Katherine Griffin

4/22/2023

Preparing for my first child, I went to Tracy's childbirth class and received the most carining, attentive, comforting, and reassuring guidance I could imagine. Tracy's reputation as the best doula around preceded her, so I knew I was in good hands. But I left the class feeling more confident and prepared than I would've thought possible in a one-day program. She covered everything from preparing for the birth to breastfeeding, diapering, and soothing my little newborn. I can't recommend her highly enough!!

Andy D

11/20/2022

My wife and I are expecting our first child and we took tracy's Introductory Class and Virtual Childbirth Preparation Classes. We could not be happier with our choice to take these important classes with her. My wife is really nervous about giving birth and tracy made us feel so well-informed, prepared, and at ease. She did a great job of explaining the medical reason behind every critical area of the experience. She is incredibly knowledgeable, not only about birth, but also about infant care and lactation. She's a wonderful human and we've really enjoyed getting to know her through this process. We took these courses over a few weekends and we were very sad when our last class was over. Take the opportunity to learn from tracy, you won't regret it!

P Gillin

8/27/2022

Taking labor and birth prep classes with Tracy was wonderful. She's organized with how information is delivered, and her longtime experience as a doula has given her insight we felt lacked with other doulas we spoke to. She also makes sure to include time during the sessions for any questions you might have--for both the birthing person and the partner. The importance she puts on the partner's involvement is wonderful, and helped my spouse better understand what to expect--and what was expected of him! These birthing classes are catered to the individual rather than being blanket lessons, and we felt worlds better going into birthing and parenting after having taken classes with Tracy!

Shannon Jones

1/14/2020

Working with tracy was one of the best decisions we made while I was pregnant.  My goal was to give birth without an epidural and I achieved that but only because I had the support of an experienced doula to help with pain relief and emotional support.  I had an extremely long labor and tracy was by my side the entire time.  Her presence gave my husband peace of mind.  He was able to take breaks and know I was in good hands.  She also worked with him on how to support me.  She was familiar with all hospital procedures and helped us navigate the questions and suggestions from the nurses and doctors.  This helped us feel empowered.  Prior to going into labor we met with tracy three times.  She educated us on the birthing process, baby care, showed us videos, provided support throughout the pregnancy and helped us identify how we’d work together as parents to take care of the baby.  When I was laboring at home and having physical symptoms (water breaking, mucus plug) she helped us identify what was happening and it really helped calm our nerves.  She is truly passionate about her work and really cares about her clients.  She has tons of information on all birthing topics and is very connected to excellent resources. A mentee doula also attended our birth and was the perfect match for us.  Having both doulas made me feel like I was surrounded by a tribe of strong women.  After laboring for over 24 hours our baby boy was born just after 2am.  tracy was working the entire time.  She took notes and photos and we now have a memory log of the birth.  She is truly special and we highly recommend.

Margot Desserrey

3/26/2019

We are so thankful for Tracy. She educated and helped us so much. She trusted our choice and empowered us even if we didn’t have the birth we planned at first. She taught us to have no expectations and be present. We love her!!

Rebecca Blake Thompson

9/12/2017

I simply could not have gone through my labor and delivery without tracy by my side, hand on my back, guiding my husband with her wisdom and experience on how he could work together to best care for me. Her attitude was remarkable through the grueling labor and her endurance spectacular.

Sheena McKenzie

8/30/2017

Tracy’s experience and familiarity with the birthing process gave us confidence we were in good hands. It was reassuring knowing she herself had also “been there and done that” and knew exactly what I was going through and feeling. Tracy was a guiding light for me, someone I trusted and could turn to when I found myself freaking out. She was very cool, calm, and collected, breathing and making noise with me (something I was embarrassed about). Tracy does her absolute best to help make you feel comfortable and put you at ease while in the throes of labor. I feel I could not have done it without her encouragement, support, and guidance.

Tracy took photos of the birth of our son with a DSLR camera however she was like a fly on the wall and not intrusive or invasive by any means. This was something I didn’t think I wanted initially however I am so grateful to have now after the fact. She also took notes of all the milestones throughout the labor which she then gave to us afterwards.

We really benefited from Tracy's in home prenatal classes too, she offered much more insightful information than the standard videos and classes presented by our health care provider. Tracy equips you with the knowledge and know how, so you are somewhat prepared and know what to expect on the day. I wouldn’t have known what needed to be included in a birth plan if it wasn’t for Tracy.

My husband and I are truly grateful and wouldn’t have wanted the birth of our son any other way. I was able to have an all natural, unmedicated birth as hoped. We are so glad we chose Tracy and do not regret a single thing, she was everything we hoped for and worth every penny! It’s unfortunate we are moving back to Australia as I would love for Tracy to be there for the birth of our second child. Whatever your reasons are for hiring a doula, it’s safe to say you’re in good hands with Tracy and her team of doulas.

Rosalind Ross

7/21/2017

Tracy prepared me so well that I felt calm and confident going into my birth, even though it happened sooner than I expected. She made me feel safe and empowered during my birth and proud after. I really can't recommend her enough.

Christina Bellantoni

7/20/2017

tracy quickly became a friend. She listened to us and shaped the experience on our wishes and always made us feel confident and comfortable. Her warmth and kindness helped every step of the way. Her conversation with both my mom and OBGYN were enormously helpful at the same time.

we still refer back to things she taught us before the birth And have told many people why having a doula wax great.

Ammy Diaries

1/16/2017

Tracy Hartley helped us welcome our first baby into the world in Oct 2016.

I highly recommened having a doula by your side, especially Tracy. She helped us (my husband and I) with so much more than just labor & delivery. She also provided invaluable one-on-one birthing classes.

Communication: Tracy was very responsive to my emails and texts.

Extras: Tracy also provided us with lots of samples to help us (diapers, stretchmark oil, pamphlets, pediatrian & midwife resources).

Even though I went into labor 2.5 weeks early, Tracy arrived at my home about an hour after my call. She also arrived with a doula who was shadowing her. I was fortunate to have two doulas and my husband in the birthing room. They helped keep me in a meditative state-of-mind which helped me avoid having to take drugs during labor & delivery. Because of that, I was able to remain alert and enjoy my daughter as soon as she was born. My daughter was also very alert because she didn't have any effects of sedatives.

Tracy was our first choice after interviewing half a dozen doulas. Her caring energy helped me have a positive & memorable birth experience.

Thank you, Tracy! -Joanne & Grant

Andrew Jacobson

12/30/2010

 We recently used Tracy Hartley of BEST Doula for our pregnancy and were SUPREMELY disappointed with her. We found out we were having an emergency C-section 6 weeks early and called Tracy to come to the hospital. She said she didn't think she could make it in traffic (on a Saturday, during the holidays... from Pasadena to Beverly Hills). But far more upsetting was the fact that Tracy NEVER called, emailed, or texted after that phone call to see how the surgery went! We are still baffled by her inexcusable behavior, and to put an exclamation point on the experience, we emailed her 10 days later to tell her how we felt and she responded with a defensive, insulting email suggesting that we were "blaming her" for the fact things did not go as we planned. Aargh! Do yourself a favor and find a different doula... unless you are looking for an unreliable, uncaring, and unprofessional person at your side on such an important day. Oh, and despite missing our birth and never checking in to see how mom and baby were doing after, she pocketed the $950 deposit for doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Classy.