I solicited Rachel's services for the birth of my second son, Griffin. Upon first meeting her I…read morefelt drawn to her calm demeanor and warm presence. She distributed an educational binder full of materials I found to be more honest and thorough than the information my OB had given me. For example, OB's won't distribute a list of medical interventions you may face during a hospital labor, but Rachel did. It was essential information I wish I was armed with during the hospital delivery of my first son. Emotionally, Rachel was very encouraging when I expressed doubts regarding my ability to tough-out a med-free labor. She helped instill the courage I needed to make the switch from the hospital to my local Birth Center. She helped me believe in myself and saw a strength in me I did not see. Physically, Rachel would have been an enormous help with pain management by providing soothing massage and counter pressure during labor. My labor was mercifully short, however, and I had to rely solely on my husband for pain relief during active labor. He did a great job providing this relief by utilizing the massage and counter pressure techniques that Rachel taught him. Thanks to her guidance, he was able to be an active participant in my labor instead of just a spectator! She was a calming, guiding voice during the pushing stage of my labor and very helpful with my initial breastfeed as well. Rachel will be all the things you need during the emotionally turbelent time of pregnancy and delivery. She will be a supportive friend, a motherly figure, an educator, an advisor, a listening ear, a guiding voice and a soldier ready to fight for you. She's a nurturing old soul with a backbone of steel. A beautiful doula both inside and out. You can't go wrong soliciting her services and I can't recommend her highly enough. I wish I had given myself the gift of a doula through my first labor!

I was referred to Rachel by my midwife since I had such bad anziety about labor. I was terrified of…read morethe pain as well as getting an epidural or an IV since I don't do well with needles. I'd cry thinking about having to deliver my baby and wasn't enjoying my pregnancy because of my anziety. My husband and I had VERY different views on labor. His answer to everything was. "Get an epidural, you'll be fine." He thought anyone who didn't want an epidural was crazy. He didn't see anything wrong with interventions and thought they were there and you should take full advantage of it. Originally I wasn't against interventions, I was just really scared of them because of the needles. Over the couple months of communicating with Rachel and reading the materials she suggested I decided I wanted to try to have a natural birth. My husband still maintained that his ideal labor would be a scheduled c section. With Rachel's help he finally was on board to give the natural birth a shot, although I'm pretty sure he didn't think it would actually happen. Rachel got through to him about the cycle of epdidural/pitocin and how once you start one intervention it just creates a snowball and odds are, you're getting more. I went into labor and I labored at home and got to the hospital at 10cm! After 2 hours of pushing, my daughter was born without any interventions! Rachel gave us the knowledge/tools to be able to labor at home as long as we did. I believe that made all the difference in being able to have a natural delivery. I would have had a VERY different labor if i wasn't for Rachel. At the hosptial she was great! With Rachel by my side I felt as if i could take on anything during labor. My husband is so happy we hired her. He said if we had another baby we'd do it the same way. She's worth every penny. Her posituve attitude can get you through anything! I think about my labor every day and couldn't be more happy with it!

I found the birth center when I was around 32 weeks pregnant with my first child and was worried it…read morewould be too late for them to take me and luckily they got me right in! They took their time with my appointments and made sure i was good. I ended up giving birth in July of 2023 and it went sooo smoothly. I had a water birth in the blue room and i couldn't have asked for a better birthing experience. Would definitely recommend!

Absolutely recommended the birth center for unmedicated physiological labor and delivery…read more Appointments were easy to schedule and thorough. Staff were all friendly and it felt like family by the time i went into labor. I had a beautiful and peaceful hands-off labor in which midwives followed my lead and allowed me to birth my baby how i felt best. They still do routine tests, write ultrasound scripts, offer pitocin if needed, they do the newborn screening and eye ointment if wanted. Theyre holistic and believe in every woman but also rooted in modern medicine. They did all my labwork onsite. The day of labor they received me with warm smiles and i went home 5 hours after delivery. Absolutely wonderful crew who know how amazing and empowering birth can be

The womb room is amazing!! They offer so many classes for before baby or after. I took advantage of…read morethe free virtual prenatal yoga classes, pregnancy support group and baby and me yoga. Yoga is so fun to connect with my baby and also other moms. Plus Amanda is a great instructor! Some of their other classes are on the pricey side is the only thing but it's such a great resource for moms! Also their location can be a bit tricky to find but the main door is off Keswick Rd (and is stroller friendly). Walk in past the dress shop and bare to the right. There's a big parking lot in the back.

This review is is for the doula services and support groups (becoming a mom and breastfeeding)…read more I like that the becoming a mom group has a rotation of doulas who lead the group each week. That way you end up inadvertently meeting the different doulas. We went with Cara. She has a ton of experience and super chill vibe. Our hospital was not allowing extra visitors due to COVID so we signed up for a virtual doula service. She met with us a few times before the birth to review questions, birth plan, and provide support. She was also available via email for random questions that came up in between. The day of my labor I reached out to her as needed and she guided me through some of the decisions we had to make. Her support made it so that I could better advocate for myself and my baby during my labor. She was 100% supportive of all my decisions and in the end I ended up having a beautiful and quick birth. I am so happy we got a doula and recommend it to anyone no matter what type of brith you are planning on having. I found the groups to be more helpful towards the beginning of my pregnancy, especially as it was a time that COVID was just ramping up. The only issue is that the people in group vary from week to week. I think it would be nice to be able to connect with the same group from week to week so there is some continuity.

I have had 2 fantastic massages with Jess at the MWC. She made me feel incredibly comfortable,…read moreworked at the right pressure for a wonderful whole body experience. Jess was thorough in understanding ahead of time any areas that needed particular attention. The environment is super calming - it's like being on a mini-retreat. I can't wait for next massage!! It was true bliss.

I went for a massage not knowing what to expect and I was so happy with the massage that I got from…read moreJess. She was a really knowledgeable practitioner and communicated with me so she knew if I had any injuries and the pressure I preferred for my massage. I felt very relaxed and generally great after my hour massage and scheduled my next with her and can't wait for that. I would definitely recommend her for a therapeutic massage.

Cat's birthing class was amazing prep for my husband and I. We love information and having full…read moreunderstanding of what is going on, so feeling very ready to take on any birthing scenario in the hospital was important to us, as we live in a large metropolitan area. This class was informative and Cat is super enthusiastic, engaging, and down to earth, so it was very relatable and easy to take in the very detailed info. Information is all evidence based and designed to be able to participate fully in your own birthing care, advocate for yourself, and have full understanding of the birthing process. My hospital birth ended up needing many medically necessary interventions, and this class empowered us to make confident and fearless decisions for ourselves. Because of what we already knew from this class, we felt very comfortable with our care team and the information exchanges surrounding the events. Without this class, this experience may have been scary and traumatic, but the education we received in preparation made it feel very empowering and seamless. I 100% recommend this class to everyone interested in becoming well educated before their birthing experience.

My wife and I took Cat's EBB class and it was amazing! We learned a ton and now feel so empowered…read moreheading into our baby's birth. Cat was energizing, engaging, and very informative. We had many friends who took other birth classes with other instructors and none seem to have walked away feeling as calm and prepared as we did after our course with Cat.

We had such a wonderful experience with this service. The HFA team was incredibly responsive and…read moreproactive in connecting us with those who may be on our night nurse team which allowed for me to chat with each one ahead of time. It was our first time working with a night nurse and the whole experience made us feel at ease and in very good hands. Our night nurse, Janette, was wonderful and made us feel so confident that our newborn was in good hands that we could get some sleep back! Definitely recommend!

I am so glad to have worked with postpartum doulas through Happy Family After. We had peace of mind…read moreworking through this agency, knowing the doulas were vetted. We worked with Janice and Sara who were wonderful! On the admin side, Devon, Sondra, and Sara were all so kind and easy to work with. I was able to use my Carrot benefits with ease.

Here is a message that I wrote to a pregnant mom who asked me about my experience with a doula. I…read morethink it sums up my feelings about Virginia! She is wonderful and her services are priceless. "I was very nervous that I wouldn't feel supported and empowered throughout my pregnancy/labor, so I searched for a doula very early in my pregnancy. I was lucky to really click with the first doula I interviewed. She ended up being such a crucial part of my entire experience! Matt and I were talking earlier about how I wasn't sure what to write to you because I have a difficult time even expressing how amazing and important she is to me. He wanted me to mention to you how much our doula helped him as well. Doulas are definitely more than just a birth coach for the mom! He felt really supported by her as well. I decided that an unmedicated birth was the right choice for me and she did help me accomplish that goal. However, I know she would have been fully supportive either way. I think a good doula should be focused on helping you feel in control of your labor and birth experience, regardless of their personal labor preferences. Our doula really helped us prepare for Madelyn's birth, but was extremely helpful during the labor as well. Matt said that he loved having her their to reassure him if he got nervous. She also helped rub my back when his hands were tired. For me, I loved having a woman there to tell me she understood when I kept saying how hard it was. Our doula was with us at our house and stayed right by my side for the entire labor and recovery. She didn't even leave until after I had showered and settled in the bed to sleep. When our family was focused on snuggling Madelyn, she was helping me with my first trip to the bathroom. I never even thought about that and it's not very fun, so I was grateful for her! Basically, my labor experience was wonderful and life-changing thanks to our doula and Matt. I hope that helped in some way!"

From the owner: Understanding what is happening with your body during pregnancy, labor and birth takes away the…read morefear and gives you power! Taking my Lamaze Healthy Birthing Class gives you that Knowledge. Hiring me as your doula go hand in hand with the classes and provides you and your partner the support you need during labor and birth for you to birth your baby your way - medicated, unmedicated, cesarean, vaginal - as your doula I support you and help you advocate for yourself and your desires.