I had amazing experiences with BirthCare and Women's Health for both of my pregnancies. The…read moremidwives are skilled and they truly care. They texted me and called me on my cell phone to check up on me, which was so different than when I was going to a big OBGYN practice and could never speak with my actual provider. I felt secure and supported. The facility itself is warm and welcoming, covered in pictures of new babies and happy families. It was such a gift to connect with this Birth Center to have a safe, healthy, supported birth and become a mother this way. I think every pregnant person should be able to have such excellent care and support as they go through the journey of becoming a new parent. If only there were more Birth Centers like this one!

BirthCare was an absolutely amazing birthing experience from prenatal care, to birthing, and…read morethrough postpartum it was a top tier experience. I felt so empowered with knowledges and informed consent in every aspect of my pregnancy. I also felt extremely well cared for based off the way every prenatal appointment was handled. Midwifery truly cares for the whole women. Would strongly recommend birthing with them and using them for your gyn care. Dorthy caught my baby and is the absolute best but every single midwife there is great!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR PARENTS-TO-BE!!! I'm in my third trimester and was looking for an Infant CPR…read moreClass in the DMV area. I called and spoke to Carolyn (the owner) who was super personable and reassuring. In fact Momease was recommended by my OB at GWU/MFA -- Carolyn knew my doctor too. The online booking was seamless and communication (via email/text) was on point. My husband enjoyed the class and the instructor was excellent. The facility was clean and conveniently located. We were very pleased with our experience and would HIGHLY recommend Momease!

Thru recommendation, We signed up the whole weekend class with Carolyn on Friday and Saturday (…read morechildbirth) , Linda and Vanessa on Sunday ( CPR + Infant care) I'm so glad that I signed up the class. Carolyn has the best teaching styles. The class is fun, interactive and informative. I learned so much from the class than just google information online or books. Carolyn makes sure your partner and you retain the knowledge and she genuinely is trying to help. She is very thoughtful and professional, I totally recommend them to any expecting mom! We are definitely feeling more comfortable to childbirth than before

We have had the most incredible experience with Tay and the Momager Co. We hired them for our birth…read moreand postpartum based on community recommendations from our local LGBTQ+ parenting community, and were especially compelled by their understanding of the additional factors impacting us as an interracial queer couple. Our experience has been above & beyond what we could have imagined, and we are now recommending them to everyone we know - in particular other LGBTQ and BIPOC parents who could use an extra ally in the process who "just gets it" without any explanation needed. From the beginning, Tay offered really thorough support and communication throughout our pregnancy (we hired her sometime towards the end of the first trimester). We had several sessions supporting us as a couple in preparing not only materially and physically for the transitions into birth and parenthood, but also emotionally and mentally/spiritually. Some in person and some over the phone. Highly recommend hiring them early in the pregnancy (or even for conception care!) if you are able. As the birth approached, Tay was supportive of our process and decisions, even as we grappled with anxieties and fears arising from past birth-related traumas, overwhelm and decision making as we interfaced with the medical system, and chose a hospital further out from us (and them!) than was ideal. When we landed in the hospital a couple times prior to labor beginning, she coached us through our options and helped us self advocate with doctors and make decisions that felt right to us. During the birth, Tay helped us make wise decisions about when to wait at home, and once we were at the hospital and labor picked up (we chose an induction date due to some risk factors and past birth experiences) she was extremely supportive, driving the hour and a half to the hospital when we were ready and coaching us skillfully through our labor and delivery. I truly believe that our labor went as smoothly and quickly as it did, and was a positive experience, due in large part to her support and skill as a provider. She is equal parts protective bulldog when necessary, nurturing force reminding you of your own strength, and quick intuitive decision maker helping to ease and support the body's process as it does what it knows how to do. Post-birth, Tay has continued to be a supportive and trusted presence, helping us navigate decisions and processing our experience. We are still in the postpartum period and truly cannot recommend her services more highly. We cannot imagine our experience without her, and would recommend her to anyone without reservation! And in particular to other queer, gender expansive, interracial, and/or BIPOC couples and parents.

Hired Taja as our doula. She came across as being extremely compassionate and thoughtful. We…read morebrought up wanting a doula who would come early because my wife had trouble getting into active labor in our first birth and then it moved fast and our previous midwife missed the birth. She agreed and brought up that our toddler could be a distraction and that my wife and I "need to be in our love bubble." Additionally suggested we hire her daughter to look after our son in early labor, which we did. We brought up that she was just one stop down on the metro and that was assuring to us. She also asked my wife if she was the type of person that worried about inconveniencing people and she said "yes". Come labor post water breaking, we called our Taja and she had an entirely different tone. She said she was an hour away and asked just about contraction timing. Mentioning that she was an hour out after explicitly asking my wife if she was the type of person who had difficulty inconveniencing people seemed mean and a stark contrast to the thoughtfulness she projected. She never listened through a contraction and concluded it was too early, In stark contrast our incredible midwives from Sage Midwifery were already present and stayed until birth. Taja checked via text or phone call maybe two or three more times, but remained an hour out and continued to just ask for contraction timing, nothing else. This seemed irrelevant because we already said we wanted her early and her daughter was to look after our toddler. My wife ended up having a very similar experience to her first birth, active labor was very fast and at that point we gave up on trying to drag Taja into a birth we felt she didn't want to participate in. We hired her late in my wife's pregnancy so we only had a couple of appointments, and she never offered to give us any of our money back.

To be honest, when I hired Mari I had my doubts. I did not know anybody who had hired a doula…read morebefore and even after looking through all the package options I started to wonder if this was just another upscale way to turn birth into a business. But I was determined to have a natural birth and studies show that having a doula on hand can increase these chances. After finally going through the process myself I can say with confidence that Mari is absolutely the real deal. She has turned both my skeptical husband and I into believers. When arriving at the hospital, I was surprised how hands off the staff was during the actual labor -- they mostly left me to my own devices while they checked vitals every once in a while. Mari was there to ask questions to prompt responses from our medical team, massage my back, and suggest/show us different labor positions. I think my husband was a bit worried that he would be taking a back seat in the entire delivery process since I hired a doula but hiring Mari was more of a support staff for him. He was able to be the star by holding my hand and reassuring me while she stayed in the background rubbing my back, bringing out snacks when necessary and allowing us to take breaks when needed. No lie, natural labor is painful AF but Mari gave me this handy machine called a TENS unit which delivers an small electric buzz during contractions which pretty much saved me. The whole price of everything was worth it for that one machine. My birth plans took a detour when my physician suggested a C Section. I was really impressed that Mari was able to ask the right questions to see if it can be prevented or not. In fact, I even found her to be more knowledgeable than some of the staff members on board about the entire birth process. She truly was an integral member of our care team and even my doctor made a special exception for her to be in the surgical room with us after seeing how important she was to us. After the birth she came to my house and worked with me to answer any postpartum questions I had. She even helped me with breastfeeding which is something I probably would have given up on if I didn't have that private on on one time (there are lactation consultants in the hospital but everything is so hectic after birth it's really hard to get the hang of things.) Investment wise? It's definitely pricey and she does not accept insurance but I absolutely will (and hope!) to hire again.

She saved my sanity!!! Just a few days prior to giving birth…read moreto my first child I decided I needed a doula. Not just for me but also for the daddy-to-be as I thought he would need assistance just as much. So I "yelped" and reached out to Mari and thankfully she had the capacity and stopped by in the evening so we could get to know each other better. You know that feeling when you meet someone for the first time and it just clicks? That was the case here. She came and we talked and what I thought was minutes turned out to be two hours and I KNEW this was the best decision! We talked about a lot of things, pros and cons, already worked on my birth plan. When she went home my husband came home just a couple of mins after she left so she just turned around to meet him. SO awesome! When it came to my delivery it did not go as planned (as in probably most cases) but she helped me through with a variation of techniques, still I ended up with an epidural (you mums, there is no shame in this. none of us needs to be a warrior). Honestly, she was the most important person (besides my husband) in the delivery room. Though my nurse as super nice, Mari was the one that was my go to person, the one that told me to push in the way I needed it, the one that assured me everything was alright, the one I feel like I yelled at NOOOO when she asked me if I wanted to touch baby's head when he was almost out .. LOL (sorry about that again, Mari). Also her follow-up visit was really helpful, she spent a lot of time, she showed me a lot of things, explained a lot of emotions I would be going through (and sure enough I did). If I will have another child, signing her up as my doula will be one of the first things I will do for sure. If I could for before, during and after birth because it was the best.decision.ever!

Hiring District Doulas was the absolute best decision we made related to my pregnancy and the birth…read moreof our son. I would recommend them to anyone - hire them now!!! I did a ton of research on DC area doulas and interviewed several before choosing this practice. I chose DD because I loved that they were small enough that you could get to know all three doulas that may potentially be at your birth. I also appreciated the 24/7 text line and the in person classes. They were actually one of the only practices I found that offered a class series. The text line was SO helpful to us whenever we had a question or a scare during pregnancy. I also loved that the classes were in person - we learned so much and felt really prepared for the birth. I recommend hiring them early enough that you can go to all four classes before you give birth. Carolyn did our prenatal visit and helped us put together our birth plan, talked us through how to deal with a baby in breech position, and helped us navigate through a couple nerve wracking times where we felt reduced movement. Most of all she helped us make the decision to switch providers midway through my pregnancy. I really believe that this helped enable me to have the overall birth experience that I wanted. She was so supportive throughout and we loved working with her. Jackie was our doula for the birth. She was amazing - I honestly don't know what we would have done without her. She joined us at our house and then followed us to the hospital when it was time to go in - she really helped us time going in to the hospital so that we would be admitted at the right time (not too early or too late). She was so calm and reassuring throughout, and an amazing advocate for me and for my husband as well - ensuring that he got to hold the baby and get his own skin to skin time after the birth. She took photos for us, and stayed with us well after the birth. I had a very smooth experience because of her guidance and advocacy. We are so, so grateful to have had her as our doula. On top of all of this - they really mean it when they say they are your doulas for life. At the postpartum visit, Jackie helped me a ton with breastfeeding and Carolyn shared some tips with me over the phone. We didn't get as much of a chance to work with Michelle, but it was clear from the classes how knowledgeable she was as well. All three of them truly care about women and babies, and it shows. This was money so well spent. If we have a second baby, we will be hiring them again.

There arent enough good things to say about District Doulas and Michele. My husband and I decided…read moreto get a Doula a few months prior to birth and had the opportunity to attend a few of District Doulas classes. Learning about birth from them and breast-feeding was incredibly helpful and made both seem less daunting. In the week leading up to birth, they were phenomenal with their communication, checking in and helping translate what we were hearing from the doctors. I went into labor a little bit differently than expected where my water broke before contractions really started. This led to needing a lot of Pitocin, something that I was pretty freaked out by. Michele was my Doula and the entire time she was so comforting via text and phone calls, and made me feel so positively about everything that was going on at the hospital. When things started to pick up, she arrived and was the perfect presence making us all calm and she got along so well with our nurses and Dr. She was right there with us the entire time, holding my leg as I pushed and giving me words of encouragement. Once our son made his entrance into the world, she took photos that I will treasure forever. She stayed after for a little to ensure that we were adjusting to breast-feeding and that everything was going OK, and she continued to check in over the coming days. I have to say that all of our hospital care team raved about her, and said that it was the best Doula experience that they have worked with. That meant a lot to me, knowing that they see a lot of other providers and knew just how awesome District Doulas was. Following birth we had our postpartum visit and she gave me the tough love I needed which was to slow down and not try to do so much. I was beyond exhausted and these words while hard to hear were exactly what I needed to do. She helped save my mental and physical health as a result of that visit. District Doulas has continued to be an incredible resource for us, sharing recommendations for everything from baby lotion to postpartum therapist. If we have another child, Michele and District Doulas will be my first call. They are the most incredible investment you can make to have the positive birth experience that you want. I cannot thank them enough!

FHBC is such a fantastic establishment. I know what you're thinking: "How on earth can an OBGYN be…read morefantastic? I dread my annual appointment!" Trust me when I say that the midwives and doctors at FHBC will make the experience much less uncomfortable than it might normally be. They're a very hippy-dippy establishment, so if that's not your thing, you may want to go elsewhere. They won't shove their ideas down your throat, but they do advocate childbirth in a birth center instead of hospital (duh...they are a birth center), breast feeding, and just about all other au-natural techniques there are. They really emphasize that their doors are open to anyone from any walk of life. They're warm and welcoming, and don't pass judgments. If you're not pregnant (I'm not) you can still use their services for your annual exam and, just recently, for primary care for the whole family (including men!). As far as annual exams go, they make sure the actual exam portion of the visit is very short. You won't be on that exam table for ages (thank god!). Instead of the drawn-out process I've experienced at other OBGYNs, they take a good 15 minutes before the exam to get to know you as a person (whoa! shocker!) and then about 2 minutes for the exam. Then they send you on your way! I highly recommend FHBC because every single staff member you interact with is friendly, and they really go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. you can't ask for a better experience.

I thought it was worth coming back to mention that after a REALLY rough IUD insertion appointment…read morewhich culminated in me hugging the (really clean) toilet in the FHBC's bathroom and losing every ounce of my dinner (see: Shawafel review, it's really quite delicious on the way down), my nurse midwife sat with me for AN HOUR until I could peel myself off the examination table and head home. She exemplified patient care that night (I took a 7pm after-work appointment) and was just really fantastic all around. What's more, she called me a week later to check in on me and see how I was feeling. Young women in need of GYN care in DC - this place, in terms of customer service (as it were), is really as good as it gets. On a side note: in addition to waiting with me for an hour, the nurse midwife also was nice enough to call cab companies for me. Not ONE of FIVE companies picked up the phone. Not one. We were hold with one for over 20 minutes. F*ck me, DC needs better regulation on cab companies.

I've had the pleasure of working with Lindsey to prepare for the births of both my babies (2017 and…read more2020). I cannot recommend her enough. My husband and I took a HypnoBirthing class and refresher. I also got a Reiki treatment and placenta encapsulation. Whatever service you decide to use, you will not be disappointed. Lindsey's professionalism and compassion are what you need. I was blown away by our virtual hypnotherapy. The amazing tools she gives to her client stay with you when you need them most. I would recommend her to anyone preparing for birth or going through anything where they need a little support. Stop scrolling through reviews of doulas and just contact Lindsey. She works with amazing people who will form an entire team to support you.

I purchased a deal through Yelp for a session through Sunflowers Healing and Wellness. I had been…read morehaving issues with anxiety and wanted to try something new to get rid of the problem. I noticed many of the reviews were for pregnant women (hynobirthing), but I figured I would give it a shot anyway since Lindsey came highly recommended. I figured if she couldn't help me, she would let me know. I didn't want to waist time so I made my appointment the same week so that I wouldn't chicken out. The whole idea of hypnosis can be a bit unnerving especially to someone with my nerves. I arrived at my appointment and immediately noticed the laid back calm atmosphere. Lindsey is professional and has a good aura about her. I noticed immediately that I felt comfortable around her. I had a 60 minute session and walked out feeling relaxed. If you are considering this type of session for any issue, you have to keep an open mind. I am glad that I took a chance.

We are incredibly grateful to have had Katie as our doula. She is professional, deeply experienced,…read morecompassionate, and exceptionally skilled at working with medical providers while always advocating for her clients. As someone of advanced maternal age with a pregnancy complicated by hypertension, I felt supported and informed every step of the way. Katie was a steady, reassuring presence throughout pregnancy, induction, and birth. She helped us navigate complex medical decisions with clarity and confidence, and her calm advocacy made a meaningful difference in our experience. We felt heard, respected, and empowered throughout the entire process. I cannot recommend her highly enough.

Katie is exceptional at her job, and an amazing human being. My wife and I were both very anxious…read moreeven before we were expecting for the first time. My wife needed someone who could instill calmness, provide information, and accommodate her preferences for labor. I needed someone who could help me be the involved partner i wanted to be through the childbirth process and after. That is why once we found out we were expecting we were looking for a doula to help us sort through the tons of information on preparing for childbirth, childbirth itself and the medical, personal, and other choices associated with it. Katie is an expert's expert, but is able to talk through different topics in a way that helped put us at ease. She's friendly and funny, which helps when she is walking through medical decisions, how to talk to doctors, how to talk to family, considerations and questions we have as first-time parents. She also makes herself available by phone and text when we have questions at random hours with baby. On top of all that, after our baby girl was born, she was able to follow up with us and help teach us a few tricks here and there as well as answer questions we had as things came up.