Catherine Coates

10/11/2021

I worked Nicole to book my postpartum care. She did an initial phone consult with me and a follow up after I booked with them. She was very helpful and walked through all the services provided. I then worked with her colleague Savannah as the doula that came to my house. She did sitz bath, massage, belly binding, and cooking. I really enjoyed my experience with Doula Caring and would highly recommend them. 

Johnna G.

9/10/2021

I will first say my experience with Nicole was amazing. She is reliable (espcially when it comes to meetings) and will respond to you in a very short amount of time wether it be through email/text/call. My husband and I are military so he was unable to be here for the birth of our son as well as my maternity leave. This is where Nicole comes in. Her ability to make a new mother/parent (or current mother/parent) feel like they are not just trying but doing their best is astounding. Nicole would come to my home twice a week for four hours at a time. When she would first arrive she would ask how I am in every category ranging from my physical to emotional well-being. Then we would figure out what we were doing for the time she was assisting me such as nap time, meal prep/making tea infusions, to household chores, to sitz bath/stemaing prep, to discussing topics such as motherhood and postpartum living. Nicole taught me a plethera of postpartum information that made me feel like I was in control of my surroundings/body that I will carry with me throughout the rest of my lifetime. 

Bre

3/1/2021

I had a great postpartum experience with Nicole and her doula in training Savannah. They really helped me navigate some new daily issues as a first time mother with a newborn. They had an amazing demeanor, just showing up and starting to cook and clean up my kitchen if I was sleeping or feeding baby. they helped me get some much needed self care and introduced me to some new holistic treatments to help me heal from my c section birth. Would highly recommend.

Gretchen Lester

2/3/2021

Nicole was an amazing post-partum doula. I knew I needed someone to help me recover from my c-section, particularly with an adolescent who also needed attention. She was so caring - she ensured the baby had good naps, and then prepared wonderful foods, teas, sitz baths, etc. to help me adjust. This was my second child, and I wanted someone to help during the day (I knew I would be up nursing every 3 hours all night, anyway). Nicole created nourishing soups and broths, helped me navigate dietary challenges (I eventually had to cut out dairy due to its impact on the baby), and used massage to address my milk oversupply. She also helped with other chores so I could focus on bonding with the baby and getting the rest I needed. She helped us for 4-6 weeks after the birth, and it was truly the best gift. I cannot recommend Nicole enough.

GT

1/17/2021

Nicole is passionate about postpartum care for moms and babies.  She knows her stuff!  Nicole was my daytime doula.  She will guide you through the various postpartum issues and build a tailored recovery plan that you are comfortable with.  As a first time mom who didn't have family nearby, Nicole was very supportive and caring about my postpartum needs.  She is a wonderful cook and made many nutritious (and yummy) meals for us, so that I can focus on breastfeeding and recovery.  Also she is honest about the realities of postpartum care and motherhood.  I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Nicole as a doula for other families.

Annecy Majoros

11/25/2020

With Nicole’s support, guidance, brilliant understanding and knowledge of evidence-based birth, and her Spinning Babies Parenting class, we were able to have the ideal low-intervention  in-hospital birth for which we had hoped. We only have the most glowing things to say about Nicole’s prenatal and postpartum services.

With Nicole’s guidance, we were able to navigate the tricky hospital system and avoided an induction. She was with us every step of the way, offering evidence-based readings and support so that we could make informed decisions for our baby’s birth. She understands people and puts her whole heart into her work. She has a way of knowing exactly what to say and when, and provided the reassurance we needed. She also knew the right questions to ask the midwives when we were really struggling with some of our decisions. This helped us put our options into perspective and allowed us to make the best decisions for our family, without being scared into following the standard recommendations.

The Spinning Babies was also amazing. We did the exercises nearly every day and really attribute some of our success to the techniques. We now recommend Spinning Babies to everyone! Whether or not you’re hoping for a no/low intervention birth or not - anyone giving birth can benefit from this!

Overall, Nicole helped us achieve the best experience possible.  I never knew how major of an impact a doula could have on our lives and we are forever grateful to her!

Melina Meneghelli

10/18/2020

Deseo dejar testimonio de la excelente experiencia que tuvimos con Nicole en el nacimiento de mi primer bebé. Mi esposo Nicolás y yo somos Argentinos viviendo en US y realmente fue de gran ayuda poder contar con Nicole especialmente en tiempos de pandemia donde estábamos muy solos. Ella nos brindó mucha contención desde su experiencia en partos y también con bebés. Nos ayudó con posturas y prácticas pre-parto, con Inter consultas con otros especialistas cómo puericulturas. También  nos ayudó con  comidas ricas y muy nutritivas para recuperación post parto así como también masajes y por supuesto una cálida contención en esos momentos tan sensibles para una madre. Muchas gracias Nicole!! 

Daniela P

4/21/2020

We had such a wonderful experience working with Nicole during our first pregnancy and delivery, that three years later when we found out about our second baby we had no doubt in working with her again. Her deep knowledge about the birth process, comfort measures, newborn care, breastfeeding, and understanding of the human body is one of the things that were most valuable for us, along with her patience in explaining every detail and solving all of our questions, aside from providing useful information and resources to review on our own time. Pre natal meetings with Nicole were very useful for both me and my husband in terms of preparing for delivery, understanding the process and options to create a birth plan, asking ourselves appropriate questions for diverse scenarios. We greatly appreciated her support during labor, which included spinning babies exercises to support baby’s position, massage, creating a calm atmosphere, giving us information about the options we had as we faced different scenarios, and giving my husband a break to rest while she supported me (both labors were loooong and she stayed with us through it all). Finally, she supported us with postpartum care, the day after delivery at the hospital, and with two in house visits. During this time she was a great support particularly with breastfeeding, but also comforting me with massage, fresh made broth, belly binding and sitz baths, also holding my newborn to give us a bit of a rest. I really can’t recommend her enough! Thank you Nicole, we’re so grateful we had the experience of working with you. 

Melissa

4/5/2020

As first time parents, my husband and I did not know what to expect during the pregnancy, birth, or postpartum. Nicole educated us on various topics and provided us with evidence-based research and articles. She supported us for 24+ hours from early labor to birth and assisted with comfort measures, such as warm oil massages, warm compresses, heat pads, and TENS unit. These comfort measures enabled me to have a successful natural birth without medical interventions or pain-relieving medications. Nicole also facilitated my postpartum wellness care with Sitz baths, vaginal steams, belly binding, and warm oil massages. Her postpartum wellness care ensured that I prioritized self-care and had a smooth recovery. Nicole was a vital resource during my pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum. I would definitely recommend her to any parent!

Mark Sullivan

12/4/2019

Nicole was extremely helpful for my family as we adjusted to our life at home with the newest addition to our family.  As new parents, we had a lot of questions about raising a child.  And like many people, we live away from our extended family who would often otherwise be able to offer immediate support.  So we hired Nicole, and she helped our first few weeks home from the hospital go smoothly.

She answered questions we had about how to care for our daughter.  Anything ranging from diaper changing technique to how to use a baby carrier to how to use a bath.

She made sure my wife got enough self-care. Making sure she had naps when she needed them, preparing sitz baths, giving massages, ...  And when my wife and the baby had their needs covered, she helped me ensure I had time to nap or take a quick bike ride.

I'd definitely recommend Nicole to anyone who is considering a postpartum doula!

Xin Xin

12/3/2019

Our family hired Nicole as a postpartum doula for our first baby in November 2019 and she is a fantastic support person to have. She helped us become more confident parents by coaching us through our baby's first bath, wearing her, massage her, and more. She also gave really great massages, made sitz baths, and cooked up delicious teas in additional to making life a lot easier by handing household tasks like laundry, garbage, dishwasher, etc etc. Our whole family felt taken care of!

I would absolutely recommend Nicole for anyone who wants help the first few weeks after birth and a better postpartum recovery.

Alicia Forbrich

11/30/2019

I cannot recommend Nicole enough!  My birth experience was a wild ride to say the least, and I am so extremely thankful that Nicole was there by my side, every step of the way. Nicole was my birth doula, but she also prepared and educated me during my pregnancy, and also with a Spinning Babies class.  With all the information and education, my husband and I felt very confident and prepared for childbirth.

As with most births, our birth did not go according to plan. I was induced 11 days after my due date and had to deal with every intervention possible, from having a foley balloon, taking Misoprostol, having my water broken, taking Pitocin, having an internal fetal monitor placed, epidural and more.  I ended up getting an infection (Chorioamnionitis) and suffered quite a bit during the labor portion of the birth.  It was an extremely painful and frustrating process, partially due to the fact that my baby was not in an ideal position (sunny side up).  Long story short, I was only able to avoid a C-section because Nicole helped me turn my baby into a better position, using various Spinning Babies techniques.  It was far from easy to do, and took quite a lot of effort on behalf of Nicole, my husband and me, but we did it!  We were able to turn the baby enough to allow him to drop into a proper position and have a vaginal birth.

Without Nicole, I would have very likely had a C-section. It was her words of encouragement, her Spinning Babies techniques, and all the information she provided me that allowed me to fight til the end to have a vaginal birth. Because of her, I was able to have a pleasant delivery and NO TEARING (thanks to the oil she brought)! I cannot recommend Nicole enough... she is an extremely intelligent, patient and compassionate person who you will need by your side before, during and after birth.  We are so very thankful for her :)  Thank you Nicole!!

Jonathan Hicken

10/22/2019

I recommend Nicole with all of my heart & soul. Here are the Top 5 reasons I think you should welcome her into your lives, too:

1. She knows the science. She is extremely well studied. She presents the research in an unbiased way and also provides some alternative interpretations of the results. In other words, she does a fabulous job of balancing modern western science and alternative health practices.

2. She sees the bigger picture. We were so focused on the delivery itself. Nicole is thinking about your (and your baby's)  health before, during, and after. 

3. She's looking out for all three of you. As a father, it was particularly important for me that Nicole saw me as a partner and not as a distraction. She gave me lots of tools to be the best partner I could be and even looked out for my health and wellbeing, too.

4. She'll advocate for you. Things move quickly in the delivery room and Nicole wasn't shy about speaking up when she thought it best served mom, dad, and or/baby. 

5. She's a calming presence. Birth is intense and Nicole was a calm, grounding energy throughout the entire experience. That was a welcome balance to our sometimes frazzled energy.

Charlotte

9/24/2019

Nicole was amazing. She was my doula for both of my pregnancies. She did a great job of getting me to think about the right things and ask the right questions of my doctors, nurses and hospital staff. She went in depth re the birth process, which ultimately gave me the confidence that I could handle child birth. Nicole also very thorougly informed me of my options re the final months and childbirth, particularly re pain relief. Our discussions were evidence-based, and she is well-researched. I wholeheartedly recommend Nicole for first or second-time moms to be. 

Marc Destefano

8/12/2019

Nicole was amazing. Highly professional, always right on time, and absolutely terrific with our 2-month-old son. She helped with sleep training, she helped him through his nighttime grunting sessions, and she provided detailed notes on how he did during the night. I would not have survived my return to work without her help. Strongly recommended.

Melissa D

7/29/2019

Nicole is loving and professional. From the first time we saw our son in her arms we knew she would take great care of him while we slept. At my request, she supervised me while I nursed to make sure I didn't fall asleep and hurt him. The rest she gave us was restorative and our baby sleeps through the night at 2.5 months.

Kathy

6/9/2019

Nicole was very professional and organized. She met with us several times before the birth, several times after the birth, and was with us for 30+ hours while I was in labor at the hospital. She taught us exercises to do before the birth, provided support throughout labor including massage, and followed up thoroughly. Nicole also kept detailed notes of my labor so that I can look back on how it unfolded since it was all a blur to me. I would recommend Nicole to anyone looking for a birth doula. Thank you, Nicole!

Dan Oppenheimer

4/3/2019

Nicole helped us welcome our daughter home with a great amount of support as a post-partum doula. She helped transform what we've heard are typically a challenging couple of first weeks into a more manageable time. Nicole shared a lot of tips and tricks based on her experience - which really helped us get more comfortable navigating the various newborn care chores on our own. Additionally, Nicole did a fantastic job on overnight sessions, helping to keep our daughter asleep longer to give both of us first-time parents some much needed rest.

Beyond just performing the role of a post-partum doula ably, Nicole's personality and demeanor made working with her a pleasure - she took great care of our daughter and engaged both of us parents in learning as well.

I'd happily recommend Nicole as a post-partum doula to anyone looking for a kind, experienced, and knowledgeable person to help welcome a new baby home.

jane weiss

12/19/2018

Nicole was an integral part of our pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience. Her knowledge is unmatched and the resources and networks she provided for excellent prenatal massage, chiropractic care, and essentially anything we needed during pregnancy and afterward were essential. Though this was our first child, and we knew very little going into pregnancy, my husband and I were well-equipped to experience a wonderful and memorable labor at home and a natural hospital birth because of all the mental, emotional and physical preparation Nicole provided us with. Nicole continued to be very present and comforting during our most vulnerable weeks of new parenthood. Be sure to meet with Nicole early on in pregnancy and take advantage of all of her wonderful resources and google doc organization! I know my birth experience would not have been as positive if I had not adhered to her advice and wisdom from the start. She is a wealth of knowledge and an important member of the Bay Area birthing community. We are so thankful to her for giving us the most valuable gift we could ask for - our beautiful, healthy baby girl and a wonderful and memorable journey to bring her here. Thank you Nicole, we will always be grateful for your love, support & wisdom!!!!

Cristina Trujillo

10/9/2018

We wholeheartedly recommend Nicole to anyone looking for birth or postpartum doula support. Nicole supported our family for over 4 months with our second daughter, providing overnight support. We were immediately impressed by how professional, caring and knowledgable Nicole is. She gave us good advice about managing our baby's development, as well as our 2 year old's development and adjustment in becoming a big sister. She always listened without judgment and was quick to internalize our family's needs. As our daughter exited the newborn stage, Nicole talked to us about goals for our daughter's nights, and helped us get to the point where our daughter didn't need to be fed or picked up to be soothed at night when she woke. These accomplishments made us feel confident about managing nights with two little ones as we transitioned off of Nicole's support. Throughout the months we worked together, Nicole made sure that she could rest properly during the day so she could be awake as needed at night. We unfortunately had a bad experience with a night nanny who we caught sleeping while holding our daughter, but with Nicole I never had any worries. The way that she completely changes her schedule so that she can be awake for night work really demonstrates a high level of commitment and professionalism. I always looked forward to chatting with Nicole when she arrived - not only about my girls, but just to have a fun, relaxing chat with a warm and genuine person. We miss her!

Luarnie Bermudo

9/20/2018

Nicole was amazing.  When my husband and I first met her for our initial consultation, we got a great sense that she was the doula for us after interviewing several doulas.  What gravitated towards us the most was her balance of professionalism and empathy.  She was always prepared and punctual and managed to answer all of our questions.  Her visits were always informative and we definately were well equipped come time for labor and delivery.  She is extremly hands on, which I prefer.  We contacted her several times before active labor and she helped guide us through the entire process.  Once in active labor, she not only helped me, but made sure my husband and sister were well hydrated and had nourishments (my labor took over 36 hrs).  She then was with us through the entire journey.  What's great about her is that she does not try to influence you in any direction, but serves more to provide you with knowledge and information, so you and your partner can decide on your own.  Post-Partum, she checks in on you and makes sure you, baby and your partner are doing well.  We would not know what we would have done without her.

Angela Crissey

7/8/2018

This was our first baby and we were so pleased with our experience with Nicole! She prepared my husband and I very well for the arrival of our son. Nicole was an excellent doula, she wanted to fully understand our fears, wishes and previous experience with newborns and labor. She really took the time to get to know us, which was so important for her to fully support us. She gave us access to a number of resources, and educated us on the things we feared. She gave me exercises to practice, reading, and recommendations for chiropractic and acupuncture care. I cannot recommend Nicole enough for the work she did during our pregnancy to prepare us for parenthood and labor.

My labor progressed very quickly and Nicole was not able to physically be there with us until I began pushing. However she was on the phone with us, coaching us, reminding us of the pain management strategies and distractions. She played a key role in coaching my breathing while I was going through transition while on the phone. It was difficult because I went through transition in about 15 minutes and began to panic from the pain. She and my husband were able to successfully calm me back down with breathing, and reminding me our goals and other strategies we set up ahead of time.

Nicole arrived in time to support us during the pushing phase, and was an amazing advocate during labor. She was able to successfully get our son to latch before we left the room he was born in, and continued to support us in the postpartum phase. She reminded us of our music, encouraged us to talk photos, said some very encouraging words and kept the mood very positive. She reminded us to talk to our son, and she really made the first several minutes with him very special. Nicole helped us settle into our postpartum suite and left only after we felt settled and fully supported.

We highly recommend Nicole, and cannot imagine what our pregnancy and labor without her.

Christina Chung

7/3/2018

This was our first pregnancy and our first experience with a doula. Nicole does a great job of balancing professionalism and warmth - two qualities we were looking for in a doula. She was thorough in our prenatal visits and spent a good chunk of time offering us information and talking through different scenarios to help us formulate a plan. Throughout my pregnancy and postpartum, Nicole was a great resource and checked in regularly.

During labor and delivery, Nicole was a calm presence and a hard worker. She had great physical stamina in massaging me through contractions, she always found ways to be helpful, and she even helped us clean up after the delivery. I appreciated having her there to remind me of our birth plan. My partner appreciated having her there to be able to tag team the physical support.

Nicole also checked in with us throughout our postpartum period, and she even brought me soup during our visits. Overall, I felt more supported and better prepared having had Nicole as my doula.

Maggi Aaronson

7/2/2018

We were so grateful to have met Nicole when we did. Just 6 weeks away from the initial due date, she jumped right in and was able to play an informative and incredibly supportive role in the days, weeks, and hours leading up to my birth. Nicole is incredibly professional. She takes her work very seriously, always prepared for each session to ask the right questions and offer up her knowledge and experience. She is honest, but also brings a loving touch to the work- and while she able to offer her opinions, she is non-judgemental of yours.

I loved working with Nicole, and missed our sessions and working with her after I gave birth. She goes above and beyond the call of duty, and is committed to providing high quality Doula support no matter what your background.

We loved Nicole and were so lucky to have her present at the birth of my second child. I would highly recommend her to anyone who is considering hiring a Doula- they would be lucky to get her!

Thanks,

Maggi Aaronson

Monica Spitzer

3/4/2018

I highly recommend Nicole as a doula! I had some pregnancy complications and knew before hiring her that I wanted to have a vaginal birth but that an unmedicated birth might not be possible for me. Nicole made me feel comfortable about my situation because she was informed and educated about the complications I was dealing with, she was not judgmental about my personal birth goals, and she did not try to impose different goals on me. I knew I could trust her to help me achieve what I wanted and that she would support me in doing so, and that's exactly how it went. Nicole was always there for us even when I had to be induced earlier than expected. Her attendance at the birthful was really helpful to my husband so that he was much less stressed and was able to be a supportive partner to me--her assistance was a great support to us as a couple in going through our birth experience together. Nicole was an important part of helping me to achieve my goals for our birth experience and both me and my husband agree we would retain her again if we have a second child. Also, she is great at communication and very responsive, both before and after the birth.

Aaron Burdick

2/7/2018

Our experience with Nicole as our doula was absolutely outstanding and we can unequivocally recommend getting a doula (and Nicole specifically). She met with us twice prior to our labor and calmly answered all our questions. She researched our more esoteric questions and provided evidence based resources to aid our decision making. During the labor, Nicole really transformed the mood, dimming the lights, turing on relaxing music, and immediately bringing her calming aura into the room. Then she literally worked her butt off for the next 10 hours straight, massaging mama, using a rebozo, using a TENS unit, switching out messy blankets, etc... with maybe 1 5 min break. She was also very sensitive to allow papa to be the primary emotional support for mama, while she took care of the more physical needs (and even helped to get water, bananas/food, etc.). We were amazed at her energy, patience, and care! We had the labor and delivery we desired: completely natural with no medical interventions. After the birth she helped us to latch fof the first breastfeeding, which was magical. She visited the day we returned from the hospital and has been very responsive, supportive, and encouraging to our postpartum questions. Overall, Nicole's support for our birthing experience was SO valuable and we absolutely would recommend her if you are looking for a doula.

Erin Figueroa

1/10/2018

Working with Nicole was such an amazing experience! We hired Nicole a few days after coming home from the hosiptal for post-birth support. Hiring Nicole was by far the best thing we could have done for daughter and for our family, especially since I was recovering from a c-section. Nicole not only provide amazing care for our daughter, she taught us things about caring for a newborn that we never knew before. She was patient, kind and warm coupled with deep rooted skills and applicable knowledge for caring for a newborn. I would absolutely hire Nicole again!

M B

12/13/2017

Nicole is an awesome doula- a perfect combination of caring, compassionate nature with a knowledge of evidence based practices in childbirth. As a woman of color myself, I was hoping to find a doula of color & there are not as many of them, so was very happy to find Nicole who turned out to be the best match for us! Thanks to the support of Nicole and my husband, I was able to achieve my goal of having a natural, unmedicated, empowering birth experience, despite things not initially going like I had hoped for and having to get induced. It was important to me that the doula be open to supporting me in using hypnobabies approach and Nicole was very open to it and spent time reading resources/ material I shared. She was very professional, shared multiple useful resources and literature during the prenatal visits, asking thought provoking questions and helping me think about my birth preferences and baby care plan. I loved that she individualizes her approach to suit the needs of thhe client and did an intake inteview with both me and my husband so she can support us both in the best way possible.She was always available during the on call period,  even offering to accompany me to my appointment for emotional support if needed. She totally rocked during my delivery, helping me with physical techniques and emotional support to help labor progress, she was supportive and very perceptive during labor, reading me well , guiding my husband in supporting me yet not taking away from his role. She checked on us postpartum, bringing a packet of herbs for healing and even showed us how to swaddle the baby. Later, as I struggled with some breastfeeding issues, she offered her support again giving referrals. Additionally, she is a certified lactation consultant and is in the process of becoming a midwife, she really has passion for this work and you will not regret hiring her as your doula.

Jasmin Llamas

11/12/2017

Nicole was great! She helped me stick to my birth plan and knew what I needed when. I really wanted to have a natural birth without pain medication and she helped me get through labor without it. She also guided my husband showing him how he could best support me, which he found really helpful. There was so much I didn't expect in labor and after and Nicole was there to provide her support and guidance. Having my son was the best day of my life and I know I couldn't have done it without Nicole!

Corinne Iloreta

10/3/2017

Edgar Luna Ramirez

8/31/2017

I enjoyed Nicole's professional approach of getting me and my fianc`ee's expectations of the role we wanted her to play during our birthing experience.  One of her strengths that I liked was her ability provide us with scientific sources for which we could draw information from so that we could make an informed decision anytime we had questions in regards to how we wanted to define our birth plan.  This, in turn, empowered us throughout the whole process.

She never talked at us as if she was telling us what to do, we found other doulas with the same amount of birthing experience would simply try to tell us what to do instead of listening to what we were really asking for.  Instead, Nicole took the role of active listening to ensure she listened and understood the questions we were asking her.  This openness to listening was a major aspect in her interaction with us that ultimately gave us the confidence in choosing her as our doula.

Bhaswati Sengupta

8/25/2017

We had the pleasure of Nicole's presence during the birth of our first baby. Nicole came for two pre-natal visits and was very thorough with the upcoming labor and delivery situation. She shared lots of very useful information and answered all the questions my husband and I had. We discussed various prenatal exercises and delivery positions for a smooth delivery. She suggested different options that can make me feel to be in control during labor and delivery and I must stay it worked really well for me. Nicole helped us to understand what a birthplan should look like and helped us to draft one.
Nicole was very prompt to respond as soon as my labor started and came to assist us through the process. She was very well prepared and extremely professional. Her presence and assistance made the process smooth and easier for me and my husband. She gave our birthplan to the delivery nurse in the very beginning and our birthplan was followed. We would definitely recommend her as an excellent doula.

krithika ramasethu

7/21/2017

Nicole Rivera is an amazing Doula and a wonderful professional!

This was my first pregnancy and the delivery happened in El Camino Hospital, Mountain View, CA. While the hospital pregnancy classes provided some familiarization of the labor and delivery process, Nicole's 1:1 sessions were the real deal - and we learnt more about the process, customized to what we wanted than any other class, book or YouTube video taught us. During my 40 hours of labor, she was a constant support checking in with me every few hours and even drive down during the middle of the night to comfort me. During the early labor, she was very helpful and assisted me with the tens machine, rebozo, massages and helped me feel comfortable using a pregnancy ball. Apart from this, she also provided music, scented aromas to help me feel comfortable with the pain as well as for my nausea. She was also very helpful in suggesting labor positions and help me with pushing. Nicole supported me throughout the process all the way until my little one was born. She also actively checked in on me during the postpartum times and helped me with breast feeding and other questions as well.

Both me and my husband would wholeheartedly recommend her.

Matt Harmon

7/20/2017

My wife and I had the pleasure of working with Nicole during our first pregnancy and at the birth of our son.  What I valued most about Nicole was her extensive knowledge base and listening skills - thanks to her we felt about as prepared as possible for first time parents.  She also pushed us to discuss topics and issues that we had not been dedicating enough attention to (i.e. spending too much time picking out items to buy and not thinking deeply about how we will handle the logistics of being parents and the impact it would have on our lives.) When the day came for us to go to hospital Nicole was with all the way through and helped my wife tremendously - I honestly do not know what I would have done had we not had her help. I'd enthusiastically recommend her to any couple that wishes to have the guidance of a doula throughout their pregnancy.

Nicky Conroy

4/20/2017

Nicole was our doula for the birth of our first child, April 3, 2017. Before that date she made several home visits (an hour’s drive for her!) to help us clarify our own knowledge about birth and fill in any gaps. Nicole is a gifted educator, with deep knowledge and a gentle touch. Before she answers questions or offers her own knowledge or opinions, she carefully elicits your own, guiding you forward from there. She helped us think through intervention risk assessments, labor and birth positions, baby position, stretches and exercises, postpartum and parenting issuses, packing our “go-bag” and much more. We were comitted to a drug-free vaginal birth; maybe you can guess what comes next… Our due date passed and at 41 weeks and 3 days we were admitted for induction after a dodgy non-stress test. Nicole took a long walk with us before we were admitted and talked us through how to face our new reality. It was only once we entered labor tht we came to truly understand how perfectly suited she is for birth work and how lucky we were to have her on our team. Our labor went over 40 hours, including 5 hours of pushing and nearly every intervention in the book (except pain meds). Nicole was with us every step, providing support and full body massage for mom, relief for dad, quietly cleaning up of messes, keeping us hydrated, helping us at every decision point and keeping the room orderly, quiet and comfortable. In the pushing phase, when it became clear there was a problem with the baby's position, Nicole took on an even more active role, offering positions and techniques to help baby down. This epic ended with a 6am C-section. Nicole was still there as the sun rose, making sure we three (!) were comfortably bonding before she left to finally get some sleep herself. A nurse who had been through two 8-hour shifts with us said what we already knew: "That's a one-in-a-million doula!" We will be forever grateful for Nicole's role in our birth.

Kanur Khayam

3/1/2017

Nicole is everything you could ask for in a doula. She was a pillar of support and strength throughout my labor. Since my early labor had intense contractions and started Wednesday post midnight, Nicole came to my place and stayed with me and my husband till we had our baby in kaiser following Friday evening. She gave me massages, herbal teas and soothing advice to help me cope up with intense contractions at home and in hospital. She guided my husband so he could offer valuable support as well. I had normal delivery with epidural and that was my birth plan since I wanted to avoid C section. I couldn't have done that without Nicole. Besides offering labor support she is a great resource for information about pros n cons of various medical interventions, vaccinations and breastfeeding. I would highly recommend hiring Nicole as a doula. She is a warm person and a great doula.

Shawn Fortner

9/21/2016

Nicole was incredibly helpful throughout the experience with our first child. She was kind, honest and willing to share any and all information and stories to help us prepare for the delivery. She always brought a warm, calm and positive energy to the room. She proved to be a great resource to go to for any questions about the process. She also came to visit us to see how we were doing during a postpartum visit. She made sure we were eating well by preparing a great meal. We would definitely recommend Nicole to friends and family as a Doula.

Daniela Parker

9/6/2016

Nicole was an amazing resource and support for me and my husband in preparing for the birth of our first baby, she was an integral member of our birth team! We found Nicole through Doula match. During our meet and greet, Nicole was very honest and straight forward, I felt good chemistry with her from the beginning which was a key requirement for me when selecting a doula. She answered all my questions patiently and asked good questions that got us thinking about things we haven’t considered. During our initial consultation she was great, brought a lot of information and showed us more about the techniques that she uses during birth, I loved that she had great knowledge about aromatherapy and massages. After our session she sent a lot of information about the topics that interested us and followed up to our questions via email. Our baby came two weeks early and we didn’t had a chance for a second session, but during labor Nicole was a champion! I wanted to avoid a C section as much as I could, my goal was to have a vaginal delivery, and I truly believe that I might have ended up having a C section if it wasn’t for her support. I was in labor for 36 hours and she was there for almost 24 hours straight making sure I was calm and relaxed. She used aromatherapy and massaged my feet and back, did meditation sessions, prepared me tea, stayed with me so my husband could go to eat something, and also, answered all of our questions and gave us key information when we were facing decisions during the whole process. She only left the room for a couple of hours to get some rest when I decided to get an epidural, but she was back once my husband called her when I started pushing, and she stayed a while after the baby was born to make sure we were all OK.
One final thing that I adored about her, is that from the beginning she made it clear that she was also meant to be a great support for my husband and coached him on how to support me better!

Mariel Davs

8/24/2016

Words feel limited to accurately express how lucky I feel to have learned about Doulas and thankful I am for having found Doula Nicole Rivera.

Nicole was there with me throughout my whole process. Patient, loving, caring. She was my center and my guide. My birth plan was to have a vaginal delivery with no pain killers and at moments of doubt and pain, she was by biggest supporter. We did it together.

I highly suggest a Doula every time someone asks me and even if nobody asks me, I highly suggest a Doula every time.

Nicole helped me stay educated, calmed when there wasn't a reason to be alarmed, provided me with the space to make decisions... all before and during my delivery.

Thank you Nicole. And you were right, I did have the delivery I planned for and in a big way, it was thanks to you. I feel blessed.

Emad Abdo

5/16/2016

We had an excellent experience with Nicole as a birth doula. We first met Nicole at BABI's "Meet the Doulas" at Harmony Birth & Family. Even though we started with Nicole at the last month of pregnancy, she was very professional and organized sending us plenty of helpful reading material and resources that definitely helped us make informed decisions. Nicole was always there when we had questions and was open to listen and learn about our concerns. She promptly arranged prenatal meetings with my wife and was prepared to meet at any time we needed her support. We called her when labor started, she asked us questions to evaluate the situation and was there shortly after the call. During labor, my wife had irregular contractions since the morning until next day at 7pm not being able to sleep. Since Nicole’s visit to our house until we got to the hospital, she was always there helping us and especially my wife with massages using essential oils, helping with yoga positions, breathing exercises and doing rebozo exercises which definitely helped engage the baby and get the mama ready for delivery. Nicole’s presence gave me the chance to nap for a couple of hours and she was there for continuous support. We had a prenatal appointment with the midwife on the due date morning before Nicole’s visit. My wife was 3cm dilated and 90% effaced. By the time we got to the hospital next day, she was 7.5cm dilated and 100% effaced and few hours after with Nicole’s continuous help and support, we had our first baby girl. Our goal was to deliver naturally with minimum intervention and Nicole was the best support we had to achieve our goal.

Shweta Gumastedesai

1/12/2016

We met Nicole at "Meet a doula" event arranged by BABI.

After meeting and interviewing with 4 doulas, we decided to go ahead with Nicole's services because our thought processes aligned and we were convinced that she would be a perfect fit for all our requirements. And she indeed was!

Nicole supported us throughout our pregnancy and childbirth. She was fantastic with making sure that I stuck to my birth plan. The information resources that she provided were very helpful and they let us make informed decisions.

During labor, she used a lot of massages and aromatherapy techniques to make the whole process comfortable. I quickly recovered  all the soreness that comes with childbirth. She was also a great support and a very good guide to my husband during the entire child birth process.

I am absolutely thankful for having Nicole as our doula!!

Deana Vranas

11/15/2015

We had a great experience with Nicole. Throughout my pregnancy she sent us articles to read and reminders to do breathing exercises. She was great about getting us more information or answering any questions we had. Any time we wanted to meet she would arrange it. From the minute she came to our house while in labor I was more relaxed, which allowed my labor to progress. We delivered at Sutter, and had a very peaceful experience. I wanted my mom and husband to help me in birth and Nicole was very helpful in encouraging me to think about what role I wanted each of them to play. And she helped to facilitate my wishes that when the time came. Nicole wanted us to take ownership of preparing for birth together, because ultimately that would be what mattered to have the birth we wanted. Nicole is very professional, great at communication, and strives to learn more about birth and health. I really appreciate how she takes the time to get to know the Santa Cruz, Monterey and Bay Area birth professionals. For instance, our midwife knew Nicole from a Santa Cruz meet the midwives event. Nicole is a very caring a calm person, and an invaluable resource to have on your birth team.

Leilani Mariel Perez

9/25/2015

We have had the pleasure of knowing Nicole Rivera long before having our child. She not only is our dear friend but, she is a woman with genuine interest and vast knowledge in child development and the doula trade. I had the pleasure of having her all along my pregnancy as well as, throughout my labor. We had a hospital birth, a high-risk birth, due to the fact of my baby being 25 weeks... from the looks of it my very desired home-birth was not going to be possible. However, she was by my side and made sure that at least my wish of natural delivery was granted and above all, RESPECTED!

She was by our side and we were blessed to have had her support during labor as wel as post-partum.

Baby was born naturally without any medication and weighing a "whoping" 1 lbs 14 oz!  We had Nicole close to us for the entire 3.5 months he stayed in the NICU... Her sensitivity and positive energy was very much welcomed and needed.

We can attest to the fact that, she is a very passionate professional who will educate you to the best of her abilities and give you the support that all mamas and papas need throughout this amazing journey of child birthing and "fourth trimester" bliss!

Forever grateful,

The Torres-Perez Family (Miami, FL)

Haruna Kamei

7/19/2015

After meeting with three doulas, my husband and I decided to ask Nicole to be our doula. Retrospective, Nicole and we worked together wonderfully and we are so happy to have chosen her.

Here are the key criteria that we had in mind for our doula, and she met all of them.

- Sincere: What we really liked the most about her is that she was hard-working and always thought of our needs before thinking of her own convenience.

- Reliable: She was very responsive in text/email. She also sent me follow-up emails to provide additional information on things that we discussed during our meetings. When she said she would email me something, she never forgot :)

- Available: She let us decide when we want her to be there. Many doulas only come when active labor starts. But she was OK to be with us from early labor if that's what we wanted.

- Fully committed: Although we had less than a week before my schedule induction, she visited me twice to discuss my birth wishes and the pain management tools/techniques I wanted to use. She helped me put together a birht plan for the hospital staff, which was printed out and read by so many doctors and nurses who came into my labor & delivery room.

- 100% supportive: She respected what we wanted and never questioned our decisions nor pushed her opinions. Instead, she helped me think through every possible scenario to better prepare for unexpected situations.

- Personality match: relaxed, calming, confident, reserved, can be fun and energetic as needed.

During the peak of the labor, all I remember is that she gave me really strong massage on my lower back and hip, kept telling me a lot of encouragements and comforting words right by my ears, prepared a wet cloth with calming essential oils, all of which were very effective.

As she has lots of experience in early child development, we plan to get her postportem support as well.

Andrea Wagner

7/18/2015

Nicole is amazing! We used her for post-partum doula services. Nicole was always prompt and prepared to handle anything that was thrown at her. She has a great way about her. Her personality is very calm, reassuring and therapeutic. She played with our little one, encouraged both physical and mental development and nurtured her in all the right ways. Dare I call her "The Baby Whisperer" with her unbelievable swaddling skills. Nicole was also a tremendous help to me. On days I did not feel well she made great homeopathic suggestions never being pushy just being suggestive. She also always came prepared with essential oils to aid in mommy aches and pains.  During such an overwhelming time in new parents lives, we were lucky to have her by our side. I highly recommend her services.

Baby Khyani

7/8/2015

She is amazing!!! We also recorded our birth which is uploaded on our Youtube channel BabyKhyani featuring Nicole and her precious touch!!ithank you for everything!!! You are the best!!!