I have always dreamed of having a water birth. At first my partner was unsure about a home birth,…read morebut after consulting with the Birth Matters team, he got on board and we were able to birth our little on at home, in peace, without any complications. This was largely due to the care and the experience of our midwives at Birth Matters. We cannot thank you enough. You answered all of our questions, you were comprehensive, you were accommodating, and turned my family into home birth believers! I highly recommend the Birth Matters team and would do this all over again if and when we have our second child.

I contacted Sarafina and Jessica of Home Birth Matters Midwifery Care in February of 2011 upon…read morefinding out we were pregnant. The pregnancy didn't last long, sadly. Both midwives spoke with me on the phone daily while I was having complications and though I never met them, the offered so much support to Big Love and I through our loss. They offered encouraging words and made me feel normal in what I was experiencing. During the summer of 2011 we found out we were pregnant again. I once again reached out the the midwives and made an appointment for a home visit to discuss planning our home birth. They came to our home, hugged me, and lounged around on my couch just chatting about the care they had an answered all of our questions. Since that day, Big Love and I knew that they were the right choice. They just felt like old friends from the start. We opted to have home visits as opposed to office visits. Every visit they would come to our home, check my belly, answer questions and have a few laughs. It was a great way to get to know them and by the time my labor came, I had no issues with showing them any of my lady bits or bodily functions. Sarafina and Jessica were always encouraging. Our parents had concerns about having a baby at home so we invited them to one of our home visits. I think they must have asked a hundred questions. The midwives sat there with smiles on their faces, cool, calm and collected and answered every single one with confidence. Our parents have been home birth converts from that day on. Early May I went into labor. Awhile into labor Sarafina arrived followed by Jessica soon after. There was no intervention and little interruption during my labor. They would offer suggestions every now and again but mostly just followed my cues. They would check the baby's heartbeat with a fetal monitor from time to time and talk me through contractions. At the last of my labor I went into the birthing tub and everyone sat nearby, talking me through pushing. The midwives saw that our baby was being born with his hand and an arm near/around his face. They had great poker faces and didn't give anything away. They very calmly guided me through pushing and helped reposition my leg to give the baby a little extra room to pop out. Mickey was born exactly 13 hours after I went into labor at 4:40pm. I was oblivious to him actually being out and Jessica handed the baby under my arm and into my hands saying "Kati, look at your baby". I could hear the smile in her voice. ***Okay, you came for a review not a birth story right??? Well, you're getting both. Birth is important and these midwives kick major ass.*** Jessica and Big Love weighed Bebe Smash and she took many measurements. She tenderly turned the baby over, smiling the entire time and I knew that my child was in the best care with these two. Our family came and they quietly left saying they would be back for hugs and a visit the next day. During postnatal visits they came to check on me and the baby. I had difficultly with breastfeeding but Jessica sat right next to me and showed me different positions for Bebe Smash to be in while I tried to get the hang of it. She shared her own stories of early parent difficulty that made me feel much better. Sarafina sat on a little stool and rubbed my feet. They were just so loving. I called them and texted them a hundred times over the first 3 weeks with questions and pictures. They responded to every one. Often calling hours later to check up on my progress. With any new concern my husband would look at me and say "we'd better ask the midwives". A call or a text later and our fears would dissolve into the abyss. How lucky we were. During one visit they did a heel prick on Bebe Smash for some blood work. He didn't make a peep while Sarafina blotted drops of blood onto the paper and I commented on how he didn't even move. She told me - and this is how I feel about the care me and my family have received from both Sarafina and Jessica through this entire experience - "it's because we do it with loving intention". I can honestly say that my husband and I genuinely love these women. I can say with certainty that they love us in return. And they love our son, we've seen that through the excellent care they've provided over the past year. These women are more than midwives. They love so honestly and yet so professionally. I can't imagine any other way to go through the stages of having a baby. We often comment on what we're going to do once we're done having babies. I'm confident we will find a way to infiltrate their lives so we can know them for many years to come. We have a healthy, happy, thriving baby boy and I know it's because he has led a very gentle life - from his days as a little sesame seed, through birth, and until now when he's learning to roll over. They were instrumental in helping us achieve this for him. We are planning more births and without a doubt, these women will be a part of those as well.

Very early on in my pregnancy I decided to pursue a home birth. Fortunately for me, my husband was…read morefully supportive in this choice after meeting with Nancy Farr for the first time. We both quickly felt very comfortable with Nancy; she has a gentle yet professional manner with decades of experience (she attended the births of my nephew and niece over 25 years ago!). Appointments are thorough, as Nancy addresses all the expected physical concerns as well as diet, lifestyle, emotional health, etc. Nancy is exceedingly knowledgeable and takes her time in explaining everything and weighing up any options as they come up. Nancy and her support midwife did an amazing job assisting me during the labor and birth. As first time parents with a newborn, many questions came up which I texted Nancy about and always received prompt and thorough responses. Nancy proved herself to be the perfect midwife throughout my pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey. I feel very privileged to have been able to experience birthing in the comfort of my own home while having the security of two skilled midwives by my side. Nancy is wholeheartedly recommended to all who prefer seeking natural approaches to health.

For anyone seeking a homebirth experience, you will not regret going with Nancy. What convinced me…read moreto hire her for my first homebirth was that her transfer rate is less than one in 10 mothers and the primary reason is maternal exhaustion. This convinced me that homebirth is natural and safe for low-risk mothers. I was thrilled that she spends a full hour with me and gets to know me and my family throughout the duration of the pregnancy. She manages to do this while still being extremely professional and making sure to check all the necessary biomarkers to watch for any potential risk that may come up. It is not the same as a certified nurse midwife as they tend to favor managed care and have slightly less flexibility than traditional midwives. Nancy is one of the very few CPM's in Connecticut. Of course when I got pregnant again after my first homebirth she took care of me for my second one! She helps toddlers transition into siblinghood which is a huge benefit! I cannot stress enough how awesome it is to not have to worry about unnecessary interventions such as a mother would have to experience in the hospital. I know it's extremely difficult to have an intervention free birth when in the hospital and being able to focus solely on labor and delivery as nature intended took so much pressure off of me and I was able to have the outcome we were looking for. You will be well taken care of going this route my only regret is that I did not use her for my first birth 12 years ago!

My primary care wants me to start seeing an obgyn because we think I might have endometriosis. I…read morecalled and the receptionist was the rudest I've ever encountered. She told me she looked in my chart and everything looked fine, so she didn't understand why my pcp wanted me to come. I told her I think I have endo and she asked why I thought that. I told her my symptoms and she basically told me she has no idea why I'd think I have it. I told her that's why I want to speak with a real doctor. I was in genuine shock at the way I was treated and won't be booking an appointment here ever.

I am an executive director not that it matters. My nurse Morgan was rude and I was not going to…read morekeep having her disrespect me so I tried making my bed and fell. My knees right is swollen. She told someone I didn't hurt myself. Which prison hospital did she emerge from. I was dizzy but now my fluid has beeped for 15 minutes. I have no words.

I hopped on bored with PRM in the middle of my second trimester, always wanting a homebirth with a…read moremidwife and COVID being the final push for me to do so. I had warned upfront that we would have to work with payment because we were also buying a house. We would be able to eventually swing it, we were just waiting to close. Unfortunately, the closing for the house took way longer than expected and while these women claim it wasn't about money, I'm almost sure it was. I kept asking to discuss a payment plan so we'd have more stability and so they could see we really were committed, but every time I brought it up they always told me it was "fine". I'm 35 weeks pregnant, was only seen 3 times (plus an additional home visit where I was served the discharge papers), and God forbid talked to Sera about how I felt. On their website they say they offer mental support and I began experiencing ante-natal anxiety and this last week I had become depressed as well. So I reached out to Sera to express concerns I had about how I had felt put on the back burner considering every text message I had sent her prior had been not responded to and the fact that I kept missing appointments, to the point where I just texted Sarah about whatever I needed or whatever questions I had. The first time I got a text from Sera was her cancelling my appointment for a birth this past Friday. They both in the discharge letter and in my follow-up text messages after the discharge kept emphasizing my "personal offense" that didn't exist due to their cancellation of my appointments because of births they had to attend and my words were purposely twisted. When Sera came to my house, she was fake. Did a normal home visit and everything and then said she thinks we may not be a good fit. I reassured her I highly disagreed but I didn't know she already had discharged me until I read the letter after she left. I'm now awaiting a bill I'll more than likely be slammed with for 3 visits and condescension while also being abandoned at 35 weeks, where it will be very difficult for me to find a new provider never mind a midwife. I expressed my confusion and disappointment in what transpired along with how I will likely be delivering at home by myself now. I was ignored by both women Sera never responded (shocker) and Sarah didn't respond after suggesting the same highly clinical midwifery that Sera did, knowing I was not interested in having a nurse as a midwife. If this baby, myself, or both dies, it may not legally be your fault but you women know you could have been the factor preventing that had I not been abandoned and anyone would agree with that. How Absolutely disgusting. I feel violated and not like I can trust anyone else now to even assist with my labor and now I have to rush to find someone I likely won't trust after my experiences both with an OB delivering my twins and midwife now with a Singleton. I had felt really optimistic about it and yet again my experience has to be ruined. If you go with these people, never speak up for yourself or be your own advocate or provide any sort of critique because they clearly have very fragile egos. They insist it was not for monetary reasons so if it wasn't this, then they aren't as woman-of-color friendly like they claim. I doubt they get many POC customers and they discharge the one they had. Protect yourself from having to deliver solo like I likely will and find a better provider.

Sera is absolutely the BEST - deciding to have her be my provider was the best decision I could…read morehave made for me and my baby! Being under her care gave me confidence, and the peaceful setting I needed for a calm, uneventful yet joyous homebirth/waterbirth. I will absolutely choose her again when it's time to have another baby. I consider her an ESSENTIAL part of my birth experience!

I started going to South Shore Midwifery in 2008 when I found out I was pregnant with my son. They…read moreare great! and always on call and get back to you very quickly. I loved all my midwives and look forward to dealing with them again for my next pregnancy, I still go for my annual visits just because I love them so much

I moved to RI when I was five months pregnant and needed to find an OB/midwife asap. This practice…read morehas been great. I originally thought I'd go with one particular midwife, but she was booked when I needed my first appointment, so they put me with Jane Bradley instead for that first meeting. We ended up liking her so much that we never reverted! She has been great and listening and recommending care for our (more difficult than expected) pregnancy. The office had one snafu where they scheduled me for an appointment and then - without notifying me - cancelled the appointment (I guess one of the midwives needed unexpected knee surgery?), but I was really impressed at how the office rallied to get me the care I needed within 24 hours. Definitely glad I found this practice!

There are caring medical professionals here. Unfortunately the front desk, billing etc never answer…read morecalls, voicemails and I get disconnected frequently. I am leaving the practice and do not encourage anyone to have to waste their time like I did

Tara was so incredible throughout our labor and delivery, as well as in her prenatal and postpartum…read moresupport. Through every step of our through-the-night labor, Tara was present, calming and grounding, and gave so much gentle and helpful guidance around everything from positions to hydration to thinking through key decisions. It was a challenging but incredibly rewarding experience, and Tara's support was instrumental the whole way. Additionally, everyone we spoke with at Mt. Auburn had such glowing things to say about her when we mentioned we were working with her as our doula. We are so lucky to have been supported by her.

We cannot say enough wonderful things about Tara. Having her as our doula for the birth of our…read morethird child at Mount Auburn Hospital was one of the best decisions we made. I was hoping for a VBAC, and Tara's experience, knowledge, and calming presence gave us so much confidence every step of the way. Throughout my pregnancy, she was incredibly responsive, thoughtful, and generous with her support- always available to answer questions, explain options, and share tips (including hospital bag suggestions we never would have thought of, even after two previous births!). When early labor stretched on longer than expected, Tara was an absolute rock- providing steady emotional support and helping us navigate our options with clarity and reassurance. Once we were admitted, she arrived immediately and supported me so my wife could get some much-needed rest. As labor intensified, the coping techniques Tara guided me through were essential in helping me achieve the unmedicated birth I had hoped for. Tara's care didn't end after the birth. Her postpartum support was truly invaluable, with regular check-ins and thoughtful, thorough guidance that made such a difference during those early weeks. We are beyond grateful to have worked with Tara- she helped us have the birth experience we dreamed of, and we would recommend her wholeheartedly to anyone looking for a compassionate, skilled, and truly exceptional doula.

I love the North Shore Birth Center. Really…read more For the first half of my pregnancy, I was going to my OB (who is fabulous!) because I wanted to make sure I was not going to be high-risk, etc. But from the beginning, I knew that I did NOT want a hospital birth so I was planning on switching from my OB at some point. I just wasn't sure to where. I debated back and forth between homebirth midwives, the Cambridge Birth Center, and the North Shore Birth Center. And ultimately, I ruled out homebirth just because my insurance wouldn't cover it (something that really really pisses me off). I went for a meet and greet night at the NSBC and they had me at hello. From 20 weeks on, I met with the midwives on a regular basis. They were all super friendly, and by the time my due date was imminent, I had met with all but two of the midwives at some point. A week before my due date, I went into prodromal labor and spent 12 hours there before things stopped progressing and they sent me home. But the midwives with me that night were so incredibly supportive and helpful, so I knew when the real thing actually happened, I'd be in good hands. They even called me a few times during that week to see how things were going. The following weekend, I found myself back at the NSBC, this time in active labor. Luckily I was once again with the midwife with whom I felt most comfortable, since I had met with her more often than the others. I got to the NSBC at 2:45 a.m., and by 11:15 a.m. I had myself a baby. The midwives who attended my birth were absolutely wonderful and I couldn't have asked for a better birth experience. They really helped me have the birth that I had envisioned for myself. It was a very difficult experience, but it was rewarding and I felt on top of the world by the time things were over. A few days later, I ended up back in the hospital because of some serious post-partum complications, but again the midwives were so wonderful. They visited me every day, answering my questions openly and honestly, and they never let me feel like I was alone during the most trying period of my life. I feel so lucky to have had my daughter in such a positive environment with such fabulous women at my side. And if I ever have another child, I can't imagine going anywhere other than the NSBC.

My wife and I just had our first child (a daughter - 6lbs 15oz). From a husbands point of view, it…read morewas such an amazing experience I have to let others know. Part of me wants to just keep this place a secret so we can go back and not have to worry about crowds but if I did that I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. My wife, prior to going to the birthing center, had seen a midwife closer to our home in western, Ma. Not comfortable with the place we were going we started to search out another birthing center that was encouraging of natural births. My wife really wanted to do a home birth but I was personally not fully on board with that and our insurance wouldn't cover it. After searching all over we found the North Shore birthing center. A reason it took us so long to find it was that it was over an hour and a half away from our home. Upon calling, the person who answered told us that others had driven further and that for a first child it shouldn't be a problem. We made the treck and went to at least check the place out. The staff are incredibly welcoming and friendly and make you feel like you are part of their family. The birthing center is a small house next to the beverly hospital and has 2 rooms set up for delivering (aside from the several rooms for check ups and appointments). One of the rooms has a large tub for water births. The rooms are average in size but are set up more like a regular room in your house instead of a hospital looking room. We went for the last 6 months of my wife's pregnancy for all routine checkups. We both met with about all the midwives that were on staff. Our baby came a few days after the due date. The delivery process was absolutely amazing and so different from the many stories we have heard from people who go to hospitals. So many people told my wife she was crazy and there was no way she could have a natural birth but with the midwifes, knowledge, patience, and encouragement she did it... and is very happy about it! I believe the reason it was such a great experience has a lot to do with the midwives knowing how woman's bodies prepare for birth and know the timing that things happen. While in labor both Karen and Amanda were the midwives on duty. Instead of rushing things and giving her undue pressure for no reason, they let nature take it's course. To me it's a shame more insurance companies don't point people back in this direction of midwifery and natural births. It would not only save the medical industry lots of money, I believe a lot of woman would have a much better view of child birth, and most importantly - woman and babies would be a lot safer! Honestly, places like this deserve a different scale for a review. I would give them 10 stars