We felt lucky to have Barbara with us for our second baby in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic…read more Once again, my labor and delivery was a dream experience. With Barbara there, it felt calm and focused. Leading up to labor, I kept Barbara updated with my symptoms and she came by a few times to measure my dilation and give me her experienced perspective each time. On the day my contractions started in earnest, she came over and made the quick decision to head over to the hospital immediately because I was progressing quickly. Thank goodness she did, because our boy arrived just 2 hours after we arrived at the hospital! We are so thankful to have had Barbara with us both times, and I credit her for my positive experience both times. Without her there, I am sure I would have been anxious with endless possibilities of outcomes racing through my mind. She was our sounding board and we fully trusted her to guide us through the experience, which allowed us to enjoy the moment without worries.

I cannot recommend Barbara enough!!! She was an essential part of my birth team and I'm confident…read morethat I wouldn't have had a successful unmedicated birth without her. From the moment we started working with Barbara, she took the time to truly get to know us, my goals, and concerns regarding labor. She provided thoughtful reassurance and guidance that was clearly backed by years of experience as both a midwife and doula. She never pushed a particular approach but instead empowered me with information and support so I could make the best decisions for myself. During labor, Barbara's presence made a huge difference. Her coaching helped me manage pain and stay focused. Her experience allowed me to try various labor positions that I believe aided to a more efficient birth. She also advocated for me when I was faced with tough decisions, which is already hard enough to navigate when you're in labor! Not only did she support me, but she was also an incredible resource for my husband. She provided him with the confidence and guidance to be a present and helpful partner. We both felt she added so much value to the experience. Another major plus is that Barbara has a strong relationship with the providers at NW Women's Healthcare. They clearly enjoy working with her and respect her. During the labor, I felt that she worked well with Dr Jiao and the nursing staff; it truly felt like a cohesive team that was focused on me having a successful birth. On top of all that, Barbara is just genuinely an awesome person! She is easy to talk to, kind, and calming, yet also fun and engaging. We had many good laughs together. If you're looking for an all around amazing doula who is knowledgeable, supportive, and truly makes a difference, Barbara is the one!

Having Rachel as our doula was not only fundamental to the well-being of our pregnancy but also an…read moreincredible gift we will always cherish. From the start, Rachel's demeanor aligned perfectly with ours. She was very knowledgeable, informative, and easy to talk to. As the carrying parent, I had many questions that Rachel was able to explain in detail thanks to her years of experience in the field and her ability to navigate the different settings in which a person can labor, including the birth center of our choice. Knowing she would be there to help us make important decisions and advocate on our behalf was priceless. From our first meeting, still over Zoom, I greatly appreciated her approach and how caring she was without being overbearing. When I was searching for someone to support us, it was important to me that the person had experience, understood my needs and concerns, and wasn't solely focused on taking pictures. Rachel checked all of those marks. Although she wasn't focused on photography only, her passion for the entire journey of life--from pregnancy to postpartum and beyond--can be seen through her amazing pictures as well. Her ability to capture special moments is truly incredible and artistic. Lastly, knowing that she is a professional who values and advocates for the rights of all people is the cherry on top. When I share our experience with friends, they all say: "I wish I had a doula like yours." We definitely recommend her for anyone hopping on this wild journey called parenthood.

After becoming pregnant I knew I wanted to hire a birth doula, as a death doula myself I understand…read morethe importance of having someone guide you through a transformative experience that I knew would hold many emotions. Once we met Rachel it was immediately clear we were a match, it felt like she had been in our lives forever. Rachel's extensive knowledge and thorough guidance ensured that we were well-informed about our choices at each phase of the birthing process, which brought us immense comfort and confidence. We had planned for an out-of-hospital birth but at the end of the pregnancy had to urgently schedule a C-section and Rachel was by our side the entire time, helping us navigate every decision with clarity and care. She prepared us for exactly what we could expect, slowed us down when fear was starting to take over, advocated for me in the hospital (immediate skin-to-skin with baby, supporting my husband as the nurses cared for baby, latching as quickly as possible, etc.), and ensured that either she or my husband held my hand the entire time. Beyond just her knowledge, she provided a safe space where we could express our fears openly and encouraged acknowledging all the emotions that come with becoming new parents. She did a beautiful job honoring my grief, grief in becoming a mom and the change of identity, grief in having to change our birth plan late in the pregnancy, and grief that I wouldn't have my mom with me. Rachel's soft energy and loving presence was a true anchor for us during this transformative time and when I think about the birthing experience I know it was a positive one because of Rachel. We will forever cherish the photos she took, as they capture so much of the emotion and love.

Troop saved my life!!! I could not have survived the newborn phase without the help of my doulas…read more They were all so caring, helpful and knowledgeable. Even though it can be tough to be separated from one's newborn baby, I felt so comfortable sleeping while my doula took care of him. Having overnight support allowed me to get the rest I needed to heal and gave me energy to spend time with my toddler during the day. Troop is like family to me! I would recommend them to anyone in need of support.

Pregnant and postpartum moms - DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY…read more We signed up for doulas for 12 weeks while I was pregnant and put down the deposit (roughly $10k). Our needs changed postpartum and when we went to update our timeline we were told that the deposit we put down would not be applied to the updated timeline - basically we were asking for $8k in services and even though we had already paid $10k we were told that we still needed to pay more. They quoted the handbook which was not noted in the contract we signed and we were never told of this "policy" while interviewing or signing the contract. We received the handbook after we had signed the contract. We worked out an agreement after pointing out how ridiculous this was and we felt it was still worth it to move forward as we were hopeful that they would provide the services they promised. Over the course of four visits we had two different doulas. Both were very polite and nice but had totally different levels of care. The first doula set timers on her phone to wake up and check on our daughter as well as wake and bring her to feed so that she didn't go too long without eating. As a mom that is EBF this was immensely helpful and she was great to work with. The second doula was polite but did not take care of our daughter. She slept so deeply that did not wake during my daughter's feeding cues/crying. I awoke to engorged breasts and when I checked the monitor I could see my daughter fussing in her bassinet while the doula slept on. I also saw that she had set the temperature of the room to 74 degrees. For a 6 week old that can't regulate heat this was VERY concerning. I went to wake my husband to figure out how we could change it to a safe temperature and then went downstairs and woke the doula while getting my daughter from the bassinet. My daughter was so overheated that she could barely finish one side even though she regularly finishes both. While I was feeding her, this doula fell asleep again and when I brought my daughter back she did not wake to me entering the room- I changed my daughter's diaper and only after returning with a light on did she wake up. We were scheduled to have her for the next month and my husband and I did not feel comfortable leaving our child in her care again. When I emailed the company to cancel (on a Thursday with our next visit being a Monday), I received an OOO message from Lynette Wilson the Director of Operations. The following day (Friday) I forwarded the message to the scheduling team and did not receive a response. When Lynette returned that following Monday she did not ask why we were suddenly cancelling but did try to tell us that she was going to charge us for not cancelling 24 hours before the shift even though the message was sent several days before. Only after I was able to get Lynette on the phone (you cannot contact anyone in the office directly) did she relent. I also brought up the concerns with the doula - again she did not once ask why. She did not seem to care or bother to offer solutions but rather wanted to end the conversation. We've spent $10k+ for 4 nights. Pregnant and postpartum moms - this company does not care about you or your child. Their team of overnight doulas is sporadic in their level of care and created an unsafe environment for my child. This company only cares about squeezing you for money during one of the most stressful and vulnerable times of your life.

My allergy shots were moved to this location when UW decided to consolidate locations. The Eastside…read morelocation had staff that focused on providing customer service and worked to make sure appointments were flexible enough to work with customer's work schedules and other issues. So far, this location couldn't care less about the patient's needs or working with them. They threaten to charge you if you're late (a very likely possibility considering city traffic), but leave you sitting in the waiting room if you're early, racking up additional parking fees.

This place is like pregnant lady haven. Ashley and Katie are amazing! They remembered my name after…read morethe first appointment. I thought I was just another face to them. Ashley even remembered off the top of her head how far along I was. I did my research when it came time to choose OB vs midwife and I'm SOOOOOOO glad I signed up to see the midwives. Midwives concentrate on the special topic of pregnancy, birth, and post partum recovery. OB is a trained surgeon for generally anything going on "down there." Most childbirths don't need surgery. They're definitely related and a lot of their jobs overlap, but midwives are specialized nurses that spend overall more time with their patients as supports and guides. Midwives are the ones that deliver and catch the babies at NW hospital. OBGYNs are surgeons. They don't catch the babies; they perform surgery. They are there to perform surgery when something goes wrong. They did not train as in-depth as midwives when it comes to helping you survive those 9 months beforehand. As the hospital nurse very politely whispered to me when I sat in my hospital bed after 15 hours of labor..."Let's hope you will never need to see the OBGYN. If you do, it means something during labor went wrong." TL;DR - If you want preggo sage lady experts COME HERE! When I was there, there were 6 midwives on staff rotation. They're all extremely knowledgeable. I saw Deborah, Yaseem, Cindy, and Victoria the most often and she was never judgemental even though I asked (looking back now) the stupidest "questions." Everyone was so patient and open-minded. They respect women's bodies and do everything with faith that our bodies are stronger than what we believe to be (it's very true.) My appointments sometimes ran long because I'm long-winded but they always let me stick around. I would have slapped myself if I had to listen to me for a hour! When I needed to be induced (baby was 11+ days overdue) Victoria Swarthout saw how terrified and concerned I was so she squeezed me into a morning appointment on the date of my induction so I could ask her ALL the questions and address all of my concerns... which @ 42 weeks pregnant as a first time Mom during a pandemic just sounded like this "WHY why whyyyy me!!! Why won't this baby come!!!" Oh forgot, it was the start of the pandemic. Yeah I gave birth in March, the very same week things went into lockdown. New hospital policies were being put in place and my anxiety level skyrocketed. I'm first generation Chinese American of course, and a little bit of a hypochondriac so the pandemic got me off on a very rough start. I was afraid of discrimination (none at all found here) and I was afraid of changing hospital policies. On top of the unexpected induction and having to find a doula last minute. I was literally being induced with a hand UP my cervix while trying to hire a new doula on the phone...ugh! Lol. The induction and labor was 35+ hours. Very very very long. And we were all ready to give up...get that C-section no one wanted...when Victoria calmly said "You know what? Let's give it another hour." I wanted to cry. I hadn't eaten in over 24 hours and I was going to end up on the surgeons table after all that waiting and exhaustion. Victoria gave me as much time as she could. 1 hour or 2 later, I suddenly felt a crazy need to push. So she came back to check my dilation and suddenly I went from 7 to full 10! How did she know I just needed some time? Time to PUSH!! YASSSSS! Pushing was the best part. That took no time at all. And suddenly I had a perfect baby on my chest. No c-section. Pure miracle. All thanks to the patience and faith the midwives have. No medical intervention, no pressure, no rush, no panic. A woman's body is truly, truly a miracle blessed by nature. We were designed to give birth and on our own body's timeline. Post partum support with midwives was awesome too. They vetted for post partum depression, checked on my perninal tear, talked and administered birth control. I am basically going to use the midwives as my general doctor. Did you know they do that? Yup! You can do your annual check ups with them :) Anyways this is probably the most personal Yelp review ever hahaha. Look at the handiwork that Victoria caught on that first day of spring at 3 am. Eden is 1 year old already. What a blessing and what a miracle these 6 women at NW midwives are. I'll be forever in debt to them my entire life.

I cannot say enough good things about Cheryl. She is incredible and I hope she'll be my doula for…read moreall my future births. BACKGROUND on me/us. We decided when the pandemic hit that we wouldn't let it stop us from starting a family. I got pregnant in April of 2020, and in September, we moved from San Francisco to Seattle. Since this was my first, I wasn't sure what I was looking for. I visited Swedish First Hill thinking I might want a hospital birth, and interviewed three midwives and several (six, to be exact) doulas. When I met Cheryl, I knew I had found "the one." She was also the only person I spoke w/ that made me genuinely feel EXCITED about giving birth. PRE. Not only did Cheryl offer to meet me throughout my third trimester to do the stairs or go for walks, but she also hosts weekly prenatal yoga classes (over Zoom), which I'll be honest, were the *only* times I did yoga during my pregnancy. BIRTH. On the birth day, Cheryl was phenomenal. She comforted me not only w/ her words, but also her hands when I was laboring. She rubbed my back or my leg, which I later found out is not the standard for birth doulas, and suggested different positions for me as things progressed. She was so good about feeding me and making sure I was staying hydrated, too. (As an endurance athlete, I know for a fact I would have bonked had she not force fed me a banana, honey, and electrolytes.) She made me feel strong and safe throughout my entire labor. POST. After baby was born, Cheryl took such good care of my partner and me. She fed us, taught us how to swaddle baby, helped me through mastitis, and became someone we consider to be family. She encapsulated my placenta after making placenta art, too. Her intuition about what we needed was so spot on, it truly is a gift. I birthed a 9lb1oz baby w/o drugs or stitches at home, and I thank Cheryl (and my midwives) for that. We adore Cheryl and anyone would be lucky to have her.

As a first time mom, I was clueless about the labor and delivery process. As I was exposed to…read morevarious kinds of births, I came across the idea of having a birth doula to help both my husband and I through the process. Cheryl was everything we had hoped for and more. We connected with her immediately. I would reach out to her regularly during my pregnancy with questions and concerns, and she was very quick to respond and ease my nerves. We took a few prenatal classes with her which helped us understand labor and delivery better. I wanted to make sure my husband and I were also well versed with the possible interventions that could take place at a hospital birth. Cheryl did a great job of teaching us what the alternative options were in case things didn't go as planned. On the day of, Cheryl helped me labor at home and the hospital, which is exactly what I had hoped for. I wanted to labor at home for as long as possible before heading to the hospital, and I felt very secure knowing that Cheryl would know when is the best time. The majority of my labor was pretty intense back labor and Cheryl knew exactly what to do to help me get through the contractions. Our experience with the labor and delivery would never have been the same without Cheryl. I had an amazing experience thanks to her faith and support. After the birth, Cheryl came to our home a few times to check on us and help me breastfeed as well. Being with Cheryl on this journey felt like being with our family! It's been almost a year and a half since our daughters birth and we still keep in touch with her and enjoy speaking to her about parenthood! Cheryl was a Godsend, and we could not have imagined our daughters birth without her!

I found Meg on a website of doulas that serve Whidbey Island. After reading every website for the…read moredoulas on the list, I bookmarked Meg because I felt she seemed open, warm, accepting, and knowledgeable. I didn't contact her right away because I was only a few months pregnant at the time. Over the following month, I talked with several friends about their birth experience and two told me how much they loved their doula. Turns out those two friends had Meg! Both friends had nothing but amazing things to say about Meg so it felt kismet, and I emailed her right away. Upon meeting her it was clear that I wanted Meg involved in my birth. She was so soothing, respectful, understanding, and personable. Meg helped us prepare for birth and taught us all we needed to know before going into labor. Meg counseled me through decisions I had to make and helped me think through every single option. I appreciated that Meg holds NO judgement about ANY decision. She's on your team. No agenda - She shares the facts and allows you to make the decision. I am so grateful to Meg. My birth ended up taking a tough turn, and I had an emergency c-section under general anesthesia. Meg was there to meet my baby with my partner. She supported him as he worried about me and as he held our newborn for the first time. When I finally got to meet my son, Meg immediately latched him on and listened to me as I sobbed. Meg will always be a special part of our birth story. I wholeheartedly recommend Meg. She is a phenomenal doula.

Giving birth with Meg by my side as our Doula was absolutely amazing. I 100% attribute her and her…read moreskills to me being able to achieve my natural birth goals. I couldnt have done it without her. Her calm energy and knowledge was incredibly reassuring. I also was so impressed with her knowledge and ability to navigate the entire birth, she really is gifted as a Doula. A very special thanks to Meg!

I can't recommend Milla and Melinda enough! My husband was skeptical about hiring a doula, but…read moreafter the birth he was the first to say how grateful he was they were there for us and that the investment was so worth it. Their package is outstanding compared to others. Milla was with us for delivery and she was such a calming, supportive presence. She reminded me of my birth plan when I needed it, worked beautifully with the hospital staff, held me through contractions, cheered me on when I felt like giving up, and set boundaries with family when I asked. She just knew what I needed and I felt safe with her. Melinda was equally fantastic. I felt deeply seen by her. She helped me with my anxiety before labor and in postpartum, gave me practical tools (the ice exercise was a game changer), and walked through our house helping us set up baby stations + shared so many helpful tips. Some additional highlights: - Their website has the best list of questions to ask when interviewing doulas. - The prep class with Milla was both super helpful and honestly fun. I truly believe the exercises she taught me made a huge difference in my labor. - Melinda dropping everything to come help us on day 3 postpartum when we texted her in frenzy. Hiring them was hands-down the best decision we made. I'm so happy with how my labor went, and I honestly credit that to this amazing doula team. Overall, the biggest impact they made on me was that they believed in me, and that gave me so much strength. For a first-time mom with higher levels of anxiety, that kind of support was priceless. I honestly wish they could be my team of support forever in motherhood--that's how much I loved them and how much I trust them. And even now, I still bug them from time to time and they always quickly help me out with resources. I am so fortunate to have found them. I am sure you will feel the same way if they become your choice of doulas.

I've been supported through 3 pregnancies and deliveries (2 with midwives at a birth center, 1…read morec-section in hospital) by Melinda Ferguson, and cannot recommend her highly enough for her extensive experience from attending hundreds of births, empathy, responsiveness, and ability to connect me with others in the perinatal community for specific things like birth prep classes, lactation, sleep, etc. As a first-time parent, I especially found Melinda's guidance and presence helpful to calm my anxieties around the process of giving birth, as well as caring for a newborn. So the second time, I wanted to have the same support and was so glad to have her with us even though we'd been through this before once. And although I had expected the third time to be even easier, some complications came up and it was so helpful to be able to consult with Melinda and work through some difficult decisions. She also helped me with processing and accepting the surgical delivery that I had really hoped to avoid.

Investing in Davinah's support as our postpartum doula was such an important decision for our…read morefamily. The first three months of motherhood were so much more difficult for me than I could have anticipated (even though I did as much preparing for the difficulty as I could have...the sleep deprivation and endless infant screaming still humbled us in a major way)! Having Davinah's presence to look forward to got me through. On multiple evenings when I reached what felt like the end of my capacity to mother, I would remind myself, "Only two more sleeps until Davinah comes.", that thought gave me the hope and energy to keep going. Her presence in our home gave us so much! Never before have I felt hosted in my own space. She was warm and attentive, and did everything from wiping down my kitchen counters to holding my fussy baby to giving me reassuring hugs while I wept on the couch. I felt like I could truly invite her into the mess of my home and emotional state. The postpartum months are uniquely vulnerable, and she was able to listen and respond to our families needs with so much thoughtfulness and depth. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- From my husband : as a new Dad, I didn't expect to need or want support from a postpartum doula but I can't imagine the transition into parenthood without Davinah. She works fluidly, flexibly, and tirelessly. I was so impressed by her ability to intuit our needs and remind us to take good care of ourselves. The mornings of sleeping in while Davinah fed or soothed the baby were magical. When we woke up breakfast was ready! It was such a blessing to have her support.

Davinah - she just breeds joy and empathy with a side of fierceness! I can hear her now saying…read more"that's real" and I learned so much from her about how to be a better listener. Davinah was a voice of reason during our prenatal stages. She helped us prepare for the unknown that was to come as new parents by giving us concrete tasks to plan for and questions to answer for ourselves. I think it really saved us during those first few weeks and months. I ended up having a scheduled c-section so we did not get to experience Davinah's full services in labor, birthing, but she was there with us all along the way as we navigated the hospital, OBs, etc. and showed up for us as a postpartum doula to help with the much needed basic care after friends and family had returned home and husband was back to work. If she does not know the answer to something, she's honest about it and directs you to a wealth of resources in the community. We wholeheartedly recommend Davinah for any expecting parents, whether it's your first time or not! You will feel heard, supported, advocated for, seen, and celebrated.

I found my doula, Shelia Kandeler, via a friend's referral rather than the Swedish Hospital Doula…read moreServices, but the Swedish Hospital Doula program made things incredibly easy administratively. I keep telling people that doulas aren't just for people who want a natural childbirth! It's a huge benefit for any laboring mother-to-be to have an experienced person on hand whose only role is to provide emotional support and comfort. In childbirth classes, Dad is sometimes coached to play that role, but the reality is that a first-time father isn't going to have any better idea what to expect than the mother. Birth plans can easily go awry, and an experienced doula can be a great help in getting the mother back into a a calm emotional state regardless of whether the mother wishes for as little intervention as possible or all the painkillers in the book. The presence of a doula has been shown in studies to reduce the odds of C-Section or instrumental delivery. Both the doulas I've had also provide lactation support after the baby is born. The fact that Swedish respects the role of the doula says volumes about the level of care they provide for expectant parents.

Laurie Levy is the best! We interviewed a couple of doulas who were very good, but we clicked with…read moreLaurie right away and were very excited to partner with her for the birth of our first child. Laurie met with us twice before the birth to go over questions and our thoughts on how we wanted everything to go. When I found our I was going to be induced, I thought I might not need her assistance as much - I was completely wrong! She was the greatest support, especially during the last 4 hours of hard labor. I ended up having complications during the actual birth and I am so glad that Laurie was by my side. The room was chaotic with lots of nurses and doctors and having someone I knew and trusted next to me was a life saver. She kept me calm and focused, and made a scary situation much less so. I'm so thankful we found Laurie through Swedish and hired her as our doula - I highly recommend her!