Emily Carrico

9/4/2024

I found Sarah through a referral from a friend of mine who also used her services. She came highly recommended and I now know why! The main reason I wanted a doula was because I was a first time mom and had a lot of anxiety about pregnancy and childbirth. Sarah helped my husband and I prepare for all of it with her extrensive knowledge and resources. She also helped keep my mind at ease when I found out I had to have a Csection due to a breech baby that wasn't turning. She was super supportive and helpful when I had to pivot and completely change my birth plan just two weeks out. She also helped me prepare mentally for the Csection and work through my fears. I really feel that her presence kept my mind more at ease than it would have been if I had to do it without her. She was a great coach and support for my husband as well and we both highly recommend her for expecting parents for vaginal or Csection birth. Thank you Sarah! 

Richela Maeda

6/8/2024

This was our first pregnancy and we were so grateful to have Sarah by our side. She was responsive, considerate, and wonderful to work with. She helped us conceptualize what we wanted our birth to look like by explaining our options and providing us with resources to understand the advantages and disadvantages of our preferences. We never felt judged by Sarah for what we wanted in our birth plan. One of the things we found most helpful was how Sarah taught us to advocate for ourselves and make us feel like we had a say in what was happening. During labor, Sarah coached me through contractions and helped make me feel safe and supported. My husband and I are so happy with how our birth went, we could not imagine going through that without her. We highly recommend Sarah!

Caitie Clarke`

3/18/2024

When I first got pregnant we didn’t anticipate hiring a doula, but in retrospect it was the best decision we made. Sara provided us with information at every step of the way to make my pregnancy, labor, delivery and breastfeeding experience as smooth as possible. I am someone who finds comfort from understanding how something works, so armed with the information she provided, I moved through each phase confidently and calmly. It is hard to put into words how critical her support was during the main event. She coached me through different positions, supported my husband, managed the nurses, and generally was my advocate for all things. She approached all our questions and concerns from a place of non-judgement and provided evidence based answers, allowing us to be armed with the information and be able to make informed decisions. I had a difficult labor and delivery, but with Sara’s help I felt empowered and walked away feeling proud of myself. She is professional, reliable, and on top of that a really wonderful lady. If you are considering hiring someone to support your birth journey, don’t hesitate and give Sara a holler. 

Rian Ervin

11/16/2023

My partner and I had a great experience working with Sarah. As new parents, we were looking for someone to help guide us in our birth options and help navigate postpartum care and breastfeeding. Our baby ended up coming a month early via emergency c-section, but even though Sarah couldn't be there the day of she helped guide us through the process and visited us in the hospital as soon as she could. She encouraged us to advocate for ourselves and her advice made a big difference. I don't think we would've even thought to ask to go for a walk outside, to request mobile monitoring, and ask to hold daughter as soon as possible after she was taken to the NICU if it weren't for Sarah's encouragement. We are so thankful for her guidance. She really helped us take charge of our birth experience and understand our rights and choices along the way.

Sarah was a great help with my breastfeeding experience as well. I had some initial struggles because my daughter was so small and sleepy, but Sarah had some really good tips and helped me make some good adjustments. Sarah encouraged me to follow my baby's cues, which was the best advice I could've received. I was able to transition to exclusively breastfeeding without pumping, and my baby and I are both happier for it! Two months postpartum when I was having some new issues with feeding and fussiness and Sarah helped me trouble shoot again, which was greatly appreciated.

Having Sarah as a third party to acknowledge feelings and thoughts was reassuring for my partner as well. Sarah helped educate my partner in how he could help during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. She helped us learn how we could work together every step of the way.

Amy Wolf

10/23/2023

I hired Sarah as my doula when I was 38 weeks pregnant and I am so glad that I did! Sarah is an amazing doula. She was so helpful when I was going through prodromal labor and came over did stretches and different positions to help get the baby in the correct position and that night I started having active labor and had my baby the next morning. She is very kind and caring, was respectful of my husband and I’s wishes and took such good care of all of us. She was even kind enough to transfer with me to the hospital (as I had a home birth) after I had the baby to get sutures. The breastfeeding support she gave after the baby was born was incredibly helpful and instilled confidence in me. She also gave so many resources that are so helpful with breastfeeding, exercise, support groups and everything else in between. I was so grateful that Sarah was apart of my birth team and my husband and I often say that Sarah made a world of difference in the birth experience and helped us tremendously.  

Hadley

9/1/2023

There are no words that can truly express our gratitude for Sarah’s support and care. This was our first pregnancy and we couldn’t imagine going through this experience without her.

Sarah is kind, encouraging, and has a wealth of knowledge! Her presence and support made the world of a difference and helped us feel calm and confident throughout the whole journey, from pregnancy all the way through postpartum.

Sarah fully supported us and our decisions and advocated for the birth we wanted. With Sarah's help, we truly feel the birth of our daughter was everything we wanted and such a beautiful and empowering experience.

We are so thankful to have met and worked with Sarah. She is such a gift and we can’t thank her enough! We appreciate her continuing to be there for us!

Karen DeCarlo

2/22/2023

Sarah was an integral part of our birth team! Our first was born during 2020, without doula support. It was a traumatic birth experience, and when I found out I was pregnant with our second I knew I wanted a doula. I interviewed a few people, but Sarah stood out among them as incredibly supportive, knowledgeable, and professional.

Sarah was an incredible resource throughout my pregnancy, always answering questions promptly over the phone or text as well as meeting in our home as we prepared for labor. If I wanted to dive deeper into the "why" behind her answers, she would send academic articles, websites, and podcasts so I could go deep in my education. She spoke to my past birth experiences in ways that didn't feel patronizing or triggering, and ensured this next birth would be different. And it was, in large part thanks to Sarah and her presence at the birth itself, as well as all the thoughtful prep work we did together beforehand. Sarah remained in touch well after the birth, as well, for postpartum resources, lactation support, etc.

I whole heartedly recommend Sarah to anyone looking for a doula who centers their work around evidence-based practices and patient-centered care. 

Lauren Clough Najera

10/26/2022

Working with Sarah was the best choice I made along my pregnancy and birthing journey. Sarah is kind, calm, educated and patient. Her prenatal meetings with my husband and I allowed us to get to know her, as well as her to get to know us before the birth. She provided resources and information that helped my husband and I feel educated and knowledable before the birth.

When I had an unexpected life event that ended greatly affecting my birth plan, Sarah was calm, supportive and there for me every step of the way. She even brought flowers, birthing mantras and electric candles to make the hospital room more cozy for us. During the birthing process Sarah provided netrual and useful advice and information that helped us make educated medical decisions. Even though my husband and I had taken hours and hours of birthing classess, many of the hospital decisions were still very confusing. Being able to talk things through with Sarah was critical in our positive hospital birthing experience. 

During labor, Sarah was instrumental in my pain management. She worked great with my husband, taking turns with him, helping to manage my pain. When things felt intense during labor, Sarah's tranquil voice and loving nature helped me feel supported. I honestly don't know what I would have done without her in the delivery room. 

After I gave birth, Sarah checked in multiple times until we left the hospital. After we left the hospital, Sarah came to our house to offer breastfeeding support and emotional check in time. I felt just so supported by her as a postpartume new mother. A few weeks after my son was born, Sarah came to our house one last time to go over the timeline of our birth. It was so amazing to have her notes of what happened and to be able to hear our birth story from her perspective.

I can not recommend Sarah enough! I can't wait for more of my family and friends to be pregnant just so I can have her work with them. 

Alex + Wes Henrie

9/12/2022

What can I say about Sarah other than she is the absolute best? When I found out I was pregnant with my second, the first thing I did was find a Doula. I worked with a doula for my first (we lived in the South Bay then) and knew, more than anything, it was a must for my second. From the first moment my husband and I met Sarah, we knew she was perfect for our family. She is extremely knowledgable and has deep roots in Evidence Based Birth and the sciences (especially helpful for my highly analytical husband), and is also in touch with the intuitive side of labor (a must for me). We met with her a few times before birth and every time we met her it felt natural - almost like we were catching up with an old friend who happen to be very up to date on pregnancy and birth. When it was go time, she met us at the hospital entrance and - in my 30 or so minutes of active labor (yes it was very fast) she helped me manage pain and gave me opportunities advocate for the birth we envisioned. She also empowered my husband to be a part of the experience. After labor, she stayed with us until we were settled and I could see, more than ever,  how much she loved what she does as she helped me breastfeed my daughter for the first time. In the days and weeks after labor, she was an invaluable resource for, well, other resources in the area. She helped with my daughter's tricky latch and referred me to a lactation consultant and an amazing chiropractic group. In our final visit, we ended up chatting for quite a bit and I am only sad we don't get to see her anymore. I am so grateful to Sarah for helping create a loving, calm environment for our daughter to come into and for empowering my husband and I to trust our instincts. Bonus points: she was amazingly inclusive of my almost-3 year old son and so sweet to our Mini Schnauazer, who made himself at home in her lap whenever she came by. 

Jen White

4/14/2022

Sarah Hornstein was invaluable and integral to my pregnancy and birth journey. When the third trimester of my pregnancy presented us with some unexpected and stressful hiccups, Sarah remained the calm and thoughtful presence she had always been.  She kept both my husband and I focused on what was most important to us and helped us not only navigate a complicated situation, but find resources we wouldn't have been able to on our own (like a doctor who was experienced in vaginal breech births).  We cannot thank Sarah enough for everything she did during our pregnancy, our baby's birth, and the postpartum period.  She is knowledgeable, able to pivot quickly, and she supports with love, wisdom and kindness -  all qualities that made her such an excellent doula during my pregnancy and birth journey.  We were so happy to have her by our side as our child was born!

Anne Pennypacker

1/30/2022

My newborn son was quietly resting in his bassinet, my tired but relieved husband was sitting next to me on the bed, and myself, sitting across from Sarah who was patiently massaging my puffy feet and ankles with creamy, scentless lotion while supportively reminding me about self care, rehashing the labor, suggesting breastfeeding approaches and asking questions about our new parenthood experiences. Peaceful confidence filled our hearts at the beginning of this new chapter, and we can thank Sarah for this feeling, without a doubt.

We had it so good with Sarah, we simply didn't want it to end. She was a complete natural and is without a doubt, serving her calling with compassion and dedication. Saying that Sarah was a great doula wouldn't be enough to describe the incredible intuitive support Sarah provided us before, during and after my baby's birth.  She provided information that supported us directly; references, local biz's, links and helpful answers to all questions. Her text and call check-ins were comforting, her visits were invigorating and hearing from her afterwards is always a treat. 

Soon I realized I was charging into our estimated due date with confidence, fearlessness and a focus to do it my way. I wasn't overthinking, I was in 'go mode' and I knew I had a fantastic support team. Sarah supported me and my husband during the labor with calming breathing exercises, positions and pressure points that  became the most helpful vehicles to maintaining focus and peace throughout the labor. In the end, she provided nourishing bone broth, information about the labor and amazing emotional support. As the expectations for me to hold and care for my baby settled in, I felt held and cared for by Sarah, so much so that I had the positive confidence and energy to fully embrace motherhood right away. She was an amazing guide through this transition in my life and I would whole-heartedly recommend her to anyone and everyone. 

Skylar Drake

11/10/2021

Working with Sarah was a game changer! I was so anxious about birth when we found Sarah and did not have a lot of confidence in my body's ability to deliver a baby. Sarah was an essential part of our team and helped me to completely turn around that fear and prepare for an amazing birth. She recommended a stellar birth education class and kept in regular touch with me throughout the second half of my pregency. Her prenatal meetings were so helpful to my partner and I in preparing and practicing comfort measures. I ended up having a successful, unmedicated birth that I was entirely ready for and feel so good about. Sarah brought tools, perspective, and a grounding presence that helped me to feel entirely supported throughout the whole process. If I have another baby I will work with Sarah again, and won't hesitate to recommend her to any expecting parents!

Melanie Markwood

2/12/2021

The best decision I made during my pregnancy was to hire Sarah. She went above and beyond any kind of expectation I had and far exceeds the definition of a "Doula". She is a wealth of knowledge and provided every recourse possible during a time when my resources were very limited due to COVID-19. She gave my husband and I a huge sense of relief and comfort during my pregnancy, labor and postpartum. We went from going through the motions of preparing for a vaginal birth to preparing for a cesarean due to my baby being breach. I felt so confident and empowered going into  our birth experience because we had Sarah by our side. I could not recommend her enough and am so honored to have had her expertise, love and support during the most impactful time of our lives. She truly puts her heart and soul into her work. I couldn't thank her enough. 

Channah & Jon

10/5/2020

We found Sarah via our midwives at the Santa Rosa Birth Center. Hiring her was one of the best decisions we made while preparing for the birth of our first child! The pandemic took away our ability to participate in in-person, hands-on birthing classes so hiring a doula to fill that gap was one of our motivating factors.

From the first video call we had, we knew that Sarah was going to be our doula! She asked honest and direct questions that we hadn't thought of, set the stages of how she would be involved in our prenatal, labor and postpartum courses and followed up our first meeting (and every subsequent meeting) with an e-mail containing great resources that were pertinent to our conversations and stage.

We established safety measures and mutual comforts that allowed for Sarah to come to our home to provide hands-on laboring practice, taught us breathing exercises and engaged us in conversation, helping us to develop our birth preferences. With each meeting, we realized more and more that we had hit the doula jackpot!

We had 3 prenatal visits with Sarah and she was on call for us from 38 weeks on. She checked-in frequently to give support and when labor day came, she was readily available. She provided my husband and I with great support while I labored at home. She was able to accompany us to the hospital and played an essential role in my successful unmedicated vaginal birth. Sarah intuitively knew exactly what I needed emotionally and how I needed to be touched during labor without me asking. She has this great energy about her which fit in so seamlessly with us and the rest of the care team.

Her postpartum and lactation support has been invaluable and has been a great contributor to our success with breastfeeding. Sarah has gone above and beyond at every stage of our care. You can tell that she genuinely cares about us and our birth experience.  We would recommend her to anyone without hesitation!