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!

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.

I delivered with the Midwives at Mt. Auburn Hospital just over a week ago and can't say enough…read morepositive things about labor and delivery as well as the recovery period. I had read rave reviews about Mt. Auburn (including multiple people claiming to have had a "wonderful" labor there), all the while wondering how wonderful labor really could be. I now understand completely. From the moment that we called the hospital after contractions started to the arrival and long delivery process, each nurse and midwife that took care of me provided the utmost care, professionalism, and explanation of what was happening next and why. Amidst the inevitable anxiety of a first labor, I felt fully cared for and at ease. I can't thank the nurses enough for their tremendous care during both the labor and delivery process, as well as postpartum care for myself and baby. Postpartum, the nurses and a wonderful lactation consultant provided guidance on everything from what to expect during the first few days of our newborns' life to feeding techniques to giving the baby a first bath. Recovery was peaceful and allowed us time to bond as a family of three. By the time we left the hospital, we felt prepared enough to care for our newborn and with the opportunity to call with any questions that we might have. Thank you, Mt. Auburn!

I'm very disappointed by my recent experience with the Midwives at Mt. Auburn Hospital. My prenatal…read morecare was pretty standard, nothing exceptional. I had a low-risk pregnancy and everything went according to plan. The midwife I saw continually pushed for induction through castor oil, membrane sweeps, and evening primrose oil - these are not proven to be effective and are not positively backed by scientific research. I cannot believe that they don't follow evidence-based research when making medical recommendations. I went into labor spontaneously and progressed well. However, during my entire active labor, the midwife was in the room for no more than 5 minutes total. She basically did a quick pelvic exam and then left me on my own. I had no one in the room with me other than my husband. There was no nurse and no midwife - I felt so unsupported. After about 6 hours of labor, the midwife came back in and suggested a peanut ball and a warm bath, but she disappeared without setting me up with either. I guess my husband was supposed to figure this out? She returned a few hours later and I requested nitrous oxide - She said I needed a form for this (which was already in my file) and disappeared again. I never received anything to manage my pain and never saw the midwife again. I would have hoped that the midwife would have suggested labor positions to ease pain, pressed on my back/hips, showed my husband some ways to help (we took Bradley classes, but some extra direction in that moment would have been appreciated), provided encouragement, shown care, and simply been present. I feel like I was ignored and neglected. No one even brought me water. It wasn't until an OBGYN arrived that I felt like I was validated and heard - she got an anesthesiologist and I received an epidural. The OBGYN delivered my baby via c-section after failure to progress. My after-care at Mt. Auburn was pretty good. I felt all the nurses were caring and competent. I had to self-advocate to get time with the lactation consultants, but they were helpful. Takeaways: If you want support of any kind during labor, you'll need to hire your own doula. If you plan to breastfeed, arrange for your own postpartum doula or seek support from a non-hospital affiliated IBCLC. I am exclusively breastfeeding in spite of the care I received and not because of it. Just find a good OBGYN and forget about all the midwife nonsense - they're basically useless.

Teresa was incredibly knowledgeable. We had her for our first labor and delivery experience and she…read moredid an excellent home visit weeks before I was due which reviewed items we could do at home to prepare. Her presence at the delivery was comforting the entire day. She had me up and walking and arranged for me to have a ball in my room to work from. She also thought out of the box in terms of laboring positions and really made my experience so much better. She got a lot of photos I'll cherish forever that we wouldn't have had otherwise from the delivery experience. We had a wonderful post partum call too which just reinforced the confidence I have in her care (coming from healthcare myself). I'm so grateful I chose to have a doula and I'm so lucky to have chosen Teresa for this first experience. Thank you thank you! Recommend her highly!

Teresa is kind, calm, and very well-informed across a wide range of pre-natal, labor and delivery,…read morelactation, and post-partum issues. Her deep experience gives her the confidence and poise we were looking for to help guide us through this journey with our first child. We interviewed a number of doulas and she was clearly the best. She taught us the basics of childbirth, helped us navigate when to go to the hospital when labor began, worked very well with the L&D staff at the Brigham, and visited post-partum with notes on what happened to help us remember and process the experience. I recommend Teresa without reservation!

She-Tara was truly an integral part of my birthing experience. She educated my husband & I in the…read moreweeks leading up to my delivery and made us feel comfortable asking any question we could think of (at literally any time we had a question). She let us know what all of our options were and empowered us to feel in control of our own experience right down to the 'adjusting at home' stage. When I went into labor, she came to the hospital immediately and supported us as much (or as little) as we needed her to and contributed to the safe and healthy delivery of my baby girl. We are grateful for her and highly recommend hiring her.

Had SUCH a bad birth experience with Beth Hardiman. Loved the midwife i was with Thru her but dr…read morehardiman was on call so did not have midwife at birth. She was SO judgemental and arrogant and it really turned the situation sour for me. Even networking with the anesthesiologist while performing the C section as if I was invisible and not even there. So unprofessional , I can't even believe it happened. After the birth, nurses on the maternity floor came in and shared information that was private with me that Dr Hardiman had absolutely no medical reason to share. I did complain to social service nurse but probably should have followed up with HIPPA filing. With infant there's too much going on, so never did, but I regret having to experience baby's birth with her. I

Super smart, skilled, thorough and, above all, a kind & caring human being. What more could you…read moreask for in a doctor?

I cannot recommend Bonnie enough. I hired her as I prepared for a VBAC after two prior C-sections,…read morewhich felt incredibly scary and full of unknowns for me. From the beginning, she validated those fears while also giving me the confidence and encouragement I needed to believe it was possible. My labor ended up being long and emotional -- nearly two full days -- and she stayed by my side the entire time. Her knowledge of labor positioning was incredible. She was constantly helping me find positions that encouraged progress while also paying attention to what felt best for my body. Nothing about her approach felt rigid or "textbook." She truly supported what felt right for me in the moment. She also helped me delay my epidural with techniques and coping methods I had never known about, which helped me go much longer than I thought I could. During the hardest moments, she remained calm, positive, and deeply supportive while also holding space for the emotional intensity that comes with a VBAC journey. Another thing that stood out was how well she worked with everyone in the room. She collaborated seamlessly with the hospital staff and guided my husband in ways that helped him stay involved and supportive, creating a true team environment during labor. After such a long and emotional experience, I'm incredibly grateful to say I had a successful VBAC2C, and I truly believe her support played a huge role in making that possible. If you're considering a VBAC, especially after multiple C-sections, having someone like her in your corner is invaluable.

We hired Bonnie as our Birth Doula after seeing her experience working with movement during labor…read moreand her massage expertise. I had a prenatal massage with Bonnie, and I recommend that as a part of birth prep. Bonnie supported us through my pregnancy- answering questions, giving resources, and recommending tools and processes for a smooth birth experience. She came to our home for a Spinning Babies session which was so helpful to learn in our environment where we planned to do early labor. We had an online class with Karen, and she helped us prepare for life with an infant. This started conversations for us beyond birth, and it was wonderful to connect with Karen prior to our birth. We ended up working with Bonnie and Karen during labor, and they are a great team. We felt supported and cared for throughout.

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this place!! I was looking for a real experienced Doctor who would be…read moreable to find and heal my issue and I found that here with Dr Neelam Thacker. Dr Thacker is very knowledgeable and absolutely sure of what she's talking about when it comes to the lady parts. She made sure to go through each step to find and fix my problem. Along the way she kept me informed with what she was doing and why. She recommended a few options for care and also gave her suggestions but in the end left it up to me to decide what I wanted to do about my health. This not only made me comfortable but happy that she was allowing me to choose. I am so grateful for and extremely happy I found her. Dr Thacker's staff is extremely kind, patient and knowledgeable, I would specifically like to mention Katie who I love so much, she always makes me feel comfortable and at home when I visit the office! Chris also made the check in and checkout process easy and simple and was so helpful and knowledgeable when it came to insurance and payments. The facility itself is very clean and always at the optimal temperature so you remain comfortable even while waiting for your appointment. In closing the flexibility, willingness to work with my schedule and fit me in at the last minute really meant a lot to me while receiving care. Def would recommend this place above all if you're in or around the Boston/Medford area!

We had our first baby with Dr Thacker and she was beyond amazing!…read more Dr Thacker is dedicated to her patients. She is the person you see at every appointment and is there to deliver your baby till the end! We loved how patient she was and friendly and even talked about her personal experiences . She always checked on the progress even after delivery and suggested few best options for lactation, nursing and took care of every step even before delivering my baby explaining things to deal with ,clearing my doubts all the time. Her staff is very friendly and helpful and she is available on call/text for emergency questions and any help. If you are looking for an OB and want someone who is there from beginning to the end of your journey, she is it! Delivered my baby with peace of mind and was lucky to have her as my OB.