We took Lia's virtual Bradley method class, and would highly recommend it for any expecting parents. 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. read more

I'm an RN. I work in a hospital. I'm no stranger to the Labor & Delivery world. Even so, Lia's class 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 read more

I cannot say enough good things about Lia and her natural birth classes. I did the 12 week in person 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. read more

Your Natural Birth - Lia holding our sweet baby! - Doulas Near Me - Long Beach, California

Taking Lia's 12 week Bradley Method course was the best decision I made. She was extremely knowledgable and was well prepared to give us an abundance of information from the different stages of birth to self-advocacy in a hospital setting. We took away so many positive things and I am grateful for her wisdom because I know it has prepared us for any situation that may come our way. Whether you're a first time mother or a 2nd or even 3rd, I believe all parents can benefit from taking this Bradley Method course. We are so grateful for everything you've taught us, Lia. read more

I had the privilege of taking childbirth classes with Lia from your natural birth when I was pregnant, and it was truly one of the most impactful parts of my journey into parenthood. The education she provides is clear, empowering, and rooted in evidence-based care... but it's the space she holds that really sets her apart. Her supportive presence made me feel seen and respected, and the confidence I gained from her classes stayed with me through birth and beyond. Following her on social media has continued to inspire me her posts are honest, real, and full of wisdom. The way she shows up for her clients and community is unmatched in the doula and birth education world. If you are looking for someone who will educate you, empower you, and remind you of your strength every step of the way, I couldn't recommend Your Natural Birth enough. read more

Continues to blow me away and I will recommend every friend that is pregnant to Lia! She is truly a gem and cares so deeply for all! Her information is well backed and well researched, she gives it to you straight and EMPOWERS you and your partner to have the birth that you desire! 10/10 will forever be team Lia! read more

If I could give Lia 10 stars I would. My wife and I took her class not only once but twice (once for our first child delivered in a hospital and once for our second delivered at home). I can honestly say that without Lia's support and expert, experienced instruction we would have had very different stories for both our births. We were lucky enough to have found Lia's class and birth both of our children naturally. Lia balances an important line of providing important information that is not shared by most medical establishments while also being supportive and accepting of whatever birth experience you are looking for. She is a passionate advocate for women, partners, and infants. Her work truly follows evidence and is full of resources to dig further. Information is power and Lia packs so much into 12 weeks, while also providing tons of additional information to dig deeper as things in your story come to light. In addition, we had Lia as our doula for our second child and her long time experience, poise and kindness was integral to our birth experience. She works collaboratively with care teams while at the same time is a firm advocate when needed. A line that is very hard to walk, which she walks expertly. We love Lia and recommend her class to anyone that will listen. Lia would be our first choice as part of a care team for ourselves as well as friends and family. read more

I've had the privilege of having Lia as my doula for both of my births as well as my instructor for the Bradley method. I cannot recommend her enough! She was there helping me trust my body and the process when I was 10 days overdue. Once labor begin she was there the second I needed her. Lia, along with the shower lol, were what got me through both of my births. She was intuitive with my needs and how to help me through the pain. She could sense when I was getting in my head and second guess myself and would bring me back to my calm space. Lia helped me have my dream births. For anyone thinking, they don't need a Doula, trust me you do! If you were looking for a Doula that will also become a lifelong friend, hire Lia!! read more

We've used Lia for two home births and she was absolutely amazing each time. Her calm presence, encouragement, and steady support made all the difference during my wife's labor and delivery. We felt cared for, empowered, and completely supported the entire time. We're so grateful to have had her by our side! read more

5/5 - Highly Recommend for First-Time Parents 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. read more

This class came recommended to me by my sister, a two time class participant. After hearing my sister rave about her experience with Lia and the information she received in class I was convinced to take it. My husband and I were very thankful for all of the information we received in the class when we were able to apply it during labor. Due to unforeseen circumstances in labor I did not end up delivering natural but was able to labor unmedicated for about 48 hours. Despite not delivering naturally my sister who had also attended my birth was getting advice from Lia throughout. Even though my labor did not go as planned I had an amazing experience with both my husband, sister, and myself from attending this class. Lia was also walking us through all of the questions/ obstacles that were faced during labor via text which was so comforting! read more

My husband and I took Bradley Method classes with Lia during my pregnancy, and we had such a wonderful experience. Lia is incredibly kind, informative, and energetic. She genuinely cares about each couple and makes the learning process enjoyable. As first-time parents, the classes helped us understand what to expect during labor and gave us the confidence to approach birth feeling prepared and empowered. We also loved having the chance to learn with each other and other couples going through the same journey. Thanks to Lia's guidance, I felt ready to make our labor experience memorable and special. We're so grateful for this class and highly recommend it to any expecting parents! read more

PUT THIS CLASS ON YOUR REGISTRY. IT IS THE ONLY THING YOU ACTUALLY NEED TO BUY!!!!! We just had our third baby and the most beautiful and empowering home birth. Our midwife said my husband was one of the most supportive partners she has seen in 20+ years and that he was completely in tune with my needs. That is ALL because of Lia's Bradley class that is so much more than a class! Our first birth was a horrible hospital experience. When we got pregnant with our second I was terrified and found Lia and Flor's Your Badass Natural Birth 4 week class. They gave us the tools we needed to have a beautiful home birth. So when we got pregnant with our third we knew we needed a refresher and decided to take Lia's more comprehensive Bradley class. This class is everything you need from nutrition, mindfulness, and exercise to how to actually move through birth as a team and take care of yourself postpartum. My husband was in tune with me because that is exactly what the Bradley method is about - it teaches the partner exactly how to be your perfect birth coach - what to say, what to do, how to move you though the contractions, what to check for etc. Lia is the absolute best instructor. She creates a beautiful community among the families in class and makes this such a fun experience. She is INCREDIBLY knowledgeable, welcoming and encouraging of all questions, and focused on providing evidence-based resources and information so families can make informed decisions about one of the most important moments in life. Also super important - Lia is a safe person for people of color. If you spend any time at all following her on Instagram you will quickly see that she uses her platform consistently to raise awareness about the systemic issues and deeply understands how white supremacy can show up during birth. The statistics are absolutely scary and as a woman of color they are certainly in the back of my mind. My husband and I felt 100% safe with Lia and if we were local to Long Beach we would have loved to have her be our doula. Truly, we cannot recommend Lia enough! Book the class!!!!!!!! read more

I was referred to Lia by my Pelvic Floor physical therapist! I honestly didn't quite know anything about "natural birth" and originally my husband and I joined the class just to try and consume any and all knowledge before baby comes! My husband was a little skeptical, but it only took the first class for us both to realize the knowledge, empowerment and attitude Lia has during these classes would help us be that much more prepared for labor and birth. I loved that the class sizes were small, we had real discussions and felt like we could talk about literally anything and everything. My husband ended her course saying I'm SO happy we did that and as we are gearing up for birth in the next couple weeks, he is constantly quoting things from the class as the "coach" he is. Haha It's also so nice that Lia makes herself available for you at anytime via text or call that way you feel like you have a truly experience guide and friend through the whole process. No matter how we end up delivering, I'll be grateful we attended her course going over the Bradley Method and helping us feel more confident as we enter this next chapter of parenthood! read more

Your Natural Birth - Doulas Near Me - Long Beach, California

I loved taking this birth class. I didn't find out about Lia or the bradley method until i was around 28 weeks pregnant. I immediately reached out to Lia after my doula recommended her. The 3 week course fit best with my due date and was extremely informative. The class was well designed for women planning a hospital birth, a home birth, or even an unassisted birth. It felt easy for everyone to jump in with the information. I've told my midwife friends about Lia and they've started recommending her to their patients. You can never know the foundations of things (especially birth!) too well read more

I would highly recommend Lia's childbirth class! My fiancé and I found it very informative and comprehensive, and it is clear that she cares deeply about the work she does. After finding out that my partner and I and many other patients were left stranded and out of thousands of dollars with the abrupt closure of the Long Beach Birth Center, she reached out to offer this service to us for free as a community offering. I could have cried. It was amazingly kind and compassionate and really restored some of the faith that had been shattered by the owner of LBBC. I am so very grateful for Lia for coming to our aid at such a chaotic time! Please consider her services if you are expecting!!! read more

If Lia had not been recommended to me by a friend, my birth experience would have been completely different to what I got. Her class enlightened and empowered me - her knowledge and expertise connected me with a midwife that ensured I got the birth I wanted, and having her as my doula for my first child was an incredible experience. I can't express how much I appreciate the work she does, and the knowledge she contains - she is AMAZING. I am grateful every day that she came into our lives. She is one in a million, and her class will prepare you for everything you are about to experience. Take her class ! Future you will thank you for it. read more

Wow where to begin. I wish I had taken Bradley classes for my first pregnancy, considering I took two different courses with my first. However, I felt so much more empowered with Lia's classes. I felt confident, informed and more knowledgeable. Then I had the honor to have her right by my side as I gave birth. She was at a birth for 3 days and still came to me after no sleep or rest. There are no words to describe the passion, dedication and love she has for the birthing momma. read more

As a small business owner, I hate to write this review knowing the impact they can have. Although, I feel compelled. Below you'll find my opinion based on my experience. 1) Lack of Responsiveness - I was pretty disappointed with Lia from the start. I had to reach out to her 3+ times just to ask for her rates as well as doula availability. Her lack of responsiveness since just inquiring about her services until the end of our relationship has been really frustrating (i.e. when I asked for the process if you miss a class, when I asked for an itemized receipt, when I asked her for advice on the glucose test, etc). Regardless of my initial interactions with her, I still signed up for her course given all the great reviews which was a mistake on my part. While in the course, I've heard other people mention they reached out to her about x,y,z and were also still awaiting a response so it doesn't seem out of character for her or an insolated incident 2) Disorganized - While the 2 course I attended were very informative, it was obvious there was a lack of prep with her scattered thoughts and jumbled slides. 3) Lack of Professionalism - I had to drop out of her course after attending 2 sessions since my insurance denied reimbursement (even though I had gotten pre approval before signing up). I shared with her that this was due to the Bradley method not being covered which I completely disagreed with the insurance on but relayed to Lia to pass on the message. While this was no fault of Lia whatsoever, I asked if she could provide a partial refund if I stopped going to her classes. At this point, I had only attended 2 sessions. She responded saying "It's not my responsibility to deal with all of this for you. Also this class would save you a ton of heartache AND money in the end. Send me your Venmo." While her statement was accurate, I just thought her tone was very rude. She proceeded to send me a refund of $200. The course was $595 and remember I only went to TWO out of TEN classes. She didn't inform me of how much would be refunded...she just sent it. This didn't give me the option to talk with my husband and perhaps just stay in the class. Paying $395 for 2 classes is insane. She notes in the refund that I received 4 weeks of emails from her. Sure, let's call it 4/10 weeks of service. That's 40% of services so I think a fair refund would be $357 (60%). She also states that videos of her classes are on the website. I had asked her about this previously and she stated that recordings were not available if you miss class. See photos. I also poked around the website and did not see them. All in all, I think Lia has great information to share and I did learn some new things while in her course. I'm disappointed with her lack of professionalism though. Just wanted to share my experience! Update: I sent Lia an email Friday afternoon based on her response on yelp to reach out. It is now Tuesday evening and have not heard a peep back. read more

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Unprofessional, hostile, and combative. I've contemplated writing this review because I'm certain this review will prompt a hostile response from Lia, as my email with feedback already has. However, if someone had shared this experience, it would would have helped me greatly when choosing a birth class, and I would have avoided this one. My partner and I decided to drop out of her class midway because we were frustrated with the lack of structure and organization, often leaving each class feeling like we didn't get anything tangible. Most classes briefly go over the assigned topic and then the remainder of time is spent by Lia sharing stories of her work as a doula and how she advocates (quite combatively) for clients in the hospital. If you want to get anything out of this class you have to do a lot of extra work (i.e studying the workbook, reading endless resources) because the live instruction is tangential and difficult to follow. I also felt that much of the information was highly biased and lacked true informed care (i.e emphasizing the risks associated with things Lia doesn't like and glossing over the risks associated with things Lia does like). The 12 week class is a huge financial and time commitment, we are really disappointed to have lost so much time and money. However the greatest investment we've made is absorbing that loss and dropping out of the class. Lia when I shared that we wouldn't be returning, I offered my feedback to help improve the outcome of her classes. I was careful to write this feedback constructively, not critically. Instead of the professional response "thank you for your feedback", she responded with impressive defensiveness. Literally responding with a defense to every concern I shared, even implying it is my fault for my experience of her class. She even went so low as to blame my husband's lack of note taking for part of the reason why we didn't get anything out of her class. Interesting approach to try and pit a pregnant couple against each other. It's wild that someone working with pregnant people (vulnerable to stress) would act this way towards a pregnant person, and makes me question if she is a safe person for all pregnant people. I give two stars because she does have a lot of information to share, you just have to work extra hard to organize it and make sense of it all.... read more

Lia is a true lover of all things labor & birth. Her love shows through her classes and any interaction you're lucky enough to have with her. I took her class TWICE, that's how much I value the information she shares. My husband and I learned so much during her class that I was able to have two amazing natural deliveries & feel empowered throughout the experience. Lia was there for me throughout both pregnancies when I had questions, she was the first person I asked for advice. Lia is someone who I trust wholeheartedly. If you are pregnant and looking for a birth class, this is it. Lia was also there for me when I started contracting & helped gauge when I should leave for the hospital. She helped me help my sister recently through the birth of her first daughter as well. This class is crucial to an empowering labor experience & I believe it is worth every penny and then some. Thanks Lia, for everything. I am so lucky to have you apart of my birth stories! read more

Took Lia's 8 week Bradley course and it just wrapped up. Only thing I wish is we would have started earlier on in the pregnancy before we chose a provider or even decided on a hospital birth, but she gave us a lot of great tips on how to handle birthing in a hospital and shared lots of great resources. We feel much more reassured and confident for the big day. She clearly has lots of experience as a doula and was able to answer most questions thrown at her. I tend to prefer in-person learning, but we took it virtually because it was much more convenient. And she did a pretty good job keeping things interactive and interesting. Very glad we found her, definitely feel like it was money well spent! read more

Hands down the best experience me and my boyfriend could have asked for. We took Lia's class and also had her as our Doula. She is such a gift, her presence and understanding helped us have the birth we wanted. She made us felt heard, checked on us consistently and she anticipated our needs through the whole process. We love Lia and highly recommended her. read more

Signing up for these classes was the BEST thing I could have done for me and my baby girls. When I took Lia's classes, I shortly realized that my husband and I truly knew nothing about the process of giving birth. It really is sad that so many women out there don't know that they have choices in their birth and there are so many unnecessary interventions out there that can lead to a longer labor and/or an unnecessary c-section. My OB recommended an induction for both of my pregnancies, and I declined. One was a Christmas baby and the second was weighing "big" on the ultrasound. She could not understand why I didn't want an induction, and I simply said I'm informed and know my body will do what it needs to do, and what to you know? I naturally went into labor both times, and they were quick! 12 hours with my first and ~5 hours with my second, who was a 9.5 pounder. I'm so grateful that Lia gave me the knowledge to say no and understand that my body CAN give birth. I had terrible back labor with my first, and my hubby knew exactly what to do with the counter pressure massages we learned from Lia's classes. One thing to note: the class teaches you how to give birth unmedicated; however, I did choose to have an epidural with both girls, but that was something I was planning going into the labors & I never felt "forced" into changing my viewpoints. I was able to gain knowledge and make the best decision for me. Thank you, Lia. I wish your classes were mandatory for all pregnant mamas! Ps. Two years later, and I'm still friends with a lot of the mamas and their babies from this class! I've made life long friendships bc of this course. Thank you, Lia! read more

If you are pregnant, please please consider taking Lia's class! Even if you do not want a natural childbirth, an average childbirth class at the hospital, and asking a ton of questions to your doctor can no where prepare you for childbirth. Lia's class provides you with evidence based information for both you and your partner to navigate having a baby the way you want! On top of that, Lia is amazing! She is always there to answer any questions you have both before baby and postpartum. We have taken Lia's class twice now and both times we have learned so many new things and were able to have a natural, informed childbirth. From my husband: There is no way we could have succeeded with a natural childbirth in the hospital had we not taken Lia's classes. Lia gave my partner the tools to ask the right questions at the right time, and slow things down in an environment that is designed to pressure the mother in to making decisions that may not be best for the mother and child. Having given birth in 2 different hospital systems, it is clear that natural childbirth is not a priority of the current healthcare system, and classes that Lia provides help you see this. read more

Lia is amazing. Her Bradley Method course left us feeling prepared, confident, and CALM which is what you need if you plan to birth unmedicated (especially) but the benefits are endless for any person giving birth through any means. My husband began the course a bit unsure of why we needed it and came out a major natural birth advocate and spreads the word like gospel. His coworker was pregnant and he actually talked her out of an "elective" induction her OB was pushing! We have said to each other countless times that our pregnancy and birth journey was the absolute best start we could've given our son. It was an incredible bonding experience for us and a true gift to witness the unbridled power of an unmedicated, natural birth. The "investment" in this course will pay off immediately and continue to do so throughout your child's life. read more

My husband and I enrolled in her 12 week classes back in December in order to prepare for my 1st baby that was expected to be due sometime in March. Despite the classes being held on Zoom due to Covid, we found the classes to be so informative and helpful to plan for the unmedicated and natural labor/birth we wanted. Unfortunately, my labor and birth did not go as planned and I had to be induced 3 weeks early due to oligohydramnios and baby not being okay. I had a really hard time accepting the unexpected induction, because I felt so empowered by Lia's courses to have my unmedicated, natural labor and birth. But it didn't work out that way and it has taken me a few months to process my emotions and be okay with it. I have to say, during my induced labor my husband and I did everything I could with the education and resources she provided me to have the most natural labor and birth possible until the medical team said otherwise for my baby's sake. Sure I didn't get to labor at home or implement all the tools, but I did pretty darn good and recovered quite well because of it! I have Lia to thank for that. read more

Your Natural Birth - Doulas Near Me - Long Beach, California

Lia has been an amazing Bradley instructor. My husband and I found her 12-week course informative. We are pleased to have had her in our birthing team. She may have not been there physically with us during labor but the tools she handed us was piece of her being there in spirit. Forever grateful. I am glad to have been able to have a natural and unmedicated birth with my second child because of this. Never thought I could've done it but I did. I gave birth early April so I made sure my oxytocin high settled down before leaving a review. IYKYK. read more

Your Natural Birth - Husband aka Bradley coach, helping wife out. - Doulas Near Me - Long Beach, California

We learned so much in classes with Lia. She was very informative and we couldn't be happier that we invested in taking her classes. She has been really helpful as well, even after the classes ended. Thank you Lia!! read more

I didn't know I needed this class but I am beyond grateful I made the decision to enroll my husband and I. The information we learned and applied to my pregnancy and the birth of our son is truly priceless. Lia goes above and beyond being a childbirth educator; she is there for you and more importantly she empowers you to make your own decisions on what's right for you and your baby. read more

My husband and I just finished 12 weeks of the Bradley class with Lia, and I can't recommend it enough! Every parent should be equipping themselves with the information that Lia provides. You don't realize how little you know about birth until she starts hitting you with the mind-blowing facts. Whether you're planning a hospital, birth center, or home birth, Lia gives you the tools you need to advocate for yourself and make informed decisions. Set yourself up for success! Take the time to learn about how the details of birth work, and be prepared for how the medical industry likes to "take the wheel"... She's a great teacher and every 2-hour class flew by like it was nothing. She pays attention to each student's unique needs and situations, and is always ready with lots of extra resources. Do yourself, your partner, and your baby a huge favor and just sign up for her class already. :) read more

Yes, you need THIS birthing class. As a first-time Mom, I was unsure if I wanted to take a Lamaze, Bradley Method, or Hypnobirthing class. I felt I would want an epidural so wasn't sure if "Your Natural Birth" would be suitable for me. I quickly realized when chatting with Lia that she's all about providing evidence-based information and empowering you to make choices and advocate for yourself. You do not need to plan for an unmedicated home birth to take her class. You'll learn about all the interventions you may face during birth - what each means and your options. Your partner (coach) will learn how to help with your pain management and how to advocate for you while you're in labor. This was invaluable when I spent 5 days in painful early labor and my husband knew how to get me through contractions. You'll learn how to create a birth plan - again invaluable for when you're in labor and need everyone in the room on onboard with your decisions - she'll teach you much more on that too. Lia literally saved me from an unnecessary c-section. At 38 weeks, our doctor ordered an ultrasound to check babies weight because I was "measuring ahead." The report said he was nearly 10 lbs, so they warned of the many risks of delivering a "big baby". Then exactly on my due date, I finally went into active labor, but the OB again advised me of the dangers and said he highly recommended a c-section to avoid complications. I insisted I wanted to deliver naturally and our baby turned out the be just 7lbs 7oz. Lia was the ONLY one who explained that ultrasounds for weight evaluation are often wrong and that we can birth big babies. Her classes allowed us to go in with so much knowledge about our options. Luckily there were no complications and I had a smooth delivery, but again had I gone with the "strong recommendation" unknowingly, I would've had a much longer recovery and possibly a multitude of complications. Prepare yourself for everything and get the birthing experience you want by enrolling in her course! Also, she makes herself available to you until your due date and has a lovely energy, making learning fun! read more

I cannot begin to tell you how HIGHLY I recommend Lia (Your Natural Birth). My partner and I decided long before we got pregnant that we wanted a natural unmedicated birth, however, we didn't realize how much we wanted it until we took this class. However, I do want to emphasize that whether you share the same ideals OR you are dead set on an epidural - this class is still the one for you. I didn't realize until AFTER I took the class, and spoke to so many other moms, how often women feel confused, unheard, disregarded or just lost when it came to planning for labor or what actually happened in labor. The feedback was overwhelming, on how many women I know who didn't feel properly educated, honored or advocated for during birth. So if nothing else, the classes really taught my partner and I how to make CHOICES for ourselves, how to weight the pros and cons of each decision we were faced with, and how to navigate/sort through the set of options we had available to us. Of course, as in life, our labor didn't go as planned. My natural, unmedicated, void of any and all intervention labor turned into a late term diagnosis of pre-eclampsia, almost every intervention imaginable, all the meds and a series of complications.... BUT, through and experience, what I did have - was my ability to navigate the hospital, know how to talk to my medical team, and how to make choices along the way WHEN I was ready to do so. Aside from that, one of the many gifts of this class was the involvement that it gave my partner. Prior to them, he said he felt like a passenger on the plane, the classes made him a copilot. And what I can tell you, without going into the details, is that I truly don't think I would've made it thru my labor experience without him as a support, sound board, guide and teammate - and we owe a lot of that to Lia. Lastly, I just want to add that the unwavering support that Lia gave me during and after class is something I will always be grateful for. Anyone in class will know - I ask A LOT of questions, information and knowledge is how I fight my fears (and I had a lot walking into this!!). She was and continues to be there, loving, hilarious, blunt and informative through all of my curiosity, nerves and big BIG emotions. She left a huge impact on my heart and really offered me the opportunity to feel fully involved in one of the most transformative experiences of my life in becoming a mom and what it takes to get there. Thank you Lia!!!! read more

This review has been in my drafts for an entire year. In the year since I gave birth, Lia has continued to show up for me and has become a dear friend. The knowledge and support she provided us made my birth experience and postpartum journey immensely better. At almost 30 weeks pregnant I decided to cancel my scheduled c-section and try for a VBAC. You hear a lot about emergency c-sections but I consider myself an emergency VBAC (vaginal birth after c-section). A friend recommended I reach out to Lia, which I did. My husband and I took her 4 week birth class and immersed ourselves in the resources and knowledge she provided. I knew that for me to have the best chance at a VBAC that I wanted to hire her as our doula. She was so accommodating and graciously accepted us as VERY last minute clients. I had a joyful birth that was everything I hoped it would be. I had to do a lot of mental work to get over my fears and self doubt. To have Lia in my corner meant the world to me. Anyone that takes her class or hires her as their doula is truly lucky. When people ask what a doula does my husband tell them "she's a cheerleader and a coach", but she is so much more than that. She's a selfless friend that will continue to show up for you (and your baby) long after the baby is born. read more

Your Natural Birthing course was extremely informative, Lia is so knowledgeable. The class environment is very welcoming and engaging as well. Highly recommended regardless if you are planning a medicated or natural birth. The class is also very engaging for the partners! read more

Without Lia's virtual class I would have been absolutely lost attempting to advocate for myself at the hospital. I ended up with the tools to truly dominate the BS thrown my way by the nurses and OB's. Lia is extremely educated and knowledgeable. I highly recommend her! read more

Lia and her class are incredible! My husband and I found the class to be super insightful, and it made us feel a lot more confident about the birth of our daughter. Lia's teaching style is super engaging. She also answered several of our questions that came up throughout my pregnancy and birth. Could not recommend her enough! read more

Me and my fiancé marlies took Lia's birthing class. What an incredible journey it has been. Lia is so educated and helped us so much in our pregnancy journey. Also our bond has grown stronger and the trust we have in each other now is all thanks to Lia. I would highly recommend her course to anyone who wants to have a natural birth. read more

I gave birth very very recently and Lia was there for it because we have her as our doula. She supported me like how I wanted my mother to support me. (I'm trying to hold by my tears as I write this review) She has given me and my husband an incredible amount of support without any judgement. Unfortunately, our birth didnt go exactly how we planned it out, unmedicated, no epidural and doing it all on my own. Due to unfortunate circumstances I had to get a csection and honestly it's the hardest thing I've ever done my entire life and Lia was there looking at me and telling me I did my best and I know what is best for me and my baby. She looked at me without judgement and still continues to support me everyday. I message her at least 4 or 5 times a day telling her that ai have so much guilt that I didn't get to give our daughter what she deserved, Lia listens to it all, comforts me through it all. She's not just a doula, she's not justa. Childbirth educator.. she's a friend. A dear dear friend. A picture of Lia below and one of the newest Berquist Baby! read more

Your Natural Birth - Doulas Near Me - Long Beach, California

When I found out I was pregnant last year, I immediately knew I wanted to take birthing classes to educate myself on how I could expect things to go physically and mentally. I searched a few places locally but nothing really caught my eye. As I was getting my morning coffee I saw a flyer for Your Natural Birth and thought, well this person for sure drinks coffee so I already like them I went to the website and immediately knew this was the class I was looking for. When my husband and I went to our first class I was just in love with Lia!! She is so down to earth and makes everyone feel comfortable, she creates a safe space with no judgement. Covid happened during our classes and we had to switch over to virtual, she still did just as an amazing job teaching us this way. I had my beautiful angel June 22nd during the pandemic. Because of everything she taught me and the teachings of the Bradley Method, I truly had a great birth that I was able to experience with joy. My husband and I used everything we knew and really worked with our hospital team and got them on outside with what we wanted. This was key and it was easy to do because Lia taught us! I couldn't have gotten through this without her and the classes she teaches, she is exactly what every pregnant momma needs! Thank you for being part of such an important amazing time in our lives!!! read more

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