HOW TO THRIVE AS A NEWBORN FAMILY

Bay Area Live-in Newborn Care

HOW TO THRIVE AS A NEWBORN FAMILY

Bay Area Live-in Newborn Care

Some say, “a little goes a long way” but at Bay City Doulas, we say a lot goes much longer! Let’s face it, healing from giving birth, while tending to your physical and emotional needs, and caring for your newborn baby 24 hours a day is literally… Exhausting.

You are wise to be considering live-in professional postpartum & infant care doula support during the early weeks and months post birth. Bringing home a new baby, or babies is exciting, but it’s also an extremely complex time in a family’s life. Routines quickly get uprooted, schedules are literally obliterated, and the life that new parents once knew quickly becomes a faint and distant memory…

For these reasons, the baby experts of Bay City Doulas offer your new and/or growing family, 24 hour live-in, extended care.

Our doulas bring stability, restoration, and the peace of mind that enables San Francisco families to thrive.

Once known as “Newborn Nannies” or “Night Nurses,” Certified Postpartum & Infant Care Doulas provide live-in care, round-the-clock. With a strong focus on seamlessly blending into your environment, and meeting the needs of you and your newborn you can expect and peaceful postpartum period. Our team of experienced birth, baby, and parenting professionals have dedicated their entire careers to the care of families with infants and babies. They stay current on the care and safety recommendations set forth by the American Academy of Pediatrics in order to provide relevant support during a challenging time.

A Bay City Doula is Your Person Who Helps You awaken your inner strength!

  • NEWBORN CARE

    We recognize the nuances of the newborn period and are able to read the cues and signals of hunger, sleep readiness, and the need for comforting support.

  • RESPECT

    Our methods of care are exclusively based on the parenting philosophies of each unique family that we serve.

  • ROUTINE

    We enable the establishment of routines that meet the needs of each baby and their parents.

Getting you through the challenging newborn phase, and preparing you for what’s to come is our number one priority.

To discuss your live-in newborn care needs:

google
a Logan
May 24, 2022

We had a wonderful experience with Bay City Doulas. We contacted them late in the game and they were able to pair us with a doula without a day or two. Our doula, Yasmine, was absolutely wonderful! All in all BCD helped make our first month home with baby so much better.

google
Michelle Roche
May 17, 2022

When my husband and I found out we were having twins, we knew we would need nighttime help in the early postpartum months. I feel so lucky to have found Bay City Doulas, as they helped us find THE BEST postpartum night doula for our family! Cosima and Anathea really listened to our needs and matched us with an angel of a woman, Kem White, to help us get through the tender and sleepless early postpartum nights. I felt very supported by Cosima and Anathea throughout the entire contract. Kem quickly helped us get on a seamless night routine with our twins. I truly think we would still be a mess if we never had her help from the beginning. She seemed to always know what we or the babies needed, while keeping things calm, comfortable, and quiet throughout the night. I trusted her to keep my babies happy and safe and I was able to get some much needed rest. She also helped me process some big feelings and challenges by just being there and encouraging me along the way. I 100% recommend Bay City Doulas and will be forever thankful for their support!

As a first time father, hiring Cosima And Bay City Doulas was the best decision I ever made. Cosima is sweet, honest and more than anything a master of her craft. It was great to have an expert on call for you to show you how to do things and cater to your specific needs and wants. I had plenty of questions and scenarios that I went over with Cosima and she was happy to walk us through every process. Having a new born really consists of almost no sleep so having Cosima and Bay City Doulas as an ace up my sleeve was a godsend. In addition to showing us the way, and recommending particular products/solutions when I asked, she was also available to take care of our baby and give us time off, Day or Night. I would highly recommend Cosima and Bay City Doulas to all new parents in the area.

google
Sierra Siemer
May 4, 2022

If you’re pregnant I highly recommend securing a postpartum doula with Bay City Doulas now. Those early days of parenthood can be extremely stressful, especially if you don’t have a lot of family nearby who can help. In the hospital we had a ton of nurses answering questions and helping out, but at home we were all alone. Luckily we had secured a doula who made our transition into parenthood MUCH easier. Anathea and Cosima were extremely attentive and professional and set us up with Kem who ended up being the perfect fit for us. Yes she was an extra pair of hands and helped us get some much-needed rest, but she was also a wealth of knowledge and emotional support. She helped us out with so much – cooking, laundry, baby’s first bath, sleep tips, swaddling, and more. We felt so much more confident knowing we could lean on Kem’s experience. We also had the benefit of an agency, which meant when Kem was sick we got a backup at the last minute for uninterrupted service. If you’re even considering postpartum care, give Bay City Doulas a call!

We evaluated several doula agencies, and Bay City Doulas really stood out — not only in their professionalism and responsiveness, but also their warmth and genuine sense of caring. The process of choosing a doula from their portfolio was smooth: they told us who was available, and we had a Zoom interview with the doula of our choice. Once we had engaged the doula, our point person Cosima checked in with us personally to make sure that our needs were being met and there were no issues. Billing was straightforward, and rescheduling was never an issue. On the whole, nothing but praise and appreciation for Bay City Doulas' work — they are an amazing resource for soon-to-be and new parents. We had a wonderful experience with our postpartum night doula via Bay City Doulas, Katy. She supported us 10h/night three times a week for over three months. She was a delight to have in our home: she fit right in and we were very comfortable having her around. She was never late, always asked what was the most pressing issue we needed help with, and had a lot of useful advice for us novice parents. She helped us troubleshoot various small issues. Her demeanor was always calm and comforting, and it was very obvious that caring for small children is her true passion.

google
Patricia Pepa
January 18, 2022

Hiring a postpartum night doula was the best decision for our twin girls. We had a doula twice a week and everyday we would count down until the next night they were coming. This helped us get through hard days! Overall, working with the agency was great, very responsive and fast and they would check in every week. We had Natalie the first 4 weeks. She was incredible! She provided wonderful support not just through caring for our twins, washing bottles, folding laundry, cooking breakfast etc. but she always provided such encouraging words of support and tips! And an added plus was she brought tasty treats from local SF bakeries. 🙂 she was a real highlight in my postpartum recovery which were some tough days!! We tried to extend the contract past 4 weeks but she was no longer available and we were assigned to Breanna. Breanna was awesome, super easygoing and calm. The twins loved her! She was always punctual and I appreciated her flexibility with shifting arrival time based on their feeding schedule that day. She knew how to handle 2 babies at the same time. And made tandem feeding look easy. Overall, we had a wonderful experience!

google
S Holland
October 15, 2021

They swooped in and saved us. We all experienced the pandemic. We all have our stories of how it affected us while pregnant, birthing and postpartum. We hired a doula in March for our 3rd baby due in October. Why so early? Because our first experience with a night doula we felt like it wasn’t what it should have been. So we hired based on a reference from word of mouth from an acquaintance. She ended up having to send some one we didn’t plan on having as our doula. But we were stuck. We had no help, no family no support. I had an 18 month at home and an 8 year old distance learning. The replacement could not work the hours we required, so we terminated the contract. But we were charged for first and last month and she kept the deposit. It was horrible. I was in a panic because I had just stayed 10 day in the hospital after birth due to eclampsia. I also have an autoimmune disease that hinders my ability to do pretty much daily tasks when stressed. I was experiencing PPD. The story is long because when we reached out to Bay City Doulas, they did everything in their power to help me get the support I needed. Once we confirmed care, I was able to work with Anathea and Kem. They were both extremely cautious with covid. They wore a mask at all times, even while they slept. I felt safe and confident with their ability to tend to my son for the first 4 months of his life. He had a steady sleeping arrangement which made it easier for me when the contract was finished. He wasn’t sleeping through the night for me, but they made me aware what he was doing, was biologically normal sleep and that helped me a lot. There’s so much pressure on parents to have a baby that sleeps through the night. They were both very kind and caring. Always went with what I planned and gave me advice when I needed it. They were there to listen, to send me back to bed and to care for my child while I healed and gave my child the comfort and support they needed while I was unable to physically attend to them. Even in the nights I was completely out of it mentally, they were gentle and understanding. I wish they were around for my first and second because my recovery would have been much more stable than it was.

google
Jennifer Keating
October 4, 2021

We honestly can’t say enough positive things about Bay City Doulas. We hired them as our postpartum night doulas for 11 weeks after the birth of our first son, Bryce. We first booked for 6 weeks, 3 nights a week, and then extended by 5 more weeks because their support was just so incredible. We had the opportunity to work with three of their doulas and loved them all. If you’re thinking it’s a splurge to get night support we’re here to tell you it is worth every cent. DO IT. Cosima was with us for the first 6 weeks and we became fast friends. She knew all the tricks to soothe our teeny one and we learned from her how to handle nights. Since I got to be with her for 3 feedings a night, she helped me with breast feeding positioning and understanding what was normal/not normal behavior. She was genuinely invested in how Bryce was doing and helped us to understand not only what was going on with his behavior during nights but also days. We looked forward to her visits every time she came. Soon after she started coming, my husband was getting a full night’s sleep and I was getting solid sleep between every feeding. Anyone with a newborn knows this is a huge deal - it is NOT easy to filter out the grunts, gurgles, and choking sounds. She taught us soothing methods and helped us feel comfortable with what was normal. Once our 6 weeks with Cosima was up we transferred to Zoie for 3 weeks and again had an incredible experience. Zoie was so easy to get along with and so helpful to us with little Bryce. Bryce had had a few nights of 5-6 hours of sleep but was not consistently making it this long. Once Zoie came along he seemed to have no trouble. She is so far the only person who has been able to change his diaper without waking him up. We wrapped up our night doula experience with two awesome weeks with Breanna too. We will be booking them well in advance when of the arrival of our next little one (whenever that may be… Bryce is only 5 months old now ;-)).

google
Jamie Lynn Valeriano
August 17, 2021

Was delighted with our experience with Bay City Doulas, specifically the services from Breanna were amazing. She was on-time, professional and capable! The team here were flexible with the contract and above all communicative throughout the entire process. If we have another baby, we will reach out! Thank you for the excellent service!

google
Emma Dahlen
August 16, 2021

Fantastic Team, so professional and well-organised. Zoey was absolutely amazing! Thank you!

google
rashi priya
August 6, 2021

I had a wonderful experience with Christie. I delivered during this pandemic and was alone at the hospital, without sleep for 48 hrs. She came to my help on a very short notice and helped me with my newborn. Took care of me and my baby like a family. She has an extremely calm personality and is undoubtedly very experienced with newborns. Would recommend her a thousand times.

google
Jonathan Cohen
June 29, 2021

Kenya was wonderful. She provided overnight support for 3 months starting at 4 days a week then tapering down to 2 days a week. Even before the baby came, Cosima and Anathea were extremely helpful consulting about what to expect and providing a lot of advice. I can't recommend them all enough.

google
Rashmi Joshi
June 16, 2021

Isabel was our postpartum doula for six weeks and she was amazing!! She was knowledgeable about baby and mom care and made sure we were both thriving. She had a calm and comforting demeanor and walked us through baby’s first bath, breast milk storage, sterilization basics etc. She was also an incredible cook! She made sure I was fed and hydrated as I recovered. She made wonderful meals and desserts, she administered massages, sitz baths, and steams, and she cared for the baby so I could have down time. We are going to miss her tremendously and could not recommend her and Bay City Doulas enough!

google
Amber Tennant
May 26, 2021

Anathea and Cosima were amazing to work with. They set us up with a fabulous doula, who supported us as we welcomed our third child. Our baby loved her, and she was great with our older kids as well. Based on our experience, we would highly recommend Bay City Doulas to other families.

google
Amber Tennant
May 26, 2021

Anathea and Cosima were amazing to work with. They set us up with a fabulous doula, who supported us as we welcomed our third child. Our baby loved her, and she was great with our older kids as well. Based on our experience, we would highly recommend Bay City Doulas to other families.

Only the best words and highest recognition for the amazing work of Bay City Doulas. During the process of evaluating different agencies, we had a great feeling with BCD right from the beginning. They were not just highly professional, always responsive and reliable, but also acting heartily and sympathetically. I honestly don’t know what we would have done without Cosima. As a first time mum with an emergency c-section, me and my husband were totally overwhelmed when we left the hospital with our little one. Mercifully, we had been working with Cosima during the last weeks of my pregnancy and had already planned to have her around during the first days/weeks of early parenthood. We left the hospital after 3 days to enjoy more intimacy, but I wasn’t thinking about how difficult it would be. Not being able to get out of bed alone, to carry my baby, change diapers or swaddle her, made me very sad and disappointed. My husband had to do everything and we both were so thankful to have Cosima’s support for some hours each day. She was not only helping us with the household and cooking, but also was a great person to talk to since I was emotionally very labile. It wasn’t easy for me to cope with the fact that I had a c-section and I wasn’t the first one to hold my baby. She helped me to accept the situation and being grateful for our little sunshine, and encouraged me that my body will heal and soon I will be able to do all the things I missed out the first days. She was exactly the person I needed to process everything and to find my way into parenthood. I can only recommend her and the team, since they had been an amazing support during the whole time.

I used Bay City Doulas for extra support after my second child. Great experience. Wonderful care for my newborn, toddler, and myself. Worth the investment for our family to ensure the smooth transition to a family of four.

google
Kristy Duchak
February 28, 2021

We had the pleasure of working with Maya B for the last 5 months. In addition to being our night doula, Maya traveled with us and came early on evenings to babysit our older kids in addition to taking care of the baby. Maya is attentive, kind, and always willing to chip in with the older kids and anything around the house to help our lives run smoother in these early months. I couldn’t recommend her more highly!!!!

google
Silvia Durruthy Durruthy
February 12, 2021

Cosima supported me and my family after we welcomed our second child. She did a lot of heavy lifting for us in the early weeks to make family life go smoothly. Our family appreciated the cooked dinners, cleanup, laundry folding and toddler entertainment but most important was the help she provided in mental recovery after delivery. Mothers, whether first time or any consecutive child being born, forget to take care of themselves because everything is a blur. While the healing process after delivery is ingrained in many cultures the US health system is not set up that way and a postpartum doula such as Cosima can truly make a difference in recovery and adapting to such a life changing event. I highly recommend her and her team and would hire again.

google
zohra yafai
January 23, 2021

We worked with Emily at Bay City Doulas and she was the best support we could have asked for. As first time parents during a pandemic we were pretty clueless and we started working with Emily at around 4 months. She gave us such tailored advice for our son (he wasn't feeding well and therefore sleeping was a challenge) and by our second day with her he had significantly improved in both! We loved that Emily came in, watched and listened and then gave the kindest advice to make tweaks to what we were doing that made a big impact. She actually made me feel better about the things we'd been doing - no judgement, no drastic changes to our style, just well informed guidance. For the first time in months I could rest knowing Emily had everything under control. She has a whole family approach, not just care for the baby - she helped me with nutrition, milk supply, physical care for myself as I recovered. She was also just a delight to have in our home, she fit right in and we were so comfortable having her around. My husband and I often say "what would we have done without Emily", she gave us the necessary boost we needed at the time. If you're considering using Bay City Doulas, just go for it - everyone I engage with was great, thoughtful and caring - families need more support like this, especially during this time.

google
Lisa Imgrund
November 10, 2020

We had an amazing experience with Bay City Doulas. Having no family around and being a first time parent, it is very easy to feel overwhelmed with a newborn and wanting to give the baby the best care possible. Cosi was an invaluable help during the first months with our little one and eased our transition to parenthood. She is warm, loving, and caring and being around her you can tell you and your baby are in the best hands. She not only was a helping hand around the house, but much more importantly Cosi helped me grow my confidence as a new mom by giving me great advice on my baby’s eating, overall behavior, and sleep patterns and showing me some very useful tricks in how to handle my little one. She helped me through the postpartum period, both physically and mentally and I really enjoyed her company during her visits. Me and my baby loved her and I would recommend her services in a heartbeat!

google
Emily Bosworth
October 23, 2020

I cannot recommend the services of Cosima and Anathea enough! Their care is an investment I recommend to every mother, whether a first time mother or not. Cosi provided exceptional postpartum care after the birth of our second child, which was a few months into the COVID-19 pandemic. She made me feel so supported and seamlessly integrated into our home several days each week for the first month. She was like a ray of sunshine entering our home and has a natural gift for "mothering the mother." I looked forward to her visits where she made sure I was taken care of, made nourishing food and teas, helped keep the house in order, and fostered a calm and confident environment. Anathea complemented this by providing customized herbal blends for teas and steams to ease the postpartum transition. Such a powerful, professional duo that I wish every mother could experience!

google
Arjun Angral
October 7, 2020

*posting on behalf of my wife* Being pregnant for the first time during COVID-19 was both terrifying and isolating. My husband and I brought our precious baby home from the hospital, and instead of being greeted with love and support from family and friends, we came home to an empty house, all on our own. The first few nights were extremely rough with non stop crying (due to baby being hungry, unbeknownst to us at the time). We didn't have anyone to help guide us through the most difficult, transformative period of our lives to date. Luckily my husband searched online to see if there were any options which could help us. That led to finding Bay City Doulas. We both were not aware of what postpartum doula services entailed, but after our initial phone call with Anathea, we were so relieved! She clearly explained what services they provided and spoke to us without judgement and was empathetic to our situation. I literally cried with relief knowing she was coming the next day to help us. She took precautions due to COVID-19 and was with us for 5 days, 5 hours per day. She helped us tremendously and was very informative. She made sure to take care of me and my needs, especially tending to my mental/emotional state, which was very very fragile during those first few days. I highly recommend Anathea and the Bay City Doulas for all women about to give birth. From now on, I will gift their services to all of my pregnant friends. Worth every penny!! If we have baby #2, I'll definitely use their services without a doubt. I can't thank Anathea enough!

google
Rachel Silver
September 15, 2020

For our first child, we focused a lot of resources and energy in preparing for the birth itself. When our daughter was born I was overwhelmed with the 24/7 work that was now our reality of having a new baby. With no family nearby to help out, it was a really challenging time. In preparation for our 2nd child, we knew we needed to hire more support for after the birth. Anathea was a crucial part of my postpartum recovery and our transition into a family of four. As soon as she walked through the door, she commanded the household with compassion, professionalism and skilled knowledge. It was amazing how easeful she was able to multi-task during the 4 hour appointments. I would feel nourished with her herbal medicines, revitalized with her help getting a shower or some time in the sun, the house got cleaned, laundry done and she was even able to fit in special playtime with my 4 year old daughter. She draws upon her years of experience working with families and her intuitive approach to baby and mama care for a service that is invaluable during such a tender time in a new mother's life. My family is grateful to have had her be part of our 4th trimester and would absolutely recommend her to anyone looking to make the transition into motherhood feel more gentle and supported.

google
Melissa Gallo
September 14, 2020

Bay City Doulas got us through the first two months postpartum. We utilized their night doula service. Our doula Isabel became a part of the family and was so caring to our newborn. We were able to sleep and know that our daughter was in good hands. We highly recommended Bay City Doulas!

google
Katia Kamangar
August 22, 2020

Cosima possesses that perfect balance of confidence in knowing what the right approach is in a given situation as well as the emotional intelligence needed to provide emotional and physical support to babies, young children or anyone in her care. Her calm and lovely demeanor always made us feel safe, comfortable, and well cared for. We recommend Cosima for anyone seeking a loving and competent Doula.