Birth with Treesa

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August 2012

RE: Midwife for homebirth in Fremont

I highly recommend Treesa Mclean (http://www.birthwithtreesa.com/). Prior to becoming a midwife she was a doula for 20 years and we worked with her as a doula for the births of both of our daughters. She is amazing - extremely knowledgeable about all things pregnancy, birth, and post-partum related, calm, and an excellent communicator. We had two very different pregnancy and birth experiences and Treesa gave us invaluable help with every aspect - decision making, handling emotional stress, the labor and delivery, my recovery, breastfeeding, etc. Based on your posting, I think she would be a great fit.

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Oct 2011

RE: Looking for an East bay midwife

We highly recommend Treesa McLean (www.birthwithtreesa.com) as a doula and midwife. She's fantastic - smart, funny, sensitive, not at all dogmatic, and incredibly responsive. My husband appreciated her ability to crack a dark joke at the right moment. I appreciated her ability to speak frankly and plan for trouble without being alarmist. The great thing about using her as a doula was that she was, as a licensed midwife, also able to check my progress throughout the night. When the time came to head to the hospital, we chose to send her into triage with me instead of my husband going in, and she got me into a room quickly and efficiently. Throughout the process, she obviously knew and worked with the staff of Alta Bates Berkeley incredibly well.

We also used her for nursing consultations afterward, and she adapted well to my needs - again, she's great about not being dogmatic. We can't recommend her highly enough. First-Time Mom

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Aug 2011

RE: Homebirth Midwife Recommendations in East Bay

I highly recommend Treesa Mclean! (birthwithtreesa.com) Treesa was my doula for my first birth, and my midwife for by second birth. I just found out I am expecting my 3rd (surprise!) and she was my first call.

She is a true nurturer, which is just what I needed during my birth experiences. She provided calm and guidance for both me and my husband throughout my pregnancies and during the births. 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 (3 post-partum visits as my midwife). Even months after my birth, she was available through email for miscellaneous questions. Feel free to get my contact information from the moderator if you'd like to talk more or have other specific questions. Sarah

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Jan 2011

RE: OB, MIdwife, Doula

I had my baby at Alta Bates at the beginning of November with Hsiu-Li Cheng as my midwife (covered by Aetna) and Treesa McLean as my doula. As a first-time mom, I could not have asked for a better experience of pregnancy, labor, delivery and newborn care; they are both masters of their art. We felt so lucky to be guided by each of them. (We also very much appreciated all of the nurses at Alta Bates; Tamara Rich was our wonderful L&D nurse). grateful for great care

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If you're looking for a doula/midwife, I recommend Treesa McLean. We used her doula services for both our children's natural births (and they would not have been medication-free without her!), most recently in November 2010. She is supportive and great, especially in the throes of labor. She is also a professional midwife. www.birthwithtreesa.com Amalia

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Nov 2009

RE: doula for Alta Bates birth

I gave birth a month ago and had the fortune of hiring Treesa McClean to be my doula. I simply can't sing her praises enough and express how pivotal she was to my (first) birth experience. Initially, I was a bit skeptical about the need for a doula (thinking it was perhaps unnecessary when an epidural was part of the birth plan) but, in retrospect, I can't imagine the experience without her. Sheb

s calm, practical, and knowledgeable. She knows Alta Bates staff well and was she was the point person in the room during the entire experience. Even the nurses deferring to her clear expertise. I cannot recommend her highly enough. Free to answer any queries about her or the doula experience at Alta Bates. jenniferC

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April 2009

RE: doula for second son in June

I am writing to recommend both of our outstanding doulas, Betsy Appell and Treesa McLean. Both are extremely experienced doulas, who also have undergone midwifery training, so with either of them, you are in extremely competent, caring and supportive hands.

Treesa attended the birth of our first child in 2006, met with us in our home on numerous occasions prior to the birth, and never left our side during my eighteen hours of labor in the hospital (treesa.meclean [at] sbcglobal.net). Our son had an extended stay in the hospital and Treesa was there offering support throughout his stay in the NICU and our tumultuous return home. She's got a great sense of humor and was an outstanding support.

As Treesa was unavailable, Betsy was our doula for our second birth, which happened last month (betsy [at] berkeleydoula.com). She met with us in our home repeatedly before the birth and really understood what we wanted in our second birth and supported us throughout. She was an incredible calming influence, knew right where I needed her hands to be a counter-support and helped us to have exactly the kind of birth we wanted. Afterward, she came to our house for a post-partum visit, giving both the baby and me a wonderful massage. Both ladies are outstanding supports and I recommend both most enthusiastically. Happy Mama

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July 2008

RE: Midwife in southern Alameda County

My husband and I had a wonderful homebirth this last March using Rosanna Davis and her assistant Treesa McClean. Her website is: http://www.rosannadavis.com/. They are terrific people with science backgrounds so you get a warm and fuzzy side, as well as a practical, medical outlook. We love them and will use them for every future birth! Shannon

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March 2008

Re: OB GYN rec - good with PPD
First of all, congratulations on being ppd free and also on making the smart, life affirming decision to take care of yourself the second time around. I would highly recommend Dr. Angelyn Thomas. I also had ppd with my 1st child (not w/ dr. thomas) and began seeing dr. thomas in preparation for my 2nd, so she was with me through the whole thing. She was wonderful and is very knowledgeable about all treatments, from antidepressants to natural stuff. She is very kind and understanding. She also worked *extremely* well with my birth duola, Treesa Mclean, ( I think 510-581-1013) probably the best and most experienced duola in the bay area. Treesa worked with me to help meet all my needs througout my pregnancy, labor and delivery, and well after. It was great to have two wonderful women looking out for me. When my 2nd had complications and had to be sent to the NICU at birth (was very scary but ended up just fine) Treesa was there with us, guiding us through medical decisions for him, advocating for us, and she stayed with me the first night in the hospital when I had to be separated from my son. She helped me pump so my milk would come in and held my hand and reassured me all night that all would be well. Because of this my husband was able to be with our son. It all worked out fine and in the end we had a perfectly healthy mom and baby, but if it weren't for Treesa and Dr. Thomas I'm not sure mom would have been so healthy :-) I ended up w/ no relapse in depression, tho I did take antidepressants for the pregnancy and first few months just to be safe. I hope this helps ! anon

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Jan 2008

RE: doula open to medication and intervention

I highly recommend Treesa Mclean as a doula. She has more than 25 years of experience, and was a real lifesaver for us before, during, and after our daughter's birth. She is a one-stop shop of information about pregnancy, labor, childbirth, postpartum recovery and breastfeeding. She is kind, non-judgmental and no-nonsense. Her number is 510-581-1013. Very happy mother

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Oct 2006

RE: OB/GYN for VBAC in East Bay area

I had a VBAC for my 2nd child with no problems after a horrendous 1st labor and c-section. I simply TOLD my doctors that I was having a VBAC, but if anything were to go wrong I wouldn't resist medical advice/common sense.

I thought the Drs were very supportive and impressed with my research... You are more likely to have a successful VBAC with a doula present. They asked who my doula was, and I told them it was Treesa Mclean, they were very pleased with my choice. Treesa works well with the Drs at Alta Bates and she has a good reputation there. Also, I found the labor and delivery nurses at Alta Bates VERY supportive of my VBAC decision.

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Sept 2005

RE: Recent recommendations for doulas

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

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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

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Sept 2004

RE: Childbirth classes with tools for medication

I had a great experience with our Chilbirth Prep class at Birthways. The teacher, Treesa McLean, was (& still is) a doula and I felt she presented a balanced perspective on childbirth, understanding that there is no ''one way'' to give birth and that different circumstances warrant different approaches. She did a good job of explaining benefits & risks associated with various interventions during childbirth. I highly recommend the class. Christina

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Sept 2004

just wanted to chime in as one more voice praising Treesa McLean, who made my birth experience last year just fantastic. she lives in Hayward but works throughout the East Bay. i wanted a natural childbirth, if possible, and wanted to labor at home as long as possible so i needed someone to help me manage the pain & stay calm, & Treesa was perfect. she's extremely experienced, very calm, has a wry sense of humor, & just made the whole thing seem entirely manageable. knowing that she would tell me if anything unusual came up, i was able to let go & just focus on my contractions. i'm an older mom, so it was really important to me to have someone who had seen it all & would tell me if it was no longer safe to be at home. as it turned out, with her assistance i stayed at home until the very end, then just popped over to the hospital to deliver! after the birth, she helped with nursing issues, sleeping issues, & general words of wisdom. so glad i found her; she's fabulous. hilary

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Jan 2004

RE: VBAC with a doula?

I had a VBAC for my second child with doula, Treesa McLean. She was fabulous. Very supportive, very flexible, humorous, easy going and not too touchy feely(which is what I wanted). I told her I would like to do the VBAC without drugs if possible, but to ''get me the drugs'' if I was really begging and screaming. Well, I begged and screamed, and she very gingerly told me ''it's too late, you have to push now''! I still to this day do not know how I did it through all the pain, but was so glad she was with me and my husband. Her number is: (510) 581-1013. She is very busy and books up quickly. I secured her for my birth in the first 2 months of my pregnancy. A VBACer

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Sept 2003

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

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I gave birth in Nov at summit and Treesa Mclean was my duola. She is unbeleivable, probably the most experienced duola in the bay area-- I think she's done like 400 births or something. She knows her way around hospitals, doctors, babies, everything. She also has a terrific personality, and is willing to do anything to help you, from giving you a personal ''babycare'' class to cooking for you when the baby comes. can't say enough good stuff about her. feel free to e-mail me if you have questions. good luck! rebkm

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I know you're looking for a few specific names and recommendations for a doula, but couldn't resist reiterating my rave review of Treesa McLean. She is fantastic and on top of the two babies she helped me deliver--I recommended her to several friends who she also helped and absolutely loved her. She is very good at supporting you and your needs and not imposing her ideas on you. All i can say is call her and speak with her --you won't be sorry! Leslie

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I worked with Treesa McLean for my second child. I had natural, unmedicated births with both of them.  Boy, were we glad we found Treesa! While there was nothing wrong with our first doula, she was less experienced than Treesa and that was the one factor that was missing with my first birth. (She had only a few years under her belt at the time.) I felt that Treesa was completely on top of the situation from the moment she stepped into our house during my labor -- and took great care of both me and my husband after our child was born. She completely had our trust. I can't recommend Treesa highly enough. Rockridge mom  

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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

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Treesa McLean was our doula for the birth of both my girls. 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  

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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

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July 2003

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

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Dec 2002

RE: Looking for postpartum doula

We had our first baby in June 2002 - Treesa McLean was both our labor doula and postpartum doula. She is incredible!!! Treesa has tons of experience - she has been a doula for many years. Among the many descriptives I would use for Treesa - she is extremely knowledgable, calm, kind, and caring. She has a great sense of humor and is as accomodating as possible within the constraints of her busy schedule. She is extremely responsive and can be paged. She assisted me when my milk came in (she's a wealth of knowledge in treating sore breasts and positioning the baby for maximum comfort and latching), taught me how to use the medela breast pump, taught us how to give the baby a bath, reassured us that ''everything was going OK'' (HUGE for new inexperienced parents!!)after we came home from the hospital, made sure we had fresh healthy hot meals, and answered questions too numerous to list. I recommend Treesa without hesitation. Ruth

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Jan 2002

RE: Doula who will support my choice to use pain-control meds

I had great doulas who were not necessarily "pro-drug" but did not try to stop me or make me feel bad when I decided to have the epidural. I had discussed that I may have the epidural when we met initially and I got the feeling that it was my choice to do whatever I needed to get through the birth process. I did not have the epidural until I was 8 or 9 cm dilated, so I did need their assistance for a long time with pain management (from about midnight until about 8:30 a.m.) Treesa McLean (510-581-1013) taught my birth class and we asked her to be our doula. She was very busy at the time I was due, so we decided that her friend Jennifer Starling (510-530-1660), who was also a doula and who assisted with our birth class, would be my backup doula. The big night came and of course, Treesa was at a birth in San Francisco (I delivered at Summit), so Jennifer came over. Treesa also came over too (too complicated to explain why they were both there) but Jennifer "took care of me" primarily. She massaged my back which I really needed since I had back labor. She did a lot of messy things that won't go into here with a sense of humor, kindness and gentle calm that was wonderful. They both went to hospital with me and were both wonderful. Treesa had to go back to the birth in the city before it was time to push, so Jennifer walked me through that part. My doctor, Goldee Gross, really liked Jennifer and asked for her card so that she could refer to other patients. Jennifer has young children so she does not do post-partum doula work I THINK, but Treesa was an absolute miracle post-partum doula. She taught me how to pump milk and how to deal with my painful engorged breasts. She make me an herbal soak for my stitches. She cooked DELICIOUS food. She changed sheets and did laundry. She helped me with breast feeding. She helped us bathe Emily the first time. She took care of Emily so I could sleep. SHE WAS WONDERFUL. All in all, I would highly recommend both Jennifer and Treesa! Lisa

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I highly recommend Treesa McLean (510)581-1013 as a birth and post-partum doula--drugs or no-drugs. She supports whatever your choice is and is there to fully support you regardless of whether or not you choose to have an epidural. I spoke to many doula's prior to the birth of my daughter and, like you, found that many were simply opposed to even the possibility that I might want drugs/epidural. Treesa was there for me and my husband, knowing that I might want an epidural. One thing you should keep in mind though--with my birth experience, I dilated so quickly that by the time I was yelling to get an epidural, drugs, anything, the moment had passed and alas, I had natural child birth. All this to say, that I'm pregnant again and expecting any day now, and we've hired Treesa again as our doula--and this time, I know I want an epidural! good luck. Leslie PS I don't know if I could have made it through naturally without her--I panicked. She's also great at massage and a great cook if you need the post-partum help too.

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May 2000

I have used the services of an excellent post-partum doula, Treesa McLean, for meal preparation in my home. She's great about collaborative menu planning with emphasis on healthy organic iron- and protein-rich foods that new moms need. She does the food shopping per your specifications and can cook up several tasty meals in an afternoon...and does a thorough clean-up afterwards! She is also a very kind and knowledgeable person. I believe she offers her services on a sliding scale of $15-25 per hour. You can contact her directly at 510/581-1013
heidi

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Dec 1999

My husband and I recently took the Birthways childbirth preparation classes with Treesa McLean. We took the class from July to August on six consecutive Sunday evenings. We are first-time parents and I think we both felt the classes were helpful and instructive. Our instructor was knowledgeable and I think fairly objective about different apporaches to childbirth (not too biased in favor of natural childbirth). In fact, I think most people in the class were not planning on natural childbirth and they asked a lot of questions about different pain management techniques and medications. (I opted for natural childbirth, but my mind was already made up before the class.) We also got to meet a couple with a new baby at our last class, as a sort of preview of what life with a newborn would be like. I would recommend the classes . Incidentally, all the folks in our group went as couples... It was a pretty diverse group too.