We are so thankful for Ariana! From the moment she entered our pregnancy journey she brought a calm, reassuing and empowering presence to our experience. Throughout our labor and delivery we felt Ariana in our corner, walking us through what was happening, expectations and laying out our decision options.

Calista

Ari was an integral part of my pregnancy. I could not have asked for a more loving or caring doula. She came to me, checked in via text and email, allowed me to check in whenever I needed to, and was the first person to arrive for my first birth, which was a homebirth. She, along with my husband, was my rock.

Emily Helbush

My husband and I chose to do a homebirth for our son, who is also our first child. In doing a homebirth for our first birth, it was so helpful to have Ariana's wisdom and experience from the many birth's she has attended. I had some challenges arise during my birth as well that I truly don't know how we would have navigated without her.

Shadaye

Ari helped me during one of the most vulnerable times in my life, a week or two after having my baby. It's hard to invite someone into your space during that special, private time but she had this calming way of moving and talking that felt so natural and made me feel so comfortable. She listened to me and let me just share about my experiences and emotions and provided bits of helpful advice here and there to make me feel like we were on the right track.

Ari's hands-on care was just indescribable. You have to experience it for yourself and I'm sure everyone gets something a little different out of it. For me, it was so peaceful and warm and reassuring and just made me feel so well cared for.

Ari was also a clear communicator leading up to our time together in postpartum care and very responsive throughout our time together, over multiple sessions. I wish that everyone could have a postpartum doula experience, it felt like such an important part of the whole birth story and helped mark the days. It gave me something to look forward to and reflect on and helped provide clarity and make me feel seen in the weeks following the birth. I would absolutely recommend Ari to anyone considering working with her.

Jennifer

Ari provided me with both prenatal and postpartum support. Before birth, she held a Mother’s Ceremony for me. We chose a spot outdoors that was meaningful to me, and she prepared a beautiful ceremony to welcome and celebrate my transition from single “maiden” to mother, complete with herbal foot bath, ancestral chanting, and words of affirmation from my loved ones. It was such a deeply significant moment for me. She also supported me postpartum in my home, talking me through my birth experience and offering hands-on support in the form of guided yoga, hands-on massage, and Closing of the Bones - a unique ceremony where she helped my body heal and come together. Her energy is calming and full of love. I always felt comforted knowing that she was coming to be with me, and she will always be such a high point of my motherhood journey.

Ellen

Ari attended our birth and then stayed on the next day to help us. She was incredibly attentive, support my wife and I during the 15+ hours of labor. She educated us, cared to all of our needs even before we knew we had them and the following day cooked delicious food. I would recommend her services to anybody and everybody!

Vlad

Choosing Ari as our doula was one of the best decisions we made for our birth journey. Her calming presence during labor gave me the support I needed to manage the surges as they became more intense. Her gentle demeanor and soothing reassurance helped create the ideal atmosphere. Thanks to her support I achieved my dream birth - an unmedicated, physiological birth at the hospital.

Leading up to the birth, Ari not only heard our questions and desires but truly understood them, guiding us through every step with empathy and understanding.

But her support didn't end with the birth. She provided postpartum meals for a month. These nourishing meals were a blessing - they were delicious and more than anything allowed me to focus on bonding with my newborn without worrying about meal preparation. 

Thanks to Ari I felt supported every step of the way, from labor to postpartum recovery. I can't recommend her highly enough for her invaluable role in our journey to motherhood

Grazia

Ari's ability to nourish a mother is unmatched. Her calm and attuned presence is medicine during these life-changing times. As a new mother I felt so held and nourished by Ari, her amazing food and caring touch. Hands down the best investment!!!

Kylie

I'm so lucky that I had Ariana with me for the birth of my first child! My husband and I interviewed several doulas and chose Ariana because she was so easy to talk to, had a very calm presence, and had attended births at our local hospital in Santa Cruz. The in-person meetings and text/phone exchanges that we had prior to birth were a good opportunity for us to discuss my birth preferences and concerns. When labor started, Ariana checked in with my husband and I by phone several times and later helped us judge when it was time to go to the hospital. She was there to support me in the waiting room while my husband was stuck filling out paperwork at the front desk (I honestly don't know how I would have gotten through that period of time without her). Once we were in the delivery room she was a fierce defender of my birth preferences in a way that my husband and I, as first-time parents in an unfamiliar situation, could not possibly have been on our own. Right after the birth (which had some unexpected complications), Ariana was there to offer the calm reassurance that I really needed, and that I generally did not get from the hospital staff. She even fed me my first post-birth meal when I couldn't feed myself! Overall Ariana did an amazing job of making me feel cared for before, during, and after my birth experience and I can't recommend her enough! 

Becky

Ariana was an incredible help to our family during our postpartum months. She had the perfect calming energy to help me with my physical and emotional healing after giving birth. She answered our questions each week regarding newborn care which made us feel more comfortable and confident that we were making the right choices for our family. Her postpartum massage was deeply relaxing and made me realize how important it was for me to make space for self care in my healing process. Ariana is a talented and thoughtful postpartum chef. The food she made was delicious, healthy, and vital to my recovery with ingredients that were specifically chosen for postpartum nutritional needs. She was gracious enough to extend our meal service for several extra weeks when we lost use of our kitchen due to water damage. She is a genuine and caring person who is devoted to helping mothers and families thrive during the intimate, important, and challenging experience of bringing a new baby into the world. We were so thankful to have her on our birth team.

Frances