My partner and I hired Emerald Doulas to help us find a postpartum doula. Melanie, who runs Emerald…read moreDoulas, was fantastic in shepherding us along the process. She got on the phone with me once I requested a consultation and chatted through what kind of support I wanted from a doula, went over what doulas could do to support us, and went over our schedule. She then sent us profiles of doulas who could fit our needs, and I was able to interview the ones I though were the best fit. Our doula, Keya, was fantastic. She had such a calming aura compared to mine and my husband's frenetic panic as new parents. She also would check-in with me before heading over to our apartment to see if we needed any errands run or any products brought to the apartment. I wholly recommend Emerald Doulas and especially getting a postpartum doula--especially if you don't have family in the area!

We cannot say enough great things about Emerald Doulas! We had a wonderful experience with Melanie…read moreand Bridget who both taught us a lot before baby arrived. I rented the TENS unit for labor and it was very helpful for pain control during my induction and the rental process was easy and convenient. Highly recommend Emerald Doulas!

Silver Lining Doula & Nanny Services is a great agency for me. Not only did they find me a…read morewonderful family that treats me well, they are transparent about their process and provided a fair contractual agreement.

This agency provides a guiding experience without pressure. Every question was answered with…read morepatience and understanding. Elise, the owner, expertly knows the local market and she will take care of you each step of the way.

***BEWARE--Melissa stole almost $3,000 from my family***…read more Melissa was our doula for the birth of our son. She was excellent. When I found out I was pregnant with twins, we hired her again without hesitation. She was absent during my pregnancy except for 1 short phone call (which she rescheduled twice) and when she asked me via text to borrow $1200 for medical bills when I was 6 months pregnant. This was in addition to the full amount we had already paid her for her doula services. I told her I wasn't comfortable lending her money but I could pay her in advance for postpartum doula services. She agreed and I sent her the money. 1 week later she posted on Facebook that she had adopted a large dog--I thought that was odd seeing as she had just asked to borrow money from us. It was 3 weeks into COVID at the time I went into labor and doulas were not allowed in the hospital, so she could not attend our birth. She encapsulated my placenta and made a print of my placenta, as we had agreed upon. When I found out her partner at the time was an ER nurse with obvious close contact to COVID patients, I didn't feel comfortable with her providing postpartum doula services to my twins who were born 6 weeks premature. She said she understood and would give us a full refund but wasn't in a financial position to refund our money all at once. We said we understood and in June of 2020 we set up a payment plan for her to pay us $100 a month. We really cared about her and didn't want her to feel a financial strain during what we knew was a stressful time for everyone. From the time we set up the payment plan in July of 2020 to the time I wrote this review on July 10th, 2022 Melissa has paid us $200. My husband and I texted her several gentle reminders about our payment plan and she never responded to either of us. I reached out to a friend in the birth community to see if Melissa was ok. She told me Melissa was on a cross country vacation with her partner. I was shocked seeing as she owed us so much money. It wasn't until I threatened to contact the Better Business Bureau that she responded immediately with a slew of excuses and finally dropped off my placenta print on July 2, 2022 (2 years and 3 months after my twins were born). I hesitated to write this review because I saw a thread on a local birth Facebook page where her partner had threatened to kill someone who posted a negative review claiming a very similar experience to my own. Losing the money was unfortunate but feeling swindled by someone who we allowed to be so close to our family has been devastating. She has communicated no remorse. I would hate for anyone else to be taken advantage of during such a vulnerable time.

The wonderful team at Peace and Serenity are there to help you navigate through the journey of…read moreconception through postpartum. They are a group of educated, knowledgeable, and capable humans who will ease any worry one might have while starting a family or giving birth. It doesn't matter if it's your first time or sixth time going through this process they are here to help. My husband and I just had our fourth child and Melissa had such a hugely positive impact on our home birth experience I couldn't imagine having anyone else at future births. She is calm, educated, capable, and most importantly affective with her training to make labor and delivery the smoothest and most positive experience it can be. I would highly recommend Melissa, or any one of the doulas in her team, to be there for you too. Anyone would be so fortunate to work with them, I know my family is!

Working with Bianka as our birth doula was an amazing experience! I highly recommend her services…read more She was well educated, informed on all pregnancy + birthing questions I had and was a big comfort. We spoke often and met throughout my pregnancy - she was always just a phone call or text away. Bianka supported all of my birthing choices and was a huge help in the delivery room. She was so calm, helping me through contractions, labor and the stress of a surprise c-section. We could not be more thankful to Bianka for all her help. I definitely plan on having her by my side for our next child!

From the owner: We specialist in Birth and Postpartum Doula Services. We offer Lactation Counseling (CLC) and…read moreInfant Massage Education to parents. We are Experiencd Infant Care Specialist with references that can be verified. We are called baby whisperers by our clients.

Durham has needed a business like this for far too long! My 7 year old was so enthralled with the…read morefree trial class she didn't want to leave. The classes meet on a weekly basis and plans are month to month and very affordable. The coaches and knowledgeable and patient. The owners are so good with kids and have really created a welcoming and fun environment. I feel like promoting STEM education early on especially for girls can change their trajectory. I can't wait to see this business take off. They have a grand opening party on 1/21 and special offers on pricing. Check them out, your kids will love it!

Code wiz in Durham, NC is amazing. Our child was having a difficult time enjoying summer camps that…read morewere huge and full of other kids he didn't know. Code wiz took the time to acclimate him so he would be comfortable and have fun. Even before Day 1 of camp, Code Wiz was responsive to my inquiries and willing to help us with any questions we had. At the end of Day 1 of camp, our child did not want to leave Code Wiz! He excitedly told me all about his day, without me having to ask! This camp will be our new summer go-to camp. Thank you to instructor Fin and the owner, Teresa. Wonderful people, helping mold STEM minds in creative and fun ways.

We decided to hire Mariam amidst the height of the COVID pandemic since we weren't getting the same…read morelevel of visits and interactive birthing information from our OB clinic like we got for our first son. Since there was potential for a VBAC I felt the need for some added support for the laboring process since I never labored with my first.  The main consideration, and one that Mariam stressed, was that she is there to support BOTH momma as well as partner through the whole process. She was available and supported me at all hours of the night during my bouts of prodromal labor weeks before my due date and she encouraged and advised me as the days passed beyond my due date.   When it was finally go time 1 week after DD, Mariam was at the hospital within minutes of our arrival at 3am and didn't leave our side until a few hours after baby finally arrived 15 hours later.... all throughout she helped coach me and my hubs through the labor pains and provided context when I needed it for further decision making (I ended up opting for epidural and had lots of questions about it)....  She stayed on top of moving me hourly when nurses or midwives weren't around and even followed up directly with the nurse when my BP dropped lower than normal.... I am so happy we decided to hire a doula and through the whole process I felt heard and supported.  She put me at ease and i honestly felt the whole process went much more smoothly in my mind because she was there as extra support.   A huge bonus is that she also helped to capture some beautiful candid moments right after the birth of our LO.  She of course asked if I wanted her to take photos when discussing birth preferences and she transferred the pictures securely... it was so great for me to be able to go back to these afterwards since most of it was such a blur!  Also, another thing worth mentioning that I appreciated is that she acknowledges that one's doula preference really depends on momma's own preferences and personality so she encouraged me to reach out and interview other doulas before making a decision. I appreciated this (similar to finding an amazing yoga or fitness instructor...the exercise is beneficial but sometimes you just need to make sure the person coaching you doesn't rub you the wrong way)... I highly recommend Mariam - she was helpful before, during and after birth and has a calming and friendly demeanor... When comparing some of the pricing for doulas around the Triangle, she was on the more reasonable end of the spectrum.  Every penny well spent....No regrets from this momma!!

I was so glad I to chose to work with Mariam and Designated Doula during my pregnancy and through…read morethe birth of my first child. As an expecting mother, although I read books, visited online forums, consulted with family and friends, and took classes with my partner, I was still nervous about labor and birth. Having Mariam by our sides before and during labor took so much of the worry and anxiety away. She was able to answer all the questions we had about labor, delivery and post partum with grace and compassion. When I thought I was going into labor, she was one of the first people I contacted and she was there as I needed her--I liked that she was as available as I needed but still gave my partner and I the space to make the experience our own. Having her with us at the hospital was monumental--she encouraged me to walk the ward to help progress labor, applied pressure/massage as contractions were happening, helped talk to the doctors as I was unable to due to pain. I loved knowing I had someone in the room that had helped others through birth before and could be my translator. When it came time to push, she was an amazing coach! Delivery was pretty much perfect and I owe a lot of it to Mariam--I'm fortunate she was there with me during the scariest and most joyful moment of my life. Again, one of her greatest gifts is the ability to "read the room"--to step in when you need her but also to give space to make the moment special for you and your partner. If you are contemplating hiring a doula, I highly recommend Mariam with Designated Doula.

My son has been in piano lessons with Mr. Panos Messis for many many years in Chapel Hill Music…read moreSchool. He enjoyed his piano lessons very much and gradually playing as joy. we can see the big improvement in his skills as well. Thanks very much for Mr. panos great teaching. Really Appreciate the opportunity this music school offered to my kid. Thanks!

I did about two years of lessons with Panos Messis at CHSMA and learned tons about music theory and…read morehow to be a properly trained pianist after playing on my own for a while. Panos was extremely helpful in keeping me on track with my goals and supportive the entire time. I felt odd as an older person taking lessons but Panos didn't struggle at all to switch between giving his lessons to elementary school kids and myself back to back. He is a professional, a fantastic instructor, and a wonderful pianist. CHSMA staff were also easy to deal with and helped me get on my way.

Melanie is truly amazing at what she does. A curve ball was thrown into my birth plan when I had to…read morebe induced and birth at the hospital rather than the birth center; but with Melanie's guidance and support leading up to going to the hospital and during labor and delivery I was still able to have the wonderful birth experience I so wanted and I really don't think it would have been possible without Melanie. Her presence is so calming and she provided amazing support to me and my husband during the birth. Melanie is also so knowledgeable about labor, delivery and babies in general and it was so helpful to talk through with her all of our options and any questions and concerns we had throughout the pregnancy and following the birth of our son. I am so grateful we hired Melanie as our doula.

From the owner: Melanie takes the time to get to know her clients goals and then works with her clients to help…read morethem navigate any fears or concerns they may have that need to be addressed so they can achieve the best birth possible for them. She provides unbiased, evidence-based pregnancy, labor and birth support for women seeking natural or medicated births in hospitals, birth centers or at home. Melanie is a Certified Labor Doula (CAPPA) and is trained in HypnoBirthing, Hyponobabies, Rebozo, and Spinning Babies. Melanie has experience supporting men and women in recovery, survivors of abuse, successful VBAC, natural birth, medicated birth, IVF, and twin births. Labor Support Services: Pregnancy Support, Birth Plan Development, Labor Support, Labor Preparation, Christian Doula Support, Hypno Doula Support. Melanie also provides Postpartum Doula support in the form of overnight sleep support for new families. Melanie is a CAPPA trained Postpartum Doula, and dedicates her postpartum support exclusively to overnights, which includes breastfeeding support, if desired. Postpartum Support Services: Sleep Support, Newborn Care, Soothing Methods for Baby, Bottle Feeding, Breastfeeding Support, Comfort Measures for Mother, Nutrition for Postpartum. Melanie serves the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill Triangle area of North Carolina.