Reviews
We used Brave Birth throughout our pregnancy! The mindful birth class was empowering and gave us a good foundation of what to expect. Jen Reed was our doula and she was truly amazing. We felt so well supported throughout labor and delivery. She was our ROCK!
If I could give them 10 stars I would. I felt so cared for before, during, and after our baby arrived. The classes were AMAZING and I would recommend them to anyone. They do a fabulous job of integrating the mental, emotional, and physical aspects of birth - for both the birthing and non-birthing partner. We felt prepared, but not scared. and Nicolette is an amazing facilitator, even online! During the birth Kelly was awesome. My partner loved that there was someone there who was taking pictures and making sure he remembered to drink water. Absolutely worth the investment. I will absolutely use Brave Birth for any other babies we have.
We used Brave Birth to find a doula for both our prenatal/labor and postpartum needs and I cannot recommend them more highly. Tasha assisted us through pregnancy and an arduous attempt at a home birth that ended in a hospital transfer and she was the strong, warm hand we needed. We've worked with Lakiah as our postpartum doula since the day we came home from the hospital and I cannot overstate the impact she's had on our lives. As first time parents, the fourth trimester was at times a struggle and I felt really out to sea. I asked Lakiah so many stupid questions almost every day and she was always quick to answer them without ever making me feel silly or like an inept parent. She taught me so much, all while taking care of me, my husband, and our daughter. She provided snacks, tidied the house, and took care of piles and piles of laundry, in addition to helping us figure out what we actually needed from our baby stuff and how to use it. Perhaps most importantly, we were able to sleep confidently every time Lakiah was with us, knowing our baby was in the safest hands. She gave our daughter plenty of snuggles, while teaching her the skills she needed to become a better independent sleeper. We were initially only going to work with her for the first few weeks, but Lakiah has remained with our family, helping us through sleep regressions, developmental leaps, and will soon be our guide through sleep coaching. I have no doubt that we will continue to have a relationship with her and I am so honored to have Lakiah in my daughter's life! I would be remiss if I didn't also mention Mel and Patrice, who both also assisted us with postpartum services and were excellent. Mel in particular did many shifts and every time she came over, the house was suddenly spotless and the baby was happy, even if she had just been crying! Mel has a calm and collected energy that puts everyone at ease. I wish everyone had the opportunity to work with these amazing caregivers!
We hired Nicolette to be our doula for the birth of our first baby - since day one she has been so incredible to work with. She's kind, compassionate, non judgmental and really great at taking her clients through the entire journey to becoming parents. She helped my husband and I work through some tough decision making towards the end of our pregnancy and really helped us to feel informed about everything that was going on, beyond the care we were getting from our OB. Don't hesitate to hire her, this was easily the best decision we made. Thank you again Nicolette <3.
I highly recommend working with Brave Birth. At our first visit with Nicolette, we knew we wanted to work with her. She showed knowledge, genuine compassion and a level of caring that built trust and helped us throughout the months. Nicolette was able to coach my wife and I throughout the birth, all while remaining calm and confident. As a first time father, she helped me by giving suggestions and recommendations that allowed me to be an active participant in the birth process. She gave me a level of confidence that really helped me throughout the labor as well. Honestly I can't imagine going through a birth again without Nicolette helping us out, she's unbelievable.
Nicolette and Jennifer are our postpartum doula and they are awesome! They were always supportive and caring for both my daughter and me. I felt very comfortable handing over my baby to them overnight. Both of them are very knowledgeable and they taught me all kinds of newborn stuff. I got text support and call support during my pregnancy and after. I highly recommend both and brave birth.
My husband and I interviewed several doulas before meeting Nicolette. We knew immediately after our first conversation that we wanted her to join our birth team. She put us instantly at ease, asking great questions, listening with her ears and her heart, and offering the perfect balance of emotion/art/feeling and intellect/science/evidence. She kept things lighthearted and fun, while also acknowledging our fears and the gravity of the experience. Our sessions with Nicolette before birth helped us to define our birth preferences and prepare mentally, emotionally, and physically for the experience. I went into labor in the early morning hours of my due date. We messaged Nicolette to let her know and made plans to have her join us at our home. When she arrived, Nicolette realized my labor was progressing quickly. She calmly gave us the confidence we needed to head to the hospital, providing a hot water bottle and other aides to comfort me on the way. By the time we reached the hospital, I was in transitional labor and experiencing a lot of pain. Nicolette massaged me, calmed the nerves of my freaked out husband, and helped us to advocate for the pain relief I needed — which was different from our defined birth preferences. Nicolette helped us to create the birth environment we wanted — low lights, my favorite music, and our daughter’s sweet going home outfit in clear view. She offered support and encouragement for every medical decision and every push. Nicolette has this incredible way of being there 100%, every second, without dominating the room in any way. She helped us to create the calm, intimate experience and memories we wanted for the two — now three — of us, and we are forever grateful. I wholeheartedly recommend Nicolette to any expecting parents!
Beth and Nicolette are a dream team! I really couldn't have asked for a better experience. I was a very anxious and uncomfortable pregnant lady, terrified to give birth. I immediately felt listened to, understood and cared for upon meeting them. Their energies complimented each other well and I felt lucky to have them both throughout labor and delivery. Beth has a very gentle energy and her radiant smile put me at ease during the most intense physical and emotional labor. I also really appreciated her quick response to my questions, it was so reassuring to this first time momma. Nicolette has this amazing strength. Her words and touch reassured me and my husband through tough decisions and moments of self doubt before, during and after the birth. Nicolette has endeared herself to me forever by showing up with a hug, a chai and some mindfulness exercises after a night in the emergency room with our brand new baby. She's got a friend for life! Giving birth was the longest, hardest and exhausting experience of my life so far and I am so thankful we chose to work with these wise and wonderful women. Thank you ladies!
Like many expecting couples, we were not sure how a Doula could help us. And like many who have been through this journey, we could not imagine what it would have been like without Nicolette and Tasha. We interviewed several companies and decided on Brave Birth for several reasons: They have a focus on inclusivity with the language they use, their interactions, and the way they center their clients; after going through a challenging infertility process, we wanted doulas who respected our medical decisions and validated our experience; and their prenatal education and postpartum parent circles would allow us to connect to other families. Brave birth exceeded all of our expectations. Nicolette was our birth doula. She had a fantastic sense of humor that diffused my anxiety. This was balanced with a calm presence and perceptive demeanor - she could read a room and anticipate needs unlike anyone I know. I had a long labor and breast feeding issues - Nicolette knew how important breastfeeding was for me and was able to coordinate intervention early on. This was essential to establish my milk supply and ultimately help me reach my breastfeeding goals. In the early postpartum days I also struggled with severe anxiety - Nicolette came over to my house and helped me process the story of my son’s birth. I cannot put words to what a blessing this was - she has a way about her that made me feel so comfortable, validated, and taken care of. I am confident her help at this crucial time pulled me out of the anxious swirl and helped me connect to my sweet babe. I am incredibly grateful for this. Tasha is a strong advocate for her clients and has a wealth of invaluable resources and information. During the prenatal visits she helped me clarify questions for my medical team, gave us tips on self-care and partner bonding, shared resources on parenting, and pumped up our confidence for labor. We also partnered with Tasha for postpartum overnight visits. She elevated motherhood and helped me feel connected to this shared cultural experience - exactly what I was looking for after my road to pregnancy had been “medicalized.” I cannot imagine what our postpartum nest would have been like without her - we had absolute trust in her ability to care for our newborn and were able to fully rest while she was there. She also helped us coordinate our family and friends - we were able to anticipate what we would need from our circle and how to advocate for ourselves. Her support and knowledge helped us connect deeper to our son in those early days. Brave Birth’s prenatal classes and postpartum parent circles were also fantastic. I loved connecting with other parents and talking through our challenges and joys. They were inclusive and judgement-free spaces. The facilitating doulas and lactation consultants provided support and validation - I would look forward to these meetings all week and feel pride as they recognized my son’s development. Nicolette and Tasha are skilled communicators - even when interacting on digital platforms they were able to support us and make us feel pampered. Ultimately, they provided me with the greatest gift of all - a deeper connection with my partner and our baby. These are the gifts a brave birth doula can give you - education, counseling, connection, and validation. Invaluable!
Hiring Brave Birth doulas for our first and second children's births was the most important choice we made in preparing for our new family members in taking care of myself and our babies. I am a few weeks postpartum for kid #2 right now, and still very much in a place of deep gratitude for our doulas. After I got covid 2 weeks prior to giving birth, Nicolette could not have been more supportive of our situation, and checked in continuously as our choices for how to give birth due to medical/hospital constraints changed constantly. Because of last minute emergencies we shifted to Kelly as a doula on the very day I gave birth. This could have been terrible. Instead, it was an amazing experience with Kelly that felt incredibly special, calm, and purposeful. We had the exact birthing experience at Kaiser that we wanted. We have now worked with 3 brave birth doulas and their synchronicity made those last minute changes not only doable but transformational, as it demonstrated the trust they have for one another and the like mindedness that Brave Birth doulas have in offering care. Thank you Brave Birth!!!
