I found Labor of Love by doing some of my own research online. And thank God I did! My doula,…read moreKaren, was my rock throughout my labor and was 100,000 percent amazing--I'll definitely be working with her for my second! A little backstory: I was overwhelmed and so nervous about finding "the one" person to be a part of the most important event of my life. After doing my research and reading through all these bios, I honestly was left feeling overwhelmed, especially knowing how indecisive I can be. I knew I just had to trust my intuition and my gut on this one! After looking at Karen's bio on their website, I had such a good feeling. Staci (the owner), who was super friendly and professional, helped me get connected with Karen, and I booked an interview right away! Karen was so sweet and asked me about my pregnancy experience so far. We discussed how I wanted my birth to go and any concerns I had. There wasn't any pressure to hire her, and it just felt like she was already invested in me, like I was already family. I even had her video chat with my husband to make sure we both felt comfortable and vibed well together--and we sure did! Overall, Karen ended up being the perfect balance of knowledge, experience, and professionalism. It was the most perfect amount of care I could have asked for. She was also such an advocate for my birth plan to work out. Before, during, and after my labor and birth, she was always naturally in tune with what I needed. She was never overbearing, worked so well with my husband, and gave him space to be a part of my support team as well. I am so grateful to have come across Labor of Love

The business owner is quite the opposite of the type of person any vulnerable new mom should have…read moreto work with. My experience with Labor of Love was almost two years ago now but continues to upset me when thinking back on my experience. We hired Lauren as our doula, who made it clear she expected us to go far past my due date as a first time mom. While it's possible for that to happen, it didn't in my case. At 39 weeks and at 5am while in active labor and getting ready to head to the hospital, she let us know she had Covid. Her backup was Karen, who I wish we hired to begin with as she is far more caring and professional. Though unfortunately our experience still fell short and we ultimately delivered without Karen present. We were left feeling like we invested a lot of emotion and money into this process with ultimately no help. Staci has been incredibly rude to us since then and even revoked our access to watch her training videos, sending me a link to pay her once again when wanting to rewatch for our now second baby on the way. Karen herself even recommended we ask for a partial refund due to our experience, but Staci lacks the professionalism and courtesy to her clients. Truly mindblowing that she revoked access to the training videos after we had already paid for them. I would stay far away and recommend a more experienced and caring doula group.

I didn't know where to start in searching for a doula, and I'm so glad I came across this marching…read moreservice. It was an easy and quick process that helped me find a doula with some pretty specific preferences I had in mind. They gave me several great options and matched me with my doula who I absolutely love!

The Doulas of Orange County is a wonderful service that helped my wife and me out tremendously in…read moreour search for a birth doula. With so many doulas available, it was overwhelming knowing where to start our search. Doulas of Orange County simplified everything by first gathering a list of what we wanted and matching us with the perfect doulas who aligned with our vision and our budget. The process was easy to understand, and they consistently informed us every step along the way to keep us in the loop. Thank you, Doulas of Orange County!

Im forever grateful for Little Honey Doula services. Melina was quite literally how I kept my…read moresanity for some of the hardest days of my life. (Emergency c-section with my first baby). The education and support she provided me and my family with while I was pregnant was so helpful. I appreciated how quickly her responses were when I needed help at my most desperate times. I also loved how she helped me create a relaxing environment at the hospital while I was in labor. Shes so thoughtful, resourceful, and truly cares about her clients. Can't recommend her services enough.

Before working with a doula, my wife and I had no idea how transformative the right support could…read morebe during childbirth. The first time we went through the process, we felt overwhelmed, unprepared, and, at times, powerless. But having Doula Gipson by our side this time around made all the difference, it was truly night and day. From the very beginning, she didn't just support my wife, she empowered me as well. She took the time to educate me about the birthing process, my role as a partner, and how I could provide meaningful support during one of the most emotional and life changing moments of our lives. Thanks to her guidance, I felt a confidence I never knew I needed, and I was able to show up for my wife in ways I wouldn't have known how to otherwise. Birth is an experience that should feel empowering, not overwhelming. Having a doula like Gipson ensured that we were informed, prepared, and emotionally supported every step of the way. As we look forward to expanding our family in the future, there's no question, we wouldn't want to go through that journey without her. If you're expecting a child, I can't recommend a doula enough. And if you have the opportunity to work with Doula Gipson, consider yourself incredibly lucky. She is truly a gift.

We truly could not have survived the newborn stage without Angie. From the moment she joined our…read morefamily, she went above and beyond in ways that exceeded every expectation we had for a night doula. One example that perfectly captures who Angie is: when our daughter Willa had a reaction to cow's milk formula and I was quickly trying to switch her to a specific European formula that was impossible to find in stores, Angie posted on her own Instagram asking her network if anyone had it available. She found someone who did, drove to pick it up herself, and dropped it off at our front door on one of her nights off. That level of care, generosity, and dedication is something I will never forget. Throughout our time together, Angie shared countless recommendations for products, feeding tools, sleep solutions, and everyday baby essentials that made our lives so much easier. She was also incredibly invested in our family's success beyond the nights she was with us. Even on her days off, Angie would check in to see how things were going, celebrate our wins, and offer thoughtful advice whenever a new challenge popped up. Whether it was feeding issues, sleep questions, or simply navigating life with a newborn, she was always just a text away with practical guidance and encouragement. What I appreciated most was Angie's calm, nurturing presence. No matter how tired, overwhelmed, or anxious I felt as a first-time mom, she always brought reassurance and steady support. Her experience was immediately obvious not only as a mother herself, but through her work with twin families and the countless babies she has cared for over the years. Knowing Willa was in Angie's hands allowed me to truly relax and get the restorative sleep every new parent desperately needs. Even after our initial time together, Angie continued to support us. When we hit a particularly difficult crib transition, she came back and completely saved the day, helping us create a plan and giving us the confidence to work through a challenging stage. Angie became so much more than a night doula to our family. She was a trusted guide, a source of wisdom, and a reassuring presence during one of the biggest transitions of our lives. We will always be grateful for her care, support, and the love she showed our daughter. Any family would be incredibly lucky to have Angie by their side. Maggie OC client

Skylar was incredible with our little one. Hardest thing as a mother is trusting your newborn with…read moreanother person, and we trusted Skylar completely with our son starting at 3 weeks old. She is kind and patient, was a true life savior for our family during the difficult postpartum period. We were all able to get some key nights of sleep a week to make it through the newborn phase. Could not recommend working with her more -Client Michelle.F

We were planning a cross country road trip with our toddler and for peace of mind I wanted to make…read moresure our car seat was installed correctly and there were no changes we had to make to it. We hired Amanda to come to our home and help us out. It was so convenient and she was amazing! She recommended some changes to make safety wise and showed us how to install them and let my husband and I each do it in our own cars so we felt comfortable, especially since I will be getting a new car soon and will have to learn to. She gave us some great tips and sent us a follow up email with a ton of resources and information. Overall I would highly recommend this service to make sure everything is correct with your car seats, car seat safety is so important and I feel so much better knowing my son is as safe as he can be.

AMAZING experience with Amanda. She helped us installed two different car seats in two different…read morecars. She is very knowledgeable, I learned a lot from installing the car seats to how to keep our baby safe in them, because it is not only about strapping the harness around your little one, it's about doing it right. Thank you Amanda.

We took Lia's virtual Bradley method class, and would highly recommend it for any expecting…read moreparents. First off, it can be hard to find time to take a birth class, and Lia chooses convenient times, with multiple options to choose from. It's a very comfortable classroom atmosphere where I felt good to ask any question, or add any comment. Lia keeps it fun and interesting, and is a great teacher. Lia is also available outside of class for questions, and she is super responsive. It shouldn't really matter if a doula has been pregnant herself.... But it was really helpful to hear about her first hand experiences and to know that she has gone through it all before. I just wish we in lived in LA so that we could have Lia as our Doula.

I cannot say enough good things about Lia and her natural birth classes. I did the 12 week in…read moreperson classes with my husband. I really wanted to know everything I possibly could and I was also looking for a little community as I was feeling very alone in those first weeks of pregnancy (and overwhelmed with what I didn't know). AND THESE CLASSES DELIVERED! My husband is also a knowledge seeker so when I told him these were the classes I wanted he was all in. We learned so much. We joke that he didn't just learn about the natural birth process he learned how to be my "daddy doula". We still enjoy talking to people about everything we learned and how to support each other and how to speak to your doctors or the hospital nurses. Even if you aren't considering a natural birth these classes should be taken by everyone expecting a baby. You learn about the body, you learn about the different stages of labor, how to prep your body and your mind. There is even a class on breastfeeding which was invaluable those first 3 days postpartum. Lia is also an amazing teacher. If I have another I would definitely also hire her as my doula. She is a person you want in your corner during birth.

So grateful that I found this amazing doula team and mama community!…read more Krista Jawin worked closely with my husband and I to prepare us for the birth of our first child. She has truly been the guiding light through our journey into parenthood. We had the amazing, magical, beautiful, empowering home birth that we visualized during our birth education sessions with Krista. We know we would not have had this experience if it were not for her guidance before, during and after the birth of our baby. Thank you Krista for the amazing selfless work you do for mamas, babies, and families!!!!

I love Maureen and the team at In One Breath Center! I'm so thankful that I was referred to…read moreMaureen: I was halfway through my first pregnancy and my yoga instructor encouraged me to become educated about labor, birth, and postpartum life. I am SO glad I received that encouragement and Maureen's name from her. I had interviewed a couple doulas who I found on Yelp, but my 3rd call was Maureen and I knew by the end of our first phone conversation that she was the one who would be my teammate and would be there to witness the birth of my first baby! We opted to do a hospital birth (although I loved the idea of a midwifery center or a home birth, my husband's desire was to have our son born in a hospital setting) and I knew that I wanted the wisdom and support of a birth doula to assist my husband and I in making the best decisions possible during the labor & delivery process. My goal was to have a natural birth and I knew that might be challenging in the hospital setting. As a side-note, I had previously thought birth doulas were mainly for people who had extra money laying around - but now I don't know why I had that idea because it's not true in the least bit! We made a point to save where we could so that we could spend some on a doula. Before "The Day" arrived, we met with Maureen in person. She asked great questions about our wishes, fears, uncertainties and she helped us to write a very simple birth plan (or 'birth preferences'- since most of the time things DON'T go exactly as you plan for with birth!). She was in contact with us often in the weeks leading up the my due date, especially because at 34 weeks I needed to go to the hospital Triage due to intense/frequent Braxton Hicks and we also found out that baby was breech and would need to turn - and soon! She and Krista gave me excellent advice that I wouldn't have otherwise received - little suggestions and tricks for taking care of myself at home leading up to my due date. We wanted to keep the baby in the womb until he was closer to (or at) 40 weeks and we were hopeful he would flip around, too! So, Maureen advised me to rest, calm my mind, listen to hypnobirthing mp3s, etc. We kept in touch regularly for the 3-4 weeks before my water broke at 37 weeks + 1 day - baby boy waited until he was considered full-term and then wouldn't wait a day longer! He was placed in my arms 37 hours later! For the actual labor & delivery she met us at Hoag while we were still trying to get labor going (unsuccessfully) and then she supported us as the nurses suggested Pitocin to get things going. PItocin wasn't in our "Plan", but with Maureen's support, my husband and I asked that we start the process very slow & steady... LONG story short, I was able to deliver the baby vaginally without any drugs or intervention with exception of the Pitocin. Thank God we had Maureen - she helped with massaging, bathroom trips, various labor positions, pep talks, and she really supported my husband. I think that's the biggest takeaway- my husband had the confidence to tell the hospital staff our desires (when needed) because Maureen was his teammate when I was out of my usual mind during the labor process. Maureen is sincere, hard-working, loving, and just an all-around JOY to be around. God knew what he was doing when he set us up together. It's been nearly 6 months since my son was born (another pregnancy isn't in our imminent future) and when the time is right I know I will be dialing Maureen as soon as we make plans to have Baby #2. I encourage anyone who read this long-winded review to connect with Maureen before making your final decision if a birth doula is right for you! As my husband has told several other of our expecting couple-friends: "Talk to Maureen (or any doula you're considering), it's the best money we chose to spend during this season!"

I am so glad that my husband and I were referred to Jessica for her midwifery services. It wasn't…read moreuntil halfway through our Bradley class that we decided we wanted to do a homebirth. At that point we were already 28 weeks pregnant and now had to find a midwife. Jessica was always so compassionate and helpful in answering all of our homebirth questions and concerns. She also invited family members to come to prenatal visits to feel more comfortable about our homebirth decision as well. That was a huge win for us! She took great care of me During pregnancy and each time we got to listen to our little girls heartbeat. I loved that she focused a lot on making sure I was getting great nutrition via food and supplementation to help make sure my body was as healthy it needed to be for delivery. When it came to Labor Day, Jessica's experience definitely prevailed! As I was slow to progress, she knew exactly what I needed to do in order to help Baby along. Her guidance and experience made our homebirth a reality. Her and her assistant were fabulous during our golden hour that we got to spend with our baby girl in our home. They took amazing care for me and the baby. Postpartum visits were so helpful and informative especially as a first time mom. Jessica took care / monitored both me and baby for six weeks. We put our full trust in her for caring for myself, our new baby girl and all our future babies.

As soon as I found out I was pregnant I knew I wanted to go the natural route and find a more…read moreholistic care provider. I had several midwife interviews lined up and Jessica was my first call. After talking to her, I instantly knew she was THE one and didn't even bother interviewing anyone else. I'm so glad I trusted my gut. Jessica provided the best holistic prenatal care and still continues to do so postpartum. I always looked forward to every appointment with her knowing that no matter what I was feeling I would walk out feeling comfortable, supported, and heard. She made my fiancé feel included throughout the process and always made sure all of his questions were answered too! During early labor she was in constant contact with my fiancé to check up on me. Unfortunately I didn't end up having the home birth that I had planned for, but Jessica was by my side every step of the way. When we ended up transferring to the hospital, she made sure to advocate for me, and thankfully, she was still able to be by my side throughout the rest of my labor and delivery. Mine and my son's health and safety was always her #1 priority through our entire journey. I am so grateful for her holistic approach throughout pregnancy, her informed consent for every single decision, and most importantly, her friendship. Jessica's passion for guiding mothers and bringing babies earthside shines through everything she does. Thank you, Jessica!

Seemly was the first doula we worked with through After the Stork when my daughter was just a…read morecouple of months old. As a first-time mom coming off a rough birth and recovering from a C-section, I was incredibly nervous about having anyone else care for my baby, especially overnight. From the moment we met Seemly, she immediately put me at ease. She has such a gentle, calm, and caring presence, and it was clear right away that my daughter was in the best hands. That peace of mind meant everything during such a vulnerable time. My husband and I were so grateful for her support. She not only cared for our daughter with so much love, but also helped us get the rest and recovery we truly needed. I would highly recommend Seemly to any family looking for a compassionate and trustworthy doula.

I absolutely recommend After The Stork 1000%! ATS has the most professional and experienced Doulas…read morein Orange County!