My husband and I hired Tara and Susanna as doulas ahead of our first child's birth in 2017, and…read morespecifically worked with Tara. We had a phenomenal experience, which resulted in working with them again for the birth of our second child in March 2021. In both cases, Tara and Susanna were tremendously helpful resources leading up to the delivery date. We always appreciated their candor and insights about what to expect and importantly, what our choices were (which was especially good to know during our first pregnancy). Tara and Susanna were always very responsive and detailed in their communication with us, and importantly, right ahead of the birth. For both births, I had a relatively quick active labor and Tara was there exactly when we needed her. She did an excellent job of ensuring my husband was involved in the labor process and provided us very helpful guidance on managing pain/new positions/breathing techniques. During my first birth, she proved to be a trusted advocate for me in a stressful situation (that almost resulted in an episiotomy), and although my second birth was relatively "uneventful", the quick nature of it made it very intense so we were grateful to have Tara's guidance and calm presence to help us through the birth. We feel very fortunate to have worked with Tara for both births, as her presence was extremely helpful in both cases!

My husband and I hired Susanna and Tara first as doulas, and later as midwives, to support us…read morethrough the pregnancy and birth of our first child. I simply cannot overstate how integral their care, compassion, expertise, and knowledge have been to the entire process of having our son. From the first prenatal visits with Susanna and Tara, they were open, non-judgmental, caring, and insightful. They worked with us to create a birth plan, sent us helpful information to assist us in making informed, evidence-based decisions for our son's care, and were always available for follow-up questions and discussions. Not only are Susanna and Tara both unmatched in their professionalism, but they are also kind, funny, brilliant, and the type of people who just make you feel comfortable and safe. When Covid began to surge as our due date approached, we reached out to them to consider a home birth and ended up contracting them to be our midwives instead of only contracting for doula care. It was the best decision we ever made during our birth and pregnancy process and I wish we had done it from the beginning. As midwives, Susanna and Tara provided the same level of care and insight as before, with an added level of expert care that we were impressed by time and time again. At the actual birth of our son, Susanna and Tara guided and comforted me through 10 hours of labor at home. I quite simply could not have done it without them. When I eventually needed to transfer to Mount Auburn for an epidural and what turned out to be a more complicated birth than anticipated, they accompanied me as far as they could to the doors of the labor ward (they were not allowed inside due to Covid), keeping me as calm as possible and helping me through every contraction with compassion and kindness all the way from our home to the hospital. Our son was born healthy and happy, and we came home to face the ups and downs of life as new parents with the knowledge that we were fully supported by Susanna and Tara. Their help became instrumental once again as I struggled with postpartum anxiety and breastfeeding issues--coming to my house at the drop of a dime when I was desperate for help, and only a phone call away to talk us through our challenges as they arose over the first few weeks. I cannot more highly recommend Susanna and Tara as doulas and midwives. In many ways, I feel like they saved me during my most vulnerable time and made me feel stronger and more empowered when I could have so easily felt defeated instead. Hire them. It will be the best decision you make for your entire pregnancy and birth!

Beyond my highest hopes for a birth plan and care team! As I was looking for huge change in care…read morefrom my OBGYN at 6.5 months pregnant, I found this birth cottage and I'm so glad I did! Adrian and the team made the transition of care, flawless. Prenatal appointments: extremely personal and always gave all the information to make the informed right decision for our growing family. Never felt rushed, or like I was just another patient. They always welcomed me by name, and genuinely seemed happy to see me. Birth: I had a 24 hour labor, and labored about 9 hours at home, before getting to Salem, arriving to a team ready for me! Noel, Celis, and Jillian all there to support and encourage me and to make sure my baby was safe throughout the entire labor. I was able to set the tone with lights, incense, music and my additional support team of my husband and doula. Yet, I never felt over crowded! They knew what I needed and if they didn't, they ask my husband or doula, giving me the space to labor as I wished! Recovery: after my son was born, they were so respectful with the precious moments that followed! Never once did my son leave my arms or sight. I did have some bad tearing that required me to go to the hospital, but even that, the midwives arranged flawlessly. Noel called St. Joe hospital and arranged for me to be cared for without going through the emergency room, or waiting to be seen while Celis went over all the discharge information I needed for the cottage. I was in and out of the hospital within an hour of arriving because of the action of Noel! And because Noel and Celis knew of my tearing, they both came to my home in Manchester,(35minutes away) for a home visit 2 days later to conduct all the tests for myself and son. I don't have to go anywhere, which is amazing for my recovery and bonding time! 10/10 recommend and I will be back for our next baby!

Our experience at the Birth Cottage has been nothing short of amazing. I have felt supported and…read morenurtured throughout the entire process. We look forward to every appointment. I delivered my son here recently and can honestly say that without these midwives, I never would have had the birth I wanted. I passionately recommend their services to anyone seeking care outside the troubled mainstream healthcare model. You will be glad you did.

"Practically perfect in every way." Little else can be said to accurately sum up my experience…read morewith Katie O'Day and Rebecca Price-Wood of Sacred Transitions Midwifery, yet I still have so much to add! Endowed with compassion and supremely skilled, Katie and Rebecca seamlessly blend the art of classical midwifery with the science of modern obstetrics to create a model of care that is awesome to behold. Their personalities complement each other beautifully, and they each breathe a unique air into their shared practice. Prenatal appointments are comprehensive yet relaxed, and postpartum care is exceptional, like nothing else I have experienced (and this was my fourth pregnancy and third homebirth!) Katie and Rebecca will treat you with compassion; your time and journey will truly be held as sacred while you are in their care. You will be respected. You will be heard. You will be enlightened, empowered, educated. Dare I say, you will be loved. For my fourth pregnancy I sought out Katie at the recommendation of my former midwife who had retired. I was nervous about having to find a new midwife after having such amazing previous experiences, and assumed that the odds of finding the "perfect" midwife for a second time were slim. One meeting with Katie was enough to assuage those fears, as it was clear to both my husband and me that she was compassionate, competent, and skilled. We trusted her immediately and we always felt safe and confident under her care. Rebecca joined Katie's practice late in my pregnancy, at about 36 weeks. I am generally very quiet and take a while to open up to people, but Rebecca immediately drew me out of my shell and I was chatting with her like I had known her for years. In addition, she was clearly as knowledgeable and passionate about her craft as Katie, and I was so thrilled to now have two amazing midwives directing my care! When they twice detected concerns with baby's heart rate late in my pregnancy, they humbly suggested that I visit the hospital for fetal monitoring to be sure there were not more serious concerns - it was easy to trust their judgement; I was not pressured to agree, and I was still in control of my choices. (On one such occasion, Katie even went above and beyond by driving me to the hospital and staying with me during fetal monitoring when I had no one else to available to go with me.) When labor day came, Rebecca arrived at my door first, with a smile, and was an incredibly intuitive labor coach, while Katie assumed the role of doula and assisted with pain management. They were such a great team! They seemed to know exactly what I needed at any given moment and made sure that I was taken care of so that I could focus on labor. I was confident that they were in control of the details, while I simultaneously maintained my autonomy. When my baby experienced shoulder dystocia, they handled it with such poise and skill that I was barely aware that something was amiss until after my daughter was safely in my arms. Postpartum was stellar! In addition to an extended window of care and more visits than the contemporary status quo, Katie is certified in "Mother Roasting," which combines traditional postpartum healing practices from around the globe to aid in recovery and transition you gently into motherhood. It was truly an honor to experience postpartum in this way; I felt so incredibly valued and was encouraged to take my time to heal. It was my most stable and successful postpartum period of all four of my children, and I know it was a direct result of Katie's extra-special attention and care. To top it all off, they even offer continuing well-woman services! They take a kinder, gentler approach to the necessary routine feminine checks, and are sure to address the full scope of your health. It is almost a year to the day since I gave birth, and I still think upon my experience with Katie and Rebecca often, and always with fondness. I have recommended them to others and will continue to do so for as long as they willing to offer their indispensable services to our community. My only regret is that this was likely the last baby for our family, and I will not have occasion to work with them again.

Sacred transitions birth services also offers placenta encapsulation, mother roasting to promote…read morepost partum healing and they have several highly recommended doulas they work with regularly. I would definitely use them again if I was planning another birth! my home birth was amazing

Kim was my midwife in 2020 and it was a great birth experience. Her prenatal and postpartum care as…read morealso top-notch.

Kim was an excellent midwife throughout my pregnancy and into postpartum. She was really just…read moreamazing and wonderful. She helped us through every decision and provided support and information with all the medical options. Our birth ended up in the hospital but Kim continued to support us through our stay in labor and delivery. Without her love, encouragement and support we would have had a much different experience. We are so grateful for Kim.

My husband and I wanted to hire a birth doula to make us each feel more comfortable and confident…read morewith labor prep and the process of birth and labor itself (this was our first child). We both wanted someone to support and advocate for us in the hospital if need be and I wanted an experienced person to be with me throughout my time at the hospital to help me through an unmedicated labor should I decide to go that route. After lots of research and interviews we hired Tara for her calm, capable demeanor and her level of experience as both a a doula and a midwife. Tara visited our home twice in my later pregnancy to get to know us and to understand our wishes and build my birth plan. She also helped us to prepare for early laboring at home with labor positions and advice on staying hydrated and resting as much as possible before going in to the hospital. I went into the process with an open mind, thinking that I might attempt an unmedicated birth but I wasn't at all against an epidural or other pain management should I feel it necessary. Tara never tried to dissuade me from that plan in any way which I really appreciated. I ended up laboring at home for 18 hours before going into the hospital - throughout the day we were in constant contact with Tara and she listened to my voice and my contractions to help us make the decision as to when to go in. The nurses at the hospital told us we timed it perfectly when I got there. After a couple of hours laboring in triage with very intense contractions, I made the decision to get an epidural. My labor progressed quickly after my epidural and shortly after Tara arrived at the hospital, it was time for me to push. She worked alongside our amazing Beth Israel nurses and doctors in a really cohesive way and was a grounding presence helping to keep me hydrated, calm, and making sure I was as comfortable as possible and that my husband was able to be by my side and supporting me like he wanted to. She kept a log of events that happened during my labor (which I definitely would have forgotten/been unaware of) and even took our first family photos once our son was born. Since I had an epidural and had labored at home for most of the time, our time with Tara was much different than I had envisioned (she was really only physically there with us for my time pushing). Had I gone ahead with an unmedicated birth, we would have made "better use" of her since I would have felt like I needed her in the hospital with us sooner. Nevertheless, my husband and I were so grateful for her calming presence throughout the day and for the time we did have her there with us despite not feeling like we "needed" her as much. It was still so nice to have her with us! We are so grateful to Tara for her guidance and support and highly recommend her to all other parents-to-be!

Tara is an expert and the exact person I needed to make my birth experience something I could look…read moreback on with joy and empowerment instead of trauma. Thank you Tara for all of the support you provided along the way in addition to the day-of and postpartum period.

The Concord Birth Center was out of this world incredible. My wife and I just had our first child…read more10 hrs ago. Kate our lead midwife was nothing short of 10 out of 10. We arrived at the center at 6:30pm. As a man I super curious about how a natural birth would go. However, I got to experience the most beautiful gift I have ever received up close and personal. It was difficult to watch my wife go through the struggle, however, Kate was on top of every move. She had my wife in a tub, in different positions for different phases of the pregnancy. And come to find out she is coming up on her 800 birth that she has been apart of. To anyone who is looking for an alternative to the hospital experience and can handle a natural birth, I recommend this place with full enthusiasm. Our baby girl was delivered at 11:17pm. The birth could not have gone any smoother. I am so grateful to Kate and her assistant Bryn. Words can not express our gratitude. Outstanding job!!!! Thank you for playing such a huge part in one of the greatest days of our lives. You two are the BEST!!!!!

From the owner: We are a midwife-led freestanding birth center in Concord, NH, offering professional and…read morepersonalized prenatal, postpartum, and childbirth services. We support your vision of birth, including home birth, water birth, and VBAC. We are dedicated to providing the highest standard of care, offering an intricate balance of tradition and technology. Midwives are the facilitators of natural process and reserve intervention, invasive testing and procedures for situations outside the parameters of normal. We also recognize that parents value and honor the experience of pregnancy and birth as much as the health of mothers and babies. We allow as much time as needed to listen, interact and educate -- encouraging families to be proactive, to make truly informed decisions about their care. Call us to tour the birth center, and to learn more about what truly collaborative, family-centered midwifery care looks like.

I delivered with the Midwives at Mt. Auburn Hospital just over a week ago and can't say enough…read morepositive things about labor and delivery as well as the recovery period. I had read rave reviews about Mt. Auburn (including multiple people claiming to have had a "wonderful" labor there), all the while wondering how wonderful labor really could be. I now understand completely. From the moment that we called the hospital after contractions started to the arrival and long delivery process, each nurse and midwife that took care of me provided the utmost care, professionalism, and explanation of what was happening next and why. Amidst the inevitable anxiety of a first labor, I felt fully cared for and at ease. I can't thank the nurses enough for their tremendous care during both the labor and delivery process, as well as postpartum care for myself and baby. Postpartum, the nurses and a wonderful lactation consultant provided guidance on everything from what to expect during the first few days of our newborns' life to feeding techniques to giving the baby a first bath. Recovery was peaceful and allowed us time to bond as a family of three. By the time we left the hospital, we felt prepared enough to care for our newborn and with the opportunity to call with any questions that we might have. Thank you, Mt. Auburn!

I'm very disappointed by my recent experience with the Midwives at Mt. Auburn Hospital. My prenatal…read morecare was pretty standard, nothing exceptional. I had a low-risk pregnancy and everything went according to plan. The midwife I saw continually pushed for induction through castor oil, membrane sweeps, and evening primrose oil - these are not proven to be effective and are not positively backed by scientific research. I cannot believe that they don't follow evidence-based research when making medical recommendations. I went into labor spontaneously and progressed well. However, during my entire active labor, the midwife was in the room for no more than 5 minutes total. She basically did a quick pelvic exam and then left me on my own. I had no one in the room with me other than my husband. There was no nurse and no midwife - I felt so unsupported. After about 6 hours of labor, the midwife came back in and suggested a peanut ball and a warm bath, but she disappeared without setting me up with either. I guess my husband was supposed to figure this out? She returned a few hours later and I requested nitrous oxide - She said I needed a form for this (which was already in my file) and disappeared again. I never received anything to manage my pain and never saw the midwife again. I would have hoped that the midwife would have suggested labor positions to ease pain, pressed on my back/hips, showed my husband some ways to help (we took Bradley classes, but some extra direction in that moment would have been appreciated), provided encouragement, shown care, and simply been present. I feel like I was ignored and neglected. No one even brought me water. It wasn't until an OBGYN arrived that I felt like I was validated and heard - she got an anesthesiologist and I received an epidural. The OBGYN delivered my baby via c-section after failure to progress. My after-care at Mt. Auburn was pretty good. I felt all the nurses were caring and competent. I had to self-advocate to get time with the lactation consultants, but they were helpful. Takeaways: If you want support of any kind during labor, you'll need to hire your own doula. If you plan to breastfeed, arrange for your own postpartum doula or seek support from a non-hospital affiliated IBCLC. I am exclusively breastfeeding in spite of the care I received and not because of it. Just find a good OBGYN and forget about all the midwife nonsense - they're basically useless.

Very patient with her patients and always takes the time to listen to expectant mothers concerns…read more She made me feel must better during some very stressful times throughout my pregnancy. I knew my baby and I were well cared for and in good hands.

I love the North Shore Birth Center. Really…read more For the first half of my pregnancy, I was going to my OB (who is fabulous!) because I wanted to make sure I was not going to be high-risk, etc. But from the beginning, I knew that I did NOT want a hospital birth so I was planning on switching from my OB at some point. I just wasn't sure to where. I debated back and forth between homebirth midwives, the Cambridge Birth Center, and the North Shore Birth Center. And ultimately, I ruled out homebirth just because my insurance wouldn't cover it (something that really really pisses me off). I went for a meet and greet night at the NSBC and they had me at hello. From 20 weeks on, I met with the midwives on a regular basis. They were all super friendly, and by the time my due date was imminent, I had met with all but two of the midwives at some point. A week before my due date, I went into prodromal labor and spent 12 hours there before things stopped progressing and they sent me home. But the midwives with me that night were so incredibly supportive and helpful, so I knew when the real thing actually happened, I'd be in good hands. They even called me a few times during that week to see how things were going. The following weekend, I found myself back at the NSBC, this time in active labor. Luckily I was once again with the midwife with whom I felt most comfortable, since I had met with her more often than the others. I got to the NSBC at 2:45 a.m., and by 11:15 a.m. I had myself a baby. The midwives who attended my birth were absolutely wonderful and I couldn't have asked for a better birth experience. They really helped me have the birth that I had envisioned for myself. It was a very difficult experience, but it was rewarding and I felt on top of the world by the time things were over. A few days later, I ended up back in the hospital because of some serious post-partum complications, but again the midwives were so wonderful. They visited me every day, answering my questions openly and honestly, and they never let me feel like I was alone during the most trying period of my life. I feel so lucky to have had my daughter in such a positive environment with such fabulous women at my side. And if I ever have another child, I can't imagine going anywhere other than the NSBC.

My wife and I just had our first child (a daughter - 6lbs 15oz). From a husbands point of view, it…read morewas such an amazing experience I have to let others know. Part of me wants to just keep this place a secret so we can go back and not have to worry about crowds but if I did that I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. My wife, prior to going to the birthing center, had seen a midwife closer to our home in western, Ma. Not comfortable with the place we were going we started to search out another birthing center that was encouraging of natural births. My wife really wanted to do a home birth but I was personally not fully on board with that and our insurance wouldn't cover it. After searching all over we found the North Shore birthing center. A reason it took us so long to find it was that it was over an hour and a half away from our home. Upon calling, the person who answered told us that others had driven further and that for a first child it shouldn't be a problem. We made the treck and went to at least check the place out. The staff are incredibly welcoming and friendly and make you feel like you are part of their family. The birthing center is a small house next to the beverly hospital and has 2 rooms set up for delivering (aside from the several rooms for check ups and appointments). One of the rooms has a large tub for water births. The rooms are average in size but are set up more like a regular room in your house instead of a hospital looking room. We went for the last 6 months of my wife's pregnancy for all routine checkups. We both met with about all the midwives that were on staff. Our baby came a few days after the due date. The delivery process was absolutely amazing and so different from the many stories we have heard from people who go to hospitals. So many people told my wife she was crazy and there was no way she could have a natural birth but with the midwifes, knowledge, patience, and encouragement she did it... and is very happy about it! I believe the reason it was such a great experience has a lot to do with the midwives knowing how woman's bodies prepare for birth and know the timing that things happen. While in labor both Karen and Amanda were the midwives on duty. Instead of rushing things and giving her undue pressure for no reason, they let nature take it's course. To me it's a shame more insurance companies don't point people back in this direction of midwifery and natural births. It would not only save the medical industry lots of money, I believe a lot of woman would have a much better view of child birth, and most importantly - woman and babies would be a lot safer! Honestly, places like this deserve a different scale for a review. I would give them 10 stars

I recently was provided care by Jen Ross of Lionheart midwifery. After trying to go the local…read morewomen's health practice and plan on hospital birth, I realized I couldn't go that route any further in my pregnancy. The care that I was recieving was impersonal. With different midwives every visit I felt like I was a folder not a person. I was scared of what would happen during labor in a hospital full of people I had never even met, how would I be treated then? I decided to look for a midwife and see if it was an option for me. I quickly found Jen Ross of Lionheart Midwifery and setup the consultation. I knew from the first appointment that it was a better option for me so we moved forward with no pressure from her. Our prenatal appointments were very thorough, she was very knowledgeable and offered me options. Jen was organized and professional yet personable and easy to talk to. The delivery went very smoothly, it was a completely natural process that I can reflect on with a smile. I was also extremely impressed with the aftercare we received. She was easy to reach by text with any questions and her visits at home put me at ease and made the whole experience magical. I can't recommend Jen Ross from Lionheart Midwifery enough. It's easy to tell she has a true passion for what she does!

From the owner: Lionheart midwifery is a home-birth midwifery practice, which means I come to you for all your…read moreneeds in the child-bearing years! I provide pre-conception counseling, home IUI / ICI with fresh or frozen sperm, full scope prenatal care, labor/birth support in your home, postpartum & lactation care for you and newborn care for your baby. I also provide well-person care including pap smears, breast/chest exams and contraceptive counseling. Other services: in-hospital Doula services, placenta encapsulation, birth tub rental and lactation care breast/chest feeding support. I practice based on the "The Midwifery Model of Care" which focuses on the holistic, family-centered ways parents can prepare for this time of life. Midwives acknowledge that the process of bringing a baby into the world is not just a physiological process; it happens within a social, emotional, and spiritual context. The Midwifery Model of Care focuses on preventive care, promoting health and shared decision-making.