Steve Forbes

4/23/2024

"KIMBERLY POPPINS"

Nothing feels more helpless than being the father-to-be during life’s most visceral experience: childbirth. My wife and I did the classes. We read the books. But all that stuff goes out the window when it's game time. In that moment, you want Tom Brady as your quarterback. Like a family member, you want someone cool under extreme pressure, trustworthy, and familiar. 

Kimberly was all of that and more.

She flew in on an umbrella like Mary Poppins, taking the time and attention to explain the delivery process to me like I was a five-year-old, which is what I needed.

And that’s exactly it: she's a great communicator. Kimberly speaks everyone's language, from doctors and midwives to wives, husbands, and family members. At one point during our follow-up appointment, she even stepped up and eased the minds of concerned grandparents by answering a firehose of questions at a time when my wife and I were absolutely gassed. What a lifesaver!

I told her after the delivery, “Sure, we could have done this ourselves, but...”  after witnessing the support she gave my wife during one of the most traumatic bodily experiences imaginable, and I say this next part with every fiber of my being, “there's NO WAY I could have done what she did for my wife.”

And then, POOF, she vanished... flew away on her umbrella to help another family make another miracle.

All this being said... I cannot thank or recommend Kimberly enough.

Book early.

(PS: She also happened to take the best picture of us imaginable during my number-one favorite core memory, and that's priceless.)

Jackie

4/17/2024

We are so grateful for Kimberly! We did multiple sessions before our birth that made us feel more prepared for labor with our first child. She supported us every step of the way throughout the induction, labor, and postpartum. Kimberly was informative and thorough with no judgment. We felt so much more confident because we knew she’d be with us, advocating for our best interest. We would recommend her over and over again.

Arpine

4/11/2024

I am so glad we met Kimberly and had her as our doula. As a couple, we knew almost nothing about the birthing process so we had a lot of anxiety about it. She came to our house multiple times while we were pregnant and gave us such useful information regarding how the birth will possibly go, the types of medicine I will be offered, and most importantly, she assured us that we had the power and upper hand when it came to our birthing experience. Sometimes doctors and nurses want to push you to go a certain direction to speed up the process and get you out of the hospital quick, but this might lead to a longer recovery for you. Kimberly gave us the confidence to speak up for ourselves. And it was so great knowing she will also be there to back us up! Throughout the pregnancy and the labor and delivery, we knew we could count on her to answer our questions and have our best interest at heart!!

Meg Fosque

3/19/2024

As a first time parents especially, we are so happy that Kimberly was our doula. From the first meeting I realized how kind, calm and knowledgable she is. I attribute my positive labor experience- despite so much going differntly than I had envisioned- to our work with her. My goal was to feel empowered and confident going into labor and that is how I felt. My husband and I felt incredibly supported in the months leading up to the birth of our daughter and we can't imagine a doula we would have rather had with us when I was in labor other than Kimberly. We hope to have another child in the near future and would want to work with Kimberly again. 

Ellen P.

3/6/2024

Kimberly is such an amazing Doula! I cannot recommend her enough. I would highly recommend Kimberly for any and all of your pregnancy needs. This was my first pregnancy and my first baby and I didn’t know anything going into pregnancy, labor and delivery. Kimberly‘s prenatal sessions were so educational and helpful. She came with extensive details and information during her sessions with able to list out pros and cons for processes, procedures, medication and fully educate my husband and I on the entire process of pregnancy, labor and delivery as well as pros and cons of all medications. Her background as a nurse is such a positive in my opinion because she’s able to fully understand all medication’s pros/cons, side effects and natural alternatives. This really empowers you to be educated, in order to make the best decision for you, your baby, and according to your birth plan. She had a great template for birth plan, and was able to guide me through the entire process in order to put together my birthplan, and really have a perfect birth and delivery. Kimberly did an amazing job being supportive, responsive, communicative, and helping me have an ideal birth and delivery! Kimberly is extremely open-minded and supportive, and will help you set up expectations understanding that things might not go as planned, and she’s able to be flexible and adaptable open minded in order to provide the best support no matter what happens during labor. If you need a Doula in the Southbay area, Kimberly is a right person for you she will go above and beyond and make sure you’re fully supported and taken care of! Kimberly guided me and my husband for a wonderful natural and u medicated delivery of our son who was healthy! She showed me all the positions during labor to help baby move down as well as set a salmon environment to keep me on the right headspace to achieve my goals!

Natalia

2/29/2024

My husband and I worked with Kimberly with my most recent pregnancy and she was such a positive addition to my pregnancy and birth journey. I learned so much about labor and possible interventions through the prenatal visits, her presentations were thorough and easy to understand and her delivery of the information was non judgmental and unbiased. Kimberly is supportive of all births and it helped me put together a birth plan that I was confident in for me. My pregnancy and subsequently my labor had many unforeseen complications and my birth plan did not go to plan, and it was wonderful to have someone as knowledgeable and calming as Kimberly in the labor room through the whole thing. She worked with my doctors, hospital staff and my husband to help me navigate many decisions including interventions that I was prepared to discuss because of the prenatal visits. After an induction, 24 hours of labor and an emergency C-section I delivered a healthy baby girl.
I would recommend Kimberly for anyone who is seeking a knowledgeable, caring and supportive expert to help navigate pregnancy, birth planning and labor.

Jen B.

2/13/2024

My husband and I worked with Kimberly for the birth of our daughter in fall 2023. As first time parents, we wanted to be sure that we were as informed as possible before birth and that if any issues arose, we had someone who would be able to sift through the noise and make sure we understood the choices in front of us. As it turned out, I was very lucky to have an extremely quick, uncomplicated delivery, but we were grateful nonetheless to have Kimberly prep us beforehand and be in the room during the birth. I loved that Kimberly is such a strong advocate for whatever birth choices you want for yourself, and she gives you the tools and scientific information regarding birth to help you make those choices. This was important to me because I wanted to deliver in a hospital setting but with an unmedicated birth. We talked through what that might look like and how I could speak with my doctor about my wishes. At the hospital, Kimberly was a reassuring presence during the toughest parts of labor, and she still had the forward thinking to take photos that I will treasure! I am grateful we were able to work with her for the birth and recommend her services. (Side note: If your company partners with Carrot Fertility, I had no issues submitting the documents Kimberly provided as proof of doula services.)

Martha

10/25/2023

We worked with Kimberly during my first pregnancy with our daughter who was born this past August. Kimberly was a great addition to our birth team - she offered amazing support throughout pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Kimberly was super responsive to texts and voice notes and she even made house calls for our prenatal meetings to help us prepare for birth. She was always available to answer my questions as I was preparing to start labor and helped guide me towards natural induction strategies. She checked in often and made me feel like she was genuinely invested in my wellbeing. She came to the hospital with us when I started going into labor and stayed there to support us through 24 hours of labor and birth. Working with Kimberly was a wonderful and supportive experience and I recommend her for anyone looking for a doula who is kind, compassionate, strong, and passionate.

Emily Shefer

5/21/2023

Kimberly is an amazing person, and a huge help to have on your birthing team. From the moment my husband and i first spoke to her we were impressed by her knowledge, wisdom and strength. Throughout my pregnancy our meetings with her provided comfort, and taught us everything we needed to know about birth. I felt so incredibly prepared and empowered because of our time with her. Kimberly continues to check up on us and our baby, and we are only sad to not get to see her as often.

Leah

5/17/2023

I had the privilege of having Kimberly as my doula, and I am incredibly grateful for her compassion and support. I highly recommend Kimberly to anyone seeking a doula who is not only skilled but also compassionate and committed to empowering births. She made a lasting impact, and I'm forever grateful for her support.

Marianna Gallo Schmidt

5/16/2023

We worked with Kimberly for the birth of our first daughter in April. We spoke with many doulas before selecting the one we felt was the best fit but It was an easy decision for us the moment we met kimberly. She brings so much knowledge, comfort, and support to every conversation. The information she gave us prior to birth prepared us in every way to build the perfect birth plan but also helped us manage our expectations incase things needed to change along the way (as they tend to do!)

What we appreciated most was her amazing support during a few moments of uncertainty we had with our doctor ahead of birth. She kept us sane and our heads on straight. Another thing to note was how supported she made my husband feel. He was more nervous than me throughout the process and Kimberly had a perfect approach with him to make him feel important, heard, and not alone.

We would recommend her doula services to anyone and everyone. She’s the absolute best!

Mary-Kate Tortorich

3/22/2023

My partner and I had an amazing experience with Kimberly as our doula. We had originally sought a doula as more of support for my partner during labor and birth- so that he could in turn support me. We did a simple google search and Kimberly's website was the first to pop up, so professionally done that we were impressed. She impressed us with her professional experience as well as her history in the medical field in France. She is very straightforward about her pricing and is flexible with payments plans- she works with you. 
she was very communicative as we waited (and waited and waited) to go into labor, she came to our home and labored there with us until it was time to go to the birth center.

but here's where she goes above and beyond. I was in labor for a total of 48 hours- 28 of that was spent at the birth center. It was a draining and mentally difficult experience for all of us and she never left our side. I pushed for 5 hours before I delivered our daughter and she never ceased encouraging me and providing physical comfort like fanning, holding my legs, cold water to drink, or counter pressure on my hips. She made sure my partner could take a break and go to the bathroom or eat which was so important to me. She stayed after the birth to make sure that we were comfortable and that I could latch her at the breast independently before she went home. 
I can 100% say that we would not have been able to have the unmedicated, out of hospital birth that we wanted if Kimberly had not been a part of our team. We are so grateful to her! We would recommend her to anyone. 

Audrey v

2/17/2023

How words can describe my experience with Kimberly ?! I am forever grateful and thankful for her knowledge, her energy and for her support during our sessions and for the 25 hours she spent with me and my husband during my delivery… i will never forget her patience, her words, holding hands when it was difficult for me and how available she was anytime we needed her. Thank you Kimberly again for being a part of our magical journey. If you are considering a doula, I would highly recommend Kimberly! 

Jasmine

2/2/2023

Kimberly was amazing and an integral part of my birth. I genuinely believe her presence brought about the peace and comfort that was exactly what I needed. It was so nice having another woman who understood what was needed and when. Of course my husband was such a great support, but having someone who’s been through it guiding you can make your experience so much better. At no point did her presence feel unnecessary, if anything, we didn’t want her to leave!

I can’t thank her enough for always being available for questions, concerns or just guidance.

Chelsi

1/27/2023

If you want a confident, compassionate, and reliable doula then Kimberly is a great choice. She took us as a client pretty far into my pregnancy but we still got some in person sessions. She went over some good birthing positions, breathing techniques and answered all my questions. Being a first time mom I was nervous going into birth. When the day came I forgot all the moves and breathing but Kimberly was there to remind me. I was in labor for TWO long days. Kimberly was there to massage me, do counter pressure, give words of encouragement and many other things. She came to my house then the birthing center and then to the hospital for a much needed epidural. My son was born on Christmas Eve so Kimberly spent the holiday with my new family! Thank you Kimberly!

Sarah

1/17/2023

I reached out to Kim in my third trimester looking for support, guidance and advocacy for my first birthing experience and she was truly amazing throughout the entire journey. She provided info & resources for my husband and I to be able to make informed decisions and helped us formulate a birth plan. She was always there for me to reach out to which was especially important when I started going into labor on and off again and didn’t know what to expect. She lent us some great tools that helped provide relief during labor and showed my husband how to help me through it. Her support at the hospital also helped us both out so much! She gave me encouragement, applied counter pressure through the labor pain and tapped in when my husband needed to tap out. She helped make the space calming with essential oils, mood lighting and a sound machine and she helped me advocate for myself to naturally let my water break when I felt pressured by the doctors to manually break it. We ended up needing vacuum assistance during delivery which was an intense experience but during our postpartum visit she helped me process everything and was such a supportive ear for me to talk to. And she took the sweetest photos of me, my husband and our baby girl right after birth! She really became like a friend that helped guide me through my first birth experience and I’m forever grateful for her!

Clarissa

1/6/2023

Kimberly was amazing to work with. My partner and I found her late in our pregnancy and she made sure to be there for us as much as she could in the little time we had together. We had to use her back up services as well for a little bit, and it was reassuring that we were always in good hands even when plans changed slightly. She really cared about the vision my partner and I had for our delivery and was really supportive throughout the labor. What really stood out to me about Kimberly, were her values on equality in healthcare and providing doula services to all those who want it. 

Marga Spaccini

12/17/2022

Our birth was a beautiful experience thanks to Kimberly. We don’t have words enough to thank her. She is professional, determined and she made sure we were treated respectfully at all times. She never left my side and made sure I was ok. Not just me, but my husband felt supported too. Together we made a beautiful team. I would recommend her over and over. We couldn’t have done it without her!

Tatiane

12/11/2022

Kimberly is wonderful. We hired her as our night doula to look after our little baby girl and she was great with her. I hired other night doulas and fired them on the job because I didn’t feel like they knew how to care for my little one.
Kimberly has empathy, she just has a way with babies and when you meet her you know you can trust her.
Someone has to have a lot of patience, strength and love for their job to do what she does and I can tell she has all the best qualities and is perfect at it.
You can trust your little one in her hands and I would trust her as a birth doula too because the same qualities are required.

Laura Hernandez

12/8/2022

Kimberly is phenomenal as a doula. She is knowledgeable, supportive, caring and follows up with you every step of the way. She was able to squeeze me in with a one week notice! So grateful for her support during our birth. She made the experience as comfortable and zen as possible. She's punctual and just so loving, you can tell she loves what she does. 

Aaron

10/26/2022

Kimberly was an incredible doula for me and my wife! She had a calming presence in the labor room - it was great to have her expertise and poise present as we were giving birth. We knew we were in safe hands. She was also so kind and willing to help in any way. She dropped everything to be with us at the hospital at 2 AM in the morning. Thank you, Kimberly!

Jessie Brown

10/6/2022

Kimberly is an amazing doula and I am so happy with my experience with her! This was my first birth and I had a lot of things I did / did not want. Kimberly helped to advocate for me and was my emotional / mental support person the whole way. I am 110% happy with how my birth went with her. She visited me 4 times beforehand and I had a super close connection with her very quickly. It was great how during the pre natal visits she gave me a lot of information about birth and the pros and cons of common hospital practices so I could make my own educated decisions about what I wanted for me and my baby. I loved how during my pregnancy she was on call for me 24 / 7 if I needed anything. She cares deeply about her clients and advocating for what they desire. I also got to experience her encapsulating my placenta, which was awesome, and now I get to consume my tree of life which nourished my baby for 9 months. I am 7 weeks postpartum and she still checks in on me to see how I am doing. She is an amazing human and doula and I would recommend her 100%. For all of my future births she will definitely be there!

Anastasia

9/13/2022

We used Kimberly as a night Doula for our newborn and we loved her. She was very gentle and kind with our daughter. She brought her own expertise but was very willing to listen to what I wanted as well. She has a warm and thoughtful demeanor. Plus you cannot beat her experience in the NICU!

Ani

8/12/2022

Kimberly is one of the sweetest people I have met. She was so understanding about my past trauma and made an extra effort to be sympathetic and understanding. She made sure to make my husband and I feel comfortable but more importantly get educated about our birth plan. With her assistance, we thought about things we hadn’t initially considered. During the birth my son had to be rushed to NICU and it was so comforting for my husband to be with him while Kimberly hung around and supported me through the c section after effects. Anyways…I rambled. She’s amazing! I would highly recommend!

Lauren Vincent

8/4/2022

I was referred to Kim by another doula and I am SO happy to have found her. Kim is a wealth of knowledge and was checking in on me at the end of my pregnancy, while I was in labor, and even the weeks when she wasn’t with us. She was so encouraging, supportive, and thoughtful. I cannot say enough great things about Kim!

My husband and I decided to have an overnight postpartum doula to offer extra support for the long sleepless nights. We had our first meeting over FaceTime to make sure we would be a good fit and I was relieved to connect with her. It was very important to me that I felt comfortable and trusted bringing Kim into our home to spend the overnights with us and our newborn. Kim was fantastic and she was so good with our son! It was evident she had a lot of experience with newborns. She was able to soothe him when he was fussing, coax him to sleep when he was struggling, and feed him during one of the middle of the night feedings so I could sleep. Not only is Kim incredibly nice and easy to be around (a must when I was breastfeeding at midnight in my pjs with messy hair and sleep deprived), she is very supportive and non judgmental. Motherhood can be a super judgy space and to have someone who offered advice and tips that aligned and supported our choices was just what I needed as a first time mom! I wouldn’t hesitate to call Kim again for our next baby!

Spike Martin

7/17/2022

Kim was incredible!!! I got started on the doula research late - 36 weeks - but Kim was able to adjust her normal schedule of visits to accommodate me so quickly. My husband was a bit skeptical about what exactly we needed a doula for, but after the first visit where she went through all the possible interventions that might come up during labor, he quickly changed his tune.

I had a pretty long pre-labor with painful contractions for 3 days leading up to being admitted to the hospital and Kim took the time to come to our house and bring a bunch of different things to try and make me more comfortable - TENS unit, peanut ball, etc. She then drove all the way to SM where I was giving birth to be with us the entire time we were in the hospital.

After birth she slipped out so my husband and i could have Some time alone with our daughter, but Kim was always there via text if I needed her or had questions. I also didn’t realize how valuable having her come by for a postpartum visit was. She sat with both of us and just gave us the space to reflect on the entire thing, which neither of us had taken the time to do.

From our first meeting to even after the postpartum visit , Kim was there for us every step of the way. Having her he at my birth was absolutely invaluable and I would recommend her to anyone!!!

Julie

3/19/2022

Kimberly help me during my labor by virtual support in France.
She was amazing , I felt like she was there even tho she was only on the phone.
She was checking with us by text , or FaceTime’s call to show to my husband how to properly do some counter pressure , she reinsure him and cheers him up during the whole process. We received tips , photos and she was so available for us anytime.
She has so many knowledge due to her previous career and she knew every procedures and we were ready before even going to the hospital because she told us a lot during our pre natals appointments . I felt so much confident about my choices. She is truly a good birthworker , the one everyone wish to have. She is there for you , for your birth and will always listen to your choices and give you all the education you need to have in order to build your own birth plan.
She may be young but she already have done so many things.
Hire her , this is my best advice.

Michelle Osborne

3/7/2022

Kimberly is such a kind and gentle person. The first time I met her and her family I knew she was a good person and an amazing mom. She is generous, thoughtful and loving.  She has alot of experiences it all types of settings for child birth, which gave me a lot of comfort knowing that if there was a difficult situation that she would have alot of experiences to draw from. Her strongest quality is that she is a good listener. In the many moments of high stress and emotion I felt heard, supported and listened to.  She helped me and my husband in the toughest moments to welcome our sweet son, Leon Benjamin and having her at home visit after the birth was so helpful. I would absolutely recommend Kimberly as your Doula.  

Anais Decleves

3/6/2022

I will make it succinct but i could certainly write a few pages about Kimberly. She is one of the most kind hearted person i have ever met! My labor started on Wednesday evening when my water broke and i rushed to the hospital because i had strep b and needed to be monitored closely. She was here from the get go, she made me feel so calm and composed when it wasn't what was actually happening in my head ??. I was put on petocin drip and epidural and they gave me morphine 36 hours in , i started pushing on Saturday before noon for 3 hours and couldn't get my little girl out. I had an emergency C-section because her heart rate was dropping and my little one finally made it into this world at 4:03 pm. Needless to say my labor was a nightmare but i can only thank Kim for being there every minute of it. She was always by my side, reassuring and comforting . She gave me space when i needed but was never too far to jump back in. She is very knowledgeable , open minded ; funny and smart. She was the family that couldn't be here for me at that time, advocating to make sure i was well taken care of and simply put my gardian angel. Thank your for the shared laughter and tears, the emotianal support and the physical help, you're a godsend and i hope you can make that many people happy and blessed for their journey into motherhood.??

Amanda Ruetenik

3/5/2022

I loved having Kimberly as my doula for my home birth of my second baby. Kimberly has been so instrumental in helping me and my husband ease our minds through out our pregnancy and the delivery of our little girl. She is so kind and caring always going the extra mile to make you feel seen and your worries heard. It can be scary having a home birth and I felt so much more comfortable knowing she was there for me. My biggest worry was having to transfer to the hospital and she made me feel so safe because of her experience as a nurse in the hospital in the labor and delivery unit. She is so educated and knowledgeable and I trust that she will always give me the best advice medically and as a friend. I also felt so educated about what was going to happen during my labor and she helped me find the right type of body workers for my back pain during pregnancy. This is the most hard and beautiful thing to go through and I’m so lucky to have found her and to have her by my side. I know I couldn’t do it without her. Thank you Kimberly!