Berkeley Parents Network: Doula for Alta Bates Delivery

Berkeley Parents Network

Doula for Alta Bates Delivery

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Health & Medical > Doula for Alta Bates Delivery

Doulas for delivery at Alta Bates

April 2007

Hi, I'd like to get some recent recommendations for a doula for my friend who is due at the end of May. They have checked the archives for recs, but would like some more recent info. They are thinking of hypnobirthing, but that's not really a necessary pre-req for the doula. They will be using Alta Bates and a doctor (not a midwife). Thanks jeanne

I would like to recommend Deanna Jesus. She helped me greatly with the birth of my son, who is now 2 years old. And she came through on the last minute, too! My original doula had to cancel, so I met her a week before my due date (thinking we had a few days, ha ha). My water broke early the next morning, I called her up, and she met us at Alta Bates. She was wonderful. More info can be found here, including her email and phone number: http://www.doulaworld.com/doula/cfml/profile/profilemember.cfm?email=douladee@birthingbabies.com Lori

We used Amanda MacDonald for the birth of our second child. She attended Hypnobirthing classes with us, so she is familiar with it. She was really great both in the visits before the birth - lots of information & not hardline about anything - & also at the hospital during labor. She wasn't touchy-feely, which was what my husband was worried about, but had a very calming, soothing presence. Her contact info is: amanda[at]loveslaborbirthservices.com KB

We had a wonderful doula, Ann Hayman. She helped educate us before the birth and gave crucial support during labor, without being intrusive. 415-826-7121, http://thelotustouch.com/ Sophia

Sept 2005

I'm an older first-time mom expecting the first week of December, and I'm looking for more recent recommendations for doulas (the ones currently listed on the website are from 2004). Also, I have a logistical question: do I introduce my ob-gyn to my doula, or use a doula recommended by my ob-gyn? I'm not sure how this works. Thanks for your help! StinsonsMom

Dear StinsonsMom, I'd like to recommend a couple of very excellent doulas: Makini Duewa (510-625-1395) and Betsy Appell (415-254-0706). Both live in the East Bay. They are both wonderful.

It's fantastic that your OB would recommend a doula to you. I would definitely meet her (if you like your OB); but you shouldn't feel obligated to do so or to work with her, if after meeting her you find you don't connect. The most important part in choosing a doula is the connection between you -- it's every bit as (or even more) important as how much experience she has. Good luck! Jenny

I highly recommend Betsey Appell (www.berkeleydoula.com). She is amazing -- incredibly skilled, very experienced and totally dedicated. She knows all the tricks for helping moms have the birth they want. She got me through what turned out to be a very challenging (though blessedly brief), medication-free birth. HOWEVER, though she specializes in supporting women who want a natural childbirth, she is not ''militant'' about it at all. She will support you in having whatever kind of birth you want.

Betsey is not only a very thoroughly trained and experienced doula, she is also a yoga, mediation and hypnobirthing instructor. She is currently studying every single labor method there is, combining the best elements into her own method of labor coaching. She is brilliant and made all the difference for me and my husband.

Finally, I gave birth at Alta Bates, and one of the reasons I chose Betsey is that she is well known and liked by most of the staff there. Because of this, the best Alta Bates nurses, if they know she is there attending you, will request to be assigned to you (she'll explain how that works).

Oh, one more thing -- good doulas get booked up well ahead of time, so contact her NOW, if you are interested to interview her. If you do decide to hire her, let her know I referred you! :) Best of luck, Alesia

We used Treesa Mclean as our doula when our daughter was born at Alta Bates. She is amazing. One of the things we really like about her is that she isn't super hippy, flowery. Rather, she gives off an air of competence and calmness. She really is there to support YOU, and however you want your birth experience to be. Her calm demeanor turned out to be a real blessing when it came time to give birth. We had a long labor, and then a very fast transition and pushing stage. We almost thought we wouldn't make it to the hospital on time!! Treesa was calm the entire time and helped direct and navigate everything. We would have been panicking otherwise. Even the nurses and others at Alta Bates were listening to her and following her suggestions when we rushed in and had to be gurneyed straight into delivery. I found her to be so reassuring and so helpful. My husband felt totally comfortable with her and also really depended on her. Our doctor didn't even make it to the hospital until about one minute before I delivered, so Treesa really was it for us and I felt like I was in the best hands I could be in. In the weeks after delivery, she came to our house several times to check on us and to help with some breastfeeding problems. Definitely can't go wrong with her. Rebecca

I just gave birth to my son at Alta Bates (on September 6) with the help of a wonderful doula who is also highly recommended in the BPN archives: Treesa Mclean. She was everything I hoped for in a doula, and helped me have everything I hoped for in my birthing experience! Treesa has had a lot of experience in general, and experience with Alta Bates in particular, and in fact knew a lot of the hospital personnel and procedures, which was helpful. She was straightforward, supportive, and knowledgeable, with lots of ideas for making labor (and the weeks leading up to labor, during which I got pretty anxious) easier to manage.

I have to add, though, that since I was so psychologically comfortable laboring at home, we didn't end up spending very much time at the hospital. By the time we left home, I was ready to push, and my son was born about an hour after we arrived at the hospital.

As far as your procedural questions, if you really like your OB and trust her style, why not ask her for recommendations for doulas too? And although you might ask your OB and doula if they'd like to meet, my understanding is that it isn't usually done. They will interact very little anyway, just at the very end of your labor when your OB pops in for the actual delivery. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions! Nicole

My husband and I had our first son five weeks ago and we chose Betsy Appell to be our doula. We LOVED working with her. Betsy is a very experienced and caring person who has a great balance between her professional skills and human qualities. Besides from being my doula, she was my pre-natal yoga and HypnoBirthing instructor which made our relationship grow very close by the time the birth came along (I strongly recommend taking her classes). During labor her support was crucial to the progress towards delivery, she was very attentive to my needs at all times, made me feel confident and kept me calm so that I could be present and collaborate with my body. She was a huge help to my husband who felt relaxed knowing that having Betsy there would take off the responsibilities of advocacy when dealing with doctors or medical assistants. My husband was able to give me the strength and comfort I needed because Betsy was there. She was always available to discuss my concerns before and after the birth. I hope Betsy is around for my second baby and hope you also have a chance to enjoy her services as a doula. You can check her website at: www.sfdoula.com. If you need further information feel free to contact me. Good luck. Lola Lola

Delivering at Alta Bates without a doula

Mar 2004

i'm hoping that i will be able to have a second natural delivery at alta bates and wondered what other people's experiences have been without the support of a doula or midwife. i had a fabulous doula the first time, which pretty much left the nurses with nothing to do but check my monitor readings. for financial reasons, i may have to forego a doula this time, which makes me a little nervous. there are some old postings about the pluses and minuses of alta bates nurses in the archive, but nothing recent. can i expect the alta bates nurses to massage my back, encourage unusual birthing poses, talk me through my contractions, etc as my doula had? anon

if the issue is not being able to afford a doula, there are many doulas-in-training, including myself, who might be able to help you. I know for my certification I need to attend 4 births for free. this is after taking a didactic training &/or observing other births. so if you have a little extra time & feel comfortable with a birth attendant who doesn't have as much experience, you could contact places like Birthways & Waddle and Swaddle, who might have leads of doula students. or possibly post here. (I'd also be happy to talk to you). alta bates has volunteer doulas, but I am not sure what the criteria is to get one (maybe uninsured?) & I don't think they are there all the time. good luck, virginia

I just delivered my third child at alta bates. I had a natural birth each time and did not have a doula. What I did have was a birth team. Two of my best friends, my mother-in-law, and my husband were there for all three births. My husband and I wrote up a birth plan and shared it with ''the team'' in advance. It was great to have that much support, if you have people that you trust, they can really help out. The other bonus for them is an increased closeness with your children. As far as the nurses go, we brought copies of our plan with us to the hospital and talked to the nurses about our goals. I found that they were very supportive of no drugs and no intervention. The other thing is that with your second birth, your body knows more about what to do and you don't need to rely on the nurse as much.

I would recommend being very vocal about your needs. They can bring a rocking chair into your room and can find a birthing ball also. One of the nurses that I had told me that they are especially eager to help women deliver without intervention. I was very pleased with the L&D nurses that I encountered. Good Luck. Joan

Hi there- I have attended a few births at alta bates as a doula, one was a client of mine and the rest were volunteer births that I did there. If you go into labor and come into the hospital, you can request that one of the volunteer doulas in their program be called to come and assist you... the only downfall is that there is no guarantee that someone is actually on call during the time you might be there. I have had good experiences with nurse there and I've had experiences there that weren't so awesome, but overall the atmosphere is good. As far as your question about ''Will the nurses be able to rub my back and get you into other positions...'' My answer is NO- it had seemed to me that in the cases where I was there, if I hadn't have been there these moms might have been a whole lot more uncomfortable because the instances I was there they were really busy and couldn't lend TOO much help in the comfort dept. If you would like to speak with me privately please email me- maybe we can work something out together... Shaana Keller

My second child was born two years ago at AB without a doula. I had a doula for the first one there many years ago, and although she was available, she didn't feel I needed her. My labor nurse was fantastic. Someone (I think my OB) said that all the nurses at AB are pro natural-birth and really go out of their way to support a laboring mother who wants to do it. I didn't ask for advice from her and she didn't offer any. My OB was there for much of the hard part but tried to keep in the background as much as he could.

If you feel confident about your own knowledge and experience (I reread the book my natural birth method was based on before going into labor) then my guess is that you'll have a good experience unless you think your OB may be the problem. anonymous

I'm a L&D nurse at Alta Bates -- you can get this kind of care, but when you come in to have your child, please tell the triage nurse that you want a nurse who will provide labor support for you. There are nurses on every shift who enjoy doing this (I'm one of them) but not all do. On the other hand, to make a general statement (not about you), it helps to not come into the hospital with a strict birth plan, to be flexible, and don't bring in a whole lot of stuff with you to the labor room. L&D staff have universal folklore/superstitions about this -- patients like this seem to have a high csection rate. Don't know if retrospective studies have born this out or not, but everywhere I've worked in the country over the past 15 years, same superstition. I lump this in with the superstitions about the full moon that health care providers have. So speak up and tell the staff what you want! Hopefully you are also seeing one of the OB-Gyns who only perform interventions when absolutely needed. Good luck and we'll see you in the future! anon RN

I delivered at Alta Bates and found the nurses to be WONDERFUL. I opted for an epidural, but when it didn't work (!), they talked me through the contractions and breathing and positions to be mroe comfortable. Also, both nurses stayed long past their shift to see my daughter delivered. anon

When I delivered at Alta Bates in the summer of 2002, they had a program whereby you could request a doula at no charge upon being admitted, and if there was one available she would come and assist you throughout your labor. I think these were doulas in training. I wanted to use the service, but my daughter was born 20 minutes after we got to the hospital (!) so there was no time. Even though I was only in labor there for a short time, the nurses were awesome and I had a wonderful experience. Once my baby was born, she stayed with me until we left the next day, except for the bath and eyedrops. I know at other hospitals, they tend to keep coming to take the baby. This happened to me at California Pacific in SF with my first born (not a good experience - but thats another story!).

Anyway, you should contact the L&D dept. at Alta Bates and inquire about the free doula program to see if it is still available. If you don't get one, rest assured that the nurses will take good care of you. mom of 2

I delivered at Alta Bates with a doula 20 months ago and couldn't imagine delivering without one. I had always heard that the delivery nurses there were great and not to worry about a doula, but my experience was otherwise. If I had known then what I know now, I would have immediately requested another nurse because the first nurse assigned to me was clearly anti-natural birth and it affected everything that followed. My doula was very supportive, but she didn't know the nurse. After the delivery, we discussed that we should have requested a different nurse. I know now that she has a reputation. Incidently, the second shift nurse wasn't able to do much more than check the monitors. The third shift nurse was great, but things had gotten complicated by then. (You can see I was there awhile, but that's a whole other story.) If you can't afford a doula, make sure you're very clear when you arrive at Alta Bates that you want a nurse assigned to you who likes working with natural delivery. Lori

I think you just can't get a broad generalization about the nurses at Alta Bates. I had no doula and was in labor long enough to have 2 different nurses. They were each different (one was very quiet, the other very gregarious) and each had their own approach, but I was impressed by their knowlege. So whereas I liked their personalities, you might not. One of our nurses had been working there for 27 years and had seen it all. I started out w/ back labor and the nurse showed me positions and things to do to get the baby to move. Both nurses had a plethora of great suggestions, like try this position, or now is a good time to try going in the shower, etc. I seem to remember one showing my husband a better way to rub my back. I suggest you take the birth preparation class AT Alta Bates - I think there is one for 2nd time parents as in those classes they do touch on what to expect out of the staff that is there and what is available there at the hosptial - you can get a rocker in your room, you can get a bouncing ball, etc. One thing I remembered at the class is that they stressed that if you weren't happy w/ your nurse, you could always request to have a different one assigned to you. But keep in mind that unlike a doula that is there the whole time w/ you, if you're in labor for a long time the nurses will change shift to shift. In anycase, you might be able to find a doula student who is willing to work w/ you for little or no pay as they need the experience. anon

Hi, I had a great, drug-free birth experience at AB without a doula. When I arrived at triage, I told the nurses that I wanted to attempt a drug-free delivery ( I did *not* have a ''birth plan'' b/c frankly, I didn't know what I was planning for!). When I was transferred into a laboring room, and remember the person telling me that I was getting the best nurse I could hope for-- and she was right--my nurse (''Brooke'') was nothing less than wonderful. She stayed with me nearly every second of my 9-hr labor: she helped me in the shower, she applied accupressure to my feet (and explained how to do same to my mom and husband), she used visual relaxation, she had me try different positions. She also did all the other stuff (IV, fetal monitor, etc), but I hardly remember those things. In short, I can't imagine my birth experience without her. She was the most crucial person for me that day, period.

All of those great things notwithstanding, I'll probalby hire a doula the next time around. I now know how important an excellent support person is, and I would be too nervous not to be so lucky again!

Someone has already given this suggestion, but I'll repeat it again, when you arrive, be clear about your hopes and desires and they will try to match a nurse that is experienced in providing this type of labor care. Good luck! Nina

Doula for Alta Bates birth

September 2003

Hi there, I have looked at recommendations on this site for a doula and found that they are kind of old. Can anyone please recommend a doula in the Berkeley/Oakland area who has experience with Alta Bates births? Budget is a consideration for us, but we really want to find the right person. Thanks for anything - there are so many doulas in the area that a stellar recommendation would really be a huge help. Jenny

We had a baby in April and used Treesa McLean as our doula. She has been reviewed positively on the parents network before.We LOVED her!! During the labor and birth she was an amazing support- very calming and confident with tons of tricks up her sleeve. She was very responsive to my needs, and was directive when appropriate. She enabled my husband to be a support and to also really enjoy the experience rather than worrying about remembering all of the techniques we learned. She was very accessible before and after the birth, answering questions, giving advice and referrals. She also helped immensely with breastfeeding. I can't say enough good things about her. Feel free to email me with further questions about her. martha

I highly recommend Janake Costello (510) 525-1155. She is the best. Chiara

Makini Duewa, the doula that attended my son's birth, was incredible. The moment i saw her i knew she was the right doula for our family! She is a massage therapist, hypnobirthing instructor (though we did not study hypnobirthing) , and a gentle gentle woman.

She went on the Alta Bates tour with me and helped me prepare emotionally for the birth. My husband also clicked with her. She was here at my home for almost seven hours helping me labor, equipped with aromatherapy and a fan to help me during intense hot/ cold flashes. Her hands seemed to always be the right temperature.

She accompanied us to Alta Bates where she was our advocate. She was tough skinned but sensitive to my needs. We had the birth we dreamed of, and when our son was born and i found myself ravenously hungry, Makini had remembered some seaweed rice cakes!

There is no end to the praise my husband and i have for Makini. She visited my home after the birth and one year later, we still call each other. When our next birth is nigh, we will seek out Makini again. She was such a support to us. Though I barely knew her at the time, she helped me through my greatest trial & accomplishment and i consider her a dear friend.

Good luck finding the perfect doula- you won't regret it. You can call Makini at (510) 625 1395 . If you want to hear more about my experience with her you can email me. karl

Treesa McLean is a wonderfully gifted and knowledgable doula who lives in Hayward but travels up. We had our baby at Alta Bates and she was always available when we needed her, so her comute was not an issue. I was so happy with all she had to offer, all through the prep, the labor and she was even an amazing breast feeding consultant. I don't still have her number, but you can call information for her in Hayward. Good luck Irene

We had Carol Shattuck-Rice at both our births, and she is wonderful. She has a gentle manner, but beneath that is a very experienced, determined person who is strong without being at all abrasive. Plus she knows Alta Bates maternity very well. Her number is 510-527-7210. Good luck! Dana

Without hesitation, I recommend you contact Beth Hammond. She assisted the delivery of my first two children at Alta Bates and I will use her for my third child due in November. I am very happy to describe my experience for you and give you my reasons for recommending Beth. Email me directly and we can exchange phone numbers. Jody

My husband & I LOVED our doula, Chris Gonzales. She was knowledgeable, respectful, funny, generous, gentle & kind. She has attended over 75 births. She is also a Bradley instructor & doula trainer & has birthed 6 kids of her own. She did a great job balancing my needs, my husbands needs, working with our midwife & Alta Bates staff. She lives in Hayward, but does many births at AB & we live in El Cerrito & it was no problem. Her contacnt info is: 510 881-5410 r6ids at prodigy.net
virginia

Ladi Dell'aira was our doula for the birth of our son at Alta Bates last year. She was wonderful in so many ways - the doctor even thanked her - and I highly recommend her as a doula and her prenatal massage services too! http://www.ladidell.com/doula.html Marshall's mom

We used Carol Shattuck-Rice in October 2000 and loved her. She's very down to earth and helpful without pushing her own personal philosophies on childbirth. We had 2 visits with her before the birth, reviewing labor techniques and our needs for the birth. When the 'big day' arrived, she was so tremendously helpful and made our experience that much more special. Our daughter was sent to the neonatal ICU right after birth and Carol stayed with us until we were settled and knew how our daughter was doing (everything was fine and we have a happy, healthy girl). She also made a home visit about a week after the birth and showed us baby massage. I couldn't recommend her more highly. At that time she charged $ 600.00 for everything (I think there were additional charges if the labor was more than 24 hours). Also, when we saw Carol, she was only taking a very limited number of clients so she might already be booked. Her number is 510-527-7210. Best of luck to you. - Rachael

Treesa McLean was our doula for the birth of both my girls. Her number is 510-581-1013. Both my husband and I had such a good experience with her the first time (a tough birth too) that we hired her again the second time around. She's very knowledgeable, supportive of YOUR needs, and doesn't have any agenda except to help you have as easy and good experience as possible. She also has great resources--knows so much about nursing and other baby-related things. Anyway, we love her and have recommended her to others who also had a great experience. good luck! Leslie

My doula, Treesa McLean, was fabulous during the birth of my 2nd child. She was my birthing class teacher from Birthways. I don't know if I could have sustained the courage to go through my birth without her presence/coaching. Her fees are based upon a sliding scale - you pay what you can afford. She's very open and easy going about what you want/desire/imagine about your birth. What I really liked about her:
* Experienced and well liked(doctors and nurses alike) at Alta Bates Medical Center.
* A good easy going personality with a GREAT sense of humor (which I think any mother needs while giving birth!).
* Lots of helpful information and techniques to ease the pain of contractions.
* Very mindful of what you want (e.g. drugs, no drugs etc.)
* Really helps you stay focused through contractions
* Advocates for you while in triage and in the delivery room.
* Very knowledgable about hospital practices and procedures.
* Always positive and upbeat.

You are welcome to call me if you need further info on Treesa. I highly recommend her! Maya

Aimee Tom was my doula last month for the birth of my second child, and she is truly stellar. We have continued to have her work for us as a post-partum doula and I am even more impressed with her. She's very knowledgable, (about birth, parenting, babies,etc) experienced and competent and I immediately felt comfortable with her. I delivered at Alta Bates and she obviously is very comfortable working there. I'd be glad to give you more info. Aimee can be reached at 827-8551. Deborah

I didn't respond the first time i saw this post because I thought there would be tons of duplicate posts. We had Linda Jones-Mixon from Waddle and Swaddle as our Doula. She was awesome and I can't recommend her enough. She is however not cheap but worth every penny. She has tons of experience and a calm laid back manner that is so very comforting. She has a great sense of humor and we found her very comfortable to be around. We wanted to stay home as long as possible and she was able to let us know when it was really time to go to the hospital. She came to our house when we needed her and was a great support after our baby was born. I can't recommend her more highly. Good luck- We also interviewed 3 or 4 Doulas before settling on Linda. Shop around and find someone that you and your partner are both comfortable and at ease with. marion

Samantha Armer is a doula in the east bay, and I certainly wish that I had met her *before* I gave birth, as I'd love to ''redo'' my birth with her in attendance! She is a wonderful, caring, spunky, imaginative, healing person. She does pre- and post-partum work as well as birth support. I recommend her most highly. (She is also a terrific and flexible cook.) samthedoula at att.net is her email address. Good luck with your search. Jennie

We had a baby 5 days ago, and we had an incredible doula by our side. Her name is Mariflorence Hudson, and she's an experienced doula and a Midwife in training. We knew we wanted to get a doula from the start, but it took us awhile to find the right fit. I wanted to be present and involved in the birth (I'm the father), we wanted to have the experience of someone who had given birth and who wasn't a medical professional (mainly so that we could navigate the choices and issues we might face with layman's terms), and I wanted someone who could coach me on what I could do to comfort and support my wife as she went through labor.

We interviewed several doulas in the months before our due date, and we met an interesting array, from those who focused exclusively on the mom (even though we had stated that we wanted someone who would be active in helping me get and stay involved), to those who were overbearingly ''new-agey,'' and those who had no sense of humor (levity being important to us). We began to despair that we'd find a fit with someone, or find someone who wasn't pushing a given agenda.

We met Mariflo, and cancelled our other interviews immediately after. Her practical, warm professionalism and extensive knowledge set us at ease, and she immediately addressed our concerns and questions with great answers. She has a very open approach that's all about getting to know what's most important to her clients so that she can provide the best information and support to suit their needs and goals.

Looking back, the most important thing she did for us was to nurture our confidence, and help us understand our options so that we could make choices that we could feel happy about. As first-time parents we entered the realm of labor and delivery with no small amount of trepidation, but Mariflo helped reinforce - and supplemented - what we were learning about the process and ourselves and then guided us as we applied that knowledge and confidence through the actual labor and delivery.

Our goal was to have as natural a birth as possible, with minimal interventions and no pain medication. Mariflo helped us work through the details of what our ideal birth would be like, and how we would handle issues if and when they arose. Despite the stress of being overdue and having the threat of being induced only days away we had a smooth, uncomplicated delivery, and we credit Mariflo for no small part of that.

We were also able to stay at home for a large part of our labor, and we felt comfortable with Mariflo's experience and support in letting us know when we should change positions, take a walk, and eventually head to the hospital. That part was very comforting, experiencing early and early active labor where we feel the most comfortable (home). We delivered our baby at Summit, in Oakland.

Mariflo Hudson is based in Berkeley. Her phone number is 510 717 0714, and her email is mariflo_martin at hotmail.com.

A couple of other hints we could pass along:
- talk with your OB, and gauge his or her comfort with doulas.
- interview many doulas, you'll know when you find the right fit.

If you want to ask any questions, please feel free to send an email or give us a call (we may not answer, but we'll call you back, new baby and all). t. jay , jennifer and olivia

I had a terrific doula, Mariflo Hudson. I was really unsure as to whether I wanted or needed a doula, but I am so glad she was there. She was able to explain things, answer questions, offer so many helpful/comforting suggestions and take some of the pressure off my husband. He really didn't think we needed another person in the room during the birth, but I think in the end we were both so thankful for Mariflo's support. She was warm, easy to talk with and I believe really made a differance. I would be happy to talk with you in person and answer any specific questions. Mariflo can be reached at 510-644-9258 or mariflo_martin at hotmail.com. brett

July 2003

We are in search of a doula, preferrably in the East Bay. We plan to deliver at Alta Bates. Any recommendations for one in particular? I have been to the archives but would appreciate any recent comments. Thanks for your help.

I'd like to respond to several requests for recommendations. A wonderful Bay Area doula we used is Lior Mayer, listed in the 925 area code, in Alamo

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