Rachel was my life saver…read more Warning TMI I was unable to nurse my son due to not knowing how to latch properly and ended up with mastitis that the doctor was recommending surgery for! What! Fast forward to 18years....yes, 18 years, to the birth of my daughter. Determined to try again I was in screaming pain. Blood. Curl your toes dread. I called Rachel. Not only did she come to my house and walk me through the process - she sat with me and let me cry. It was not an easy process: I had to heal, supplement, and eventually with Rachel's support and gentle spirit I was able to nurse my baby girl for a full year! My experience with Rachel gave me the confidence to nurse my youngest son for as long as he wanted it! We had her guidance a bit in the beginning and we loved every moment! Shoulda started with her at the hospital!!! Her class was so valuable. I learned so much about latching and what warnings signs to watch for....the trick was to have her close to remind you IN THE BEGINNING when you are dazed from birth and your new package! Seriously, I recommend Rachel to EVERYONE. You won't regret it.

I have been meaning to write this review for some time because I think anyone looking for lactation…read moreconsultants/specialists should contact Austin Breastfeeding. Sorry for the long winded review, but I seriously can't say enough good things! I reached out to AB when my daughter was ~4 weeks because every time I tried to feed her she would hysterically cry, pull off my breast and make choking noises. I was also concerned because when she did eat it was for really short periods at a time, so I didn't know if she was getting enough milk. I called Rachel at Austin Breastfeeding, and she was so nice. I felt like I needed help ASAP and Rachel put me in touch with Amanda who came for an in-person visit the next morning. Amanda was SO sweet and helpful - she immediately identified that I had a forceful letdown, which was difficult for my daughter to keep up with. Amanda made a lot of easy to implement recommendations, which helped immediately. She also did a weight analysis to see how many ounces my daughter consumed in a defined period of time. This gave me peace of mind that everything was going okay and working as it should. Amanda also followed up with texts and responded to some questions I had after our initial meeting. Fast forward a month - breastfeeding had been going well since my visit with Amanda and I was starting to feel more confident. Then all of a sudden I was having terrible pain both when feeding and also between feedings, and I had cracks that went around the entire base of both nipples. I was so close to giving up (pumping was excruciating too). Before I threw in the towel, I texted Amanda to see if she could help. She responded immediately and we had a virtual consultation that night (this was on a weekend, too). She helped me identify my symptoms as Thrush and walked me through immediate actions I could start taking to relieve symptoms before I could go to my doctor for formal diagnosis/treatment. She also recognized that the cracks were likely from using breast pump shields that were too small (I had started to pump a lot because I thought the pain I was experiencing from feeding was a latch issue). I was still in quite a bit of pain for the next several days, and she texted me every day to check in / provide more tips and tricks. I can honestly say without her support I probably would have given up. She helped me in so many ways - not just by identifying the problem but also supporting me emotionally. Anyways...sorry again for the novel review, but I feel like I need to pay it forward and give AB/Rachel/Amanda all the credit they deserve. Can you tell I would highly recommend them?!

All the things no one openly shares:…read more Despite how enamored I am with our little girl and all the cute pictures on Facebook, these first three weeks have been extremely stressful. Nursing has been anything but easy, and because our daughter is so tiny I have felt nothing but pressure for her to gain weight as quickly as possible... very difficult when breastfeeding is proving difficult. The onset of vasospasms so painful that it felt like a cigarette burning me straight through to my shoulder blade finally led me to make an appointment with My Pure Delivery. First of all, it was not covered by my insurance because Blue Cross Blue Shield sucks. But every dollar I paid out of pocket was worth the time they spent with me to ensure I felt comfortable utilizing the strategies they helped me master with their help. Additionally, they allowed me to come back periodically to weigh her at no additional cost so that we could monitor her weight without paying for yet another doctor's visit. I am forever grateful for the assistance My Pure Delivery gave me with a skill no one teaches you about, you are just supposed to inherently know how to do, and is perhaps the most stressful task I've ever had to do. MANY THANKS for the compassionate and patient help with breastfeeding.

It was very easy to get an appointment at my pure delivery. After my son was in the NICU and had…read moreissues feeding, we had all but thrown in the towel on breastfeeding. Pumping was also tanking my mental health. Having a quality appointment with a LC was worth every penny. The appointment was not rushed and everything was set right up for us upon arrival. After applying what we were taught, I was able to have a way more positive experience feeding my son

With covid I was very upset that I couldn't have a one on one with a lactation consultant but Cathy…read moremade me feel so much better even on FaceTime. It was very personable and helpful. My milk supply had slowed down a lot during my son's three week out. I freaked out because before I was leaking all the time and going through multiple breast pads a day. I was able to pump after feeding and store milk. Then all of a sudden I didn't even need pads. When I pumped it didn't even fill the bottom of the bottles. I was devastated and reached out to my OB who gave me Cathy's number and I'm so glad they did. In less than 24 hours all of Cathy's advice and recommendations paid off because I was pumping 1- 1.5 ounces and my breast are leaking again and I can tell a huge differences in my son's feeding. He is feeding better and for not as long. He actually seems like he is getting full which he wasn't a day ago. I'm so grateful to Cathy! As a first time mom she really gave me peace of mind. Highly recommend!

I have to agree with Tiffany T who reviewed on her experience in that it felt very clinical and not…read morepersonal at all. From the beginning of the experience to the end I felt as though I was just another appt and person she had to see. For example, she asked me how many times a day I pumped in addition to BF. I stated how my daughter at 9 weeks seemed to want to feed every 1.5-2 hours, and she would nurse for an hour each time, so I would get only a little time in between so I was maybe pumping 2x a day. I started to quietly cry at this point, mainly due to stress and exhaustion. Instead of being met with "Hey its ok don't cry, this is why you are here we are going to figure this out" she said absolutely nothing and just quickly slid a box of tissues over and continued her questions. I WAS CRYING, you can't even comfort me and say its ok? She then said no less than 3x that because I was using nipple shields she felt "my supply was compromised". Being a lactation consultant she more than anyone should know that stress does not help with breastfeeding. Why would you continue to say that to me? Why wouldn't you instead say "So because you've been using nipple shields there is a chance your supply could be low but we can do things to help rectify that if that proves to be true." I had to finally say after the third time of her using that "compromised" crap that I think its fine its going to be ok and hey, even IF my supply is low I haven't dried up so we can bring it back up. We did a before and after weigh in of my daughter after I nursed her there and she backtracked quickly on the low supply thing because my daughter took in well over the ounces suggested. She also told me that my daughter had a tongue tie and I had to get into an ENT dr ASAP to get it snipped. I went in and he said that she in fact did NOT have a tongue tie and he would not feel comfortable snipping anything. So frustrating. The only thing I felt she truly helped with was the push to get me to give up the nipple shields. I think that this entire experience would have been so much better had she exhibited a little compassion and empathy and not been so clinical and robotic.

Where to begin?! We moved to Austin from Arizona, and within about six months of being here, got…read morepregnant with our second child. We had an amazing home birth team in Phoenix, so our expectations were really high for the type of care and knowledge we wanted in our Midwife. Being new to Austin meant we didn't have a large network of people to ask for references, so I researched online, read reviews and looked through credentials. I knew very quickly I wanted to work with Christy and Jenni. I had an extremely difficult pregnancy, although I was also sick the entirety of my first as well. I had hyperemesis gravidarum, meaning I was throwing up constantly, losing weight, and unable to keep down hardly anything. Christy has a huge wealth of knowledge and practices functional medicine alongside traditional options. I was always given information of references for alternative therapies to help my nausea. They were always helping me manage my sickness and we worked closely with a perinatal MD for any tests or services Christy couldn't provide herself. I had incredible care throughout my pregnancy and can't stress enough how great a resource Christy was for every ailment. Our birth experience was awesome! It only lasted an hour and a half (sooo fast!) but it was in the middle of the night with a birth tub. Our baby was born in a state of shock, partially because of how quickly everything progressed, and had a little trouble breathing. Christy knew what to do immediately and got her breathing and feeding perfectly in no time. The postpartum care we received was incredible. I had pelvic floor issues and our baby had some skin issues and Christy and Jenni were always available to answer questions and connect us with a provider that could help if it was outside their realm. Truly, we can't say enough about our experience and this team of women! They are wonderful and you and your baby will be in great hands.

Finding Jenni and Christy was like winning the lottery. I literally can't put into words how…read moreamazing these two women are...and how positively they have impacted my (and my family's) life. They are just. The best. Jenni and Christy helped my wife and I through two births, and unfortunately a few miscarriages. We first met them while interviewing for a midwife back in 2015. We interviewed a few other people around town, but instantly clicked with Jenni and Christy. They are warm, responsive, realistic and the best part - they really care about you, your pregnancy and your experience. Our meetings were sometimes long - filled with laughter in addition to medical explanations of my changing body. They took a few minutes each time to do the medical stuff, blood pressure/pee test/feel for baby...but then, the rest of the time they just wanted to know how I was feeling. I miss them. When my birth came around, Jenni was my rock. She is kind and gentle - her presence during the chaos of birth was invaluable. She kept me calm, centered and most of all, feeling safe through 8 hours of active labor and a 3 hours of pushing. My kiddo didn't want to come out, but they literally pulled out a bag of tricks: peanut yoga balls, weird positions, ropes to pull on and things to rest my legs on. They kept my spirits up, even when in those moments of wanting to give up. And, with their help I birthed a healthy little girl in the comfort of my home. It was amazing. Women are amazing. Now I'm crying. I can't recommend these MotherBloom midwifery enough. They taught me about the power of being a woman - and I know that I am a better mother because of my experience with them as my midwives. They really are, the best. I heart them so much!

Ciarra has been our doula twice and my wife had two very beautiful births. Our kids both came…read morequickly and Ciarra was there both times to support us through the process but also in dealing with the hospital staff who did their jobs but needed to be reminded to allow my wife the space to have the births she wished to have. I didn't know what to expect when my wife first approached me about wanting to practice hypnobirthing and have a doula but I am completely sold on the idea at this point. I'm very grateful for the work that Ciarra did for us and for teaching both me and my wife about the practice of hypnobirthing. Should we have another child, we agreed that we wouldn't change a thing.

Ciarra is an amazing doula that really puts her heart and soul into her work! I had a very…read moretraumatic birthing experience with my first baby, so the second time around I knew I wanted a natural birth with a doula. Ciarra took the time to listen to my first birth story and was very compassionate and supportive of all of my wishes leading up to the birth of my son. My husband and I even took hypnobirthing classes with Ciarra. I ended up with an unmedicated VBAC with my son and Ciarra played a BIG part in that! We had an amazing experience with Empowered Beginnings!

I absolutely recommend using Stork for your Doula needs. Randi was great at helping me understand…read morethe services offered. They worked diligently to find the right postpartum doula for our family, and boy did they! We love Christina-she is amazing. She is thoughtful, kind, and thorough. She reached out regularly to check in, even on days we weren't scheduled to have time together. Not to mention, she was great with our son! If we are lucky enough to add more children to our family in the future, we will definitely be asking for Christina again!

I had the divine pleasure of having Savannah Taylor, who was not originally scheduled as my doula,…read morein August 2020. I was being induced and she immediately contacted me, letting me know that she was available any time I needed her. When my OB broke my water at 11 pm, she immediately came and was with me until I gave birth at 4 am to a beautiful baby boy. Savannah had worked with my body and put me in multiple positions to help me through my contractions. She constantly provided me with empowering words when I thought that I couldn't make it through another contraction. Also, Savannah took it upon herself to take some pictures of my experience when my professional photographer was unable to come. I will be forever grateful to her for doing this. Savannah was beyond amazing and if I end up having any more babies, she will be my first call. Lastly, I must add that my husband was not "sold" on doulas before this. After seeing what Savannah did for me he is a true believer. My OBGYN also made a comment about how she was such an interactive/hands on doula and he thought she was remarkable.

The Post Partum Doula support we received from Austin Born's amazing Stephanie was simply perfect…read more Seriously. Perfect. Stephanie is a doula and a lactation consultant, plus her sense of calm and reassurance helped us first time parents relax a little--which is saying a lot! We arranged to have Stephanie come on our first night home from the hospital with our beautiful baby. She provided lactation advice and created a priority list for me which we hung on the master bathroom door: 1. Feed baby 2. Feed Mommy (eat/drink) 3. Sleep Seems pretty simple, but after a week of sleep deprivation, the list helped stop my "one-more-thing" syndrome. For the first time in my life I was responsible for a needy, helpless, endlessly adorable baby--my baby. Who had time for sleep? Once I got into bed I was so amped up on adrenaline I couldn't shut down. My husband had to hold me tight to turn off the humming in my mind and body. I was finally able to sleep for an hour--it was a gift. My first nap after baby, along with Stephanie's unwavering, consistently calm, reassuring presence through those first days, gave me room to breathe and think again. She was there for many other firsts too in person, via phone, and via text. And I'm thankful for all of the support. There's nothing like having an expert to guide you through this miraculous journey--hopefully you'll get a chance to be as grateful as I am. Cheers to Austin Born!

We used Austin Born prenatal and postpartum services. As new parents, the prenatal classes we…read moreattended were very informative and empowering. Unfortunately, we could not obtain maximum benefit of support groups and attend all classes due to pregnancy related illness. We did, however, feel a huge value of using Austin Born, was in the communication and correspondence with our Doula, Kim Borchert. She answered many emails, texts and calls in a very open-minded and timely manner. We were referred to amazing pregnancy specialists such as chiropractors, twin trainers and also given pain relieving techniques which greatly reduce the discomfort and frustration of carrying twins. As new parents of twins with no family nearby, our postpartum Doula service was important. Austin Born was holistic in every sense and we felt that we had not only one awesome doula checking in and supporting us in our home each day but also had a team of doulas with vast experience behind the scenes. Without Austin Born and our doula, Juanita Sawyer, we are not sure how we would've survived. From small suggestions of types of bottles to breast-feeding struggles to reflux management solutions, there is no obstacle this team can't fix. Now that our babies are older, we look back and realize the value Austin Born services is not in how many classes were attended or how many hours of doula services were provided. The value is most definitely in the knowledge, resources, accumulated experience and open-minded approach. In short, they were amazing and invaluable to us.

This review for Peggy is long overdue! I reached out to Peggy when I was only 9 weeks pregnant. I…read moreknew I wanted to work towards having a natural birth and was told having a doula was essential. I filled out an inquiry form and she immediately got back to me. We set up a Zoom interview and right off the bat, I knew she was the doula for me. She was so calm, well spoken, and so experienced. I didn't even bother looking further for any other doulas because I knew I wanted to work with only her. Booking Peggy early in my pregnancy was a complete God send. Any time I felt anxious or worried about my pregnancy, I reached out to her and she immediately helped to calm me down. Through the package I booked, my husband and I also did hypnobirthing classes (through Empowered Beginnings with Ciarra). Loved the classes and even met other pregnant mamas who I am still friends with today. My husband and I learned so much about labor and delivery. It made me feel more confident as my pregnancy progressed and as the due date approached. I ended up going spontaneously into labor 2 weeks before my due date. Unexpected and a complete surprise but Peggy was supportive every step of the way. She provided text support while I labored at home. We eventually reached out to her to come to the house and after seeing me in person, she knew it was time for us to head to the hospital. I unfortunately experienced a significant amount of back labor due to my baby's positioning BUT Peggy remained next to me and my husband every moment at the hospital. Although I was in a significant amount of pain and exhausted from laboring for so long, Peggy helped to keep me calm and focused on delivering my baby girl safely. She never left our side as I pushed for 7 hours. She helped me and my husband make informed and important medical decisions. I honestly couldn't have done it without her physical and emotional support. She also took so many photos and videos so that was a nice surprise to have to look back on. Especially when you are in la la labor land and going in and out during active labor. She remained with us after our baby girl entered the world and although it was such a long night, she remained present, patient, and supportive the entire time. She is literally a saint and incredibly patient and kind. If you are lucky enough to be able to get on our calendar, I would say book her immediately. You will have zero regrets! I can honestly say that I couldn't have experienced this natural birth without her and if you are wanting a natural birth, you definitely want someone like her by your side!

I can't say enough positive things about Peggy. When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to…read morehave a VBAC (I had a rough first birthing experience) and I knew I wanted a doula that would really advocate for me. I one hundred percent found that in Peggy. Having her by my side meant I was supported through labor and delivery, advocated for to make sure my birth plan was being honored, and taken care of through it all. She also stayed after the birth to support me, answer questions, and make sure I was doing well. Peggy is attentive, knowledgeable, supportive, and extremely caring. I am so grateful to have had her by my side and can't recommend her enough!