Laura is an incredible doula! She was there for the birth of our first (almost all 19 hours of…read morelabor), and I can't wait for her to be apart of the birth of our second. Her Bradley classes were fun and very educational. She really helped my husband feel comfortable as my birthing coach while being available for support. Overall, she had a very motherly presence, but she was level headed and not emotionally swayed in hard times making her the perfect doula for our family. I highly recommend Laura as your birthing doula!

My overall experience at Birthways left me feeling neglected and abandoned in the process…read more This was my first pregnancy and prenatal care was okay. There really wasn't any education on the actual laboring process which left me pretty unprepared. leading up to my birth I started to feel anxious as I had connected with some midwife's and not others and when it's time for labor you get whatever random midwife is on call. A week before I was due they rushed for me to meet a midwife who was visiting town. Overall I had the feeling that they were very understaffed and had tons of clients. I had specifically asked the owner "what happens if you have to go to the hospital?" The answer was clear - we come with you to make sure your checked in but we don't stay the whole time , the student chimed in that she likes to stay for the whole birth because she gets invested in the moms. Well, the day that my water broke, the amniotic fluid had meconium. I called the midwife on-call who was the midwife I only met once previously. She told me the baby was in distress without any explanation or information and to go straight to the hospital, she would not come with me. There was some guidance on where to park and then that was it. I didn't hear from her again until a text 24 hours later asking how it was going. And then never heard from her again. Done. My labor was difficult at the hospital with nurses pushing all various medication, wanting to rush the process. It was the hospital nightmare that I was always avoiding. After pitocin was pushed on me I still labored for 30 hours, barely dodged a c section, my baby landed in niccu for 3 days, and I had been completely paralyzed in one leg and in a wheelchair from an epidural injury that took months before walking normally again, It was scary. I never heard from Birthways again until 3 weeks later they called telling me I should come in for my postpartum checkup. This was never communicated to me during the entire prenatal care that there would be postpartum check ups. I thought they had finished their services with me. I was desperate for an assessment of my situation and to check on my stitches(from tearing). They called to cancel the appointment I was needing, and luckily I got a spot because someone canceled. I arrived using a walker and couldn't even hold my baby. The woman who would've been my midwife was shocked and asked what happened to me. There was some sympathy but afterwards she never informed the owner of my situation nor did anyone ever bother to check about my hospital birth records. When I came in for the second check up weeks later, the owner was surprised to hear my birth story and injuries. There is an obvious lack of communication between everyone. Finally they emailed the hospital to get my birth report. Of course, you sign paperwork that you will never be able to get a refund even if you don't birth there and they do nothing, they will keep your money. During one of the most vulnerable processes of my life, I felt completely neglected by this business. And that's the vibe you get that it's a business, a place to make money. Choosing Birthways was a mistake and i'm not the only one traumatized by this, my mother was confused about what kind of care they were supposed to offer, and my husband felt like it was a waste of thousands of dollars, feeling that the service offered was nowhere near worth what we paid. While I was pregnant, I deposited $250 for nitrous. If you don't make an early deposit and decide that you underestimated and need nitrous while giving birth, the price jumps to $500. That just shows the intentions of Birthways and how it takes advantage. Because I never gave birth at Birthways or used nitrous I was expecting to have my money back. This was not an easy process, taking seven months before I finally saw it back and I had to call every couple weeks, text, email. The communication is totally off with this business as is their billing practices. In all, I would not recommend Birthways unless you know your going to have an easy birth that requires little attention and care. It may be the only center in town, but not the only option.

I was referred by this birth center for a sonogram at 10 days past my due date, because my fundal…read moreheight had decreased. At no point did the birth center inform me that this was an emergency. I told Christina that I would go to St. Pete, which was the doctor's office that I had previously been to. She told me to go to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, because it was closer to birthways, even though I lived in St. Pete. I didn't understand the relationship between the hospital and birthways. My husband and I were cognizant of not going into the ER and asked for the OB floor. The hospital and Birthways both failed to inform us that we were in the ER and that was the only way I would get a sonogram. Neither birthways or the hospital told me that this would be billed as an emergency room visit, resulting in a significant and unexpected medical bill. My sonogram and my baby's heart beat were perfect. The hospital wanted to induce me ONLY because I was late. They did not have any rooms available and they said they couldn't take me, because it was "not an emergency". I had to sign an AMA to leave and go to St. Pete hospital. I later spoke with a lawyer who said what birthways did was wrong. They were misrepresenting what the sonogram visit was. I was told that this situation was avoidable had the birth center informed me of the financial implications. If I needed to be induced, because I was late, then I would have been admitted into the hospital and not an ER visit. The whole thing was a waste of time and money. When I called to discuss with Christina, she was very defensive. She did ask if she could help me with an appeal, but I had already done that and it didn't work. Christina also said she didn't tell us to go for a sonogram and that she told us to go for an evaluation. My husband and I both heard her say "sonogram". The lawyer said her wording makes no difference and that she was still not providing necessary information. Christina also said that this was in the paperwork. I read every document two times over and saw nothing in the paperwork explaining that referrals will go through the ER. I want others to know that if you're referred out by this center--especially late in pregnancy--you should ask whether the visit will be considered "emergency" and what billing codes may apply. The care I received here had some positives, but the lack of transparency around this referral led to a costly surprise and ongoing stress during postpartum recovery. Make sure you ask all the right questions--they won't always offer that information up front.

If I could give the Happiest Doulas 10 out of 5 stars I would. Cynthya and her team are so…read moreknowledgeable, non-judgmental, helpful, and accessible. Cynthya will meet with you to help match you to the best doula to suit your personality and needs. The Happiest Doulas will have served all 3 of my pregnancies and births, and I could not have done it without them. Cynthya was my breath of fresh air, my coach, my angel as I navigated unmedicated births. Their birthing course mentally and physically prepared me for what to expect, and I felt so confident going into an unmedicated birth experience. A huge piece of their role is to advocate between mom/partner and healthcare professionals, and that was also so helpful to me and my family. They're the absolute best!

From the owner: Making birthdays easy.read more

I recommend Dee and her hypnobirthing classes to anyone I know that is pregnant! She was…read morenon-judgmental, flexible, understanding, patient, and extremely knowledgeable. This was our first pregnancy after a 36 week pregnancy loss, so we were anxious to say the least. Having Dee as a resource bounce questions off of, knowing we would get an honest response based on her year of practice and knowledge, was very comforting, and lowered our anxiety during pregnancy and the birth, quite a bit. As the doctors and nurses recommended various interventions, we were able to ask her opinion on them and never felt pressured to do what she suggested. She was fantastic also at following up, ensuring we were taken care of to the best of her ability. Lastly, she helped us include our stillborn son in our birth, which made it very meaningful for us bringing our rainbow baby into the world.

This amazing woman will always have a place in my heart because of her love, prayers, and comfort…read morethrough out my labor and birth with our son. She helped make it a beautiful healing experience 100x better than my 2 c-section. I could not have done it without her. I would've not had a successful home birth if it wasn't for her encouraging words and the mental and physical support she showed me. And it was a nice bonus too that she's also very natural-minded Want a better birth experience? Contact Dee!!! #iLoveMyDoula

I cannot thank Sydney and Rowan enough for their amazing support and care throughout my pregnancy,…read moreduring my daughter's birth and postpartum. My birth was everything I hoped it would be and more. I felt like I was surrounded by family when I was in labor, and that is such a comforting feeling. They were not only professional, but informative while still being respectful/supportive of my birth choices. I could never put into words how grateful I am to them for making my 2nd birth (and last birth) so special. Cannot recommend them enough!

From the owner: We offer attentive, evidence based, low intervention, prenatal, home birth and postpartum services. read more

Life changing lactation consultants. If you are going to breastfeed, you need to talk to them.read more

Review from a new Father's perspective…read more High level: Jen is the single best medical professional I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She is incredible knowledgeable, thoughtful, respectful, and goes above and beyond for her patients. Detail: I didn't believe a "lactation" specialist was a necessity; oh how I was wrong! My son was born and Jen did our 24 hour check up. We luckily booked a follow up check a few days later. From the surface our baby boy was healthy and happy and latching fine... 3 days later Jen came back and found our baby was loosing weight. It turns out he had a lip and tongue tie that was impending his ability to get milk from my wife. His next formal doctors visit was a month away and we would not have known that there was an issue if it wasn't for Jen. Unfortunately, his inability to get and maintain a healthy latch caused my wife's supply to drop until it was a heart breaking struggle to get 3 drops of milk. Many would have thrown in the towel and said just use formula. But Jen was there for us, she kept working the problem. She went above and beyond for us seeing us on a holiday weekend, reaching out to her network, and taking calls when we met obstacles. She respected our wishes not to go on certain formulas. She never once belittled me for a view or concern. I've had medical professionals ignore questions or concerns and talk down to me and my wife. I have never appreciated or valued a doctors or medical professional as much or more than Jen. There have been many road bumps and many difficulties with breastfeeding for my wife for months. Things no one ever warned us about, stuff you don't see in movies. The choice to breast feed meant the world to me and my wife and Jen made it possible by not giving up and relentlessly working the problem. To be clear we still have to supplement but it is a fraction of what it could have been. Jen worked with our son to help him get a better latch and guiding us to different resources, and she worked with my wife from position, diet, to feeding/pumping schedules, everything to increase her supply. We went from getting less than 5 drops in a feed to now, my wife can produce 5+ ounces per pump. I believe that is in large part due to Jen and her support For dads out there, this is the best money you'll ever spend (or with insurance the best money you'll never spend) and the best resource we've found. She is incredible!! Thank you Jen! For everything!