I gave birth at 40 weeks and 3 days. Two days before delivery, I called to inform you that I was…read moresick. Instead of providing a prescription covered by my insurance, I was only given a list of medications to buy. Because I was very sick, I had to go to Walgreens and spend over $100 on medications that I could have received for free with a prescription. Later, I tested positive for COVID-19 and informed your team. The only response I received was "I'm sorry you have COVID, stay in quarantine for 5 days." At no point was I informed that COVID could lead to early labor. The day before delivery, when I entered active labor, I called again. My information was sent to Providence Everett, but I received no encouragement or support from any of the midwives. Ultimately, I had to undergo an emergency C-section because my baby's heart rate was unstable, and my newborn was transferred to Seattle Children's Hospital due to meconium aspiration. I did not hear from Sprouts until four days after my baby's birth, and the call was simply to say, "I'm sorry you went through that, let us know when you want to schedule your postpartum appointment." When I scheduled and came to my appointment, I felt dismissed and disrespected. At the front desk, I was asked "where's the baby" in an ironic tone, followed by "oh, I forgot, she's at the NICU." In my visit with Deborah, my concerns about missed communication and risks associated with my prolonged pregnancy were rejected instead of acknowledged with empathy. Despite my disappointment, I continued with follow-up appointments for postpartum care and birth control because I had no other provider at that time. However, I have consistently felt unsupported. Most recently, when I asked for an all-purpose nipple ointment (as recommended by the lactation team and nurses at Seattle Children's Hospital), I received a dismissive and questioning response instead of the prescription I needed. At this point, I believe the care I received from Sprouts Birth Center has fallen short of the support, compassion, and professionalism that should have been provided. For these reasons, I respectfully do not recommend this birth center at all.

Loved Mayya and Deborah (plus assistants and midwive students) for my midwifery care! This is my…read morethird birth (all water births); second out of hospital birth. I will always recommend out of hospital/midwife care, especially Sprout Birthing Center. Prenatal care: On point all around. All the traditional tests were offered to me to ensure there weren't any apparent complications that would make my pregnancy or birth high-risk. Birth: At the center. Arrived a little after 9pm to help move the pregnancy along (11 days overdue!). After hours birth meant my immediate family was able roam the center without interfering with day-to-day operations. My son was born at 11:01pm. Mayya and Brittni didn't rush me and didn't argue me when I said it was time to push. They let me control the birth. Their roles were simply to make sure we were healthy. After having a hospital birth with my second son, I can't rave enough about how much its truly means to drive your own birth. I was free to leave around 2 or 2:30am. 5 hours at the center and in home in bed to rest and heal! Can't complain about that! Postpartum Care: Thorough. Never once did I feel I wasn't being listened to. Billing: No issues as of yet ‍. I'll update if needed.

Since 2016 I have continued care with Midwife Seattle. I experienced a couple miscarriages in 2017…read moreand Cindie was even more valuable during my time of grief than during my (uncomplicated) birth. The level of compassion and knowledge that she has is unparalleled and it was especially evident while I experienced loss. I also continued care with this group during my latest pregnancy and birth. I trust these women whole heartedly when it comes to making decisions about pregnancy and I always feel heard. Appointments are never rushed. My planned home birth turned into transferring care to a hospital because of low amniotic fluid. Through the transition of care all the way to the birth of my son, Cindie was paramount in supporting me in a way that left me feeling grateful beyond words that I chose Midwife Seattle. I would recommend Midwife Seattle to anyone seeking a home birth with the most amazing, compassionate, caring, and smart midwives in Seattle!

I just changed to having Amanda as my PCP after seeing her for a well woman visit after my daughter…read morewas born. She is that great! I felt like I learned more from her about my current random annoying small medical problems than I have ever learned from any doctor! Mel was my midwife for my daughter's home birth almost 1.5 years ago now. Birthing wasn't as bad as people make it osund. I understand why birthing moms may want epidurals, but in labor it was clear to me that there was no way anyone was getting me in a moving vehicle of any kind. I saw her, Jen and Cindi for prenatal care. The prenatal checkups were laid back, I felt well informed. They listened to me and would do what was necessary at visits while keeping the visits informal feeling, more of a dialogue of how pregnancy was going for me. As of maybe 2 months ago Midwife Seattle has split into two practices: Cindi and Amanda, and Mel and Jen. It came down to some insurance issue having to do with hospital births. So now all of them only do home births. Cindi and Amanda are at Midwife Seattle and I cannot recall the name of Mel and Jen's new practice.

Kat cought our baby in an unplanned home birth (long story ending in a super fast labor) and ended…read moreup doing all our post natal care for both baby and me. She was wonderful - we knew we were in good hands. She also went the extra mile and helped put us in touch with someone who could release my newborn's tongue tie ASAP as we were expecting significant jaundice and wanted to be in the best position to deal with it without additional interventions. This was very much appreciated

I've worked with Kat Barron in a doula capacity and she was the midwife at the birth. She was a…read moreprofessional, calm, understanding presence.

I can't recommend Milla and Melinda enough! My husband was skeptical about hiring a doula, but…read moreafter the birth he was the first to say how grateful he was they were there for us and that the investment was so worth it. Their package is outstanding compared to others. Milla was with us for delivery and she was such a calming, supportive presence. She reminded me of my birth plan when I needed it, worked beautifully with the hospital staff, held me through contractions, cheered me on when I felt like giving up, and set boundaries with family when I asked. She just knew what I needed and I felt safe with her. Melinda was equally fantastic. I felt deeply seen by her. She helped me with my anxiety before labor and in postpartum, gave me practical tools (the ice exercise was a game changer), and walked through our house helping us set up baby stations + shared so many helpful tips. Some additional highlights: - Their website has the best list of questions to ask when interviewing doulas. - The prep class with Milla was both super helpful and honestly fun. I truly believe the exercises she taught me made a huge difference in my labor. - Melinda dropping everything to come help us on day 3 postpartum when we texted her in frenzy. Hiring them was hands-down the best decision we made. I'm so happy with how my labor went, and I honestly credit that to this amazing doula team. Overall, the biggest impact they made on me was that they believed in me, and that gave me so much strength. For a first-time mom with higher levels of anxiety, that kind of support was priceless. I honestly wish they could be my team of support forever in motherhood--that's how much I loved them and how much I trust them. And even now, I still bug them from time to time and they always quickly help me out with resources. I am so fortunate to have found them. I am sure you will feel the same way if they become your choice of doulas.

I've been supported through 3 pregnancies and deliveries (2 with midwives at a birth center, 1…read morec-section in hospital) by Melinda Ferguson, and cannot recommend her highly enough for her extensive experience from attending hundreds of births, empathy, responsiveness, and ability to connect me with others in the perinatal community for specific things like birth prep classes, lactation, sleep, etc. As a first-time parent, I especially found Melinda's guidance and presence helpful to calm my anxieties around the process of giving birth, as well as caring for a newborn. So the second time, I wanted to have the same support and was so glad to have her with us even though we'd been through this before once. And although I had expected the third time to be even easier, some complications came up and it was so helpful to be able to consult with Melinda and work through some difficult decisions. She also helped me with processing and accepting the surgical delivery that I had really hoped to avoid.

I originally chose Puget Sound Midwives and Birth Center because I didn't have insurance at the…read morebeginning of my pregnancy and wanted something smaller, more personal, and supportive of a natural birth. I paid for all my early appointments in full, in cash, as soon as I was informed of any charges. I was looking for compassionate care, continuity, and a trusting relationship with the person who would eventually help deliver my child. Unfortunately, that is not what I received. I first saw Courtney in May 2025 and was told I needed to also see Amanda, the other midwife on staff at the time. I really connected with Amanda and felt hopeful that she would be present at my birth. Sadly, that plan fell apart when I was told (months later, around November) that Amanda would be leaving in December -- and I'd now be under the care of a new midwife I had barely met. From the beginning, appointments with Courtney often felt condescending and patronizing. There was a noticeable amount of fear-mongering around hospital births and C-sections -- (to the point that when I did get to Evergreen hospital the first words out of my mouth were, "I don't want a C-Section!!!") rather than being supportive of informed choice, the conversations often leaned into judgment and pressure. As I neared the end of my pregnancy, things got even worse. I went nearly 2.5 weeks overdue, and in those last five weeks, I was constantly offered cervical checks, a balloon pump, and other interventions to try to get labor started. The new midwife said she couldn't reach my cervix because her fingers were too short -- yet I was still billed for every single "exam." In total, I was charged $250 for completely unhelpful and ineffective procedures. When I asked how I would know if I was in labor, I was simply told, "You'll just know." When I called the on-call number to report that my water had broken, I was told I wasn't dilated enough and was advised not to come in. No one tested me to confirm whether my water had actually broken. As it turns out, it had -- three days before I gave birth. Thankfully, the rupture was at the top, or the consequences for my baby could have been devastating. I ended up giving birth at Evergreen Hospital, and I truly believe my child is alive today because I left the birth center and sought real medical care. On the billing side, it was a complete mess. I kept getting bills addressed to the wrong last name, even though I had input my correct name in their patient portal. The billing department never even properly checked my insurance until after I gave birth -- and only then because someone called me demanding the correct information. They had scanned my insurance card months earlier, but somehow still had it entered incorrectly in their supposedly HIPAA-compliant system. I ended up having to enter my insurance manually myself. To top it off, I'm now fighting a $600 emergency transfer fee with my insurance. I was only at the birth center for two hours before my husband had to drive me to the hospital himself -- after the midwife suggested I walk the apartment complex stairs at 3am to try to "get things going." And yet, I'm being charged as if they coordinated an emergency transfer. Save yourself the time, stress, and incompetence. What was supposed to be a supportive, natural, empowering birth experience turned into chaos, confusion, and unnecessary risk to my baby. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone looking for truly safe and supportive midwifery care.

I started my pregnancy with an OB/GYN, but made the switch to this birth center at 26 weeks. It was…read morethe best decision ever! Both midwives; Heather and Blake are lovely! I looked forward to every appointment and never left feeling like I wasn't heard. Heather was at my birth and she made me feel calm, safe, and confident that I can do it natural (which was my goal). As a first time, mom I am very happy I made the switch. I would recommend this birth center to any and all the pregnant people I know!

My allergy shots were moved to this location when UW decided to consolidate locations. The Eastside…read morelocation had staff that focused on providing customer service and worked to make sure appointments were flexible enough to work with customer's work schedules and other issues. So far, this location couldn't care less about the patient's needs or working with them. They threaten to charge you if you're late (a very likely possibility considering city traffic), but leave you sitting in the waiting room if you're early, racking up additional parking fees.

This place is like pregnant lady haven. Ashley and Katie are amazing! They remembered my name after…read morethe first appointment. I thought I was just another face to them. Ashley even remembered off the top of her head how far along I was. I did my research when it came time to choose OB vs midwife and I'm SOOOOOOO glad I signed up to see the midwives. Midwives concentrate on the special topic of pregnancy, birth, and post partum recovery. OB is a trained surgeon for generally anything going on "down there." Most childbirths don't need surgery. They're definitely related and a lot of their jobs overlap, but midwives are specialized nurses that spend overall more time with their patients as supports and guides. Midwives are the ones that deliver and catch the babies at NW hospital. OBGYNs are surgeons. They don't catch the babies; they perform surgery. They are there to perform surgery when something goes wrong. They did not train as in-depth as midwives when it comes to helping you survive those 9 months beforehand. As the hospital nurse very politely whispered to me when I sat in my hospital bed after 15 hours of labor..."Let's hope you will never need to see the OBGYN. If you do, it means something during labor went wrong." TL;DR - If you want preggo sage lady experts COME HERE! When I was there, there were 6 midwives on staff rotation. They're all extremely knowledgeable. I saw Deborah, Yaseem, Cindy, and Victoria the most often and she was never judgemental even though I asked (looking back now) the stupidest "questions." Everyone was so patient and open-minded. They respect women's bodies and do everything with faith that our bodies are stronger than what we believe to be (it's very true.) My appointments sometimes ran long because I'm long-winded but they always let me stick around. I would have slapped myself if I had to listen to me for a hour! When I needed to be induced (baby was 11+ days overdue) Victoria Swarthout saw how terrified and concerned I was so she squeezed me into a morning appointment on the date of my induction so I could ask her ALL the questions and address all of my concerns... which @ 42 weeks pregnant as a first time Mom during a pandemic just sounded like this "WHY why whyyyy me!!! Why won't this baby come!!!" Oh forgot, it was the start of the pandemic. Yeah I gave birth in March, the very same week things went into lockdown. New hospital policies were being put in place and my anxiety level skyrocketed. I'm first generation Chinese American of course, and a little bit of a hypochondriac so the pandemic got me off on a very rough start. I was afraid of discrimination (none at all found here) and I was afraid of changing hospital policies. On top of the unexpected induction and having to find a doula last minute. I was literally being induced with a hand UP my cervix while trying to hire a new doula on the phone...ugh! Lol. The induction and labor was 35+ hours. Very very very long. And we were all ready to give up...get that C-section no one wanted...when Victoria calmly said "You know what? Let's give it another hour." I wanted to cry. I hadn't eaten in over 24 hours and I was going to end up on the surgeons table after all that waiting and exhaustion. Victoria gave me as much time as she could. 1 hour or 2 later, I suddenly felt a crazy need to push. So she came back to check my dilation and suddenly I went from 7 to full 10! How did she know I just needed some time? Time to PUSH!! YASSSSS! Pushing was the best part. That took no time at all. And suddenly I had a perfect baby on my chest. No c-section. Pure miracle. All thanks to the patience and faith the midwives have. No medical intervention, no pressure, no rush, no panic. A woman's body is truly, truly a miracle blessed by nature. We were designed to give birth and on our own body's timeline. Post partum support with midwives was awesome too. They vetted for post partum depression, checked on my perninal tear, talked and administered birth control. I am basically going to use the midwives as my general doctor. Did you know they do that? Yup! You can do your annual check ups with them :) Anyways this is probably the most personal Yelp review ever hahaha. Look at the handiwork that Victoria caught on that first day of spring at 3 am. Eden is 1 year old already. What a blessing and what a miracle these 6 women at NW midwives are. I'll be forever in debt to them my entire life.

We found Kim when I was halfway through my pregnancy and I am so glad we did!…read more I did not have an easy pregnancy nor labor and Kim was great through it all. If you are looking for someone that will not only have your best interest in mind but your baby's as well than she's the one to go with. I was in labor for 7 hours and while I was pushing Kim noticed that the umbilical cord was wrapped around my daughters neck. She quickly had Mary get things set up so once they were ready I'd be able to finish pushing my daughter out. The moment I did Kim worked so quickly at not only removing the umbilical cord but working on getting my daughter to breath! It felt like a life time for my husband but really it was a very long minute. I was so exhausted that all I remember was seeing my child limp and white one minute to full of color and breathing on my chest the next. If you have ANY fear of thinking that a midwifery is unsafe think again!! Kim's knowledge and fight for a healthy mama and baby is what you'll get!! I am soooo thankful we were in her care!! It may have been a different story if we weren't! Plus the aftercare that you receive for both you and baby is amazing. I'm so thankful we found you Kim! You are a God send!!

I am so lucky I found Empowered Pregnancy! I was looking for a lactation consultant to get a second…read moreopinion when my daughter was 5 weeks old. Kim was absolutely amazing. I was honestly ready to give up on breastfeeding. Kim gave me so much confidence, support, a new breastfeeding plan and also let me know I could stop pumping for stimulation and I would be ok. Breastfeeding is now going really well and I have Kim to thank for it. She is so knowledgeable, so patient and kind, words cannot explain. I would absolutely have my next baby at her birthing center. She is an expert practitioner and I had an amazing experience. I wish I had found Empowered Pregnancy sooner!

Barb was put on this earth to do exactly what she is doing: Inspiring countless nervous moms-to-be…read moreto overcome their fears and embrace the beauty and wonder of the birth experience in all of its unpredictable but amazing glory. She is Seattle's hypnobirthing grande dame, and her passion, experience and knowledge of the techniques she teaches have turned many a doubter (likely most of the male partners in the classroom) into die hard believers of the power of self-hypnosis techniques to attain complete relaxation and control. Most useful for us - especially my husband - was her empowering approach to birth: the birth experience does not have to be terrifying, over-medicalized, or powerless.

Let me stare by saying I was a skeptic about HypnoBirthing. It was my wife who first brought the…read moreidea to my attention. Since completing the class and the birth I have become a convert. It was a wonderful experience and I wouldn't have changed a thing. I can't say enough about Barbara Decker she is simply amazing. We were lost in the wilderness before we signed up for her HypnoBirthing class at Great Starts. We did our research and found it to be a better deal than elsewhere and the class included Breastfeeding and Newborn Care which others did not. We knew immediately we were in good hands. We were also fortunate enough to have her as our Doula which was priceless. Her energy, attention, guidance was a true gift in the birth of our daughter.