Shakila Marando

Birth & Postpartum Doula
San Francisco, California
16 years of experience
5.0
About me

My name is Shakila Marando, and I am the founder of DOULAS by the BAY. I am a mother of two children, and I have worked with children and families for over 25 years. For the last 16 years, I have dedicated my life to serving families as a doula, offering support through pregnancy, birth, and the early newborn days. My work comes from a deep love for caring for others, and my goal is always to help parents feel seen, supported, and confident during this special time. My professional background includes Certified Birth Doula, Certified Postpartum Doula, Lactation Counselor, Certified Lactation Educator (CLE), Doula Educational Institute Doula Educator, New Parent Educator, Trained Infant Massage Educator, and Infant Sleep Consultant. These combined skills allow me to guide families with compassion, evidence-based care, and hands-on experience. Alongside my work, I lead a caring and trusted team of doulas who share the same passion for helping families. Together, we have supported over 3,000 families. Every doula on our team is Birth/Postpartum Certified and Perinatal Mood Disorders Certified, fully vetted, professionally assessed, and background screened for safety. Our doulas are CPR trained, follow safety standards and best practices, and are HIPAA certified to protect your privacy. They are also covered by Workers’ Compensation and backed by comprehensive company liability insurance. With ongoing mentorship and professional development, our team offers safe, reliable, and heart-centered support to every family we serve. I created DOULAS by the BAY to build a supportive space where parents feel seen, understood, and empowered. I’m deeply grateful for the trust families place in me, and I remain committed to making a positive difference—one family at a time.

Certification and training

Postpartum Doula Certification, DONA (2009)

Birth Doula Certification, Doula Educational Institute(DEI) (2021)

Specialties
Baby and Toddler Sleep Coach Birth Doula Breastfeeding Assistance and Support Breastfeeding Support Childbirth Education Doula Trainer Infant Care Mood Disorders Multiples Newborn Care Overnight Newborn Care Postpartum Doula Care Support during Labor, Birth, and Postpartum
Languages

English

Service introduction

Birth Doula Services: We support you through pregnancy and birth with guidance, comfort, and calm, helping you feel prepared and confident for your baby’s arrival. Postpartum Doula Services: Our postpartum doulas provide newborn care, practical home support, meal prep, breastfeeding help, and day or overnight care so you can rest, heal, and adjust with ease. Sibling Support Services: Sibling care is provided when parents prepare for a new baby. We engage, play, and care for older siblings to help them feel included, safe, and supported during the transition.

Packages
Birth Doula Services
We provide continuous emotional, physical, and informational support throughout pregnancy, labor, and birth. We help families feel calm, prepared, and empowered by offering guidance, comfort measures, evidence-based education, and a steady, reassuring presence. Whether you’re hoping for an unmedicated birth, planning for an epidural, or preparing for a cesarean, we walk beside you every step of the way, helping you make informed choices and creating a safe, supportive space for your baby’s arrival.
$3,800.00
USD Flat rate
Postpartum Doula Services
We offer gentle, hands-on support to help you settle into life with your new baby. We assist with newborn care, feeding support (breastfeeding, pumping, or bottle-feeding), light household tasks, meal prep, soothing techniques, and creating healthy sleep routines. We also provide emotional support, guidance, and reassurance as you recover, rest, and adjust to your new rhythm at home.
$55.00
USD Per hour
Ratings and reviews
Average
5.0
# of Reviews
6
5.0

Shakila is the best there is. We did not have a night doula for our first child. For our second, we needed one because I had to go back to work right away. I was very nervous about leaving my baby with someone else during the night hours, particularly at just two weeks. Shakila let me control as much of the process as I wanted to so I always felt like she was doing what I wanted. She has a magical touch with babies and had our daughter sleeping through the night by two months old. She would not even leave in the morning until the baby was back to sleep, which allowed us an extra hour of sleep on top of the time she was with us. She was worth every penny and then some. THANK YOU SHAKILA! We miss you.

- Gabriella Rosen Kellerman

5.0

Shakila and her team of doulas were an invaluable resource for us during the first 2 months at home with our first child. We had the 4 nights a week from 10pm - 6am and they helped with feeding, burping, changing, consoling, and putting back down to sleep. Its such a huge help to have an extra set of experienced hands in the middle of the night so at least one parent gets a good nights sleep. Shakila is also an expert in lactation and sleep training and gave us a plethora guidance on these topics. We worked with Shakila, Sylvia and Manuela and I'd recommend them all. The peace of mind they provided, in addition to the assistance with the actual tasks of baby care, was totally worth the cost! My only points of feedback would be for Shakila to better train the other doulas in breastfeeding support and sleep training so that they are able to provide the same level of support & guidance as Shakila herself.

- Anna Wilson

5.0

Shakila is an amazing Doula.  In those first hectic nights as a new mother she is a life-saver.  Knowing that she was there gave me the peace of mind to get much needed rest.  She is very professional, punctual and dependable.  She is an expert at newborn care and helps with everything from breast feeding to improving infant sleep.  Shakila is very friendly, obviously loves and cares for babies, and is easy to get along with.  I would hire her again in an instant.  I give her my highest recommendation.

- Jessica Kim

5.0

Shakila and Ezdora were absolute godsends for us and our twin boys. We hired them as night doulas when our boys were about 2 months old. (Born at 35 weeks) They were both incredibly talented caregivers and enabled us and our boys to get some much needed rest. We learned so much from them. They have a ton of experience which they were very willing to share with us first time parents and it was comforting having them here. We highly recommend them and are so grateful for their help.

- Caroline Lee

5.0

We had a wonderful experience with Shakila and her mother Ezdora. Initially we started with five nights a week after the birth of my son and we quickly upped it to seven for two months. We continued to have several nights a week with them for two additional months. In addition to being highly experienced and professional, Shakila and Ezdora have a wonderful way with both babies and parents! We had a tough time with weight gain issues, and they provided helpful guidance and a compassionate shoulder to cry on. Shakila went out of her way to provide me with suggestions for how I could create a better structure for my son's eating and sleeping during the day - which saved my sanity - she was truly a lifesaver. Shakila/Ezdora truly cared about my son and kept his well-being top of mind - which meant that every night they were at my house, I could rest with peace-of-mind.

- Jessica Marantz

5.0

Shakila is a wonderful person and truly dedicated to children. She took care of both of my children as babies, and got them to sleep through the night by 3 months, so she was a sleep trainer as well as a night doula. Her help was priceless. We couldn't be more pleased with her service - she is someone who radiates kindness...you just know she loves babies and has the patience for even the most colicky or temperamental. With better rest, my husband and I were able to be more loving with each other and the kids, and have the patience to make it through two young children under 2. I am so grateful to Shakila, who radiates not only warmth, but has an incredible expertise with babies.

- Maya Bourdeau

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