Our doula, Mo, was such a gamechanger for our family. I had a tough labor and having Mo support us…read moreduring my recovery was crucial. My postpartum anxiety was next level and she immediately put me to ease. She's such an expert at her craft and we learned so much from her - from bathing our newborn, to paced feeding, to figuring out my pumping schedule, to soothing techniques - truly so much of what we learned about caring for a newborn was learned from her. We also just loved getting to know her - she exudes warmth and we genuinely enjoyed her company. We had her 3 nights a week, initially for just the first 6 weeks, but we ended up extending for a couple more months. My husband and I are so thankful for her love and support, we truly could not have survived without her!

We had a fantastic experience with Bay City Doulas. The doula selection process was seamless and…read morecommunication was quick and professional from first contact through completion of our contract. My employer partners with Carrot and Bay City Doulas made the reimbursement process very easy. Our Doula, Theresa, was wonderful. She truly cares about providing support that suits the preferences and needs of the family. She took the time to learn about me and my goals for feeding, sleeping, and overall care of my newborn. Theresa has such a sweet and calming presence. My daughter was very happy in her care which made it easy for me to get rest. I ended up spending a lot of time with Theresa during middle of the night pumping sessions, and her company was invaluable to me during the vulnerable postpartum period. I started looking forward to her visits not only for newborn care, but also for conversation with someone who really understands what postpartum moms go through. We ended up extending our contract because we were having such a positive experience. Needless to say, when the contract did end, we were very sad to say goodbye to Theresa. I can't recommend Bay City Doulas and Theresa enough.

I'm really disappointed with my experience with Susan as a doula. I had high hopes after our…read moreinitial consultation -- she seemed experienced and kind during the first call, and I was looking forward to working with her during my pregnancy. Unfortunately, that positive impression didn't last. After our initial conversation, I never heard from her again. She didn't follow up with the promised contract, invoice, or any additional details about next steps. I tried reaching out multiple times, but she simply didn't respond. This left me feeling uncertain and frankly stressed -- especially since I'm pregnant and looking for consistent, reliable support during such an important time. I ended up finding another doula who was responsive, communicative, and organized -- which really highlighted how unprofessional this experience with Susan was by contrast. I wouldn't recommend her unless she seriously improves her communication and follow-through.

Susan was a last minute support for us and I'm so glad we had her with us for the birth of our…read moredaughter. I won't get into the details as to not traumatize soon to be mothers, but let's just say I went through almost every way to give birth over a matter of several weeks. We started off getting advice on how to help flip our breech baby naturally (and she did flip!) and ended up working with her for not one, but two labor inductions. Anyone I tell my birth story to says that she might have saved my life and I agree completely. She is an advocate for you in the medical system, can speak from experience, and help you be more informed in your choices during stressful moments you weren't expecting. You can feel how much she generally cares about your mental health and the health of your family and I would recommend her in a heartbeat to any soon to be mom.

If you are pregnant and trying to decide where to give birth, I HIGHLY recommend Casa Natal! All of…read morethe midwifes are caring and will sit with you for hour long visits to answer your questions. The center is BEAUTIFUL and also has huge tubs you are actually allowed to birth in, unlike other (all to my knowledge) local hospitals that do not allow water births. The perfect in between if you do not really want to do a home birth but want a home birth-like experience in a very gorgeous and peaceful setting! It is also super close to a hospital should you need it (most people do not) and while not needed was great for my peace of mind. They also have a call line where you can ask questions postpartum that is very helpful. Overall, I had a beautiful birth thanks to them and am very grateful. Birth is something you only do a once or a few times in your life, will remember forever, and I am very glad I got to experience this with the team at Casa Natal.

I had my baby girl in June 2021 and I'm so glad I chose Casa Natal (los gatos) for her birth…read more I was with an OB for the first half of my pregnancy and I was able to see the difference in the care provided at Casa Natal versus my OB's office. My OB appointments lasted for only 15 minutes and I didn't feel supported or heard. At Casa Natal, every appointment lasted for an hour, the midwives checked not only for my physical but also my mental health and answered all of my questions. I was able to get acquainted to Melissa, Julia and all the student midwives during my visits. I also took the breastfeeding class that Emily hosted and it was informative and helpful. Coming to the actual birth, it was truly a beautiful experience. I got the exact birth that I had hoped for as a first time parent. I felt supported throughout my labor. Melissa, Tara, and Charlie attended my birth and were the best team I could have asked for apart from my husband. Tara and Charlie guided me with different positions and techniques to help progress with the labor. After about 6 hours of laboring at the birth center, I delivered my baby vaginally, without any interventions and I was back home 4 hours after my baby was born. They also provided me with excellent postpartum care and lactation support. If you're looking for a holistic natural birth experience, look no further. This team is it!

TL;DR: Last-minute cancellations, fell asleep on duty watching our newborn, refused hands-on baby…read morecare, offered useless virtual support, prepaid for 13 nights, and refused refund. We're disputing the charges with our credit card company. Do not recommend. We hired Czarina for evening doula services shortly after welcoming our newborn, hoping for support and rest. Unfortunately, the experience caused us significantly more stress than doing it alone. The most alarming issue was that she repeatedly fell asleep snoring loudly while on duty watching our newborn. This happened on multiple visits. We could see and hear her sleeping, which meant that instead of resting, we stayed awake monitoring her to ensure our baby was safe. When we addressed this directly, her response was shocking: she claimed she was doing it to "train us to be better parents" and get us used to sleeping while the baby sleeps. As exhausted first-time parents, this felt unreassuring and completely unsafe. We hired a night doula to reduce anxiety, not to monitor the caregiver. Beyond the safety issues, basic doula duties were neglected: * Refusal of Care: She was unwilling to help wash the baby and unable to provide clear, hands-on guidance for newborn care. * Household Help: She provided little to no assistance with basic household tasks. * Ineffective Virtual Support: She attempted to substitute some support with "virtual" sessions, which offered zero value to us as parents who needed physical, hands-on help with a newborn during overnight hours. Her reliability was poor, with multiple last-minute cancellations and rescheduling. Most importantly, we prepaid for 13 nights of service. When we terminated the arrangement due to the safety concerns and poor service, she refused to provide a refund for the unused nights. We were forced to escalate this to our credit card company to try and recoup our funds. Czarina was pleasant to speak with initially, but her actions put our peace of mind at risk and violated our trust. If you are looking for reliable, hands-on postpartum care that allows you to rest, I strongly recommend looking elsewhere. Ask specific questions about staying awake during night shifts, hands-on newborn care (including bathing), refund policies, and what "virtual support" entails before hiring.

As others have reported we had a horrific experience with Czarina, and most unfortunately, we felt…read moretaken advantage of at a time when we were quite vulnerable right after we had our first child, and were struggling. If you don't take anything from this review, I ask you to please schedule a trial run as others have reported, Czarina will ask you to prepay for multiple days before having a chance to experience with her. Context: We hired Czarina as a night doula for 6 nights. Czarina showed up 5 minutes late (and also left 5 minutes early). When she arrived at our home, she made it pretty clear she was unhappy with our setup (we had our baby sleeping in our room, and our milk/fridge on our main level, requiring going up and down stairs for a bottle). She made it pretty obvious she was unhappy with the stairs which is like the one thing I needed her to do -- fetch stuff from downstairs. Second we had asked Czarina to wake my wife at very specific times to enable specific feedings. We were struggling with breast feeding, struggling to get feeding right at all and wanted to stick to a specific schedule (as recommended by our dr). Czarina failed to wake us up, claiming that she missed our alarm (turns out Czarina feel asleep as a night doula). Finally when my wife woke up and Czarina did bring the infant in, we had asked that she change her as our infant didn't like being wet during a feeding at all. Despite asking multiple times, the baby was brought in wet which prolonged each feeding. Overall Czarina was just not a fit for us, and despite having multiple attempts to receive a refund, Czarina has refused to provide any refunds. I beg you to read this review but also the others and reach out if you have questions. Being a new parent is incredibly stressful and I'd hate for you to have even more stress.

We feel so incredibly lucky to have had Marilou as our postpartum night doula. I ended up needing…read moreto be induced earlier than expected, so we had to arrange support at the very last minute. I was honestly pretty anxious going into it because we didn't have the opportunity to interview or even speak with her beforehand, and we were simply going off her profile that was shared with us. But from the moment she arrived, she immediately put us at ease. She was with us for those first few nights home from the hospital, when I was exhausted, emotional, and very newly postpartum. She had such a warm, gentle, and calming presence, and having her there made those overwhelming first nights feel so much more manageable. She was incredibly sweet and attentive with our baby, but she was equally caring toward me, always checking in and offering thoughtful tips for both newborn care and taking care of myself during recovery. She helped with feeds, baby laundry, and washing and assembling bottles and pump parts, and was always punctual, dependable, and proactive. Most importantly, we felt completely comfortable having her care for our brand new baby during such a vulnerable time. Our only regret is that we didn't find her sooner! Because everything came together so last minute, she was only available to be with us for a few nights, and we absolutely would have loved to have had her for longer. We're so grateful she was there when we needed her and would wholeheartedly recommend her to any family looking for a kind, knowledgeable, and genuinely caring postpartum doula. Thanks Marilou and Doulas by the Bay!

We had a wonderful experience with Brenda. She came to meet us before the baby was born, which was…read morereally helpful and gave us a chance to get comfortable with each other beforehand. Once the baby arrived, she was incredibly helpful, especially with tips and guidance on how to soothe him and help him get to sleep. She was so kind, gentle, and caring with our baby, and it was such a pleasure to have her with us during these first days. We're very grateful for all her help and would absolutely recommend her!

Going into my first pregnancy I knew I needed some extra help in addition to having my husband…read morethere. I was going to deliver at Kaiser and knew I wanted an experienced Doula that could be with me from start to finish. Felissa was just that and more! My husband and I felt very comfortable with Felissa from the first time we met her she's very sweet and motherly but also very motivating which is very comforting when you're in a lot of pain! The warming pad, tens unit and massages she did on my back were amazing during the contractions. She was also very helpful in helping us make decisions during labor and letting us know what the Doctors were doing. This definitely helped us feel a whole lot better during some important decisions. I highly recommend Felissa, she's very knowledgeable in what she does and is a great support to have during the most important thing a woman has to do.

Simply Amazing! Felissa is the perfect 10 "doula" for the birth of our child. We delivered our baby…read morein Kaiser Redwood City and she was extremely phenomenal in guiding us through the labor and birthing process. With her amazing support, we count ourselves fortunate to have a healthy delivery with 100% natural child birth. No IV line, no blood test, No Pitocin, No pain medication, No intervention whatsoever. In the two pre-natal visits, she gave us great tips and demonstrated various exercises such as pelvic rocking, squatting, and Kegel exercises to help prepare the mother physically and emotionally. When my water broke and my labor started (around 12:45 AM) , she picked up her phone instantly offering us guidelines on what to expect and guiding us through the process. She helped us during our 10+ hours labor. We used her TENTS unit for helping to alleviate the pain and many hot water showers sessions. We did a lot of walking, squatting, all-four position and many others to help progress the labor. We read the two books "Ina May Gaskin's guide to Natural Childbirth" and "The Bradley Natural Childbirth". She helped complement our knowledge with practical information from her wealth of experience. We are so lucky to have her as our doula and we are forever grateful for her patience, support, and compassion in helping us deliver our baby healthily and naturally.

I went back and forth on whether to write this review. I am sure Ana intends well, but sadly we did…read morenot feel adequately supported by her as a doula. I felt like I should provide an alternative perspective for people who are reading these reviews and want to be fully informed in their decision on a doula. There were some things we really appreciated and that she did well, like the postpartum massage and the meal she cooked for us. But the birth experience itself fell far, far short of what we were expecting in terms of care-- I'd like to remain anonymous so I will not go into detail. The prenatal sessions just didn't vibe with us-- a lot of lecture, worksheets and homework that often felt overwhelming rather than supportive or client-directed. The postpartum sessions were shorter than promised and without many of the things she had told us she would do. It seems like Ana has supported others really well, but unfortunately that was not the case for us.

Ana was one of our greatest blessings in assisting with my very first birth. She brought wisdom,…read morepeace & support that allowed me to be confident in my birth choices and thereby allowing a beautiful, natural unmedicated birth. Once I became pregnant and knew we would be giving birth in a hospital, I was encouraged to seek out the support of a doula in hopes to have an unmedicated birth. Ana was everything I could have needed & wanted during my birth and even more, she helped me everything from the preparation to the labor to the birth and into postpartum and beyond which allowed me to have such an amazing experience. She came to our home 3 times before the birth, sat with my husband & I, unrushed and talked over ways we could best prepare and gave us resources if we wanted to further our knowledge - which I gladly did! She made herself available by phone and text whenever I called her, including middle of the night questions! It gave me peace of mind to know that she had been through this many times before and always guided me with comfort. During the birth, I honestly looked to her more than my own doctor. While she is not certified to give medical advice, I trusted her experience overseeing many other births and especially that she viewed birth as a *natural process* that women's bodies are designed for. I didn't even realize the transition my body would go through during the birth experience, and I'm so thankful we added a postpartum component to our package. Worth its weight in gold. Ana came to our home 3 more times after giving birth and brought us a nourishing meal each time, talked through any questions, including caring for our little one, yet truly gave me the attention I needed to facilitate my healing and recovery including the BEST massages I have ever had. I don't have enough space to write all the ways Ana made me feel special, cherished and empowered through my entire pregnancy and birth. I am so thankful to have had her wisdom and support and truly don't believe my birth experience would have been half as incredible if it wasn't for her.

I absolutely love Blossom Birth & Family! Carolina is amazing, and you can truly feel how much…read moreheart she puts into creating a welcoming, supportive space for growing families. Blossom offers such a wide range of classes, resources, and support for pregnancy, postpartum, babies, and beyond, and I especially appreciate how inclusive and community-focused they are. They also do an incredible job partnering with other wonderful local organizations and providers, including FIT4MOM SVC, New Mom School, The Healthy Pelvis, and so many others. It really feels like they believe in building a village around families rather than trying to do it all alone. We are so lucky to have Blossom Birth & Family in our community. I can't recommend Carolina and the entire Blossom team enough!

Carolina is the BEST EVER!! Extremely grateful to her for giving me support during postpartum. We (…read moreme and my baby ) go to her mommy and baby yoga and we love it. Even though my baby is crawling now, Carolina encourages us to attend her sessions. She is extremely attentive to both mine and my baby's needs. My little one loves her and feels extremely calm in her sessions. Her wisdom and advice has helped me recover from postpartum issues. She's prompt to respond to questions and has high quality resources to offer. Highly recommend. Grateful to her for everything she has been doing for us.

Having Byanca by my side during childbirth and the months prior was a godsend so thankful for her…read moredivine wisdom and guidance. She is devoted to her position and appreciates the woman's journey into mother hood. She treats every person with respect and works with their preferences in such a graceful ways I truly love and admire you Byanca and will always refer you to anyone looking for a birth worker. 5/5 highly recommend this sacred service and the powerful woman behind it!

Byanca is such an amazing Doula, teacher + herbalist. She's been Doula-ing me through such an…read moreimportant time and transition in my life. She has a heart of gold. Her presence is calming and grounded. She is my go to Doula in San Jose. Her teachings of the body and especially the womb are so helpful. Can't wait to hire her again.

Aamani was amazing with our son. She was detailed oriented and made the sessions very engaging and…read morefun. Our son made visible progress in last year and it is all because of Aamani's guidance. She is a great therapist and we will forever be grateful to her for helping our son !

My family feels very lucky that we discovered Smarter Speech, through Google search, after a very…read moreconfusing process of searching for speech therapy with centers, clinics and with early intervention. The assessment and scheduling process was very easy, Aamani was ready to answer all our questions and concerns, she was kind enough to work around our schedules and was visiting us at home for the sessions. This made the process way easier and also comfortable for my daughter. We started working with Smarter Speech after our 2 year old missed her speech milestones. We started in April (had a break in June-July) and now in October, our daughter has officially graduated from her therapy. Aamani did an amazing job with her and with us, parents, as she gave us tips and tricks, areas to focus each week, she has tons of toys, she brings over, so our daughter was excited to play with her and improve her speech. I would strongly recommend Smarter Speech to everyone who is looking for a speech therapist. Especially now, when most of the centers still offer only an online sessions.