I highly recommend the birthED lactation course with Nicole, and the Home Birth Prep course with…read moreLiz. We left both feeling more educated and empowered than we arrived. These two powerhouse females are funny, confident and really know what they are talking about. Invest in yourself and your baby -- take these courses!

My husband and I cannot recommend birthEd enough! We took both the Lamaze class as well as the…read morenewborn/breastfeeding class. Both classes prepped us better than we could have hoped. Prior to taking these classes I tried to fill out a birth plan that I found online, but did not fully understand most of the terminology. After taking the class, I was able to confidently fill out our birth plan, knowing that it aligned fully with our values and what we wanted for our birth. When we started the Lamaze class we were in the unique situation of taking class right before the stay-at-home order came out. We had our first class in person and the following classes were virtual. Liz was on top of making the class accessible to everyone. Even though it was virtual, class ran seamlessly and she still managed to keep it fun and interesting. Both Liz and Nicole are amazing instructors. They provided a plethora of great information all while making the classes fun and engaging. My husband and I constantly reference back to class saying, "What was that Liz said about...?" Each class flies by, and you can't help but fall in love with them. Taking these two classes from birthEd was probably one of the best decisions we made around preparing for birth.

Working with Justine, Ale, and Rachel was definitely the best decision my spouse and I made in our…read morebirth experience! From providing evidence-based responses to our questions to helping us advocate with providers to simply cheering us on, we were so supported by this team! Justine joined us at the hospital for labor and was absolutely essential to making us both feel comfortable and safe as mine and baby's medical situation got more complicated. We truly could not have imagined doing this without her!!

If you're on the fence about hiring a doula like we were, don't be--especially if you're…read moreconsidering Justine and her team. We hired Justine for our second pregnancy because I was high-risk, on Lovenox, and managing gestational diabetes, and an unmedicated birth felt right for us. With my first pregnancy, I had no complications and chose an epidural, so my husband was very skeptical about needing a doula this time, especially since our first delivery went so smoothly. What ultimately made us move forward was knowing that my husband, being a very logical person, wouldn't be able to give me the emotional support I'd need during labor. After meeting Justine on a video call, everything instantly felt right. She was warm, supportive, and confident from the start, and she was the only doula who genuinely believed I could have an unmedicated birth--especially considering how quickly my first labor progressed with an epidural. She also reassured my husband that her support was just as much for him as it was for me. Throughout the pregnancy, Justine and her team answered every question and helped me navigate every curveball. No matter what came up, she was there with guidance, resources, and a listening ear. On delivery day, I delivered our baby girl in under an hour--completely unmedicated, just as we hoped. Even though there were moments when I wanted to give up, Justine's calm presence and steady, encouraging voice helped me push through. It ended up being the most magical birth experience I've ever had, and I still can't believe I did it. Hiring her was truly one of the best decisions we made. TL;DR: We were unsure about hiring a doula, but Justine completely changed our minds. Despite a high-risk pregnancy, she supported us from day one, reassured my skeptical husband, and helped me have a fast, completely unmedicated birth. Her calm, steady presence made it the most magical delivery experience--we're so glad we chose her.

I'd like to say thank you. Treasured Births was perfect for me. I felt calm, but excited I would…read morefinally meet my child. I would do this again next time and here.

Kelly is the most caring and knowledgeable midwife. I can't even or into words what she did for my…read moredaughter during the birth of my granddaughter.

My husband and I recently enlisted in the services of Birth Made Beautiful for the birth of our…read moresecond child. We worked with Cassanda and Kara Jo and both women made us feel safe, valued, respected, and cared for. Despite having a wonderful, uncomplicated and unmedicated birth with my first child, during my pregnancy with our second, fear and doubt began to set in. I really began to believe that all of the positives associated with my first delivery and birth were a fluke and that I either would not be able to get through a second unmedicated birth or some sort of medical emergency would arise. Kara Jo met me initially and spent a long time with me unpacking what was leading to these fears. Based on our conversation, she suggested that Hypnobirthing might be a good fit for me. Had Kara Jo not suggested Hypnobirthing, I never would have sought it out. Our initial meeting with Kara Jo's careful listening, experience, and intuitive sense for what needs to be done set the stage for the rest of our time with Birth Made Beautiful. She brought all of those same qualities to my birth. We primarily worked with Kara Jo but did do a prenatal visit with Cassandra. She felt like hanging out with an old friend who has a lot of knowledge surrounding birth. She was quite helpful in refreshing us in the Three Sisters of Balance positioning and showed my husband how to do certain types of support touches to be used during labor. (We did end up using everything she showed us so thank you very much Cassandra!) It was somewhat amusing actually as the Hypnobirthing techniques were working so well, I didn't recognize that I was as far along into labor as I was. When I thought I might need to contact the doulas for a heads up via text, Cassandra called us within minutes at about 3:00 AM. It had been decided between the two of them that Kara Jo would attend my delivery so I think Cassandra also reached out to Kara Jo. We spoke on the phone and despite my insistence that I didn't think I was in anything past early labor, Kara Jo could tell this wasn't the case. We credit her to me not having our baby on the road or in the parking lot. Thank you Kara Jo! Once at the hospital, Kara Jo took charge in terms of making sure my birth plan was executed. It was so nice to not have to bring up my preferences to the nurses or ask if certain things could be done. She was just on top of it. She was so calming, uplifting and caring. Both my husband and myself were impressed and appreciative of Birth Made Beautiful's services. Additionally, Kara Jo took a series of high-quality birth photos. She'd asked us if this was something we wanted prior to the birth. I was excited about the prospect and said "yes please" but gave some preferences in terms of what would/wouldn't be shown. While photography obviously isn't the doulas main role, I absolutely cherish these pictures showing the first moments our child entered the world. They are so sweet. Also, we were provided with a detailed timeline after the birth which we appreciate. Things are such a blur in the moment, it is really special to be able to look back at what happened and when. We would hire both doulas back in a heartbeat. They were an important part of why our second child's birth was as positive, empowering and lovely as it was. From our entire family, thank you.

Kara Jo was our Doula for our 3rd baby (a successful VBAC at 41w 6d, 10lbs 11 oz) - we had doulas…read morefor our first two as well. If we have a 4th we will definitely be asking Kara Jo to be our Doula again! What made her so different was the amazing support she provided before (processing my second birth which didn't go well, spinning babies, natural labor induction tools and pros/cons, etc) and after the birth (breastfeeding support, pt and postpartum recommendations)- although she was amazing during labor and delivery as well (hip squeezes through every contraction, coaching through different positions to progress labor, helping my care team follow our birth plan, etc)! After birth she provided us the beautiful photos she took and a write up of the birth and timeline. I am so thankful that our doctor recommended Kara Jo!!

Emily was wonderful to work with. She was so kind, helpful, intuitive, and unconditionally…read moresupportive. She has a gift for bringing calm and comfort to both parents. I was so grateful to have her as a part of my birth.

From the owner: The Tidal Doula serves the entire Twin Cities from her home in Robbinsdale. Emily is a…read moreDONA-certified birth doula who is passionate about evidence-based care and support for all birthing families. Emily's a big geek who loves to laugh in labor and create lasting connections through education and support. A doula is a nonjudgmental, unbiased, constant support system for the birthing person. Emily offer's care to everyone regardless of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex or gender, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, ability, age, or religion. Every birth is as unique as the people who are involved, and Emily is so excited to be a part of yours! The Tidal Doula also offers sibling doula support, birth photography, and parenting classes/childbirth education for clients.

The upside is that the work is good and they are very thorough. Extremely thorough. Perhaps too…read morethorough. I was prepared for it to be slower than a regular dentist as they are students (each step is checked by a professor). I was not prepared for how very slow it is. For each appointment you are to plan for three hours. Great, I thought, they will get a lot done during the appointment! Nope. Not even close. The first three hour appointment is pretty much all paperwork. The student goes through a long list of questions with you. I mean a very, very long list of questions. Questions that no dentist I have ever been to has ever asked, and I am not certain how they apply to anything doing with my teeth. I have now been there for FOUR appointments, almost three hours for each of them, and all that has really been accomplished is a cleaning and one cavity has been filled. With the number of cavities I need filled and the crown I need, it will be past the time for another cleaning before I am done. My first appointment was in October, and my latest appointment was in December. As for the idea that it is cheaper than a regular dentist, I am not convinced. You are charged for each appointment and you have to go back so many times that by the end of it all I don't think I am saving any money at all. Minimally if you include the value of your time you do not get a good value for your money. I will definitely go somewhere else for future cleaning services, and I am not at all confident that I will complete all of the work they recommended at this place. I just don't have that much free time.

If you go to the U of M Dental Clinic it will be the biggest mistake you ever made. Josiah Wang…read moredoesnt listen to you. Period.