Simply amazing through two experiences. As a partner, Kristin is an invaluable resource. Her…read moreinsights are key, she's a great advocate and frankly you cannot put a price on another set of hands. Highly recommend (in fact I already have...).

Kristin from Kind Birth Services was my doula for the birth of my first daughter. I also took her…read moreassociated birth class, based on her book Expecting Kindness. Throughout preparing for and delivering my daughter, Kristin worked with me for over 30 hours. She's a stellar doula. At the time she was working as my doula, she had already delivered over 350 babies throughout her 20 year career. Her experience showed through in every interaction I had with her. Every question I had she could answer not only with broad knowledge, but also with specific examples from past deliveries. She knows birth inside and out. Beyond her deep knowledge and experience, she is also incredible at holding space and advocating for a mother-to-be through the birthing process. My original plan was to deliver at a midwifery clinic, but I had to transfer care to a hospital a week before my labor started. This unexpected change of plans would have been massively stressful had it not been for Kristin's steady consistency and emotional presence through the process. Her experience in both birth centers and hospitals again showed through to me. Throughout labor and delivery, she guided me through with clear suggestions and a calm demeanor. Because of her presence and the preparation I had from her class, I was confident in my ability to delivery vaginally without medication. She taught me (and reminded me in the moment) of the details of each stage of labor and how I could best empower myself through the process. She also helped me to be a strong advocate for myself and my own control over the birth process, which was invaluable in my transition to hospital delivery. One of my favorite things about Kristin was her passion for integrating my partner in the birth process, from the birth classes through delivery participation. My partner was well prepared and confident to be fully present in the birth process. Kristin is an excellent coach, guide and guru from the classroom to the delivery suite, and I couldn't recommend her more strongly. She also gave our daughter one of her first gifts during one of our follow up appointments with her!

I originally chose Puget Sound Midwives and Birth Center because I didn't have insurance at the…read morebeginning of my pregnancy and wanted something smaller, more personal, and supportive of a natural birth. I paid for all my early appointments in full, in cash, as soon as I was informed of any charges. I was looking for compassionate care, continuity, and a trusting relationship with the person who would eventually help deliver my child. Unfortunately, that is not what I received. I first saw Courtney in May 2025 and was told I needed to also see Amanda, the other midwife on staff at the time. I really connected with Amanda and felt hopeful that she would be present at my birth. Sadly, that plan fell apart when I was told (months later, around November) that Amanda would be leaving in December -- and I'd now be under the care of a new midwife I had barely met. From the beginning, appointments with Courtney often felt condescending and patronizing. There was a noticeable amount of fear-mongering around hospital births and C-sections -- (to the point that when I did get to Evergreen hospital the first words out of my mouth were, "I don't want a C-Section!!!") rather than being supportive of informed choice, the conversations often leaned into judgment and pressure. As I neared the end of my pregnancy, things got even worse. I went nearly 2.5 weeks overdue, and in those last five weeks, I was constantly offered cervical checks, a balloon pump, and other interventions to try to get labor started. The new midwife said she couldn't reach my cervix because her fingers were too short -- yet I was still billed for every single "exam." In total, I was charged $250 for completely unhelpful and ineffective procedures. When I asked how I would know if I was in labor, I was simply told, "You'll just know." When I called the on-call number to report that my water had broken, I was told I wasn't dilated enough and was advised not to come in. No one tested me to confirm whether my water had actually broken. As it turns out, it had -- three days before I gave birth. Thankfully, the rupture was at the top, or the consequences for my baby could have been devastating. I ended up giving birth at Evergreen Hospital, and I truly believe my child is alive today because I left the birth center and sought real medical care. On the billing side, it was a complete mess. I kept getting bills addressed to the wrong last name, even though I had input my correct name in their patient portal. The billing department never even properly checked my insurance until after I gave birth -- and only then because someone called me demanding the correct information. They had scanned my insurance card months earlier, but somehow still had it entered incorrectly in their supposedly HIPAA-compliant system. I ended up having to enter my insurance manually myself. To top it off, I'm now fighting a $600 emergency transfer fee with my insurance. I was only at the birth center for two hours before my husband had to drive me to the hospital himself -- after the midwife suggested I walk the apartment complex stairs at 3am to try to "get things going." And yet, I'm being charged as if they coordinated an emergency transfer. Save yourself the time, stress, and incompetence. What was supposed to be a supportive, natural, empowering birth experience turned into chaos, confusion, and unnecessary risk to my baby. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone looking for truly safe and supportive midwifery care.

I started my pregnancy with an OB/GYN, but made the switch to this birth center at 26 weeks. It was…read morethe best decision ever! Both midwives; Heather and Blake are lovely! I looked forward to every appointment and never left feeling like I wasn't heard. Heather was at my birth and she made me feel calm, safe, and confident that I can do it natural (which was my goal). As a first time, mom I am very happy I made the switch. I would recommend this birth center to any and all the pregnant people I know!

I can't recommend Milla and Melinda enough! My husband was skeptical about hiring a doula, but…read moreafter the birth he was the first to say how grateful he was they were there for us and that the investment was so worth it. Their package is outstanding compared to others. Milla was with us for delivery and she was such a calming, supportive presence. She reminded me of my birth plan when I needed it, worked beautifully with the hospital staff, held me through contractions, cheered me on when I felt like giving up, and set boundaries with family when I asked. She just knew what I needed and I felt safe with her. Melinda was equally fantastic. I felt deeply seen by her. She helped me with my anxiety before labor and in postpartum, gave me practical tools (the ice exercise was a game changer), and walked through our house helping us set up baby stations + shared so many helpful tips. Some additional highlights: - Their website has the best list of questions to ask when interviewing doulas. - The prep class with Milla was both super helpful and honestly fun. I truly believe the exercises she taught me made a huge difference in my labor. - Melinda dropping everything to come help us on day 3 postpartum when we texted her in frenzy. Hiring them was hands-down the best decision we made. I'm so happy with how my labor went, and I honestly credit that to this amazing doula team. Overall, the biggest impact they made on me was that they believed in me, and that gave me so much strength. For a first-time mom with higher levels of anxiety, that kind of support was priceless. I honestly wish they could be my team of support forever in motherhood--that's how much I loved them and how much I trust them. And even now, I still bug them from time to time and they always quickly help me out with resources. I am so fortunate to have found them. I am sure you will feel the same way if they become your choice of doulas.

I've been supported through 3 pregnancies and deliveries (2 with midwives at a birth center, 1…read morec-section in hospital) by Melinda Ferguson, and cannot recommend her highly enough for her extensive experience from attending hundreds of births, empathy, responsiveness, and ability to connect me with others in the perinatal community for specific things like birth prep classes, lactation, sleep, etc. As a first-time parent, I especially found Melinda's guidance and presence helpful to calm my anxieties around the process of giving birth, as well as caring for a newborn. So the second time, I wanted to have the same support and was so glad to have her with us even though we'd been through this before once. And although I had expected the third time to be even easier, some complications came up and it was so helpful to be able to consult with Melinda and work through some difficult decisions. She also helped me with processing and accepting the surgical delivery that I had really hoped to avoid.

Barb was put on this earth to do exactly what she is doing: Inspiring countless nervous moms-to-be…read moreto overcome their fears and embrace the beauty and wonder of the birth experience in all of its unpredictable but amazing glory. She is Seattle's hypnobirthing grande dame, and her passion, experience and knowledge of the techniques she teaches have turned many a doubter (likely most of the male partners in the classroom) into die hard believers of the power of self-hypnosis techniques to attain complete relaxation and control. Most useful for us - especially my husband - was her empowering approach to birth: the birth experience does not have to be terrifying, over-medicalized, or powerless.

Let me stare by saying I was a skeptic about HypnoBirthing. It was my wife who first brought the…read moreidea to my attention. Since completing the class and the birth I have become a convert. It was a wonderful experience and I wouldn't have changed a thing. I can't say enough about Barbara Decker she is simply amazing. We were lost in the wilderness before we signed up for her HypnoBirthing class at Great Starts. We did our research and found it to be a better deal than elsewhere and the class included Breastfeeding and Newborn Care which others did not. We knew immediately we were in good hands. We were also fortunate enough to have her as our Doula which was priceless. Her energy, attention, guidance was a true gift in the birth of our daughter.

Jenne was recommended to us by friends who had used her for their birth. I met with her right away…read morewhen I found I was pregnant and she was immediately calming. I felt confident in hiring her to support myself and my husband during our second birth. Jenne was incredibly thorough, meeting with us before our due date to ensure she got to know us and would be able to offer the kind of support we were looking for on the day. When it came time to deliver, Jenne was again an incredibly calming presence and support that truly allowed for such a beautiful birth as we welcomed our son. Jenne also followed up with us several times after the birth to make sure we were adjusting well. Her experience and knowledge of adding a second child to our family was invaluable. I also found Jenne to be incredibly professional and knowledgeable. It is clear that this is a true passion for her, as well that she takes her role very seriously. We were so pleased that we hired Jenne and would absolutely work with her again.

Jenne was a real pleasure to work with. She provided so much support not only for my labor but also…read morepostpartum. She's incredibly knowledgeable and truly cares about your well being. I highly recommend working with her!