I couldn't have asked for a better care team with Rebecca and Jasmine! they are an incredible team…read moreand extremely experienced. Each interaction with them from the consultation. to the post partum visits was respectful, encouraging, and very informational. I felt empowered through my entire birth experience. We delivered at a hospital and it was invaluable to have Rebecca with us to navigate that system and ensure that our birth preferences were followed as best as possible. My partner has said multiple times that having our doulas there to support is was transformational and we would not want to have done it without it them! I highly recommend their services and am so thankful for all they provided us and our family :)

We had the most pleasant experience with our doula, Rebecca, and felt compelled to share it…read more As first-time parents during the harsh circumstances of the Covid-19 shutdown, we were plagued with questions and paralyzed with anxiety. How could we manage to do this, unplanned, during a period of national quarantine? The prospects were daunting, but we had those worries melt away with Rebecca's calm and practical, take-it-easy style. Her energy helped soothe ours ... and we found her breadth of knowledge to stretch the vast corners of newborn care. We found Rebecca to be thoughtful, careful, attentive ... and always readily available. Rebecca was an integral part of our birth plan and we were more relaxed first-time parents for having worked with her. She laid out a clear and concise action plan that worked wonders from the beginning. She is a pleasure to work with. I now understand why she came so highly recommended to us.

This Bradley Method preparation class is amazing! I chose Bradley Method over hypno birthing or…read moreLamaze because as a long-distance runner it's approach to pain made more sense to me. Also, it seemed like a method that fully incorporated the partner and I wanted the birth experience to be for both of us, and for my partner to not simply be a mildly supportive by-stander. I chose Mary Esther's class based on the recommendation of the midwifery practice we are with and signed up months before it started. By the time it started I was sorry I'd chosen such an intensive class. 8 weeks instead of the couple of hours one session that most people I know had chosen for their birthing class! I was worried it was a waste of time and money, a rookie mistake from being a little too gung-ho at the beginning of the pregnancy. Those fears were gone by the end of the first class. We'd chosen the Sunday afternoon class since the weekday evening classes seemed too hard for this early bird (how does dinner work?) Our group was a a great and diverse mix of hospital/birthing center/home birth going with midwife/ob. We were surprised by just how diverse it was in terms of childbirth choices. The classes themselves were tremendously enjoyable. Mary Esther keeps a relaxed energy going through the class and from the beginning mentioned we should eat, drink and go to the bathroom as we wanted. With so many pregnant ladies in the room, we all did! I was worried about having to sit for so long, but though the main seats are uncomfortable, there are plenty of props to make yourself comfortable on the mat, and there are these little chairs that don't look very comfortable but are surprisingly comfy pregnant ladies. (I'm actually trying to figure out where I could get one for home. They're adorable and could double as kid's seats for later.) Plenty of people simply would simply lie down on the mat when they felt like it. But the main reason I recommend this class is for the effect it has had on me, my partner, and our relationship through this pregnancy. We've learned so much, and we're approaching this birth with a sense of joyful calm excitement I don't see in others who have not taken this class. As a type A, make the list and check it twice, and boss everyone around kind of person, it's been hard to get used to not being able to do everything I used to do before my pregnancy. But it seems like pregnancy and birth go much better when you learn that you can't control everything. You have to trust your body, and trust those around you. Learning to lean on my partner more has helped deepen our bond, and having my partner be so involved and so knowledgeable about what helps and what doesn't and giving me nightly massages (it's part of the homework! true story!) has helped me relax and go into this knowing I've done all I can, and that I'm in the best hands.

I hated this class with Mary Esther Malloy. Hated. I actually threw up from how much stress this…read moreclass caused me, not once but TWICE. So we quit after 4 sessions even though it meant forfeiting the $450 fee (although ME said she would refund it if I took down my review...). I had heard great things about this class before enrolling. This review is my opinion and you should feel free to trust other people as you see fit. I am having a hard time organizing in my head all of my issues with this class and with ME so I will just try to make a list. Some things might not be that carefully explained though so send me a message if you want more information on anything I say. 1) ME spends a lot of time telling stories from births where she has been the doula. She does not spend enough time with the students on preparing for their own birth experience. She spends a short period of time going over labor positions and a short period of time on techniques to deal with pain. She never in any way ties in the Bradley Method with the stories she tells. 2) The Bradley Method is very partner oriented. AKA, I felt fairly unimportant in the class. I felt like my husband could have gone to the class without me and when he got home asked me to hold ice for a minute while deep breathing. That sounds super useful in labor. Wait, no it doesn't. 3) ME is really condescending. She showed scientific pictures to the class and asked the class to guess how dilated the cervix was in those pictures. In one picture my husband guessed "5" and she laughed. Actually laughed. Then a doctor and a midwife also taking the class said they thought 5 or maybe 6. And she let it go. There was no answer on the picture but if a doctor and a midwife agrees, I think you should apologize to my husband for laughing at him. Twice in the first class I felt like it was better to keep my mouth shut than to offer an answer. And so I really did become mute. Oh, then after the class I cried. At least it wasn't on the first day of class when I threw up. 4) Everyone in the class is expecting a different birth experience. Some were using a birth center, some a hospital and just me and my husband were planning a home birth. I felt like she taught the class for those using a hospital and glossed over the other options. She would teach something oriented to being in a hospital and then as an after thought say how it would differ in a birth center or at home. So I felt really confused taking in all of this unnecessary information and trying to identify what actually applied to me. 5) ME is entirely unreachable by email or phone. She might reply a week later - Depends what her three kids have going on that week, you know? The contract for the class states that she would be accessible by email or phone throughout the class but that's laughable. 6) ME ignores the needs of pregnant women taking the class. I was signed up for the summer intensive course which is 8 classes that are each 3 hours long. She would take a break where people would gobble down some dinner at around 8:15pm. She didn't take any other breaks. The chairs are super uncomfortable but so is sitting on the floor. No pregnant woman can really sit still for 3 hours. By the end of the classes my back and stomach would be killing me. There was nothing I could do to make sitting for 3 hours comfortable. 7) ME never told us to bring the binder she handed out to every class. In fact, looking through it it seems like extra information (which it for the most part is) so I was never even sure what pages from it she might want us to bring to the next class. Stating that to the class would be really useful. Again, ignoring the needs of pregnant women (to not carry around an unnecessary binder of articles that barely matter). 8) The materials are very outdated. The creators of the Bradley Method should be embarrassed to show videos from the 1970s and videos where the words "civilized people" are uttered. 9) It is hard to wrap my own head around why this class caused me such extreme stress so bear with me. If you are a Type A person like myself, you like to feel in control. Now, with labor, there is a lot you can't control. I get that. But the idea that I have to hand over control to my husband or I will fail at my natural childbirth is really disarming. It caused me to feel physically ill to think that the success of my birth plan really has very little to do with me and a lot to do with how well my husband interprets my needs. 10) After quitting this class we decided to purchase Hypnobabies. Hypnobabies puts me squarely in control of my ability to completely relax and treats my husband like the support person that he is. It is a way better fit and apparently what ME used herself!

We truly cannot say enough good things about Meredith. She was with us overnight for the first 8+…read moreweeks after our son was born, and as first-time parents who were truly starting from scratch, she was exactly what we needed. She helped us with everything--from teaching me how to even use a breast pump and helping us find our groove with breastfeeding, to newborn care, postpartum recovery, and all of the million questions that come with bringing a baby home for the first time. She is incredibly knowledgeable, honest, down-to-earth, and completely nonjudgmental. She never made us feel like there was one "right" way to do things--she helped us figure out what worked for us and gave us so much confidence along the way. Meredith is also just the kind of person you want around during those early weeks. Nothing flustered her, she was incredibly calming, and she somehow always knew what we needed without us having to ask. We felt completely comfortable with her from the beginning and trusted her completely with our son. By the end, we didn't just miss having the help--we genuinely missed having Meredith around. She became such a special part of those first weeks as a family, and we feel incredibly lucky to have had her. We could not recommend her more.

Meredith was extremely caring and attentive to our son. She helped us navigate the next steps with…read morehis feedings and diaper sizes. Meredith allowed us to get some much needed rest since we knew our son would be in good hands while we slept. We are so happy we decided to hire her as our doula.

I highly recommend Rachel and Sherraine! Rachel attended our birth but it was lovely meeting…read moreSherraine beforehand. Writing this review almost 6 months after giving birth so I had time to process everything. Rachel has this calming yet confident presence. She helped me tremendously during labor and worked well with my husband. It felt like she knew exactly what I needed without me saying much. She also knew when to hive us the time to be by ourselves and helped with food and drinks (birthing center). I am grateful she was part of this special day and she also took amazing pictures

I'm very disappointed with my experience with Sierra. We hired her to be our postpartum doula in…read moreDecember. We had our first baby, knew nothing about babies and had no support in the area. After the initial call and prenatal appointment, my husband and I felt that we were in good hands. She claimed to be a support for me and my baby and to be knowledgeable about all things newborns. Unfortunately that was not the case. The pros: - she taught us how to give our baby his first bath - she was communicative in the beginning via text and phone - she ended up acting as a very expensive babysitter for our last four visits The cons: - having a newborn is hard and I had a lot of questions she didn't know the answers to. Instead of finding the answers and calling me or offering to come over, she sent lengthy articles with links to other articles. When you are trying to figure out a problem with your infant in your arms, you don't have an hour to read an article that may or may not help - she knew nothing about breastfeeding, period. She gave me advice when she shouldn't of(she told me not to move my breast a bit away from my baby's nose because he would pull off if he was suffocating- this was corrected by two different lactation counselors) - 90% of her answers were "I don't know, I'll have to look that up" - in the end she was not communicative and it felt like she just wanted our sessions to be over - we were so uncomfortable having her in our home when we were around we asked her to just babysit our already sleeping newborn after he was in bed for the night This service is clearly dependent on who you get. Sierra was part of a lower, less trained tier of doulas. Regardless of the tier, it was a bad experience at a vulnerable time in our lives as new parents.

Best decision I made was choosing cosmos midwifery for my home birth! From the first visit Jenna…read morewas kind, thoughtful and professional. I felt very safe and in good hands during the whole process. During the birth Jenna was calm and confident. I trusted her fully and she was very respectful towards all my preferences. Couldn't have picked a better provider for my home birth!! Thank you Jenna and Chloe!!

My partner and I worked with Chloe to try and get pregnant via IUI. Chloe is supportive,…read moreknowledgable, great with communication, and was wonderful to work with. We initially started with a fertility clinic to do IUI, but when we realized it wasn't our vibe and started working with Chloe we couldn't have been happier. I think I can definitely say it was a lot of Chloe's magic and expertise that helped me to pregnant.

I have a high-risk pregnancy and asked one of the doctors at Maternal Fetal Medicine Associates for…read moref they could recommend a place that does prenatal classes, and the only place they recommended was BabyZone. I am so glad they did! My husband and I took three classes: Baby Basics 101 and a Childbirth class with Dominique, and infant and child CPR with Evelyn. They were both amazing and not only have tons of experience, but are really big on evidence and research based recommendations, which are invaluable. Being pregnant and high risk is scary (especially as a soon-to-be first-time parent), and having the science presented is so reassuring that I will know what to do that isn't the opinion of someone on the internet. You have no idea how important that is, and essential that is, and how rare that can be to find in a class. Classes are small, too! We had a max of 6 (3 couples) in Dominique's classes, which was great and allowed the classes to be tailored to the needs and concerns of the parents (and babies!). As a bonus, both Dominique and Evelyn are amazing, kind, and generous people who will stay after class to answer any and all of your questions. I cannot more highly recommend BabyZone!

I was referred to Baby Zone NYC through my OB and I'm so glad we did these classes! Both the…read moreChild/Infant CPR class and the Childbirth Prep: Crash Course were incredibly insightful and helped us better understand what to expect and feel more confident and prepared. After our baby was born I was looking for a lactation consultant who would do home visits and ended up working Dominique - not only is she incredibly knowledgeable with literally anything related to babies, she's also such a kind, encouraging, and supportive person to be around. I felt so comfortable with her during a very challenging and emotional time, and I cannot recommend her enough!

Megan Davidson was a life-changing partner in my husband and I's journey during pregnancy and…read morepost-partum. As a 42-year-old woman trying to have her first baby, my husband and I knew we needed support through our journey. My OB/GYN practice, Spring OB/GYN in Soho, has a list of recommended doulas, and we called every single one, including Megan. After speaking with Megan, we knew immediately she was the doula we wanted to work with because of who she is and how she works. She is kind, committed, and warm, while also being clear, transparent, approachable and available. She loves what she does, she cares deeply about her clients, and you see that first hand as she goes above and beyond to support their success. The more we met and spoke with Megan, the more we experienced first-hand how deeply experienced, knowledgeable, and helpful she was. We attended every virtual workshop she offered and both my husband and I found them invaluable in preparing and educating us for the big day. The day I went into labor, (January 12, 2024) we texted with Megan right away and through the entire time leading up to leaving our apartment 18 hours later. When it was time to head to NYU (our hospital), we felt ready because of all her coaching. She offered to meet us at our apartment in Boerum Hill or the hospital, and we opted for the latter. Meghan was there waiting for us when the uber dropped us off and as we walked into the hospital together, we knew we had a true champion on our team. Over the next 24 hours, she supported me, guided me, supported and guided my husband, helped us advocate for ourselves and advocated for us. She was extraordinary. I had gone into the hospital with my birth plan, thanks to Megan, and I really wanted to have a vaginal birth if possible. After nearly 24 hours in labor, I was working towards a deadline. If I didn't hit a progress mark, I would have to have a c-section, but then I went into involuntary labor. We asked for the doctor, and were told that someone else could check-in with us. We knew we wanted to see the OB and Meghan helped get the doctor sent to our room - 16 minutes later we had a beautiful little boy. Not only did Megan get us prepared for a successful labor and delivery, she has been with us ever since. She responded to some frantic questions early in our parenthood, and has always been happy to text or hop on the phone to talk us through any topics or concerns. We hope to have another baby in a year or two, and she will be the first person we call to work with her again. We could not recommend her any more highly. She is the best in her field.

I had the most beautiful, positive birthing experience with my first child in large part thanks to…read moreMegan - hiring her was the best investment I could have made. She provided so many useful classes and personal calls throughout my pregnancy, and during the birth she helped me labor at home and leave for the hospital at the best time. She was a huge advocate throughout the birth, providing such a calming yet confident presence that helped my husband and me feel incredibly at ease and taken care of. She even took photos the moment my daughter was born that I'll cherish forever. I was so fearful of birth and left with such happy memories of the entire experience. She has also provided invaluable advice and support postpartum as well. I cannot recommend Megan enough for anyone expecting!

We are first-time parents who were set up with Kathy and Kim through this service, and had a truly…read moreincredible experience working with them. It meant so much to have such kind and capable hands around as we transition into life with a baby. I could tell they both really care about the mom and especially the baby's wellbeing, which means so much as a mom. Both Kathy and Kim are such kind people and are so easy to be around, and I really enjoyed having them as part of our family for these last few weeks. Ruth, You are lucky to have them on your team, and I highly recommend Ruth's service to anyone looking for a doula.

We had a phenomenal experience working with Tishara as a night doula. Tishara was incredibly…read moreprofessional, knowledgeable, and a huge help in learning how to understand and care for our newborn. We are incredibly grateful for her assistance!