Then Comes Baby

Update 1÷28÷16
I really appreciate the owner’s thoughtful apology and explanation. Excellent service is incredibly important to me, so I’m updating my review to reflect that it’s clear the business cares about taking care of its clientele. I look forward to updating again once I’ve been able to take advantage of some of TCB’s services!
Previous review:
I would love to say that this place was amazing. Unfortunately, I sent them an email through the site and left a voicemail inquiring about some of the classes/​services mentioned online and nobody ever got back to me. This was about 2 weeks ago and still… nothing. With a newborn at home, I was really looking forward to joining a supportive community via Then Comes Baby, but no such luck. Hopefully I will have the opportunity to update this review with something more positive if they ever get back to me!

There should be a Then Comes Baby in every neighborhood! Parenting — and getting out of the house with a young infant! — would be so much easier if there were more safe, friendly, supportive spaces for parents to connect with each other, get new information, and decompress. I first discovered Then Comes Baby through its donation-​based, drop-​in breastfeeding support clinic. Up until that point, my outings with my then four-​week-​old had been largely dominated by the quest to find a decent place to change his diaper and nurse him. Walkiing into Then Comes Baby was a dream: comfy couches, plenty of floor space for older babies to crawl and play, a changing table stocked with wipes and diapers, healthy snacks, and even a scale to weigh him. I especially appreciated having access to a scale, since in those early days it can be tough to know if your baby is getting enough milk.
Sabrina, the warm and knowledgeable founder of Then Comes Baby and the facilitator of the breastfeeding clinic, is quick to make everyone feel at home, helping them settle in with their babies as they arrive and then making sure they have ample time to speak and get feedback. She manages to fit in several in-​depth conversations on the topics parents bring up while still allowing time for everyone to share their challenges. As a Lactation Consultant with a public health background, she knows what’s she talking about! When you’re struggling with clogged ducts, milk supply, latching, or the myriad of other issues breastfeeding mamas sometimes face, it’s a relief to have her level of expert advice. She’s also a lot of fun :)
Since the breastfeeding clinics, I’ve visited Then Comes Baby for classes on everything from Tum E Time, to yoga, to introducing solid foods. The list of classes I’d like to take there is much longer still. If my schedule allowed, I’d be there several times a week! I’m so glad this place exists!

As a birth doula and pregnancy belly dance instructor I was thrilled to find Sabrina and Then Comes Baby in my neck of the woods. There are not enough centers like this for parents really trying to navigate the birth scene these days. The space is gorgeous, Sabrina is hard-​working, welcoming and always looking for new ideas and ways to help new parents. The pre natal yoga classes are fantastic and I have observed a mom and baby circle and birth class, both well attended and taught well!!! I look forward to seeing this center blossom and grow! It is a pleasure to work here!

I discovered Then Comes Baby in my search for hospital-​grade pump rentals then again in my search for Baby Massage classes. Pump rental was easy and we were easily able to extend the rental as needed. And the four-​week Baby Massage & Signs class we took was very practical and fun for both baby and me. Baby loved the physical and emotional connection with me and spending time other babies; I loved learning tools to make him feel good and meeting other new parents. Plus the space is lovely – welcoming and cozy. Sabrina is committed to building community and it shows!

Take a class or sign up for a support group at TCB!!! As a single mom with a newborn, I needed a lot of support and I had a lot of questions about raising a baby. I started going to the breastfeeding support group. Sabrina, the lactation consultant, was very knowledgeable and showed me a couple of useful holding techniques. She also provided a very nonjudgmental and welcoming environment, it made me feel so comfortable that I kept coming back each week. I then took the «Baby Massage» class, «Belly Time» class taught by Dr. Jan., «Yoga», «Mom’s circle group», «Sleeping Issues», and «Baby Sign language» taught by Touch Blue Sky. I loved the moms group because I met many wonderful moms who I keep in contact with today. Actually I enjoyed all my classes and I can’t wait to sign up for the toddler ones. Oakland is very fortunate to have this place as a resource for parents.

Then Comes Baby is a great resource for dads too — I’ve taken the CPR class, a class for dads on what to expect in fatherhood, and yoga for kids. The staff are always real experts in what they do, super-​nice, and the classes have been really helpful! Very practical, useful, and reassuring. I’d recommend this to any new parents.

This place is invaluable. Our new parent course was way more thorough than a hospital course and much more friendly. It touched on tons of need to know info such as breastfeeding, breathing techniques, and partner support.

I took Sabrina’s birth preparation class this spring. One thing that stood out was her extensive knowledge of each of the hospitals, based on her years as a seasoned lactation consultant. She was able to share how each one worked, and how they differed, from policies to staff culture to parking, and her insights were invaluable. Beyond that, she gave a ton of personal attention, with careful listening to each participant during the classes and lovely one-​on-​one emails between classes and post-​birth.
She’s a gem, the space itself is lovely, and I highly recommend Then Comes Baby.

Prior to the birth of our baby girl, I had grand plans for maternity leave. These included toting baby along to the coffee shop, outings to play at the beach, and a variety of projects — after all, newborns sleep something like 15 hours a day! Well, then came baby. Being a new mom proved much more difficult than expected. We had difficulties nursing for the first month, I lacked confidence in being a mommy and wasn’t up to taking her out and about. My lactation consultant recommended Then Comes Baby for a new mom group. I checked it out first by attending the breastfeeding support group. I loved the peaceful vibe of the space and greatly appreciated the knowledge and support of Sabrina. If only we had found the group earlier when I was trying to figure the whole nursing thing out! We just finished the 6 week mommy baby group and also loved that. The topics were relevant and Sabrina proved to again be a great resource. Now confidence is definitely up and baby girl and I are ready for adventure! Thank you!

I am so happy I found this place! Sabrina is wonderful. I attended the group for new moms and already signed up for their baby sign language class. Highly recommend checking this place out!

After I had my second baby, I realized that I really wanted to meet with other moms who were going through the experience of growing their family. I didn’t think a 2^nd time mom group would be easy to find, but then I found Then Comes Baby! Sabrina ran our group and I can’t say enough good things about the experience. She came prepared to each of our meetings prepared with a new topic for us to discuss and analyze together. She also is a wealth of knowledge herself as a lactation consultant and a mom of two. It was so nice and reassuring to know that I would be able to ask her all of my questions each week and get her good, sound, nonjudgemental advice. Sabrina has also created an amazing space for new moms to gather. She offered us water, tea or coffee each time and created a really safe place to breastfeed comfortably during our mom group. I can’t recommend Then Comes Baby enough! If you are looking for support, making friends with other moms or just building community for you and your kids in general, this is an amazing resource!!!

I was introduced to Then Comes Baby and Sabrina through my pediatrician. My second son was born with a severe lip and tongue tie which made feeding very challenging and I needed help from a lactation consultant. He was struggling to put on weight and I was exhausted but I really wanted to try to nurse. Sabrina was a fantastic resource and a wealth of knowledge; if it wasn’t for her support, things would have been a lot harder and we wouldn’t have been able to feed as I had wanted. I liked working with her so much that I then joined a group she had formed for second time moms. She brought great insight and resources to the group which helped with many of the issues we were all facing and made us all feel like part of the family. I highly recommended Then Comes Baby and Sabrina for new moms looking for advice, support and friendship!

I came to Then Comes Baby fairly desperate for information and emotional support, having just learned that my 4-​week-​old had a tongue and lip tie. I showed up early for the breastfeeding support circle, only to find it had been cancelled. Sabrina regrouped quickly and offered to meet with me despite having cancelled the group that day, and she generously offered me one: one support that lasted for almost the full 1.5 hours of the support circle. During that meeting, I received incredible moral and practical support; upon Sabrina’s recommendation, we were able to seek out the help of the local pediatric dentist who is renown for his success revising ties, and we also began work with a cranial sacral therapist who meets her clients in this space. Nursing my baby now is like a different planet of experience compared to those first four weeks, and I am so thankful for the help I’ve gotten from knowing about this space. Since that time, I’ve continued to find support and community at the breastfeeding support circle and the Tuesday yoga classes for mamas and babies, as well as benefitted from Sabrina’s expertise as a lactation consultant. It truly is a one stop shop for new parents, offering all kinds of support that is informed by research, common sense, and personal experience.

So pleased that this place opened in my neighborhood. It offers all kinds of classes, groups, and services for new parents, not so new parents, and parents-​to-​be. I’ve taken advantage of the breastfeeding clinic, breastfeeding group, infant cranial sacral therapy, and private lactation consult. All have been very supportive and extremely competent and helpful. Then Comes Baby also has open lounge hours in the homey space to help build community and support the sanity of people (like me) who (as a new mom) just need to get out of the house sometimes. Plus Sabrina (the owner) is committed to making lactation support available to women who can’t afford the high rates usually charged – proceeds from the weekly breastfeeding group go to support this. Yay! Welcome to the neighborhood!

I was excited when I learned this type of business was opening in our neighborhood and was delighted with our first visit to Then Comes Baby for the Little Yogis class. I received a warm welcome from Sabrina, the owner and Beth, who was teaching the class. My daughter (3.5 years) had a great time and Beth does a wonderful job of using fun songs and activities that appeal to the preschool age while weaving in some natural teaching of yoga terms and techniques. I also have a 6 month old and it was the perfect environment for keeping my older daughter engaged while the baby sat and stretched nearby. I was able to get some stretching in as well which is always a plus with two little ones in tow! There was comfortable seating for when I needed to sit and feed the baby and a hot cup of coffee which made the experience even more relaxing and enjoyable. We will definitely be back for this class and I encourage expectant and new parents to check out all their different services and classes.

I can’t say enough about my wonderful experience at Then Comes Baby. Let me start by saying this review comes from a mother of two under the age of two (23 months and 2 months). After the birth of my second child I started getting headaches. Sabrina connected me with her amazing massage therapists that worked on my spine. The headaches are gone! The facility is clean, newly renovated and very inviting. I’ve also taken infant/​child CPR and a infant massage course. Each experience has been very worthwhile and I will be back. You cannot go wrong by visiting Then Comes Baby. Added bonus is Sabrina is a lactation consultant herself so my breast feeding questions were all answered.