload. It was well organized and the professionally done video animations helped convey the specifics of childbirth and c-sections without traumatizing a squeemish husband. Having handouts available to refer back to later made me feel like I didn't have to absorb and retain every piece of information. I highly recommend Laura and her childbirth classes. Her demeanor is so comforting and encouraging! I am feeling optimistic about the remainder of my pregnancy and my birth experience, and confident that I will have a successful breastfeeding experience with my newborn. Thank you, Laura, for helping me get to this point - I am so grateful for all you have done to help me get ready!

From the owner: Birth and breastfeeding classes, doula servicesread more

My husband and I decided to take Janine's class due to our holistic approach to birthing and our…read moregoal to best prepare ourselves with pain-coping strategies for a natural birth plan. Not only did Janine optimally prepare us, but we got so much more out of the class than we ever expected. Janine's approach is relatable, compassionate, friendly, kind and incredibly positive. She provided my husband and I space, in an intimate group setting, to have the tough conversations around birthing, our relationship with each other as future parents, and space to create tangible plans for prenatal care, labor and postpartum support. We would not have carved out this time to work through these topics on our own, and have so much appreciation for the tools and revelations Janine was able to help us uncover. My husband and I felt emotionally and physically ready to take on the birthing process, and felt intimately aligned as a partner duo in the process. We were especially grateful for the way Janine shed light on the birthing process due to COVID-19 and the fact that our Doula couldn't join us in the hospital as planned. My husband has such a greater understanding, respect and comfortability with supporting me in the toughest times of delivery because of Janine's curriculum. I highly recommend Janine's Birth From Love course to any conscious parents who are looking for a deeper connection, understanding and confidence in the birthing process, whether you are planning a natural birth or not. We had a smooth labor and delivery and now a happy, healthy baby girl to enjoy!

Janine is absolutely amazing! My husband and I did a private class - Birthing Again at home, which…read morewas so convenient and suitable as we are planning this birth to be at our home so it was a more appropriate comfortable setting for us. She has a ton of insight and recommendations not just about birthing/laboring the baby again, but on other topics such as postpartum plans and managing a healthy communicative relationship with your partner. Initially I thought 6 hours for a class was a bit long but it went by so fast! And we are more than happy we chose her as a guide to preparing us to do this again! Thank you Janine!!

I can not say enough great things about the hynpobirthing class with Care Messer. My partner and I…read moreare first time parents and did not know the first thing about the labor and delivery process. We were very unsure about everything and looking for direction. In class we learned about what the different labor and delivery options are, what to expect from hospitals, and different techniques to use during labor. We now feel we have the tools to better understand the whole process and make the decisions that are right for us and our family. The class addressed all of my questions and I feel like the information was presented in a very unbiased way, not to mention Care is super funny and the time in class flys by! I would recommend this class to all of my friends and family.

If you are pregnant, book your class asap! I can't rave enough about their approach to preparing…read morefor birth. My husband had two kids from a previous relationship, but still was able to learn things he hadn't been present for with them. It improved our communication surrounding my pregnancy and birth, even when it took a different turn. We'd made it through four of the five classes when my son decided to he needed to get out at 30 weeks. I had so many tools in my toolbox that I felt prepared, even during the scary prospects of having preeclampsia and a NICU baby. I'm so grateful for Care and her entire team. Such a blessing!!!!

Having a doula by your side during the journey of childbirth can be an incredibly supportive…read moreexperience. They provide not just emotional support, but also physical comfort and advocacy, ensuring that your voice is heard during labor and delivery. We were so fortunate to have found Tanesha to guide us through this experience and be our advocate. After interviewing a handful of other doulas, we knew immediately that she was the one for us. The first time she came over to meet in person only solidified our choice to hire her. Not only did we click with her personality immediately, she was incredibly thorough and informative while educating us on what to prepare for pre birth, in the delivery room, and post birth. I know myself and I knew I needed someone that was going to be confident, yet respectful, and that's exactly how Tanesha is. From the moment I started having contractions she was in contact with my husband and when I was ready for the additional support she was there. I was so happy to see her when she showed up at our house that morning. For the first few hours she was having me rotate through different positions, massaged my lower back, talked me through breathing techniques, and provided the emotional support I needed in addition to from my husband. When it was go time, we all left for the hospital and she was with us for the rest of the day. There was a lot of downtime once I got my epidural, but her spunky positive spirit was so great to be around as we waited for our baby girl to arrive. I cannot recommend Tanesha's services enough!! Our birthing experience was incredible all thanks to her!

We were blessed to have a HEALTHY BABY BOY late in August 2021…read more We worked with Tanesha of Divine Design Doula Services and were incredibly happy with the return on our investment. Technically gifted from her past as a classically trained chef, she is really talented at integrating herself into the loving lens of your family outlook and decision making process during an energized if not anxious time. She has very strong boundary setting abilities as it related to her relationship with our family and how we as a 3 person group would project a message forward to the rest of the world especially those involved in our birth process. She is not afraid to speak up for the team. She, my partner and I met as a group on several occasions. Sometimes by zoom. Sometimes in our home. Sometimes at our birth center with the midwives. She really understands team dynamics and never lost sight of the goal of a healthy birth for mom and junior. She lead us to explore some personal reflections that helped clarify our mentality as parents. We even did some "forgiveness in advance" exercises that really focused our family mentality as one team pulling in the same direction. When "game-time" finally arrived (at 1:30 am on a Monday!) she was immediately responsive by text, did some basic over the phone diagnosis of the contraction data I had been compiling and correctly diagnosed that labor was imminent... 14 minutes later she knocked on our door. She was a 3rd (and seemingly 4th!) set of hands once at the brith center. Carrying bags of clothes and protein packs - massaging my partner and even snapping photographs/video at the moment of truth. I didn't even really know what a Doula was 10 months ago. I cannot imagine going through this process without one. Tanesha and Divine Design Doula were great and now feel like family. HIGHLY RECOMMEND especially for 1st time parents. Our Thanks - M & A