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!

If your insurance leaves you with little options, I still would not recommend this place…read more It's overly busy and the reception desk does not care about your needs. When you ask,"Thank you for calling AFA, could you hold?" Actually wait for the response to your question instead of putting you back hold for forever. Longest I was on hold with them was 40 minutes until I was disconnected. I've seen a few different doctors the years I've gone here and none of them are insightful, have bedside manner or make you feel comfortable. It's like being on an assembly line. Some of us have had painful contractions and no assistance what so ever with complications. You would think that the women working there would show compassion...they don't. They don't care if there's urgent matters that can't be solved with calling 9-1-1. If a pregnancy is at risk you need to respect that, at least let patients leave a message so they don't have to waste time. Their phlebotomist shouldn't be taking blood from people. Two friends of mine had no choice but to be patients here and we all ended up with intense bruises for weeks after, when the main hospital lab doesn't even leave a mark. I don't trust them to care about my baby. Take this as constructive. If you have enough patients voicing concerns...stop trying to save face by replying with,"Your care is important to us, we take our work seriously..." Then fix yourselves. Not going back.

The Nurse I had for my first appointment was rude and made me feel stupid about any questions I…read morehad. I told her everything I was experiencing and she could barely give me any answers. Now I have to wait 3 more weeks before another nurse sees me.

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!

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.

Ellie is an absolute gem. My husband and I first worked with her as a sleep consultant during a…read morebrutal 18 month sleep regression for our daughter. Both empathetic and whip-smart, Ellie helped identify specific actions we could take to get sleep back on track. It was so reassuring to make a plan with her and to have real time follow up so that we could course correct and adjust as needed. When we encountered some challenges with the 2 to 1 nap transition, Ellie was the only person we wanted help from and once again she was exactly the resource we needed. We also felt SO supported by Ellie as a birth and postpartum doula for our second child. Using zoom, email, text, and phone, Ellie was like an expert big sister in the weeks leading up to the birth, as well as in the beginnings of labor, and most especially in the early postpartum period. The birth escalated so quickly that there wasn't time for zoom support, but honestly the postpartum support alone was invaluable (and thank goodness for Ellie's nudge via phone for us to hightail it to the hospital-- our son was almost born in the car). Her expertise in sleep and lactation along with being a thoughtful and experienced mom of three... I truly can't speak highly enough. We will forever be grateful to Ellie for helping us grow into happier, stronger parents, and she will forever be our go-to for all questions parenting / birth / sleep!

Working with Ellie was a wonderful experience. I am so grateful that she was our doula for my…read morefirst birth as there are so many questions and unknowns. Ellie helped us navigate all of this and made me feel incredibly supported.

My husband and I feel so fortunate to have had Carolynn as our Doula for the birth of our first…read morechild. Carolynn provided vital support for us prior to, during, and after the birth of our son. When we first met Carolynn we knew that we wanted her to be our Doula. Both myself and my husband immediately felt comfortable with her and after talking with her for a while we knew that she was very knowledgeable and passionate about pregnancy and child birth. Carolynn was always available by text, e-mail, and phone to answer any questions we had and researched and provided us with any information we needed. We learned a lot during our home visits with Carolynn. During our second home visit we went over different stretches and positioning which was very helpful. When I went into labor, it came on quickly. Carolynn was quick to meet us at our home and helped me stay calm. When we went to the hospital, Carolynn set up a calm environment with dim lighting, LED candles and music. She was an amazing coach to me and an excellent teammate to my husband. My labor was long and Carolynn collaborated well with all of the nurses and midwives that we had. She stayed with us for a few hours after our son was born making sure we were all ok even though we had been at the hospital for about 36 hours with not much sleep. My son had a slight fever after he was born and we had to stay at the hospital for a few days. Carolynn checked in on us often. When we got home I was not feeling well and ended up in the emergency room with a kidney infection while my husband brought our son to his first pediatrician appointment. Carolynn had called to check in on me that morning and stopped by and stayed with me while I was waiting for my father to bring me to the hospital so I was not alone. She even did the dishes while I showered. Carolynn came over for a postpartum visit once I was feeling better and stayed for a long time trying to help our son latch on to breastfeed. While we were not successful during the visit, Carolynn gave me the contact information for a lactation consultant that helped us. If you are considering hiring a doula, I wholeheartedly recommend Carolynn, she is truly amazing!

From the owner: Gentle Waves Birthing provides extremely professional quality support and education for expectant…read moreparents throughout pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum. With a strong focus on education & comfort measures you will be well prepared for the birth of your baby. Call today for a free consultation & get started on your journey to a happy, more confident birth!

This place was recommended to me by my daughters primary care. I never expected the kind of service…read morewe got. First, it was so easy to get the appt. The nurses called me back within an hour and scheduled her appt for 2 weeks out cause my availability. Gave us the Dr we requested. I got there 45mins early, and they still saw us. We weren't even done with the paperwork you have to fill as a new patient. My daughter LOVER Dr. Thomas, which makes me incredibly happy cause the way my daughter described how she was treated makes you feel comforted, cause my daughters well being and care is in their hands. Their waiting area is HUGE with TVs and lots of seating. The staff is so polite and kind, it's easy to find to despite the address seeming like it would be difficult

I would recommend this obgyn office they have 3 offices and very accommodating and very easy too…read morebook appointments and very good at calling patients back