Due to my privileged position, and very personal experience with Silicon Valley doulas, I can tell…read moreyou it has been nothing short of exceptional since their inception. Czarina brings over 20 plus years of experience, extensive training, and a true passion for supporting families through one of life's most meaningful transitions -- welcoming a new baby. Her background covers everything from lactation consulting and sleep training to postpartum depression and psychosis support, patient advocacy, birth preparation, and more. She's worked with over 300 families over her career thus far, providing truly personalized and compassionate care each and every time. Her depth of knowledge about the birth journey, babies, and the postpartum period is remarkable, and she always approaches her work with professionalism, empathy, and a calm confidence and experience. One thing I respect deeply is her clarity and integrity when it comes to her business policies. She has a no-refund policy that's clearly stated in her contract (which is completely legal and standard for her field). The reason is simple and fair, much like many other businesses she reserves specific dates and times for the families she assists and does not take other clients during those scheduled sessions. When someone cancels or tries to back out of a contract she's already set aside that time, so it's clearly ethical that her time and commitment are respected. If you're looking for a highly skilled, knowledgeable, compassionate, empathetic doula who combines unmatched experience, professionalism, and genuine care, Czarina is the person you want by your side through pregnancy, birth, and beyond.

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.

Maryssa has so much experience and is also such a caring, patient and intuitive person. I cannot…read moreimagine a better fit for someone looking for care.

From the owner: Maryssa Hernandez Doula Services offers compassionate and individualized support with birth,…read morepostpartum, loss, and abortion. Her goal is to provide evidence-based information and resources so that families can make informed choices that feel right for them. Now serving Salinas & surrounding areas. Virtual services also available. Services include: Support Packages, Group & Private Practices, Birth Processing Sessions, Individual Consultations, Feeding Support + more!

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!

Madrone - Monitrice package…read more We chose Madrone as our midwife because from the first time we met, they had a calming, safe presence that made us feel completely at ease with our upcoming birth. We chose the monitrice package because I wanted the reassurance a midwife could provide me with, and it was the absolute best decision. Having a Doula and midwife was the best of both worlds, we felt supported emotionally and had the hands on care from a midwife. This helped us realize our goals of laboring at home as long as possible, and having an unmedicated, natural birth at the hospital. I had my partner, mother and Madrone in the birth room, and Madrone balanced everyone out perfectly. They helped ensure each person had a place and space in my birth, all while taking photos to document it which I will treasure for the rest of time. Madrone was not only there for us during our birth, but before and after in such an impactful way. They helped us prepare before mentally and physically, helping us put together our birth plan and leading us through meditative breathing exercises. Madrone was also there after our birth, with several in person sessions as well as available for support along the way as we got settled in at home. It was so reassuring to have someone so knowledgable to ask questions as things came up - breastfeeding, diaper rash, eye boogers - Madrone had helpful information and answers to everything we asked them. Why we loved working with Madrone: - They are knowledgable and incredibly good at being a Doula and Midwife - They have a warmth and calming presence that always made us feel at ease and safe - They have a very balanced and practical approach to preparing, birth, and the postpartum. - They are respected by every birth worker I came in to contact with. Everyone loves Madrone! - They are humorous and full of so much bright energy, and that helped me through some of the most painful moments during birth. - They allowed me to confidently labor at home as long as possible, monitoring baby's heart rate while my contractions intensified - they cut out my stitches at three weeks when they were no longer serving me. Saving me an unnecessary visit to the doctor. Questions I asked Madrone that they were able to support and guide me through: - What are the pros/cons of the hep b shot? - I think my water just broke... does this look like amniotic fluid (photo of captured fluid in a jar sent... lol)? - How do we communicate to our family that we need them to get the Tdap and flue shots if they want to be around the baby? - Why does our baby have goop on his eyes? - I think my milk supply is too strong for baby to drink, what should I do? - I think my stitches fell out, what should I do? - Is the level of prolapse normal at 3 weeks? - How much should I be resting?

STOP. THIS IS IT. You can stop researching and interviewing doulas now because Mireille is THE…read moreBEST! We started looking for a doula at 6 weeks pregnant so we definitely had the time and energy to look for a doula and we are SO HAPPY we found Mireille. After she came to our home to chat with us, we knew she was the one! We found Mireille through our birthing class at Harmony. she had worked with our midwives, Lin and Maria (shoutout to BAM!) before and was familiar with El Camino Los Gatos so we knew she was perfect! Mireille helped us with our birth plan, eased any fears, and supported us to have a natural childbirth! We couldn't have done it without her. She was there from when we first called her all the way until baby was born, never leaving us :) The best part was she really supported my partner in being part of the birthing process. Will definitely come back to Mireille for our next birth :)

The staff at this office were polite and helpful through the whole visit. I showed up a little…read moreearly and didn't wait too long to be called back. The nurse who first spoke with me was patient and asked good questions before the doctor came in. The doctor actually listened and didn't rush through things. Took time to ask about my background and explain things in a way that made sense. Overall the place felt clean and organized. It's not easy to find a place that makes you feel comfortable but this one does a decent job at it.

Melissa has been my midwife for two planned home births, one of which happened at home, and one of…read morewhich necessitated transferring care to an OB and hospital setting. In both, she inspired confidence, respected my feelings and opinions, offered excellent knowledge and guidance, and overall provided professional, nurturing, effective and wonderful care. I cannot thank Melissa enough for the critical role she has played in the births of my two beautiful sons. Love!

Nora is truly an amazing and extraordinary person, words don't do it justice in what she did for us…read moreand our new addition to our family! Nora was very supportive from the very beginning. She gave us hope and confidence the we could experience this journey together with evidence based choices for our birth plan. We met several times up to the delivery and she was always respectful of our choices. She was willing to share her wealth of knowledge, explained the pros/cons and was never pushy on which options to choose. During delivery she was a caring guide always helping us anticipate what to expect next, and was gentle but firm with the hospital staff advocating for our wishes. Nora was there every second during the active labor and didn't leave our side until 2 am! We have no doubt that had it not been for Nora, the hospital would have pushed for a c-section sooner. Even after the natural birth, she followed up assisted us for 3 hours with the baby latch. We are forever grateful to Nora and her family for helping us through this journey SUCCESSFULLY!

Nora has a real gift in supporting birthing people. I am always struck by her kind demeanor, and…read moreher expert communication skills. On top of her doula skills, I'm impressed that she can also help families with their car seats, since she's certified to do so! I highly recommend Nora.

Kelly is awesome. She really is. I don't think you can say badass on Yelp but it is an apt word to…read moredescribe her. My wife and I both felt strongly about having a midwife that was compassionate but also assertive. We met with maybe 6 total midwives and Kelly was the only one who seemed extremely confident, not too lackadaisical, but also felt there was a right time to have humility and ask for help from elsewhere. This was the perfect balance for us. I believe my wife was one of Kelly's most difficult cases (sick both of her entire pregnancies 24/7), but Kelly went so far out of her way to help us and make us feel like we had support, I can't say enough about how much that means to us. And much as we had expected when hiring her, she was very helpful in seeking treatment for my wife's sickness and helping us navigate what could have been an otherwise very difficult path of doctors and specialists. Kelly is super energetic and fun, being that she has 3 kids of her own. She really has a great personality for her chosen profession. The only knock is that she did not laugh when I told her I was going to check the surf mid-labor. That was actually a very good joke.

Kelly Olmstead is not only a sweet and generous person but also an amazing resource for anything…read morerelated to birth. From the beginning she answered all of our questions without any pressure about homebirth vs hospital. After sitting with her for an hour, our minds were already made up, she clearly had to be the one to deliver our child. For months we looked forward to each visit and would always leave with delightful smiles, excited for the new adventure that was to come. When it was time for labor she was at our house ready to check me even in the early stages. She checked back often and monitored my progress until it was finally time to call the second midwife to come in and assist (Laura was a gem). During labor Kelly encouraged me and put my mind at ease for any aches and pains that I was feeling. When it seems like I couldn't take anymore she was there to tell me that this was the stage where it should feel like I cannot take anymore but she assured me that I could, and I would, and I did. Having our baby at home was the most magical experience and I wouldn't want to do it with anyone other than Kelly Olmstead. Since the birth she's been by several times to check our little babe and I must say that we are going to miss her and can't wait to get pregnant again! (but not too soon) ;)

Dr. Melissa is a treasure for all new moms and their babies! She is not just a great chiropractor…read morebut also a wonderful caring and supportive person! And besides the chiropractic treatments, she's willing to share lots of knowledge with her patients. I am so lucky that I met her during my pregnancy! God bless Dr. Melissa

I had a great experience with Dr.Ko. I felt at ease and she really helped with my pregnancy pains…read more The adjustments were gentle, effective, and specifically tailored for me. The office environment was calm, clean, and welcoming, and the staff was always kind. I highly recommend this chiropractor to any expecting mom!

My wife and I had a horrible experience with Alexa. She was rude, condescending & decided 1/2 way…read morethrough the process to charge us more. When we asked why she only replied "because that's what it costs". Most of what she "taught" us was common knowledge. Our interactions with her left us feeling more stressed which was obviously the opposite of what we went to her for. We didn't even complete the services we paid her for & she refused to refund any of our money. This entire thing is a sham. She has absolutely no credentials. Even her website says she is "currently certifying with DONA" which means she isn't certified yet and shouldn't be taking on clients yet. DO NOT HIRE ALEXA. It is a traumatic experience.

From the owner: Have your healthiest and happiest pregnancy and postpartum healing with Wildflowers of Eden Birth…read moreDoula and Placenta Encapsulation services.