I'm so deeply grateful that I was able to have Mary there to guide me before, through, and after…read moregiving birth. She was sensitive to me, kind, stood up for me, and helped me know I could get through it. I do not hesitate to recommend her as a doula for any reason.

Hiring Mary as our Doula was one of the best decisions we made, and I truly believe she played a…read morehuge role in helping me achieve my successful VBAC. Her support started long before labor. She met with us several times to help us prepare mentally and physically, walked us through our birth plan, and made sure we understood what to expect. She also helped us prepare our home for postpartum in ways I never would have thought about; helping me set up nursing and changing stations around the house, sharing practical meal ideas, and even helping us put together a special "fun box" to help keep our toddler entertained during the transition. Those little details made such a big difference once we got home. During labor, she was incredible. She stayed with us for over 20 hours, offering constant encouragement, comfort techniques, and reassurance. She helped me stay focused when things got hard and reminded me I was capable when I needed it most. Her calm presence made such a difference for both me and my partner. She doesn't just show up for the birth, she truly invests in the whole family and the whole experience. Because of her, I felt prepared, supported, and empowered every step of the way. If you are hoping for a VBAC or just want someone truly dedicated to supporting you through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, I cannot recommend her enough. We are so grateful she was part of our birth story. We will definitely hire her for our next birth!

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.

We love, love, loved working with Suzanne. We didn't find her until about 36 weeks in or so because…read moreI was so busy with work I didn't even think to work with a doula even though I had the first time around in CA. I found her through a FB page after reaching out to a few other doulas and Suzanne was by far the best match, oozing a warmth and loving nature that resonated with me. Not only is Suzanne an amazing soul but she's also insanely knowledgeable about so many things pre and post partum. She helped me navigate almost too many things to list, a breech baby, switching to a provider that was genuinely supportive of my desire to have a vbac, an ECV (it didn't work the first time with my breech daughter and I'm convince Suzanne guiding me through the breathing was the reason he flipped this time in addition to a great provider! But Suzanne's help made it possible for me to really relax and let my bub move along with the doctor's hands.), an unmedicated VBAC and more. A huge bonus is she somehow also managed to capture pictures during the birth while staying at my side the whole time. If you're looking for a doula team, look no further than Suzanne and her team.

We are so glad to have hired Suzanne to be part of our birth journey. Suzanne came recommended from…read morea friend who also hired her. Suzanne is friendly and shared a wealth of knowledge ahead of the birth that was very helpful. She had my wife start hand expressing breastmilk and trying out the pumps ahead of the birth which really helped with the milk coming in post partum. My wife had a long and complicated labor - 55 hours of total labor including over 4 hours of pushing. Initially we texted Suzanne to let her know about the labor and she checked in with us every couple of hours. As the labor dragged on she asked to come over that's when we really got to see Suzanne's magic and expertise in action. She was really helpful in finding ways to help my wife relieve pain such as using our bathroom and bringing over a TENS device to reduce pain. At the hospital, Suzanne guided us through options that the doctor / nurse presented us and we observed her push back when appropriate. Watching her push back on the medical team was important later in our labor as my wife and I were empowered to push back on the OB when the OB suggested using forceps. We pushed back on the doctor to give us more time. Our labor was taking a long time because baby was nose up and was coming down crooked. Suzanne was key in positioning my wife in an all fours position that rotated the baby nose down so that she could make it further down the birth canal to a point where the OB could use a vacuum assist instead of forceps - a much safer procedure. I truly believe that without Suzanne, my wife would have ended up with a C-section but we were ultimately able to avoid it because of Suzanne's expertise. After the birth, Suzanne's lactation consultation was also very helpful and the photos she captured during labor were magical. Momma and baby are doing great and we are so grateful for Suzanne.

Christi performed placenta encapsulation for us after our baby girl was born and I highly recommend…read moreher for this service. The process took two days, and she spent about two hours in our home each day. She explained the whole process and took time to make sure I understood the instructions before she left. During "down time" she gave me some pointers on breastfeeding and some guidance on cluster feeding. She left our kitchen cleaner than it was before. :)

Christi Nixon at Emerald City Doula's was by far the very best person I was lucky to work with…read more Week 32 of my first pregnancy I was to suddenly change care from midwives to a specialty care. I was so stressed out, I decided to get myself a doula to help self advocate and boy was that the best choice! Wonderful Paula, who mans the office, got back to me immediately and helped reassure me that she was on the case and would help me quickly. I got a call that day and I was paired with Christi (who I was referred to). It's so strange having to choose a complete stranger to pay to be a close companion in little to no time. It turned out to be a perfect fit. After a long and troublesome induction I called Chrisi to Northwest and the nurses attitudes completely changed. Chrisi had a wonderful working relationship with the staff and I wish I'd called her sooner even if it meant going beyond the contracted time. In the end, with such a complicated and troublesome delivery, Christi was right there with me postpartum and helped me get through the most challenging parts of adjusting to parenthood. Her non judgement, compassion and empathy were life savers and what's best about having a postpartum doula is that they're there to help you specifically, so there is very little to no drama like you'd inevitably get with family. I also appreciated how available she was via text. She even helped coach me through my child's tongue tie and helped me find a wonderful lactation specialist who came to my home. Together we worked out breastfeeding and pumping and the very best gift of a postpartum doula was giving me one blissful full nights rest while she stayed up with my child. Having a doula is a wonderful gift to give yourself, having a postpartum doula in addition is a blessing and having Christi or anyone from Emerald City Doulas is a must! I recommend these wonderful folks hands down every chance I get.

Autumn is an awesome doula!!! We had a great experience with Seattle Doula Partners and would…read moreabsolutely hire them again. We interviewed 3-4 doulas and the team at Seattle Doula Partners stood out the best to us. They were not pushy and their experience and calmness in communicating to us through facts and information really appealed to us. The initial conversations before the birth were very helpful. I was very apprehensive about the birth and talking with them to help uncover my and my husband's anxieties about the birth and it really helped prepare us emotionally. In many ways I felt like it was a therapy session! When I was hospitalized at 32 weeks, Autumn checked in on me consistently to make sure we were doing okay which felt very reassuring. Finally when the day came, we let Autumn know we were on the way to the hospital at about 11pm and she arrived just after I settled down in the L&D room which was super speedy! She immediately attended to both mine and my husband's needs, answering any questions we had. One of the most valuable things that Autumn did was that before anything that happened, e.g. getting my epidural or pushing, Autumn talked through in detail what to expect and this helped prepare us well emotionally and in many ways, made me less fearful. She was always right by our sides coaching us on what to do in a gentle and reassuring way. She wasn't intrusive and allowed me and my husband to have our own time. Through the pattern of my contractions, the nurse hypothesized that my baby was face up. Autumn had a ton of suggestions on how to resolve this and coached the nurse to getting me in the right positions. By then, my lower half was pretty weak from the epidural and every time the nurse had to shift me, Autumn was always there to lend a helping hand. At about 2am, all of us went to rest and my husband was exhausted. The IV machine kept beeping and Autumn always promptly stood up and turned it off so that we could all rest. She was close by and helped me with every small little thing I needed so my husband could rest. Autumn coached me through the entire 2 hours of pushing and holding my legs up. She was very encouraging and her calming and reassuring words gave me a ton of confidence. Once the baby was out, she stepped back, got one of our phones and took a bunch of pictures that I really treasure today! Post birth, I had a lot of difficult breastfeeding and Autumn shifted her schedule so she could come and visit me soon after that. She helped me with the latch and gave me a bunch of ideas to help increase my supply. 3 months on and I still think about how lucky we were to have Autumn by our side! Thank you so much for your hard work, Autumn!!

Autumn is a fantastic Doula! I am so thankful that I was able to have Autumn during my labor. She…read morewas extremely helpful with pain management and came with a bag full of goodies to aid in my comfort. She was very helpful in coaching my husband and provided an extra set of hands so he could shower and make sure we had everything we needed before leaving our place. She arrived at our apartment at nearly 2am and stayed with us for at least 24 hours! We had planned an out of hospital birth, but after a very long labor at home and at the birth center, my midwives transferred me to UW. Postpartum home visits are just as helpful, providing breastfeeding and pumping advice, she will even show you how to baby wrap and answer any questions you have. Before I decided to hire a Doula for my birth, I was unsure if I would "need one." My midwife had initially recommended that I have one, especially for first time births. I then spoke to a few people who had used a Doula, and only heard positives! No one ever says "I wish I didn't have my Doula!" Now I tell everyone "you need a Doula!"

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!

Angela is a top notch doula and caregiver for newborn and infants. I wouldn't have been able to…read morerecover and heal after my C-Section and post partum without Angela's help and guidance. Her keen passion to take care of babies and give valuable advice when you're struggling in those difficult times is very much appreciated. I will always recommend her to my friends and family who is looking for any Doula/post-partum support.

We're so grateful to have had Angela as our postpartum doula! This was our first child and we don't…read morehave any family support in the area. Angela was kind, flexible, and incredibly knowledgeable. She took care of our child like he was her own, and was a lifesaver on multiple occasions. Angela was always proactive: if she saw something that needed to be done, she jumped in and took care of it. Incredibly helpful when you're dealing with little to zero sleep and a rough fourth trimester. Strongly recommend!

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!

This review is long over-due, but Mercedes was absolutely lovely. Her presence is very calming and…read morethe tips she gave me prior to birth helped me labor at home as long as possible. At the hospital, she did a very cool thing that helped stop my adrenaline/epidural shaking. She is compassionate and has a great sense of humor. I cannot recommend her enough.

Mercedes was wonderful! She was an incredible guide on my pregnancy and birthing journey…read more Beautiful, positive energy and she's crazy knowledgeable about anything related to pregnancy and birth. She also took great pictures! I consider her to be an official member of the family now.

I don't even know where to start with this review - we owe Christine so much. We were so tired of…read morebeing treated like cattle by hospitals, with midwives giving us conflicting information, not listening to us, and leaving us feeling unsafe. So we reached out to Christine and In Tandem for a consultation. I honestly have always been a bit skeptical and afraid of home birth, so I came armed with a lot of questions. But once we talked (virtually) to Christine, we immediately felt compassion and care. She is the perfect guide - never pushing her own agenda, listening, but not afraid to give you her opinion. She backs everything up with science and her experience. Christine put us at ease throughout our pregnancy - That was the exact opposite to what we had experienced at our hospitals. She always listened, and even involved our oldest kiddo during visits. Christine and her team were amazing during our son's birth, we felt so safe and cared for. We had great postpartum care as well, coming to our home and checking on my partner, answering questions, and again, involving our older kiddo. It's been almost two years since, and we still miss Christine!

PART 2/2 (finishing our review on my husband's account due to character limit):…read more Now for the postpartum care. This is the most unique part of choosing midwifery care and in my opinion, the #1 reason to do so. Whereas in the traditional obstetric model you typically see your provider one time at 6 weeks (often just to make sure you don't have any signs or symptoms of postpartum mood disorder, to discuss birth control, and to clear you for sex and physical activity), Christine sees clients and their new babies about 6 times in the first 6ish weeks after birth. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all postpartum visits have been at home. These visits are about so much more than just you and your baby's physical well-being; they are focused on the entire family, involving older kiddos in the home, and it's evident that Christine genuinely cares about how everyone is adjusting and doing emotionally. For the first two weeks of your baby's life, Christine's license includes the provision of all routine pediatric care, saving you from additional appointments or trips out of the home so you as the birthing person can focus on recovering and celebrating your growing family. Again, the level of attentiveness and family-centered care received is unmatched. After the birth of our first son, I dealt with a resurgence of a lifelong struggle with anxiety related to the transition to parenthood. Until I connected to a community of West Seattle mama friends, I can genuinely say Christine and Taylor were the women who provided me with the most support. After the birth of our second son, I experienced some unexpected postpartum complications that required me to page Christine. I could have easily been sent to the Emergency Department for the symptoms I was experiencing, but Christine took the time to come evaluate me in the comfort of my own home and provide me with additional testing and support. If anything page-worthy arises during your time in care with In Tandem, you will receive a response promptly, and instead of a nurse line as in hospital-based care, you get to talk to your midwife directly. If you are looking for perinatal care that will change your life, look no further than In Tandem. The name of the practice is so fitting as your midwife will walk hand-in-hand with you and your family every step of the way. Pregnant families--run don't walk to In Tandem Midwifery!