5/5 - Highly Recommend for First-Time Parents…read more My wife and I took a birthing class with Lia, and we are truly happy with the entire experience. As a first-time dad, this class taught me so much about how to stay prepared and how to be a strong advocate for mom while she's in labor. I went into this wanting to make sure I could actually help and not just be "dead weight," and this class delivered exactly that. I really appreciated how Lia explained that every birth is different, and showed us a variety of experiences from other couples. It helped me understand what to expect and how to support my wife through whatever direction our birth might take. I also loved that I had to actively participate--taking notes and learning alongside my wife really prepared me for the big day. We also enjoyed meeting other couples who are going through the same process. It made everything feel more real and more supported. When the time came and we arrived at the hospital, I genuinely felt prepared because of this class. As first-time parents, we absolutely recommend taking this class with Lia. It made a huge difference for both of us.

I'm an RN. I work in a hospital. I'm no stranger to the Labor & Delivery world. Even so, Lia's…read moreclass was amazingly helpful, not only to me, but also to my husband, who is definitely NOT in the medical field :) It is clear that she has so much L&D experience; she educates using scientific articles and her doula experience. Lia is entertaining too! Her bubbly, casual demeanor make classes fun. She provides education and her opinion without judging if you choose something different. I really appreciate that she promotes participation and camaraderie among the parents in the class. She responds quickly & thoughtfully to questions via email and text. I repeated her class for my second pregnancy. I've now successfully delivered 3 babies 'the Bradley way' and I could not be more grateful to Lia for helping me prepare for such unique, miraculous, athletic events! #dates

Wanted to update this after our third class, following empowered hospital labor we took the…read morebreastfeeding and postpartum class led by Brittany and then Emma. I cannot recommend these 3 classes enough, all the instructors were incredibly kind, empathetic and used both data/ research and their own experiences in the classes. It made me feel so much better about the future. I highly recommend these classes - knowledge is power!! You and your partner will feel so much better.

Had such a wonderful time at the Looma Birth open house! Elizabeth was so warm and welcoming, and…read moreit was really special getting to reconnect with her in this new space. The space itself is absolutely adorable--calm, inviting, and thoughtfully put together. Everyone we met was friendly and kind, which made the whole experience even better. It's clear this is a really supportive and nurturing environment for families. Absolutely will be referring our clients here :)

You give birth once and unfortunately I had a very bad experience with Lorraine. I would not…read morerecommend it to anyone. She definitely a good marketing person of herself and she did not keep that up during the birth for me. Please think twice before you hire her. I did hire her because she has experience but sometimes it's about the excitement. She is done. She is doing it just for money and she is not even doing it right.

I always thought I would try a natural birth but I really started to do alot of research once I…read morefound out I was pregnant. So many times my friends were going to go "natural" but in the end they would give into the almighty needle. So I did a ton of research and I came to the conclusion that I was going to educate myself as much as I could and that I would hire a doula. My husband was very skeptical... His entire family laughed when I said I was going to try a natural birth. Their exact words "Why would you ever choose that?!!" So I dragged my reluctant husband to our 6 week Hypnobabies course. By the 3rd week he was fully on the natural train! He told me "I really think you can do this!" The class was great and I really loved how we bonded with the other couples!! Lorraine was our doula also and it was a great experience. From our interview to when our sweet baby girl came Lorraine was at our disposal. She kept me calm and focused during my birthing time/labor and at the end I faced some complications... Lorraine gave me the lowdown on what was going on and let me know that it was crunch time! Looking back it really was the perfect pep talk... I pushed the baby out in 3 contractions!! And believe it or not I was up and walking around 30 mins later! My husband looked more jacked up than I did, lol. I had such a positive experience with Lorraine on top of a great birthing experience. I would do everything all over again in a heartbeat!

Just wanted to update and encourage new moms to consider Melissa's course. It's very knowledgable…read moreand my son is almost 2 and we still use and talk to new moms about what we learned in Bradley. Good luck new mommys! You got this!

Mel and my classmates were the support that I needed to get though my pregnancy and delivery. She…read moregave me the knowledge that empowered me to be strong enough to resist the hospitals constant nagging to induce labor too early. The exercises she taught me allowed a speedy recovery no tearing or ripping up and at um the next day! Love you mel!!! you're the best...If I ever decide to have another kid (hahahahah!) you will be the first I call outside of immediate family. Wishing you many blessings and healthy happy babies delivered.

Wanted to provide an additional update since it's been about 3 months. On October 27,2025 I…read morerequested a receipt for the "services" and Marisol agreed. Till this day I have not received any sort of receipt for the "services" provided. Adding to my feelings of being ignored, since she got what she wanted the payment of $2,800 dollars.

This review truly breaks my heart to write. When I get pregnant with my second child and I…read morecontacted Marisol right away to book her as my Doula. I was so excited to finally meet her in person and I signed the contract right away. I immediately sent over my deposit and I requested that she provide me with a receipt for the deposit . The fact that she was initially declining my request for a receipt because she wanted to wait until after the baby was born was probably the first sign that trouble was coming. I went back-and-forth with her and asked to get my receipt for the money that I had already paid so that I could use that receipt for a reimbursement with my flexible spending account. She still refused to give me the receipt so I reached out to my flexible spending company and asked them if I had to wait for the baby to be born in order to be reimbursed and they said no. Finally, Marisol agreed to give me a receipt for my deposit. I found this quite odd since people generally get a receipt when money exchanges hands. My husband and I meet with Marisol around 36 weeks to go over the birth plan. I tell her that my plan is to have her help me labor at home as much as possible since I wanted to reduce the likelihood of medical interventions. I also asked they she capture some photos for us. Marisol explained that we should not contact her right away if labor starts in the middle of the night, only call when ready. She kept stressing this point and even emailed me a document that says to only call when we are ready for her to come. A couple of weeks later I go into labor late one night. My labor progressed quickly and we called Marisol when we wanted her to come over, no answer. I then texted her. A short time later I told her we were headed to the hospital. Labor pains got so intense that I was not able to monitor my phone so my husband and Marisol were texting. Labor pains were so intense so I requested an epidural at the hospital. Once Marisol got this information , she assumed she had more time. I guess she didn't take into account that that epidural was not completed. Long story short, she didn't make her way to the hospital until after the kid was born. Per her contract, she had 90 minutes to get to me. My labor was quick but she had a 3 hour heads up. I was actually disappointed that she came to the hospital because now it feels like a random acquaintance just showed up for one of the biggest days of your life and now you have to entertain them. She stayed with us until we got transferred to our postpartum room. At this point, Marisol was not a part of my birth story at all and I was angry. A couple days later I immediately requested a partial refund. She denied my request saying she was "available." Instead she offered me one additional 3 hour postpartum visit. I didn't accept that and said we could discuss this matter when she did her postpartum visit. During the visit, Marisol said she could tell that I "felt some type of way" and she asked me to share my feelings. I told her I felt cheated, I'm out a lot of money and she didn't have to do anything. It was her choice to not come to me right away, I followed all of her instructions. Marisol then told me she was actually on her way to me but she needed time to shower, clean her doula supplies and pack her doula bag. Once she heard about the epidural, she returned home to pack snacks. This information infuriated me....she missed my birth for this?!?! This is an area where you don't get a do over. I would imagine that with the nature of this job you would always have your supplies clean and ready. She ended up offering me 12 postpartum hours. I told her that was not what I wanted since I didn't want to think of things for her to help me with. In plus, it's easy to get help during the day. I ended up requesting my money back and threatening legal action since she breached her own contract. In the end she agreed to return 1/2 of my money ($1400) and I was able to avoid legal action. (I didn't mind taking legal action, this was an open and shut case according to the guidance I received). I'd say she still came out ahead, $1400 for 2 short visits to my house and a short 45 minute visit to the hospital after my kid was born. I am beyond bummed about this experience. So yes, I still "feel some type of way!" I'm not sure how you could say you were available yet you missed the birth. And I still can't comprehend the rationale. I'm so confused.

I took a childbirth class online with Flor. Second…read morepregnancy, previously took a hospital class, but I really wanted a natural birth this time, and had not felt prepared for that with my last class. The hospital class prepared me for interventions to expect, and basically how to be a good patient. Flor not only covered the physical aspects of birth (anatomy, hormones, what moves how and when/where, etc) but also your options and what to expect with those interventions. She is honest, clear, and explains things in a way that truly helps you understand what these interventions entail. Another very valuable component of this class is the interventions she teaches you - tools to advocate for yourself, how your partner can best support you, and many different ways to deal with the process of labor. The demonstrations of positions were so helpful! My first birth I wanted to go natural, but ended up saying yes to interventions that I felt contributed to a rocky start to breastfeeding and my baby having to be readmitted for hyperbilirubinemia. Thanks to this course I felt SO PREPARED. My biggest fear was that I wouldn't be able deal with the pain and say yes to interventions I didn't want and be disappointed. I went into labor naturally, delivered at a hospital and had a physiological, unmedicated birth of a healthy 8lb 10oz baby with no complications. My partner and I felt so united and prepared. We advocated for our birth plan and had the birth we had hoped for!! If you are looking for a birth class that is inclusive, honest, and truly prepares you to plan for the birth you want, TAKE THIS CLASS. I cannot recommend enough!! I'm an RN and truly learned so much through this class and process and have so much respect for the work Flor is doing to help women have the birth they hope for. Hospitals are for sick people and emergencies, and birth is not an illness. Flor truly honors the process for the miracle it is, and it shows in her work, website, personality and this class. Thank you Flor. For giving us the essential tools to have the birth we had hoped for.

My family and I were so lucky to have Flor as our Doula. It was important to me and my husband that…read moreI birthed our baby naturally and without pain medication. I became semi-obsessed with natural birth during my pregnancy. I watched documentaries, read six books, took a Bradley Method course with my husband. The best thing I did to accomplish my goal of achieving the birth of my dreams was to hire a doula. No, the best thing I did to accomplish my goal was to hire Flor. She was incredible. I tried giving up multiple times. Each time, I looked at Flor and she smiled and told me I could do it. I was going on my second day in labor and Flor was with me every step of the way. She was replying to my text messages at 2:00 in the morning when my early labor stalled, she used a rebozo to help me push my baby out, Flor gave me essential oils during contractionns, she helped my husband help me through the difficult parts. She was amazing. They say moms hire doulas for the first born and dads hire doulas for the second. This couldn't be more true. The birth of my son will be forever engraved on my memory and my heart and Flor will be a permanent part of our birth story. We are so lucky to have met such a strong, special person. Flor is truly inspiring.

Kim was not only a friendly instructor but also filled with knowledge! She made our class super…read moreenjoyable and fun. We came out of each class feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on our daily hypnosis sessions. My husband and I feel very ready for the birth of our baby thanks to Kim!

Kim is an incredibly kind, accommodating, and knowledgable birth educator. From the very beginning…read moreof the Hypnobabies course, my partner and I knew we were in the best hands possible. Her breadth of experience as a doula and an educator comes through in every session, and she made herself completely available for questions and conversations outside of the class structure. My partner and I experienced several challenges in our pregnancy, and up until I started Hypnobabies I was really struggling with how to have hope and cultivate a positive mindset for the birth ahead. The Hypnobabies content and Kim's gentle yet direct approach were exactly what I needed to shift my perspective. Now, I'm enjoying the last weeks of my pregnancy and eagerly anticipating giving birth. I can't wait to apply everything I've learned and meet my baby.

Danellia was our natural birth educator thru @LaFuente and I highly recommend her class. For those…read moreof you worried about cost, you get a lot of bang for your buck-- she really is providing you 3 services for the price of 1. Here's the breakdown: +Birth Educator She is super knowledgable and passionate. I watched a ton of videos and read a ton of articles, but she helped synthesize the info so it wasn't overwhelming. Her descriptions of the stages of birth gave me a clear roadmap of what to anticipate. She made abstract and complex concepts easy to understand. (Here's looking at you Effacement Balloon exercise) Compared to 3 free Kaiser classes, this HANDS DOWN was more valuable. Those classes were redundant, with little substantive info. One of her 10 min videos on lactation clearly presented info that took more than 2-hours in the Kaiser lactation course. (Read the KP workbook available online to get the essence of the info.) +Pre-game Doula She gave us an outline for a birth plan. She discussed possible interventions and methods to advocate for yourself. If you don't have a doula this is INCREDIBLY helpful. If you do, it is still valuable. I came into my doula sessions more informed, like I had a second opinion, and I could hone in on the areas of specific concern. Plus, I knew what to expect and ask of my doula Stevie Merino @solandrootsdoula (who I love and also recommend btw). So in essence, Danellia optimizes the value of your doula services. Her real world experience with local hospitals let us get into the nitty gritty and ask real specific questions. I used some of her pain management technique (with my doula and partner), an adaptation of her breathing technique, and her ice exercise in the labor room and for the surges (contractions) before hand. +Counselor She was the counselor that we didn't know we would need. I vacillated between being a ball of anxiety, rage, and ease and my partner was real worked up as well (more so during pregnancy, than postpartum). I'll attribute that to not knowing what to expect, internalized pressure, and hormones I figure. But for me Danellia greatest strength was in holding space where you could share your worries and ask ALL your questions and even frustrations. She held it compassionately, non-judgmentally, and normalized what was happening. And unlike another paid program we did, it was beyond mental/logical support, it was that AND she was a settled and calming energy. In summary, just do it. Sign up for her class. Check out @LaFuente. I hear it is available virtually too now. Birth and postpartum is challenging, especially these days. So get all the support you can get! Regardless, may you have a pregnancy and birth filled with ease.

I was so pleased to have received Danellia's placenta encapsulation service. Danellia is very kind,…read moreprofessional, and knowledgeable. You can hear the passion for her work in the way she speaks about it. She explained everything thoroughly to me as to what her encapsulation service entails and how pick up and drop off would work. When it came to being in labor I didn't have to worry about a thing. Danellia and my birth team were able to communicate with one another to make sure she knew I would be giving birth soon. The day after I gave birth Danellia was able to swiftly pick up my placenta and take it for processing. It was important to me to have a photo of this beautiful organ that my body grew to keep my baby alive all 9 months. Not only did Danellia take a photo, she made sure to make it extra special placing beautiful herbs next to the placenta for the photo. A couple days later my placenta was already encapsulated, made into a tincture, and ready for drop off. So we coordinated a smooth drop off where I received my entire placenta package which included placenta pills, placenta tincture, placenta print, and umbilical cord keepsake. But of course with how caring Danellia is she went a step further and brought along some soup for my husband and I and a traditional Mexican postpartum drink for me called atole. This meant so much to us as we were only 3 days postpartum and had 0 time or energy to cook meals for ourselves. My placenta print came out so beautiful! Im so excited to frame it and hang it in my son's room. The placenta pills have been super helpful in giving me energy, establishing my milk supply, and stabilizing my hormones which in turn stabilizes my mood. In fact my placenta pills gave me so much energy I could only take them earlier in the day. If I waited until the afternoon to take them I would be up late at night! Aside from that I loved the way the package was put together and presented. Danellia gifted me some herbs from her garden and had a card in the bag that explained how to take the placenta pills and tincture. I am 6 weeks postpartum now and can now start taking my tincture which I'm so happy to have! I chose to have a tincture made because it will last forever since it is an alcohol extract. Overall I was so happy I made the decision to have this sacred organ encapsulated by someone who has so much respect for it and for birthing people. The energy that went into my capsules was important which is why I specifically chose Danellia and her grounding, calming, loving energy. Thank you Danellia for supporting me during my postpartum journey.

Rena' is an outstanding doula and CAPPA Labor doula trainer. She truly has a gift for working with…read moreexpecting and new parents and for teaching other women how to be outstanding doulas. She volunteers countless hours to the Doulas Association of Southern CA where she serves as President and is also on the BOD for Doulas of the South Bay. Rena' recently co-founded Doulas for Surrogacy where she helps to pair Labor Doulas with surrogate women and Postpartum Doulas with Intended Parents. As if that wasn't enough, she also opened the Lullaby Lounge in Lakewood where others can come and get education and support regarding all things pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and breastfeeding. She has an amazing heart and spirit.

I had the pleasure to take Rena's CAPPA Labor Doula Training last year and I learned so much. I…read moreoriginally took the course as a refresher because I was already working as a doula full time when I signed up. Going into it I only hoped to learn a new trick or two but I got much more! I learned more from her training than I had in my first training with another trainer and organization and grew as a professional. I would highly recumbent taking her training if you are thinking of becoming a Birth Doula or if you are looking for a refresher course.

Working with Tabare was one the best decisions we made for this journey…read more Tabare is humble, knowledgeable, and has amazing communication.(We are "i" person ).But beyond that, she's like the "mom" you didn't know you needed--caring, supportive, and with a heart of shining gold. For example , she actually called the numbers from the brochures the hospital gave to us and identified some confusing information. When my wife's water broke at midnight, Tabare responded to our cellphone msg and offered advice.we went to Hoag Irvine at 4 AM, and Tabare was already there waiting for us. While we are waiting In the triage room, she massaged, reassured, and tried different techniques to keep my wife comfortable. Honestly, she was the busiest and most calming person in the room. Tabare is positive, responsive, and down-to-earth. Working with her felt like having the world's best wedding planner--but for your baby's birth. We prepared together, learned together, and teamed up with the midwives for an amazing, joyful experience. As a first-time dad, I can't thank her enough. Now I'm telling every expectant parent: if you can, work with a Doula; If you made the decision, I recommend Tabare. You'll laugh, you'll feel supported, and you'll look back with the joyful and wonderful experience and memories. Ok, let's talk about the cons: 1 The telephone operator - The OCWM 24/7 response line that night was disappointing. The operator didn't seem to care, made several basic mistakes, and wasted a lot of my time. I eventually had to hang up and call another number for help. 2 Nurse issue - We probably came in during the night shift change. While Tabare and I were outside in the lobby doing paperwork to gain access, my wife was in pain and left alone in the triage room with one nurse. Later, my wife told me the nurse was pressuring her to make decisions and struggled with something as basic as a blood draw.(I just cannot believe how amateur it is for a blood draw) Husbands, NEVER leave your wife alone in the hospital!

My experience with Taba was not a planned one. My doula had a personal emergency when I was set for…read moremy induction at 41weeks and I had less than an hour to make a connection over the phone with her for one of the most intimate events of your life that you could have - birth. To say that Taba stepped up to the plate is an understatement. As I was sobbing on the phone full of anxiety trying to impart my entire story to her she ended it with clear direction - "it sounds like I need to be there with you when you go in" - I can't tell you the amount of weight that lifted off my chest when she uttered that sentence to me. My first birth was during the pandemic and resulted in a traumatic emergency c section so my anxiety was through the roof. Taba's sense of humor, confidence, relationship management style, incredible experience/knowledge, and her amazing ability to download my information made me feel so comfortable. She never left my side when I needed her. She supported my partner in helping him understand when he could step in and standing in when he couldn't. Without Taba I wouldn't have felt confident pushing for more options, making it clear what I consented to, etc. this birth was my redemption birth and I owe a lot of it to Taba.