Birth With Treesa

My husband and I are very happy with, and grateful for Treesa’s services. From the prenatal appointments to the actual birth experience, Treesa and her team performed wonderfully. We were so happy to be able to experience a home birth. Treesa and her team made it all possible!
We interviewed several midwives, but we connected with Treesa the most. Plus, we liked the way her practice (Bay Area Midwifery, a community wellness and birth center) ran. We chose Birth with Treesa because we felt that she was very experienced, knowledgeable, confident, pragmatic and most of all, capable of delivering our baby safely.
We started going to Treesa when I was about 3 months pregnant. Most of the prenatal appointments were at least an hour long. Sometimes almost two because we just had so many questions about everything! Treesa never rushed us. We learned so much from her and from each other (my husband and I) during those appointments. Treesa was also very understanding. What I mean is that she didn’t judge. This was our first pregnancy and I wasn’t much of a pregnant/​baby person and I felt guilty about it. Treesa would tell me that «it was ok» to feel that way and got me to a better place. She was like a therapist as well as a midwife!
Our home birth experience went as smoothly and safely as it could. Treesa, her apprentice (Tabitha, a doula in training for midwifery) and her backup partner were the perfect medical team for us. We also had a doula and my sister there during the birth. When it got really hard, I wouldn’t listen to ANYONE except Treesa. She was firm and had the exact tone and presence that I needed to keep me focused. After our daughter was born (Treesa and my husband both caught her together), I had a little complication. Treesa and her team competently cared for me and were able to stabilize me and I didn’t have to go to the hospital.
Treesa and her team were very thorough during the postpartum period too. She or one of her backups came to check me and our daughter several times in the first week, and then regularly until 6 weeks after the birth. They also had postpartum group sessions at Bay Area Midwifery that we were able to attend as part of the midwifery service. There was at least one doula at each session. It was really helpful to be able to talk with other women that either had a lot of experience or had just gone through birth like I had.
We are so glad that we chose to go with Treesa and Bay Area Midwifery. If we have another one then she will be the first person we call!

Treesa is the bomb! She took such good care of my daughter during her pregnancy and delivery. She took special effort to involve dad and made sure he was getting skin on skin contact when mom was being tended to. She is calm and soothing even in difficult circumstances.

After frustrating experiences with traditional prenatal care through an obstetrician, I sought Treesa as an alternative. She took me in just over a month before my due date, and I was immediately treated to the most comprehensive and woman-​centered care I have ever experienced. She talked to my baby, touched my belly (imagine that!), and actually asked how I felt. She even helped me to understand and appreciate the perspective of my previous OB, which really only made me respect her more! Her unbiased perspective and wealth of information is only surpassed by her warmth and professionalism.
She also took great care with my husband, often asking how he was doing and taking him aside to keep him informed and comfortable as well. We both immediately felt comfortable and confident in her hands.
We chose to give birth in the birth center, which is a great facility! It’s a converted home with three levels built around an atrium and across the street from a community garden. The birth suite is large and fully equipped with labor tools like a birth ball and stool, rebozo and a large jacuzzi tub for water birth. They offer group classes, sliding-​scale acupuncture and a lending library, and even have a kitchen that you are encouraged to use! At every appointment we were offered tea or fruit — how generous! I also met several of the midwives she works closely with, all kind and gentle women like herself.
My labor was not without incidence, and even in these moments Treesa acted swiftly while remaining calm, collected and reassuring. She was a great sense of strength during this time; I am so grateful for her!
My goal was to feel empowered by this experience but I got that and so much more. The support we received through Treesa is something I will never forget, and she has a great sense of humor to boot! We will use her for ALL future babies… THANK YOU TREESA!
–Sara, Alfonso & Margaux

Treesa was wonderful, taking me in only a month before my due date and giving me the care and attention that I had been craving during my entire pregnancy from medical providers. She made me feel at ease and took great care of me during the actual labor, and afterwards going to to the hospital with us when there were worries about my blood pressure. I loved having all the personalized follow up care as well.
However, one big thing I want to warn people about is dealing with SLB Billing. They told me that my insurance was going to pay for most of the procedure, and I went forward thinking I would be able to afford the services because of it. First they lost the bills that Treesa initially submitted, and then once they did submit them my insurance came back and said they were only paying for a tiny portion, making the whole thing completely unaffordable for me and is setting us back in debt for a long time to come. SLB Billing is saying that they don’t know where the information came from that they originally gave me and that of course my insurance isn’t going to pay for most of it. So they messed up and now I’m getting screwed over because of it. Be careful if you deal with them and don’t rely on the information to be accurate!

I feel so lucky to have found Treesa for my pregnancy and the birth of my beautiful daughter. If you want a positive, caring, and safety conscious midwife, Treesa is the one to get. I knew I wanted a home birth and did a lot of research before settling on Treesa, and later learned my sister-​in-​law thinks she’s fabulous too through forums. I learned a lot from Tree throughout the process, felt heard, and that we were a partnership for this transformative experience. I appreciated all the resources she added to my arsenal getting ready to be a first time mom too. I will definitely call her for any future babies. Even my mom who met Tree mere day before delivery felt much more at ease because Tree was in charge. Treesa was also a huge help for home visits after the birth, and was a lifesaver for me when my baby had trouble getting the hang of nursing. Truly, pick Tree!

Whether you have made up your mind or are unsure if to be cared for by a Midwife, Treesa is the one to go to. She will welcome you into her home office (which is so comfy). If you have kids, they are welcomed and encouraged to attend. We for sure know that we made the right choice in meeting Tree. I am forever thankful to Tree for being so welcoming to us when we had no one else (we were new to the area), for providing such exceptional prenatal care and education, for teaching hubby things that he didn’t know before, for not minding our kids being loud at her house, for being there with me during labor even in the moments where I felt were impossible to pass… One thing is for sure, when it comes to mom and baby’s safety, you can be rest assured that she will never jeopardize that. She will be upfront with you at all times, and tell you like it is. I love that about her… never had imagined that I would experience a home birth, especially a water birth. Here I am almost 12 weeks after the birth of our 4^th baby with a very healthy baby girl that weighed 10.5Lbs and measure 21inches. Thank You Tree…

Hands down, this woman is AMAZING at her job! She’s very knowledgeable in her field and a wealth of pre and post partum advice! She is very understanding and made us feel like we’ve known her for years! She is highly spoken of in our family because without her, we wouldn’t of had the birth I had! It was rough for me, but Treesa made sure I was as comfortable as I could have been.
She is quick and swift about everything and if she doesn’t know, she’ll tell you and will get you the help you need. Treesa made my birthing experience as wonderful as it could of been. At the birth I had something quite scary come up but Treesa handled it right away and I felt 100% secure under her care. My husband was also very confident that Treesa was going to make sure I was ok and could enjoy the rest of my experience with my baby.
Treesa is upfront about the birthing process before, during, and after baby. She made my husband and I both feel really good about having our baby at home and was very supportive throughout. I don’t think anyone else could have delivered for us the way she did.
There’s so much to say about the person who made sure that you and your child made it safe from your own birth. Treesa is very passionate about her craft and I know she will thrive for many years to come! May the higher power always watch over her and bless her for making moms like me able to birth at home! We love you Tree!
Thank you to Jen and Violet as well! You were amazing!

Treesa was exactly what I needed in a doula for my first child’s birth, two weeks ago. I recommend her most highly; her support and presence were fantastic! If I had been wanting to birth out of the hospital, I would have chosen her as my midwife in a heartbeat, too. Treesa is nurturing in an empowering way, the sort of person whose presence is comforting and lends strength rather than coddling. I get the feeling she has seen pretty much everything birth-​related many times – which was very reassuring as I approached and was in labor – and yet she perfectly understood and honored the fact that it was all new to me.
All her experience meant that Treesa kept me abreast of what was likely to happen next – in terms of my physical state as well as hospital procedures and my doctor’s recommendations (my baby was overdue). Treesa was spot on with all this and helped me prepare for and consider what was coming next during my pregnancy and labor. My very experienced L&D nurse notably was looking to Treesa for how she would approach different situations that came up, in order to learn from Treesa. While I know Treesa has plenty of education and book-​learning backing up what she does, she has a strong foundation of countless birthing experience to draw upon; whatever she suggests – a change of position or a comfort technique – she does so from practical and not merely theoretical knowledge. On top of all that, her presence was calming, and with her on our team, my partner and I could just relax (as much as possible) and go wherever the birth took us, without worrying.
Treesa is honest, caring, dependable, pragmatic, non-​judgmental, probably unflappable, and ready to do what’s needed without fanfare, which is a great mix of attributes in a laboring situation. She also runs a support group for all her new mothers, and is tapped into a helpful network of other professionals – from awesome acupuncturists to gentle chiropractors and more. Her heart, head, and hands are in the right place, too. She has volunteered to help women birth in both Bali and Haiti, which I think is wonderful and inspiring. If I have a next child, I hope to birth with Treesa again!

Treesa was our doula for our first baby and I can’t imagine having gone through labor and delivery without her. It was such an intense experience and having the calm and knowledgeable Treesa by our sides gave us confidence and put us at ease. She has over 20 years of experience as a doula and is familiar with most of the area hospitals and how they do birth. We had our baby at Alta Bates and Treesa was able to walk us through how the experience was going to be so that we knew what to expect. She was familiar with the staff and their procedures and we felt so confident that we were in good hands as long as she was with us.
Treesa is wonderfully practical and down to earth. We felt she facilitated a wonderful balance of natural birth in a hospital environment. She worked so well with the nurse and doctor and the three of them were an excellent team rooting me on through a very difficult labor.
Treesa has also been an amazing postpartum resource. She’s done a couple home visits to check in our our little one and to help with breastfeeding. She’s been very generous with her time and is always willing to answer questions or provide help via phone or email. She recently had some really life-​saving suggestions to help get our little gal to sleep.
Tressa is an incredible doula and midwife and I couldn’t recommend her more.

Treesa was my doula for my first birth, and I was thrilled when I realized she’d be able to act as the midwife for by second birth. She is a true nurturer, which is just what I needed during my experience. She provided calm and guidance for both me and my husband throughout my pregnancy and during the birth.
I felt she really listened to me and helped me figure out what I wanted in my birth. She understood my choices and supported them, never pushing her own agenda.
In addition to the essential emotional support she gave, she provided top-​notch medical care. I was very pleased with all that she did, including the multiple home-​visits after the birth. Even now, 10 months later, she has been available through email for miscellaneous questions.
I give Birth With Treesa my highest possible recommendation!