Angela McKee-Brown

9/1/2024

My wife and I cherished Michi's wisdom, expertise and support before, during and after our daughter was born. We met Michi when we were seeking advice on how to navigate the bureaucracy of Kaiser. Michi coached us on how to advocate for the type of birthing experience we wanted.

Michi helped us build a solid birthing plan and also provided ample information about what the experience would be like so we could have an understanding of what was ahead of us. Michi's steady, peaceful confidence was a blessing through the entire experience.

When my wife began the laboring process at home, Michi was extraordinary in terms of keeping us all calm and focused. They provided a great deal of comfort and support as we began the life changing experience of birth. Additionally, their knowledge of spinning babies techniques was so helpful as the labor continued on.

When we needed to transition to the hospital (and pivot from our plans for a home birth) Michi was a godsend. They were an extraordinary advocate and thought partner as we navigated all the decisions that had to be made while also being throughly exhausted (and my wife was still laboring). I truly cannot express how grateful I am to have had Michi by my side as I supported my wife. Michi coached me on what to do while also being a helpful and calming presence for my wife.

After our healthy and happy baby came into the world, Michi came to our home to check in on us, do an abdominal massage for my wife, and did a beautiful ritual to acknowledge the transition into motherhood we had experienced.

I've recommended Michi to every friend I know who has had a baby recently. I cannot sing their praises highly enough. They have deep knowledge and expertise in the hospital medicine side of things, while also holding vast wisdom and connection to the spiritual core of the experience. 

Sarah Scruggs

8/31/2024

Cannot say enough good things about working with Michi. She was at the birth of our child as well as supported us in the first 6 weeks postpartum. Michi helped us prepare for an early induction, kept my partner calm during labor, and helped me ease into the physical and emotional reality of being a new mom. Her calm demeanor, helpful advice, and healing hands/expertise made a world of difference for our family - don’t miss out on working with Michi!

Yalina P

6/14/2024

This is my second (and last) pregnancy and I vowed to myself that I would lean into self-care this time around. My previous pregnancy was difficult to do so as our first born was born during peak COVID.
This second pregnancy was of course much different than the first with more and new aches/pains. I found myself needing more massages and acupuncture, so of course I wanted to continue the act of self-care in my postpartum recovery.

I had read about belly binding and the benefits and was researching bay are folks who performed this. That is when I found Michi. She came to my home - very convenient considering we're laying low with a newborn - and combined a very soothing, lovely uterine massage with the belly binding. In addition, she also showed my husband the technique to wrap me so I can take it off here and there.

After Michi wrapped me, my uterus and hips felt super supported! It was an unfamiliar feeling (or maybe I had forgotten) to feel as if my uterus was going to fall out prior to this belly binding. Being my second pregnancy I was told it will take longer for my uterus to contract back to normal size, but very confident this belly binding will help with that!

I highly recommend Michi! And, I will be looking to book her for other services as well. She is gentle, calm and kind - truly a lovely person.

Karen Burt-Imira

10/16/2023

Michi Arguedas was the doula chosen by my daughter for her firstborn - in June 2023.   I called her the Marvelous Magical Michi by the end of a 48 hour labor at home which I attended through to the delivery of a vigorous and healthy baby.   Michi was creative, flexible, respectful, compassionate, caring, knowledgeable, skillful, and so dedicated. 

I am a physician and delivered many babies (natural childbirth) in the 1980s, and I co-founded a doula program at a local county hospital in the early 2000’s.  So my eye was attuned to many details. Michi worked marvelously with everyone including the midwives and birth attendant friends.  She was profoundly dedicated to my daughter’s (and grandbaby’s) wellbeing, and also was sensitively attentive to my needs as a mother and first time grandmother.   I was incredibly impressed with Michi’s knowledge of pregnancy, labor and delivery, as well how to address the whole spectrum of emotions involved for everyone present.  She has a powerful array of skills and tools for supporting pregnancy, labor, delivery, and post-partum - drawn from several cultures:  breathing and position techniques, massage, acupressure, cupping, rebozo wrapping, herbalism, belly binding, listening and responding.   She was always empowering, giving deeply supportive and kind guidance at the same time.  I called her Magical because I witnessed her, together with the midwives, utilize her skills with a powerful calm presence, to support and then turn around a very long labor from which my daughter and everyone attending emerged utterly joyfully.   I will always be grateful for and in awe of her work.    

Erica Hernandez

9/12/2023

When people ask me how motherhood is going, I can confidently say wonderfully, and that's because of Michi helping me in the transition. I hired Michi to support me through the practice of the cuarentena, in which I would stay home for 40 days following the birth of my daughter. Once a week, she would come to my home (which at the time was a small studio apartment) and either provide a postpartum massage, hot cupping, or in-home bath to help with my blood flow and provide me the space of healing through her knowledge and practice of ancestral techniques.

Following the 40 days, she hosted a cerrada for me. While I was sad to part ways with Michi at this point, I know that she had helped me transition fully into motherhood with the healing of my physical body that had gone through labor and my mental through the meditations and readings she gave. I felt so special and honored by her, and I am so grateful to Michi for allowing me to find space during this time.

I can't recommend Michi enough and highly recommend her to anyone seeking to make this investment. Regardless of your physical space, Michi knows how to create a world that allows a new mother to transition confidently and be cared for.

Noelle

9/5/2023

My first daughter was born in December 2020 so our resources for doula care was limited. As we were expecting our second daughter in Spring 2023, it was my goal to utilize a doula in the postpartum period. I came across Michi's website and was immediately attracted to her use of ancestral techniques and postpartum healing. Upon meeting Michi, I was immediately calmed by her presence. I appreciated her patience, wisdom and overall warmth. Every week, I would look forward to my time with her. Although physically healing, I realized this time with her was more about calming my mind and having a place to process my thoughts as a mother and partner. Adjusting to two children was not an easy process for me. I loved her massages, aromatherapy and great music! My eldest daughter still asks if Michi is coming today. Clearly she has made an impression on all of us. I would highly recommend the cerrada as it was incredibly healing in so many ways. I can't explain it. Do yourself a favor and hire Michi!

Noelle

Megan

8/29/2023

I am so incredibly grateful to have found Michi and forever appreciative of the warmth, love, wisdom, and calming presence she brought to my birth prep, delivery and postpartum care. My husband and I cannot imagine going through that experience without her. I think what she offers is truly unique - the ability to provide healing touch (during labor and in postpartum care), soothing words, as well as deep knowledge and experience. She not only cared for me and the baby, but also how to best support my husband throughout the journey - and provides space to discuss decisions 100% judgement-free. During a particularly stressful medical emergency post-birth, our memory of that moment is lightened by the emotional support Michi provided us. I would recommend her to everyone.

Derlin

8/29/2023

Michi embodies a wonderful healer in all aspects. Her calming, kind, intentional and full presence, her healing touch, her loving and warm demeanor carried with it the implicit understanding, respect and honoring of the transformation that happens when people become mothers and parents. She honored my experience so well, and as a person who had experienced peripartum mood disorders of anxiety and depression before with my first child in the isolation of the pandemic, I knew I had to find a special doula who could carry and support me with my second child and help me get that special care that I did not get during the pandemic. Michi was and is definitely that special doula! I did not engage her prenatal services because I found her late in my pregnancy and mainly requested her post partum services that included the placenta capsules, the belly wrap, the healing massages, the herbal baths, and the special closing ceremony at the end. Michi is amazing. It is rare to find someone who has found their calling and does it so incredibly well. I highly recommend Michi to all who are pregnant, giving birth and in their post natal period. You will feel the warm welcome into motherhood that all mothers should experience. It is such an important time and important to have Michi at your side. Thank you Michi for everything you have done for me and my family! (And if you can support Michi’s journey to become a midwife, do it. She will be able to help others even more!)

Lauren Kawana

5/14/2023

As a first time mom, Michi was so integral to my birthing experience and I am forever indebted to her. I am so glad she was with me and my husband on this journey. She gave me strength, confidence, and reassurance that I could do it and was there to alleviate any fear or anxiety I had. I was able to labor at home like I wanted until I was ready for the hospital and she was by my side every step of the way. When things got difficult she suggested just the right thing to get me through to the next phase. After I gave birth, I was so utterly exhausted and she took the initiative to make sure I had photos of my son's first few moments out of the womb and helped latch him. The video she took is one of my most prized possessions! I trusted her entirely and feel very blessed to have worked with her. My husband agrees he could not have done it without her help :) Also, I have never received such an amazing massage as the one she gave me for my hip closing ceremony. It was the most incredible and indulgent experience I could have asked for after an extremely difficult month. Michi is truly wonderful and I highly recommend her to anyone who wants a doula to keep them calm, give them strength and cheer them on when you need it most!

Keelia Alder

6/10/2022

HIRE MICHI! She hosted a cerrada for me, the traditional closing ceremony 40 days postpartum, and I wish every birthing person was able to experience this offering with her.

I wanted to celebrate what I had gone through in growing and birthing my kids, but I also wanted to process the hard parts and move into the next chapter of parenthood feeling like this chapter was fully honored. The cerrada was the perfect thing to hold all of those pieces.

I don't normally host or experience ceremonies like this, and my partner had no experience with them either. Michi was so helpful in connecting with me ahead of time to go over what the ceremony would involve, and how we could tailor it specifically to what felt good to me. On the day-of, she came to our home, set up her massage table and made our living room feel special and welcoming. The way she was able to seamlessly transition me and my friends from nervous, excited energy to holding a sacred space was really beautiful. You can tell she was born to do this work; it really comes so naturally to her.

This is just how my cerrada went, and again, she'll help you find a flow that feels right for you! She began by inviting me to share what my pregnancy, birth & postpartum journey had been like, what I was still holding that I wanted to release, and what I wanted to invite in moving forward. She also made it clear that I didn't have to share anything out loud if I wasn't feeling it, and could just set an intention quietly instead. She then hosted a steam for me, and everyone shared blessings and encouraging words while I (and everyone there, honestly) let the tears come. It's hard to describe how special that time felt. Afterwards, she gave me the most amazing massage (friends went home at this point) and I ended the evening tucked in bed feeling physically amazing and spiritually full.

I cannot recommend Michi's ceremonial work more highly. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Michi!

Nicolette Mastrangelo

9/14/2021

I engaged Michi during my postpartum period shortly after my birth doula became unavailable. Michi was so wonderful at my sealing (closing) ceremony.  Her warmth and gentleness were a comforting, welcoming presence at this very intimate and deeply personal experience. Our time together was very personalized and focused and I found that she provided a very calming/encouraging backdrop for releasing, processing and centering myself after my second birth - a long, and eventful VBAC. I so appreciate her touch, music, herbs, binding, wrapping, burning - such a sensational 'dance.'  I would happily recommend Michi and especially this sealing ceremony to others wishing to pursue this transformative postpartum experience. So grateful to have connected.

Trish Hylton

7/16/2021

Michi was our family’s doula for the birth of our first child. We sought her out because we were looking for someone to educate us and to guide my husband in his support role. Michi was so patient, open and kind. My birth was not the one I had planned, but Michi helped me understand my options and encouraged me to advocate for myself. Ultimately, I think the biggest gift she gave each of us - myself, my husband, and our baby, was her grounding. Michi has a heightened level of awareness that was invaluable during a time of what felt like uncertainty for us. The post birth photos Michi took and the watercolor placenta print she made are my most prized birth memories! After our daughter was born, she was amazing resource for me - she taught me how to bind my abdomen and she and her partner doula performed a closing ceremony for me that set me on the path for closure. Michi will forever be an important part of our birth story <3

Angel Alvarado

11/28/2020

We were extremely lucky to find Michi. We searched for a while in the Oakland area and with her, we had a connection very quickly because of her kindness, intelligence, and openness. It really helped us understand what was coming and how to prepare for the home birth. As a new father, I felt that I had no tools to support my wife and Michi was there to listen to us and support us physically and emotionally during and after our baby was born. It has been amazing to have Michi as support during this time.

Lisa Lau

1/30/2019

Michi was an incredible help to us when we had our twins. She is great with our boys, professional and trustworthy enough to leave alone at our home with them, she even helped us take care of ourselves in the early stages of parenthood by checking in with us mentally and emotionally. She was very supportive of all of our parenting decisions, and also authoritative in helping us assess a choice we made that deviated from our pediatrician's advice. We are very grateful for all the help she gave us and can't recommend her highly enough.

Hannah Cordero Chen

11/23/2018

Michi is truly a rare blend of professionalism, spirituality, openness, kindness, and love. Through her guidance and partnership I could be completely vulnerable and open throughout my pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postpartum. She was also great at making room for my husband and supporting him as needed. Her abilities and strengths as a doula have been invaluable through such a transformative experience for our family. She is self aware, poised, and grounded.

In addition to providing self-care materials and guiding us in creating our birth preferences, Michi helped us make room for mindfulness and ceremony to connect with ancestors. This allowed me to feel empowered and supported as we welcomed our baby earthside. This preparation and spiritual support from Michi made it much easier to get through a labor and delivery that did not go as planned. I had to make tough and fast decisions, and Michi was great at explaining my options and answering questions so I could make informed and assertive decisions.

I am also extremely grateful Michi supported me postpartum. I was honored that she was able to prepare and encapsulate my placenta. The capsules, broth, tincture, and keepsakes were created with great care and continue to be vital in my self-care postpartum. She also has a solid professional network and was able to connect me to a wonderful board certified lactation consultant when I thought I was not able to continue breastfeeding.

It is a blessing and an honor to have Michi be part of my pregnancy and birth story. Through our conversations and work together I have been able to connect with my ancestors and history, allowing me to feel truly supported as a new mom.

Carolyn Fong

11/15/2018

I truly cannot say enough good things about my experience working with Michi and about Michi as a person. Michi helped me and my family with post-partum support.

I was connected to Michi through a past post-partum client.  I was going through the rough early newborn days with a baby who had a tough case of reflux and everyone was functioning on very little sleep.  Not to mention an older child who was having a difficult time adjusting to having to share her parent's attention.  When I asked my friend, what's the difference between hiring a post-partum doula and a babysitter?  My friend wisely replied - "A doula is a baby expert".

And Michi is DEFINTELY a baby expert!  She's also a baby whisperer and an INCREDIBLE new-parent supporter. Friends and family members want to help, but they don't always know HOW to help in the most impactful way.  Michi intuitively knew and confidently stepped in when she saw a need and provided support in a way that I could not have articulated clearly until after the fact.  Michi is smart and intelligent, kind and gentle - to both babies and adults.

She arrived when our baby girl was just 8 weeks old, we were sort of flailing and in survival mode.  Once Michi walked into our lives, our entire household gained a sense of calm that it had been desprately looking for.  She helped us learn to read our baby's cues better (as a second time parent I thought I'd know how to do it again - and I STILL had so much to learn from Michi!).  She got our baby on a better sleep cycle and awake routine.  Until Michi arrived it felt like the baby was always grumpy and nursing non-stop and I was constantly in a state of panic.  With Michi's help I slowly felt myself returning back to myself and was more able to enjoy time with my older child, my family,  as well as enjoy my baby more now that she was truly rested.

Michi is now a part of our family.

Jack Dempsey

6/28/2018

Michi is not only a wonderful human, but one that has a true love and passion for supporting others, both families and infants alike.

She met our little guy when he was 2 weeks old, and has been an incredibly helpful and giving soul over the past months. She has been flexible with her schedule and type of support (morning, nights, days, weekends) and has gone beyond what many others have done to ensure we are able to get rest and be present at this important time.

She not only gives her time and expertise but her love. I will forever treasure a video she recently shared where our 4 month old is talking at the camera while she caresses his head lovingly. Being able to know that your brand new soul is not only safe and taken care of, but loved...it is priceless.

Thank you for everything Michi.

Lauren Nelson

6/22/2018

Michi was with our family as a postpartum Doula from the time my son was 3 weeks old until he was almost 5 months old. She is an incredibly intuitive and kind person. Her presence with both the baby and our entire family was always calming. She is naturally sensitive to the postpartum changes, anxieties, and adjustments that families endure and somehow, quietly, just seemed to make everything better. I would highly recommend Michi as a Doula. She is, and will always be, a treasured part of our family.

Sparlha Swaby

3/27/2018

Michi was my doula for the birth of our second child. With her support we had an unmedicated natural birth at Kaiser, Oakland. Grounded, attuned, intuitive, warm and highly knowledgeable about birth, she was everything I needed in a birth support. From our very first interview at the start of my 3rd trimester, Michi had a way of integrating herself into our home that felt familiar and comfortable. This was also true of her presence at the hospital, where she was a graceful bridge/translator between us and the Kaiser staff, and received multiple compliments from the nurses.

What I think Michi did really well was to be a solid attuned presence through every moment of my labor. I felt so held and supported, especially in the moments of intense physical and emotional sensation. She gave us immediate and easy to grasp advice in response to the hospital’s offers of interventions, helping me decide which techniques were aligned with my values and which weren’t. And before and after the birth she has been super accessible and responsive in giving me great support by text and in our 3 pre/post partum sessions.

I highly recommend Michi as a Doula. She will bring an abundance of heart, wisdom and ease to your birth journey. We never know how it will go once the birth process begins, so be sure to choose a doula who can ride with you through the magical and unexpected waves as you prepare to meet your baby!

Filiberto Chávez-Guerrero

10/24/2017

My wife and I were looking for a doula in the East Bay. After interviewing various candidates, we decided to go with Michi. Her friendliness, commitment being a doula, as well as knowledge set her apart from other doulas. During the first prenatal visit, Michi shared with us resources on nutrition, childbirth options, and ideas to create birth preferences. We shared our experience and journey with Michi and it was great to build an important and significant relationship with our doula. When my wife and I had concerns about the labor, Michi provided information and useful suggestions. When the due date finally came (a week early) Michi was responsive and came when we requested her to come. She and I helped my wife through her contractions and by the time we arrived at triage she was dilated enough to be admitted. Michi stayed with us through the labor and six hours later our beautiful baby arrived. Michi also seamlessly took amazing pictures of the birth of our baby. We have timeless memories to look back upon thanks to the pictures she took. I could not imagine going through this journey without Michi.