Rosy was a fantastic doula. They say that births with a doula present are less likely to encounter…read moreinterventions. I believe this to be true after birthing with Rosy present. I would not have been able to do it without her! Rosy helped me every step of the way- she came right when I called her, she timed my contractions, contacted my midwives when it was time for them to come, never hesitated, was always present, calm, composed and quick to respond when I needed help. Rosy helped me drink, eat, provided aromatherapy, administered herbs, controlled my TENS machine, massaged me, help me move about...She basically was the greatest support I could have ever asked for and she did everything without me having to ask. She intuitively knew what I needed and when. I truly believe our home birth went so successfully because Rosy were there. Rosy is a clear communicator and has a wonderful and calm demeanor. When I was scared Rosy was there to comfort me. She cheered me on and told me I was doing an amazing job when I was feeling discouraged, and when my daughter was finally born, after a FULL day of labor I was so touched by Rosy's dedication & resolve and so grateful that I had her support. I highly recommend Rosy as a doula, a friend and a great advocate during labor and birth. Thank you, Rosy, for all that you did for us, from the bottom of our hearts! We look forward to working with you in the future for postpartum doula services and writing you another stellar review for that!

Rosy was my doula and helped me have an amazing labor experience when I gave birth to my baby girl…read morein January, 2015. It took my a while to find the right doula as I wanted to find someone who connected with me and made me feel comfortable. The minute I met Rosy I knew she was the one! She's absolutely great! The type of person you want to have around when you're having painful an strong contractions as she has a very calm, soothing voice, sweet personality while at the same time being a firm advocate at the hospital for the birth experience you want to have. My husband and I are incredibly grateful and would recommend every expecting mother to partner up with Rosy. She was always on time, replied to all my emails, all my calls, provided excellent resources, checked on me frequently and was 100% with me throughout labor. It would have been a lot harder to make it without her. After many hours of labor I was able to give birth vaginally to my beautiful baby girl, Paloma. She's also an excellent prenatal yoga teacher so she can recommend exercises to prepare your body for birth and stay healthy throughout your pregnancy, or take her classes, which I did :) She had great connections in the community and referred me to a great chiropractor and acupuncturist who both helped me a lot at the end of my pregnancy. Thank you Rosy!

I needed a massage. Wanted something really healing. Found Susie on YELP and she offes RAINDROP…read moreMassage sessions. For those of you who don't know, it's an Aromatherapy session,. Using 7 different esssential oils. Just what I needed after a long day of work. I was travelling to the area and tried Susie for the first time. I will defintely go back when I'm in town again. Priced according to the standard industry. Her treatment room was very organized, beautiful with candles and a soothing color on the walls. Nice and big as well. A warm massage table very soft.. Susie always put me first during her work by checking in with me frequently to see how I was doing. She is a gifted healer and technically good with her work. Didn't miss one area. Slept really well too both during and after. A trusted service and person I'd recommend her for the Raindrop Therapy to my friends and family.

From the owner: Swedish Massage Deep Tissue Massage…read moreHot Stone Massage Aromatherapy Chair Massage Chronic Pain Massage - massage for patients with Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, and other Chronic Pain Conditions. Prenatal Massage - massage for expecting mothers from the beginning of their pregnancy. Doula Services - to assist expectant mothers and their partners with labor and delivery, and after delivery, to help them have the best and most positive childbirth experience possible.

I've known Lindsay personally for the past 4 years. She is incredibly kind and caring. She will be…read morean invaluable asset to any woman going through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. She is passionate about her job and helping guide women through their birth experience. She has been a great resource for me when I was breastfeeding my older son and as I'm currently breastfeeding my younger son, as she worked as a Breastfeeding Peer for WIC for several years. I highly recommend Lindsay.

Though Lindsay is not located near me, I've reached out to her a number of times through…read morerecommendations of friends for parenting /breast feeding advice . She was such a resource during the days after my sons' births (especially during those foggy, I-need-someone moments). She is incredibly kind, caring, and empathetic. I highly recommend her and I'm so jealous I couldn't fly her out to me! If there's a next time you bet I will!!

From the moment we met Marissa we knew she was the doula for us! Marissa Potter changed our lives…read moreby her amazing positivity and steadfast support during our incredible journey into parenthood! I had to have a cesarian due to breech position, though i felt i was still able to remain in control of my birth. This is undoubtedly because of Marissas empowering spirit and positive outlook during our prenatal visits, not to mention her extremely relevant advice and suggestions. She is a true professional who is not just dedicated to her craft, she excels at it. Marissa provided us with the guidance and understanding we needed, and always let us know that she was there for us, and as promised, on the morning our baby girl was born, Marissa was at our side. Marissa prepared both my husband and I in a way I never thought we could be. I will never have another birth without her!

From the owner: Birth and Postpartum Doula support for pregnant women and families in Western Massachusetts and…read morebeyond.

The Sage-Femme team has now helped me bring two of my four kids into the world, while still…read moreallowing me the unassisted home birth I had dreamed of. Both births were incredible experiences because I didn't have to worry about the cleanup, the paperwork, checking the baby or any of the 'necessity' type stuff. I just got to birth, catch and enjoy my baby. Kelly also provided me exceptional care during both pregnancies, despite being drastically overbooked for the first pregnancy. No midwife in the capital district comes with higher recommendations than Kelly and Sage-Femme Midwifery and it's for good reason. I'm so very glad that I had them in my corner and would shout recommendations from the rooftops!

A practice that actually treats women like people, with dignity, patience and trust. Evidence-based…read moremidwifery practices. You will not be just a number here! I entrust my life and my kids lives with Kelly, Kathie, Kristin and the entire practice.

My pregnancy was very eventful, it seemed like each day brought on a new difficulty. My Ob office…read morewas not helping me and didn't care about what I wanted for my pregnancy, labor and delivery. I sincerely do not know what I would have done without Vanessa. She helped me and my husband through a very difficult pregnancy, labor and delivery. She started as my midwife but quickly turned into my doula since a home birth wasn't recommended due to gestational diabetes's. She gave me information and guidance to help me stay off insulin and medication. Vanessa really cared about what "I" wanted and that was a breath of fresh air considering all the other OBs and midwifes I saw in the area like to tell me what I was going to do. I'll forever be grateful for her being by my side and helping me look forward to what was really important a healthy baby. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Vanessa. You have been such a wonderful midwife, doula and now friend to me. Thank you for what you do, for supporting what women want during their pregnancy and empowering them to do it. New Life Blessings will give you the information but let YOU make the decisions. If that's what you are looking for New Life Blessings won't let you down :) God Bless!

One of the best decision I have made during my first pregnancy is to work with Vanessa. As I was…read moretalking to her I felt connected and comfortable with her to share my most personal exPerience. She was warm and caring. At the same time she was able to demonstrate her knowledge and yet remained flexible to guide us into our own birth plan. She never imposed her opinion. She showed evidence from most current researches and helped us make our own decision. I was induced due to my overdue. With my second round of pitocin and induced labor being intensified, we asked her to come over and she showed up at the hospital. She maintained calm for entire time and her presence was absolutely reassuring. I truly loved her counter pressure and she reminded me to breath to get through the intense pain. She also knows all the procedures that I felt completely advocated by her. Also my husband felt comfortable with her coaching how to help me and he got some rest with her being with me. It was extremely helpful to have Vanessa who can professionally maintain healthy distance and guiding this overwhelming process with patience and kindness. She blended with my team and detected what I and my husband wanted accurately. I ended up having a c-section due to my fibroid and I was so scared. I never received a surgery in my life and I felt like a failure. I also hated that things did not work out the way I planned. I was very hesitant to make that decision. She was able to assist me in communicating with my husband who wanted me to get the surgery but respectful to my wish. When she gently mentioned that, I realized I tried everything I could to give a natural birth and it is the time to go on a plan B. She waited until my surgery was over and made sure we were ok. We only had positive experiences with Vanessa and strongly recommend her for anyone!!! She will make the precious birth experience as the best as it can be!

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.

So welcoming and very easy to talk to so happy I switched to her from my last OBGYN. Best decision…read moreI could have made

Five stars are not enough. The Capital Region is SO blessed to have midwife Michelle Doyle. For the…read morerest of my life, no matter how relieved I may be to say goodbye to the Albany area, I will look back and remember how fortunate I was to be cared for throughout pregnancy and childbirth by Michelle. Perhaps she was the reason for our sojourn here. I'll try to keep this brief, but it will be hard because there's so much to say about the woman and our experience with her, and my brain is addled from the sleep deprivation of a new parent. Please bear with me... I always knew that if I had a healthy, low risk pregnancy, I wanted a home birth. Not sure when or why or how the notion got into my head, but it's been with me a long, long time. Of course when the time came, I did my due dilligence re, the facts surrounding the midwifery model of care, safety statistics, etc; and felt certain that it was right for me. Enter Michelle. She has nearly 30 years of experience in hospital, birthing center and home birth deliveries. She has outstanding statistics for everything from transfers to cesareans to tearing, all of which can be seen here: http://www.localcaremidwifery.com. She *thoroughly* explains the whys and hows and risks and benefits of everything you might encounter during your pregnancy and birth and never, never talks down to you, rushes you, or substitutes her judgment for your own. Of course, like any good midwife, she is extremely careful about whom she agrees to attend. You can be sure that if she agrees to take you on as a client, you are in fact a stellar candidate for a home birth. My husband, who despite (because of?) coming from a family of doctors, has a huge amount of anxiety surrounding even routine medical care, even said upon leaving one prenatal appointment, " I always feel so much better after seeing her." And during the birth, which we were both uncertain how he would handle, he stayed calm and engaged because he had such tremendous faith in her judgment and training. As for me, I don't want to bore anyone with a birth story, so I'll just say this- there is a reason that doctors "deliver" babies, and midwives "attend" births. During the birth, I had only the vaguest sense of Michelle as a calm and encouraging presence. I was occupied with the work of bringing our son into the world, and she never forced the attention back to her. I remember a few low and calm "beautiful, beautiful, everything is fine, this is what you have to do to meet your baby, yes, yes, good..." but otherwise she stood back and let me move how and where I wanted, to vocalize the way I needed to, and to close my eyes and shut everyone out when I couldn't handle the extra stimulation. I knew, in whatever small part of my mind that was still capable of logical thought, if she was calm, I really was fine, and that if for some reason things became "not fine," she had the training to manage it. When it was all over we ate a scoop of Cherry Garcia and climbed into our own bed with our baby right next to us (well, on top of us actually), where he belonged. American obstetrics is in a truly sorry state, and current practices endanger women and babies, and undermine things of vital importance (bonding and breastfeeding as well as confidence in your body and your judgment at a time when you most need it) but that's a rant for another day, so I'll leave that alone for now. Suffice it to say, Michelle has our eternal gratitude for the beautiful birth of our son. * I would be happy to answer any questions about Michelle or about our experience with home birth- just message me ETA: Michelle also does Well Woman (gynecological) care.

Susan's knowledge, guidance, resources, and overall support have been invaluable to my family. Both…read moreof my kids have had very different feeding journeys - and because of this, we have been able to utilize Susan every step of the way. From identifying oral ties, breastfeeding, bottle challenges, pumping, general discomfort - Susan has been our go to for many concerns. After birth, I received a lot of conflicting information and guidance from various lactation consultants at the hospital - the first time I met with Susan she immediately streamlined all the mixed messages I had received and drastically simplified what I was doing so I could stress less and enjoy my baby more. Thanks to Susan I was able to breastfeed my first for two years! And beyond breastfeeding, thanks to her we were able to address issues that may have impacted my son later in life. For my second baby, I decided to book a prenatal appointment with Susan. I went into the hospital feeling confident, prepared and smarter about how I wanted my feeding journey to look. I'm so glad I did this because it couldn't have been more different than my first. Make the appointment - It is with full confidence that I recommend Susan!

Susan single handily saved my breastfeeding relationship with my daughter. She took my Aetna…read moreinsurance which was a godsend. I had come to her a broken and struggling mother who's baby was destroying me mentally and physically. She reassured me that my daughter was indeed tongue tied, and that it needed revision before I would be able to be successful, even when everyone else told be she was fine. She introduced me to pace bottle feeding, and pumping to increase and persevere my supply in the meantime. Once my daughters tongue tie was fixed and my body healed Susan was then able to teach me to latch her and we continued to breastfeed over a year. Her love and support was invaluable to me. Her support groups connected me with friends whom three years later are still part of my circle. Anyone who is struggling with breastfeeding or just looking for more support look no further than Susan. I am now pregnant with my second child and I will be making appointments as soon as he is here! Thank you again Susan for all you have done for me and my family.