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.

Hilary and her team were all top notch, and I would recommend them most highly to any newborn…read moreparent. We worked with Molly S for postpartum doula help. Molly was an invaluable support both emotionally and with practical help during a difficult time. It was like having a wiser, older sister help out and counsel a few times a week. She is kind, knowledgeable, and brings a lot of mom wisdom from parenting her own three kids. The back office structure and onboarding and contracting process were all fast and efficient. Highly recommend.

I truly do not have enough words to express my sincere gratitude and praise for Hilary and her…read moreteam. I sent Hilary a message at 2am after months of sleepless nights and she promptly replied the next day and set up a call for us to chat. She completely understood not only what I was going through and the help that my family and I needed but she has the kindest, most caring, loving and dedicated team who were willing to jump in at a moments notice to ensure that our baby boy got the love and care he needed so that the rest of us could get some much needed rest. If anyone is thinking about a night nurse or daytime doula, I would 1000% recommend Hilary and her team.

She-Tara was truly an integral part of my birthing experience. She educated my husband & I in the…read moreweeks leading up to my delivery and made us feel comfortable asking any question we could think of (at literally any time we had a question). She let us know what all of our options were and empowered us to feel in control of our own experience right down to the 'adjusting at home' stage. When I went into labor, she came to the hospital immediately and supported us as much (or as little) as we needed her to and contributed to the safe and healthy delivery of my baby girl. We are grateful for her and highly recommend hiring her.

From the owner: I specialize in supporting families through pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. Need help…read morewith feeding choices?, baby sleep patterns equal no sleep for you?, wonder about the Fourth Trimester?, confused about birthing options? I have solutions! Don’t navigate this journey alone!

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!

Martha sets a new bar for postpartum doulas. She is a consummate professional while also being…read morekind, loving, knowledgable, and empathetic. She is exactly who you want to have in your village when you're navigating the first hectic days, weeks, and months at home with a newborn. She is a wealth of information but doesn't give unsolicited advice. She is reliable and an excellent communicator. She goes out of her way to make sure you are comfortable, and you will quickly learn that your baby is in the best hands (besides your own) while Martha is providing overnight care. We were beyond lucky to work with Martha and would recommend her without hesitation.

I didn't think I had very much new to learn as a third-time mom. Boy, was I wrong! Martha taught me…read moreso much: everything from new breastfeeding positions, to the best strategies for "tummy time," to managing sibling relationships, to organizing my kids' stuff, to self-care strategies and encouragement. She's also perfectly happy to hold the baby while you shower or do errands. I was beyond impressed by the breadth and depth of her knowledge about babies and "mom life" in general. I couldn't have gotten through the postpartum period so successfully without her. Do yourself (or your daughter, daughter-in-law, sister, granddaughter, friend, etc.) a huge favor and hire Martha as your postpartum doula. You will be calmer, better-rested, and a more confident mom because of her!

I took the "birth doula 3 day course " this weekend and at first I admit I was scared because I…read moreassume this class should be taking in person vs virtual however after three days working and receiving information and being taught by Tara and Lorie. I left this class tonight feeling , confident and prepare to take the next step to becoming certified! so thank you both for making this class , fun yet informing us with so much!

Highly recommend Birthing Gently! I used them for my first pregnancy and delivery at Brigham and…read moreWomen's and could not have done it with out Mary! Tara was great to work with and had me virtually meet as many doulas as I needed to in order to find a match. Once I chose Mary she brought so much peace of mind to my pregnancy and was a constant presence throughout the pregnancy and labor and delivery experience. Plan to use them again for baby #2!

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.

Teresa was incredibly knowledgeable. We had her for our first labor and delivery experience and she…read moredid an excellent home visit weeks before I was due which reviewed items we could do at home to prepare. Her presence at the delivery was comforting the entire day. She had me up and walking and arranged for me to have a ball in my room to work from. She also thought out of the box in terms of laboring positions and really made my experience so much better. She got a lot of photos I'll cherish forever that we wouldn't have had otherwise from the delivery experience. We had a wonderful post partum call too which just reinforced the confidence I have in her care (coming from healthcare myself). I'm so grateful I chose to have a doula and I'm so lucky to have chosen Teresa for this first experience. Thank you thank you! Recommend her highly!

Teresa is kind, calm, and very well-informed across a wide range of pre-natal, labor and delivery,…read morelactation, and post-partum issues. Her deep experience gives her the confidence and poise we were looking for to help guide us through this journey with our first child. We interviewed a number of doulas and she was clearly the best. She taught us the basics of childbirth, helped us navigate when to go to the hospital when labor began, worked very well with the L&D staff at the Brigham, and visited post-partum with notes on what happened to help us remember and process the experience. I recommend Teresa without reservation!

Colleen has been an unbelievable help during our time welcoming our first baby! From helping us…read moreset up the nursery and giving us tips about our furniture and room arrangement to teaching us how to swaddle and wear our baby to giving our dog lots of supplementary cuddles to reassuring us that we're doing everything right, Colleen's support was welcome and incredibly useful. Being able to nap and come out to a happy baby and a clean kitchen is priceless! We really appreciated Colleen's expertise and sense of humor, and kindness in never making us feel silly despite having no idea what we were doing. It was terrific to have someone so trustworthy and capable during what could have been a very overwhelming time. We will always be grateful to Colleen for her role in helping us find our footing in these first precious months!

My husband and I were both so happy we had Bethany as our doula. She was awesome prenatally - I had…read morea stubborn placenta previa and didn't know whether I would need a c-section or not until I was nearly 35 weeks along. She provided a lot of information, thoughts, and reassurance during those months of uncertainty and anxiety, but she was also fantastic during labor. You know when someone just somehow *knows* what to do? Where on your back to rub and what words you need to hear? That was her! Bethany is also the reason my daughter wasn't born in the car, or (accidentally) at home in my living room! She knew when I needed to go to the birth center, even though I was worried it was too early (it was NOT too early - baby was born an hour after arriving at the birth center). And, as others have mentioned, her photographs are a great bonus! I have some beautiful photos of me and my husband shortly before my daughter was born that I will always treasure. If I were going to have another baby, I'd hire Bethany again in a heartbeat.