I wish I could rate Erin Kershaw 10 stars! I have been a client of Erin's for 4 births now and I…read morecan say that her quality of care, professionalism and knowledge is excellent! Erin has always been encouraging and supportive as we have had 4 home births with her as well as a few miscarriages. She has always taken the time to answer questions, reassure me throughout the pregnancies (this most recent birth I was 46 years old and nervous about my age). I would highly recommend Erin to anyone desiring a highly educated, skilled and caring midwife to deliver their baby. Erin is the best! -Chrissie Lockman

I had a traumatic time working with Erin in 2021. It was my first pregnancy and things were going…read morewell at first. In the second trimester, she started mentioning that my blood pressure was elevated. I looked up standards online and it was not yet elevated, so this seemed more precautionary at this point. She kept mentioning that every single appointment. I started to feel extremely anxious going into her office. I was terrified of being risked out and I felt very helpless because I had already paid the majority of the agreed upon payment, so I couldn't transfer to someone else. Around 30 weeks is when things took a turn for the worse. I was panicking about appointments at this point, which of course would give an elevated reading. However, it was when she checked my fundal height and implied that I have gestational diabetes, without doing any testing, that really drew the line. At that point, the only testing I've had was A1C at the beginning and it was borderline pre-diabetes, so based off of that and her checking fundal height, she was asking for a growth scan with no other testing. I was not offered to check my sugars with a glucose monitor, no fasting sugar test, no 1 or 3 hour test, nothing, but her hunch. This also happened at the appointment after I made my final payment to her. At this point I stopped going to her because the anxiety I had was causing me too much stress. Feeling like you will be risked every single appointment based off of hunches made me feel so helpless. She never offered for me to check my blood pressure at home. She never offered anything except what I suspect is discrimination towards my weight. She assumed my higher weight meant health issues, and I guess it was too much liability for her. But, she had no problem keeping everything I paid her. I've worked with other midwives since and they know about this situation and to this day I am measuring BP at home because doing it in office brings up a lot of this for me anxious. That's why I called this experience traumatic, it truly was for me. To make things even worse, when I was giving birth at the hospital, she transferred records and in her records had but that I have hypertension and gestational diabetes, which led to extra testing to my baby. The hospital was shocked by both of those records because my BP was perfect during birth and my and my babies sugars were perfect as well. They wondered after the fact why it even said that. So not only did she risk me out for refusing a growth scan, she then sent false records based off of her hunches to a medical facility. The hypertension part I can understand bc of the readings in office (they never actually reached 140, which is the diagnosis for hypertension), but to say I have GD with zero testing to a hospital, as a "natural" midwife, is just beyond anything imaginable. I've gone on to have a successful home birth with wonderful midwives who actually cared about me and my wellbeing. They never assumed anything about my weight, they gave me tons of options for testing to make sure we have a full picture of my health. They never made me feel like I would get risked out. If anything was every wrong, we talked about it extensively, including what to do to help the situation (iron). If you look at Erin's website, you will find zero photos of anyone who is at a higher weight. She did not have to agree to work with me. I chose her because she claimed to be inclusive. This was a lie that cost me emotionally, financially and ruined my first birth being a home birth. I'm happy to provide proof of working together through email correspondence and receipts.

I found the birth center when I was around 32 weeks pregnant with my first child and was worried it…read morewould be too late for them to take me and luckily they got me right in! They took their time with my appointments and made sure i was good. I ended up giving birth in July of 2023 and it went sooo smoothly. I had a water birth in the blue room and i couldn't have asked for a better birthing experience. Would definitely recommend!

Absolutely recommended the birth center for unmedicated physiological labor and delivery…read more Appointments were easy to schedule and thorough. Staff were all friendly and it felt like family by the time i went into labor. I had a beautiful and peaceful hands-off labor in which midwives followed my lead and allowed me to birth my baby how i felt best. They still do routine tests, write ultrasound scripts, offer pitocin if needed, they do the newborn screening and eye ointment if wanted. Theyre holistic and believe in every woman but also rooted in modern medicine. They did all my labwork onsite. The day of labor they received me with warm smiles and i went home 5 hours after delivery. Absolutely wonderful crew who know how amazing and empowering birth can be

Finding suitable midwifery isn't an easy task and we quickly learned this while searching for…read moresomeone locally that met our needs. While we won't bore you with those details, we'll just say Asasiya more than exceeded our expectations! In our case (nearly 40yrs old; considered a "geriatric high-risk pregnancy") we had the luxury of truly comparing the care of traditional practices (follow-ups with an OBGYN) with Asasiya at Inner Circle Midwifery. Asasiya's clearly surpassed them by leaps and bounds! The contrast between the two were completely "night and day". Meetings with Asasiya were personable, relatable and educational. You can tell she cared. She listened and acknowledged our wants and needs. She is very attentive and calculated in her approach but not at all stuffy. She is extremely relaxed and down to earth but overall, a complete professional! Office visits, for us, lasted nearly an hour minimum and we appreciated every minute of it. Office visits at the OBGYN were rushed and we felt like just another number. On the other hand, Asasiya was interested in getting to know us! She studied our vibe! In fact, our first consult was a meeting to not only learn if she was right for us but for her to deduct if we were the kind of clients she wanted to take on. It was tactfully done. We appreciated her honesty; letting us know that she had to ensure we were right for her. At that point we knew it wasn't about the money! Midwifery more than an job for Asasiya. She takes it very seriously. During our 6-month journey she was in constant seminars to learn more about midwifery as things are constantly being updated in that field. We also learned she doesn't overbook herself! She's able to provide and almost guarantee the proper individualized care you'd need on your due date. With that said, she was always on time and adhered to the plans and schedules we agreed upon. The one time she was "late"; she wasn't lol. She was attending to the needs of a mother who called her frantically. At the time we were walking in as she was running out. In passing she said, "I have to help a mother who needs me! Have a seat, I'll be right back!" Seeing her do this was comforting because if we were in that same position we trusted she would come running for us too. In the interim, she called to ensure we were okay and had someone from her team stop by to keep us company (who arrived in 10 mins) which just so happened to later become our Doula. It's safe to say Asasiya has a huge network of resources. Doulas, Photographers and even support groups who also house birthing classes and support groups if needed. She suggests a lot for you but none of it is forced upon you. She asks nothing of you that isn't beneficial to the baby and parents. She believes the well-being of the baby has everything to do with the ones caring for the baby. She suggested some amazing tips that really helped us along on our journey. On our day of birth, we called her at 3:30AM and she answered on the second ring. Before we knew it she was at our front door with an oxygen tank, blood pressure cuff and all the birthing necessities on hand. Prior to that, for months, we'd meet weekly and by this time, she and her team had become "family". They already knew our home and immediately sprang into action. Everything was perfect! Having a college student and comparing this 2019 birth to the one in 2000, we only wished we were open to midwifery as an option (only problem is we would've needed Asasiya lol). We truly believe it was her who made ALL the difference. During birthing class, we learned it's unnatural to lie on you back to give birth. That position contributes to a lot of the pain and hospitals demand you lay down and not eat/drink. Their methods are contradictory to natural child birth. They have more restrictions than being at home would ever have. Imagine being home in the vibe you create; eating what you want, walking if you need to, enjoy YOUR OWN BED (watching a little "Martin" lol) and comforted knowing your baby isn't taken out of your sight. Women's bodies naturally tell you how to position yourself. It knows what's most comfortable, and it will literally contract to allow your baby to birth itself. We followed everything we learned, and it made birthing a breeze. Labor was 2hrs for us! It began with being mentally right, proper eating, managing blood pressures and then practicing the proper techniques to get the child in place for their big arrival. All the suggested birthing necessities were gathered and ready to go and so were we! If God allows, we would do this all over again, the same exact way! Asasiya is now our family, our friend and midwife - FOR LIFE! Like we said, Asasiya and her team MORE THAN EXCEEDED our expectations! We 100% recommend her services.

From the owner: Inner Circle is proud to be the first and only community-based midwifery practice in Greater…read morePhiladelphia to have its own in-house network of trusted doulas! As labor coaches, doulas help to ensure that you have the comfort and support that you need to deal with the intensity of the birthing process. There are many wonderful doulas in our area but we have helped narrow down your options by choosing a few that we find to be among the most qualified. We deeply value the role and skills that doulas bring to the birth team, therefore we have integrated this service into our practice as a measure of quality care and convenience.

Jennifer Hendrickson Doula Services was the one low point in my daughter's pregnancy. If it were…read morepossible to give no stars in order to give a review, that is what I would give her. The arrangements was that the doula would come to the house while my daughter was in labor. When she was far enough along, the midwife would be called, and we would all meet up together at the hospital. Jennifer came to my daughter's house while she was in labor, but she spent most of the time that she was there looking at Facebook. She did not provide any of the services that she had promised such as massages or heat treatments. Despite the fact that my daughter was in great distress, she never offered to get anything or do anything to help my daughter in any way, although she was very happy to have cups of tea and banana bread herself. Worst of all, she misdiagnosed the stage of labor that my daughter was in. She tried to get things going well before she should have, and had the midwife come to the house when it was way too soon. The midwife was so displeased that she indicated she would prefer NOT to have Jennifer accompany us to the hospital (and having a doula had been the midwife's idea!). By the time we finally arrived at the hospital, my daughter was exhausted and completely worn out. As a result, the delivery was adversely impacted by the involvement of Jennifer. After we informed Jennifer about her incorrect diagnosis of my daughter's state of labor, she became quite hostile and refused to provide any post partum services at all once my daughter was home. We had such wonderful care by all the other providers my daughter had chosen, but Jennifer was a very dark mark on the whole experience. I would not want any other pregnant woman to have this special moment marred by someone who does not seem to know what she is doing or give what she promises.

From the owner: Birth Doula, Postpartum Doula, Childbirth Education, Breastfeeding Support, and Placenta…read moreEncapsulation

I solicited Rachel's services for the birth of my second son, Griffin. Upon first meeting her I…read morefelt drawn to her calm demeanor and warm presence. She distributed an educational binder full of materials I found to be more honest and thorough than the information my OB had given me. For example, OB's won't distribute a list of medical interventions you may face during a hospital labor, but Rachel did. It was essential information I wish I was armed with during the hospital delivery of my first son. Emotionally, Rachel was very encouraging when I expressed doubts regarding my ability to tough-out a med-free labor. She helped instill the courage I needed to make the switch from the hospital to my local Birth Center. She helped me believe in myself and saw a strength in me I did not see. Physically, Rachel would have been an enormous help with pain management by providing soothing massage and counter pressure during labor. My labor was mercifully short, however, and I had to rely solely on my husband for pain relief during active labor. He did a great job providing this relief by utilizing the massage and counter pressure techniques that Rachel taught him. Thanks to her guidance, he was able to be an active participant in my labor instead of just a spectator! She was a calming, guiding voice during the pushing stage of my labor and very helpful with my initial breastfeed as well. Rachel will be all the things you need during the emotionally turbelent time of pregnancy and delivery. She will be a supportive friend, a motherly figure, an educator, an advisor, a listening ear, a guiding voice and a soldier ready to fight for you. She's a nurturing old soul with a backbone of steel. A beautiful doula both inside and out. You can't go wrong soliciting her services and I can't recommend her highly enough. I wish I had given myself the gift of a doula through my first labor!

I was referred to Rachel by my midwife since I had such bad anziety about labor. I was terrified of…read morethe pain as well as getting an epidural or an IV since I don't do well with needles. I'd cry thinking about having to deliver my baby and wasn't enjoying my pregnancy because of my anziety. My husband and I had VERY different views on labor. His answer to everything was. "Get an epidural, you'll be fine." He thought anyone who didn't want an epidural was crazy. He didn't see anything wrong with interventions and thought they were there and you should take full advantage of it. Originally I wasn't against interventions, I was just really scared of them because of the needles. Over the couple months of communicating with Rachel and reading the materials she suggested I decided I wanted to try to have a natural birth. My husband still maintained that his ideal labor would be a scheduled c section. With Rachel's help he finally was on board to give the natural birth a shot, although I'm pretty sure he didn't think it would actually happen. Rachel got through to him about the cycle of epdidural/pitocin and how once you start one intervention it just creates a snowball and odds are, you're getting more. I went into labor and I labored at home and got to the hospital at 10cm! After 2 hours of pushing, my daughter was born without any interventions! Rachel gave us the knowledge/tools to be able to labor at home as long as we did. I believe that made all the difference in being able to have a natural delivery. I would have had a VERY different labor if i wasn't for Rachel. At the hosptial she was great! With Rachel by my side I felt as if i could take on anything during labor. My husband is so happy we hired her. He said if we had another baby we'd do it the same way. She's worth every penny. Her posituve attitude can get you through anything! I think about my labor every day and couldn't be more happy with it!

This was my first time going and I thought it went great! Front desk lady was nice, wasn't too…read morebusy, smooth check in. I recommend mornings. The doctor was nice and inviting. The right people working in the right field of health care imo.

As shown in the three photos, this clinic cares more about their second business's bottom line than…read morebasic mental health. What pregnant mother wants to see fat reduction reminders in the treatment room, at eye level on the scale, before entering, in the waiting room, and in the bathroom? There was more visual space making you thinking about how ugly you are than there was advocating positive health messaging of any kind. Worry more about your looks than healthy eating, exercise, preparation for your child's health, or any of the other aspects of wellness that aren't being properly addressed. Such horrendous decision making and prioritization is a disgrace to the health profession.