To say that investing in a doula was a good idea would be the understatement of a lifetime. My wife…read moreand I heard about this magical concept as if it were a fairytale idea out of our reach, a luxury item in no way meant for us. That was until we met Kathryn and One Moon Doula. They showed us how we could achieve the dream goals we had for those first precious weeks while also honoring our modest budget. Not knowing what to expect, as this was our first child, we did understand that having someone with us would change everything. We were quickly linked with a few doula interviews and fell in love with one of them. Our schedules aligned and boy did it ever change our lives. I can't imagine not having our doula there for those critical nights of transitioning into parenthood, while making space for healing and recovery. We both slept more than we ever thought possible, while our son was cared for better than we could have imagined, AND we learned so much to build a foundation of comfort and confidence moving forward. No family member or friend would have been able to step in the same way. If you have nothing else on your registry other than a fund for this...do just that. It will change your whole early parenting experience for the better. Thank you to One Moon Doula and their network of Angels.

Lindsey was a blessing. She was more than I could have asked for. I don't have family nearby to…read morehelp so I looked into doula services. She made me so comfortable with her caring for my newborn, which is very hard to let someone else do. She was very easy to get along with and offered tips and advice that were so helpful to me, even as a second time mom. She made it so I could get good sleep and be ready for the next day with the baby and my oldest, refreshed. Thank you!! I am forever grateful. :)

Jen was our postpartum doula from the time my son was a newborn, until he was 3 months old. She…read moretook care of him 5 nights per week, giving us some much-needed sleep in those difficult newborn days. Jen was absolutely amazing. She was so gentle and caring with my baby, and every time she arrived I breathed a sigh of relief because I knew he was in such capable hands. He was really not the best sleeper, so by the time she came in I was usually on my 3rd or 4th attempt to put him down to sleep for the night, and desperate to get some food or a shower for myself. I would hand him off to her, and she would cuddle him for as long as necessary to get him into a deep sleep before putting him down. I'm a third-time mom, and it's hard for me to let go of my babies and accept help. But with Jen, I always felt safe and comfortable having her care for my baby each night. I was still waking up to breastfeed in the beginning, and she was extremely supportive of my breastfeeding journey. Then when I decided to switch to exclusive pumping, she helped me figure out the best way to maximize my sleep while still providing my baby with the correctly-timed nighttime milk. She supported all my goals for my baby and was so kind through it all. I also had a lot of requests and instructions for her, and she handled it all with so much patience and understanding. Every evening she came 5-10 minutes early and we chatted about all the usual newborn and postpartum stuff that was worrying me. She was always so caring, giving empathy and helpful advice. She also did baby related chores and made our lives a million times easier. We truly wouldn't have survived the newborn phase without her. Anyone would be lucky to have Jen as their postpartum doula!

Jen is AMAZING! She cared for our baby with love, attention to detail, and consideration for our…read morewishes. She provided the perfect blend of advice/assist and listening to/incorporating our goals. She is a fun, kind, passionate, organized doula who truly made our evenings restful. Bringing home our first baby was the most beautiful, meaningful experience; we largely have Jen to thank in allowing us to rest and show up as the best versions of ourselves for him each day.

Amy is amazing! We hired her to help us with our first child. Being new parents we were overwhelmed…read moreand having an expert newborn care specialist like Amy really helped us out. She was punctual, professional, very knowledgeable, and nurturing. She helped set us and our little one up for good sleep right from the beginning.

When we found out we were expecting twins, we knew we were going to need overnight support. We…read morespoke to several Doula companies and it was clear that Night Owl was going to be the best. Cati, the owner, was so easy to work with and so caring from the start. We then met our now Doula, Jolene, who immediately felt familiar, like family. We were lucky enough to have Jolene's support for the first few months after brining home our premie babies. Not only was Jolene was so caring and loving to our boys, but also to us and really helped ease my postpartum journey. She is so knowledgeable and we learned so much from her. She helped us shape the boys sleep schedule during the day so that we were set up for success with overnights at the end of her contract. She even helped us around the house so that we could wake up to happy babies and an orderly home each morning. Jolene was an integral part of our lives and we will forever be grateful for our time with her.

Overall we had a good experience - definitely a very well-run operation, coordinating with Cati was…read moreeasy, and I liked our doula. The breastfeeding support was great and I really think that made a difference on my breastfeeding journey. Overall, I was running anxious postpartum and think the time separated from my baby was actually kind of hard on me - but that's not a reflection of Nite Owl Doula, that's on me to figure out. That said, this is a 3-star review because of one specific incident where our doula fell asleep and didn't hear the baby crying (I woke up to find the baby crying, which was distressing to me). I shared this feedback when we finished our work with Nite Owl Doula, and I never heard back - that bothered me. Here is the feedback I left in response to the prompt 'what can we do better' which I never heard back from: 'We had an awkward night where [doula] had fallen asleep and didn't hear the baby crying. I heard the baby and woke up first/got her. Obviously this was upsetting to me because I have no idea how long the baby may have been crying for. [Doula] had mentioned another morning that she had been able to sleep too because the baby was sleeping so well. I felt uncomfortable with this but was feeling shy/uncomfortable about bringing it up. After this incident, I did bring up to [doula] that I'm not comfortable with her sleeping on her shifts. She was certainly apologetic about not hearing the baby first, but said that she and the team are encouraged to sleep when the baby sleeps. I didn't push that, but I do think it's a very important expectation for leadership/the whole organization to set with new moms upfront, because I was surprised by this. '

Doula Jenn is the absolute best. This was my second birth with a doula, and Jenn is without a doubt…read morethe calming, positive and hands on presence that you and your partner will want in a birth. I had a vision for my birth, and it wasn't going to plan, but Jenn has a beautiful way of validating your feelings while also bringing it back to a positive and productive space. My husband and I looked back at many moments in my labor where Jenn was invaluable from helping with better positions, to remaining stable and calm through the twists, turns and moments you need it the most. Our nurse at Scripps I could tell really respected her. She truly cares, is always within reach, and I feel so grateful that she was part of the journey to get my daughter here safe and sound!

We had a wonderful experience with Doula Jenn and highly recommend her!…read moreJenn has a lot of experience as a doula. During pregnancy she was a great source of information and peace of mind. Then I had a long, hard labor (including laboring on pitocin only- no epirural- for about 5 hours). We appreciated that she was so positive and always had ideas to try. She was a huge support to my husband and I during labor. In the end, I got a c-section. Jenn came back after the surgery and helped with my immediate recovery, and helped my husband get settled with baby. I did a lot of research and interviewed about 5 doulas before booking Jenn. Jenn was the best communicator out of all. We were always so thankful and felt like she was really there for us. Thank you Jenn!

Simply put- best decision I've ever made…read more This practice combines modern medicine with midwife intuition, teaching, and deep wisdom. I've never experienced holistic care quite like the Circle Midwifery team. Story time -- my baby was in the perfect position my entire pregnancy... until late in the game when they surprised us by turning breech. As nerve-wracking as that moment was, it also felt like witnessing something incredible. Watching the midwives calmly and confidently work together to encourage my baby to flip was amazing. Each of them knew exactly what to do, and they surrounded my fear with such grounded, focused, and reassuring energy. I felt completely supported -- it was truly a privilege to witness them do what they were clearly put on the planet to do! I've truly never felt so much love and support from a medical care team. I absolutely loved my experience with Your Circle Midwifery. From my husband's perspective: They heard my concerns about home birth without ever dismissing them. Instead, they made me feel informed, respected, and genuinely comfortable with the entire process. I appreciated the personalized care for my wife, our baby and her specific needs They provided incredible support during pregnancy, delivery and postpartum We are forever grateful for this team.

These talented beauties cared and coached us in the home birth I have been dreaming of. They had my…read moreback as I labored and eventually birthed my baby boy at home. I could not have done it without them. I highly recommend them if you want a natural empowered birth. They kept us safe and supported as I did the hardest best thing I've ever done.

I am so glad that I chose Beautiful One Midwifery for my care during my first pregnancy and birth…read more Kelly, Tiffany, and Christina all gave wonderful care, took time to answer all my questions, and never pressured any decisions. I always felt informed and supported in my decisions. After a long labor and successfully delivering my baby at home, I required a hospital transfer for extensive stitching. Tiffany drove me to the hospital and stayed with me the whole time, advocating for me and providing emotional support during the procedure. The postpartum care (in my home!) has been invaluable as I have navigated these first few weeks of having a newborn. The ladies would check on me and my newborn, provide breast feeding support, and answer any questions or concerns.

I had a baby in June of 2014 and decided that having a doula for my first baby - one I hoped to…read moredeliver naturally - would be helpful. I asked a friend who is very well connected in the birthing community who she would recommend of the names Id heard and she immediately said Kelly was outstanding. I was leaning that way already - her website was so thorough and she clearly cared about being thorough and stretching to extend all of herself and the resources she had to support her clients - but also just to be a resource to anyone visiting her page which I loved. I also wanted placenta encapsulation and she was able to offer doula services as well as the placenta services - and she also teaches a birthing class which I was able to watch online - so great!! I came to realize that my biggest need was someone to talk to prior to the birth to learn about exactly what was going to happen. Also - I would find myself with free-floating anxiety. The initial meetings with Kelly and my husband and then the availability to text or chat when stress or fear hit was honestly one of the best things I got out of our Doula relationship. Kelly was so able to validate and yet present either her experience, observations, or just a way to think about giving birth that removed the fear I didn't expect to have. I ended up being induced - during the two weeks "overdue" I was especially anxious and Kelly was again a helpful calming voice. The day I went in for the induction I was terrified. She had given me a link to online meditations Id been listening to for the last month and I was able to listen to them there while the contractions started. It was the perfect way to begin labor. It was also cool to have subtle but definite encouragement to go into myself and not worry about holding conversation with the others in the room. The labor ended up being awesome - no epidural, I was stronger than I expected and Kelly was there encouraging me but not "coaching" me. As the pushing continued and it became clear that I was going to need a c-section, she was again a good counterbalance to look to as my husband and I reconciled that it was indeed the way to go. While the crash c was happening, Kelly was there talking with my husband while they waited. After the baby was delivered, Kelly was there in the room to ensure my skin on skin feeding request was granted and Im really grateful that she took photos in case I wanted them of my first moments with baby. I was still under anesthesia and everyone else there was meeting the baby and stabilizing him. I'm so grateful to have those pictures to see what I couldn't experience consciously. Kelly came over after the birth to check in and see our baby again and chat through the day. I had some residual questions about maybe had I squatted longer, I could have delivered naturally etc. Kelly was quick to share her perspective having been there and to also encourage me to get the medical records so I could see exactly how it went down. I wouldn't have thought to do this - it was really informative and reassuring to read what happened and to see that we made good choices in the heat of the moment to ensure a healthy birth. Kelly's insights and experiences were so helpful. She also gave me a great lactation resource when I struggled with breastfeeding after the c section. I couldn't do the placenta encapsulation because of the c section so I can't review that - but I can assuredly say that my experience was what I hoped for an more and I was so much more prepared and supported at every stage because of Kelly. She is a nurturer, a super knowledgable professional (I loved that she has a masters in psychology too - so well able in dealing with highly emotional situations), and just a lovely grounded purposeful woman. She is not only a part of the birthing community but she creates a community for her clients to continue to support one another as we mother. I'm so glad I found her and highly recommend.

Dara is an absolute angel. She's knowledgeable, sweet, helpful, and meets you where you are at. I…read morehad an oversupply and overactive let down AND my baby had a shallow latch. Dara helped with all of these circumstances and made me feel so comfortable. She showed me different feeding positions that specifically would help my baby. My baby is over four months now and he has never had to take any formula Because of her guidance and expertise I am a confident breastfeeding mama ! Thankyou Dara!!

While my pregnancy was wonderful and healthy, it was also frequently wrought with anxiety. I lost…read moremy mother just three months before discovering we were pregnant, and I had always envisioned that she would be there by my side, along with my husband, to deliver my first baby. In addition to desiring the type of nurturing and support only a mother can provide, I also wanted to have an unmedicated labor and delivery. Enter Dara, who instantly made me feel comforted and supported just after a few video calls. When my husband and I met her in person, we felt reassured and excited to have her by our side as we approached our due date. Dara was always available and easily accessible throughout the pregnancy for questions and provided me with an incredible amount of evidence-based childbirth information to help guide my birth plan and help me feel that much more prepared. And while nothing can truly prepare you for such an intense life event, I went in with much more confidence than I would have had without Dara's help. Once we were finally in active labor and called Dara into the hospital, she jumped right in with getting me moving and changing positions to help labor progress and get the baby in a good position. She also helped my husband support me by gently guiding him and educating him throughout the process. While I ended up getting an epidural close to 9cm, she remained active in positioning my body, keeping me hydrated, and helping both my husband and me get some rest before pushing. What I will remember the most from this entire experience is how Dara seemed to embody my own mother's energy with her tenderness. It was as if she knew exactly what I needed, when I needed it the most, without me needing to say a word. We delivered our sweet baby boy with Dara by our side and will never forget what a beautiful experience we had together. -Frances If there is one thing you do to prepare for your child's birth, pick up the phone and schedule a consult with Dara. As a first-time Dad, I had no idea what to expect at the hospital, even with the childbirth classes and e-learning videos. Nothing prepares you. While I initially thought the nurses would be there to support my wife, they're busy working. They don't have the bandwidth to be fully present. Dara was there every step of the way to help her emotionally and physically. Even with our relatively healthy childbirth with no complications, Dara stepped in. To watch her in action was such a relief because I knew my wife was getting the best possible care. Dara also didn't take over the reins. She made sure I was a part of the entire process. You can't put a price on that peace of mind. If I had to sell an organ to pay for Dara's services, I would. She's the most amazing, nurturing doula in north county. -Steven