I am so glad I was referred to Lactation room by my OBGYN 3 years ago and more specifically I am…read moregrateful to have met Diane then as well. My breastfeeding journey with my firstborn started out very rocky. I was struggling with feedings and just figuring out being a first time mom in general. I took an in home visit/appointment with Diane and since that day she taught me so much. I went from a confused mom to one with more confidence with what I was doing. From breastfeeding techniques to simple guidance on cues and other baby matters as well as my own matters with breastfeeding, she took her time to explain every detail and was very responsive to all my questions. Three years later, and I had to make sure I had her by my side again for my second born! She truly makes a difference. Thank you so much Diane!

This practice is very cookie cutter and not very accommodating to mom requests. They use standard…read morelactation care and recommendations and while I feel like they perform the act of listening they don't hear you and just proceed with the standard recommendation they would use for anyone. I also found them judgmental and they would say things like "you're going to do this (insert action)" instead of "you should do this (insert action)"; definitely talking down to you and they make you feel like they're the experts and don't you forget it. breastfeeding / lactation is a journey and it should be a partnership between mom and consultant. They make you sign an agreement (avoid any practice that makes you sign one). Their billing is also ridiculous and they have 3 charges per appointment: one for mama, one for baby, one class. They over bill to insurance and of course you have to make up the difference. Honestly, lactation consultants are a new profession and unit seems they're just another way to stoke fear in moms and make you overpay for "advice".

Having a baby is one of the most rewarding yet terrifying things you can experience in life. If…read moreyou're a parent you already know how the hospital just sends you on your way after a few days in recovery with no instruction manual or help desk number. Luckily my wife did some research and convinced me to hire doulas. We had the pleasure of working with Betsy and her team of doulas who consistently perform magic to soothe and care for our baby. Simultaneously, they teach us parenting techniques, act as our therapist, and most importantly allow us to catch up on sleep. They truly provide care to the whole family. It's also a lot better than having in laws come "help". I definitely recommend Metropolitan Doulas. It has 100% helped me enjoy being a new dad with their help to reduce the fear and anxiety of being a new parent.

Had a wonderful experience with Becca/Rebekah. She provided us with an introduction to parenthood…read moreincluding diapering, sleep habits, and answered our million questions. We felt incredibly supported.

Doula Nathalie & Associates is an incredibly supportive team. Through the online meetings covering…read morepregnancy-related topics, the childbirth classes, and the rental of a TENS unit, we felt truly supported and confident that we were with the right team. Hannah Wright was our doula, and she was incredible from the very beginning. From our first meeting, I knew she was the right person to support me and my husband during our baby's birth. She was deeply attentive, always helping me understand what I wanted and guiding me with clarity, care, and respect. I learned so much from her, and she was always checking in, offering support, and helping us make informed decisions. I had an induction and spent three days in the hospital before our baby arrived, and Hannah was consistently present, checking on us, bringing food, and being there whenever we needed her. When it was time to give birth, she arrived immediately and never left my side. I am certain that without Hannah, I would not have had the birth experience I wanted. She ensured my wishes were respected and supported me through every up and down with confidence and compassion. Hannah will always be part of our family's story.

I had a wonderful experience with my daytime doula Iyonna and evening doula Stephenie. Both were…read morevery helpful and knowledgeable which is so important for expectant mothers who need extra help cause newborns require so much and new moms need the time off to relax or just do... anything else. It feels endless and overwhelming at times. And it was wonderful to have the extra pair of hands so that I could sleep at night and take care of errands, get out of the house, grab food, and visit my older daughter in daycare during the day.

Susannah's help was invaluable to us after the birth of our son. Susannah served as our post partum…read moredoula and was happy to bathe, swaddle, rock, feed and cuddle our baby while we caught up on much needed sleep. While the baby slept she performed light housekeeping and cooked wonderful meals. While we were awake Susannah shared her expertise on everything from baby wearing to the most effective ways to soothe a gassy baby. Furthermore she performed a beautiful sealing ceremony complete with ceremonial bathing and belly binding which we found to be truly transformative. I highly recommend Susannah without reserve.

Susannah was absolutely amazing! At first, we had a really hard time trying to meet due to our busy…read moreschedules but she was super cooperative and flexible on working with us which was awesome on her part. We did a breastfeeding and baby intro class which was very helpful, she's definitely very knowledgable in this area and extremely patient with the ton of questions we had. Its a our first baby so you can imagine how clueless we are. I recommend her services and if my mom is unable to come help out once my daughter is born, I will definitely hire her as my postpartum doula :)

After my baby was in the NICU for two weeks and unable to feed, I had trouble with nursing him. I…read morehad an oversupply and sore nipples from pumping, combined with a baby with a lot or reflux. I rented a pump through them that they made available at Children's National and when I went to return it, I noticed they had in-person appointments. I had seen several other lactation consultants virtually, but none of them were actually able to help me. Everyone said everything looked gine and to use a nipple shield. I was getting ready to give up on nursing and just pump (but that was double the work, so I wanted to find a solution. My appointment with Susan solved all my problems. We did not feel rushed at all and had plenty of time to troubleshoot. The office is very warm and welcoming. They also can come to your home, but I preferred to get out of the house. She took a good look at the latch and helped show me how to pull down his chin slightly to help with his latch. She showed me the best way to feed to help with his reflux and even gave me a little bit of a compounded ointment for my nipples to help with the pain I was having. This was the turning point for us. After that session things got much better. We still had to work on what Susan showed us, but after a few weeks, we finally could enjoy feedings. Baby is now 6 months and nursing has become second nature at this point. I am very thankful to Susan and Metropolitan breastfeeding for providing exceptional service and not only supporting breastfeeding, but supporting NICU moms by providing hospital-grade pumps at the actual hospitals. I am now returning to work and made an appointment so that I can figure out how to continue to provide my baby with breastmilk as I handle a very busy work/travel schedule. I saw many negative reviews regarding cost and sale of items, so I figured I would mention my experience. My experience was great. I did not have a copay but I did have to pay a copay for baby. It will depend on your insurance though, but I didn't have any surprises. For supplies, I was surprised to see the negative reviews. I didn't have any pressure to buy anything from them, nor did I realize they sold anything except for nursing pillows. During my session we used the pillows to feed and I really liked them, so I did buy one, but at no point did I feel like they even wanted me to purchase anything.

Do not go here unless you want to pay out of pocket TWICE. I've been to two other lactation…read moreconsultant groups and finally found one I love and this has been a non issue. Metropolitan Breastfeeding charges you TWICE- one charge for the mom and one for baby and because their costs are so high you're left with a bill after insurance pays their costs. What ridiculous business that claims to support new women treats the mother and new baby as two separate charges when they're there for one appointment? Don't waste your time coming here... very shady and not discussed or mentioned upfront.

I'm a local postpartum doula and I love referring my clients to The Breastfeeding Center…read more One of my clients recently said Tri Jessup was AMAZING with her difficult case! Tri taught her a different feeding position (laid back position), and after that latching baby became pain-free and her cracked nipples healed right up! She was so happy. Recently one of my dear doula colleagues told me she had a great experience during her internship with The Breastfeeding Center. Becoming an IBCLC is a long, difficult process, but she said the Breastfeeding Center did a great job helping her improve her skills working under different providers. She passed the exam on the first try and she is now an IBCLC. So grateful The Breastfeeding Center is such an amazing resource for my clients and colleagues.

This review is primarily focused on the services provided by Tamika Harris, Lactation Consultant…read moreand Shelly Matthews, Lamaze Instructor. My family worked with Tamika on a nearly weekly basis for the first two months of my child's life. Tamika far exceeded my expectations and enabled me to achieve my breastfeeding/pumping goals. Prior to meeting with her, I knew very little about breastfeeding or pumping. She helped me to figure out how much to feed my baby and how often, how to pump, what flange size and nipple shield size I needed, how much weight my child should be gaining, how to heal my nipples, what questions I should be asking my pediatrician and ob/gyn, and the list goes on and on. She is literally a treasure trove of information and resources. She has been by far the biggest asset on my breastfeeding journey. She is compassionate, encouraging, and empathetic. I cannot sing her enough praises. In preparation for delivery, my husband and I took Shelly's Lamaze class. I found her course to be more beneficial than the services/information provided by my doula. Shelly helped us to understand childbirth from beginning to end. As a result, we knew what to expect and felt incredibly prepared. During my labor, my husband and I used many of the techniques taught in class. The Lamaze class was intense and full of relevant information, but Shelly makes it entertaining and memorable. I, especially, appreciated her technique of mentioning important concepts multiple times throughout the course. Furthermore, she is a great storyteller. I highly recommend taking the Lamaze course with Shelly. I have taken other courses with the Center, including Baby Care for the Breastfeeding Family, and Breastfeeding and Pumping. Unfortunately, I was highly disappointed in these courses and did not find them to be helpful. I would not recommend these courses at the Center. Instead, there are other places in the area that do a better job at covering these topics. Overall, I think the Breastfeeding Center has been an excellent resource during my childbirth and breastfeeding journey.

The midwives at M.A.M.A.S. are absolutely wonderful! They not only are qualified medical…read moreprofessionals, but amazing companions and confidants in the journey to welcoming a baby. Prenatal appointments are thorough and not rushed, and care is all encompassing beyond just the growing baby. Postnatal care is frequent and truly feels like care, rather than a checklist. Beyond their care alone, the midwives create a beautiful community not only during the prenatal period but long after. We love each of the midwives and feel so lucky to know them and been under their care. I'd recommend the M.A.M.A.S. care team to anyone looking for compassionate, evidence based care, whether for home birth or well women's care.

The MAMAS midwives offer thorough, empathetic prenatal care and postpartum support. Emily and…read moreLuisely supported me expertly through a fast, intense birth, and I am so grateful to them. MAMAS is an out-of-network practice for many, and I wish there were more guidance offered about how to navigate the insurance hurdles. Admin staff is only part-time and many of my emails went unanswered. I asked a lot of questions in person as well, and I didn't receive some key information about gap exceptions that would have made the process less stressful. As expected, I received only a small reimbursement from my insurer, and it took several months of emails and calls for MAMAS to realize they had received the check from my insurer and forward it to me.

Would definitely recommend the services of Silver Spring Placenta. The preparation process was…read moreexplained clearly and Jenny was amazing. She was very communicative. Great job!

From the owner: Placenta encapsulation, placenta prints and keepsake paintingsread more

Jenny and Rose are wonderful and I would highly recommend their services and Silver Spring Doula to…read moreany expectant mother in the area. As a first time mom, it was wonderful to have their expertise and level-headed approach to pregnancy and childbirth throughout the journey - and lord knows I had a million and one questions. They are both knowledgeable, kind, and genuinely lovely people to know and work with. Rose was the doula in attendance at my birth and her presence was so calming and appreciated. She came to our house during early labor when I was unsure of how the process was going. And from the house to the hospital, she was with us every step of the way. In the hospital, she had lots of supplies with her to support my L&D, including a much used hot water bottle that made those first few hours more bearable. And when the doctors said my son was "sunny side up," Rose helped moved me into different positions and did adjustments to help encourage baby to change position (which he did!!). She held my hand (and my leg ) during 3 hours of pushing and reminded me often to breathe, made sure I was drinking water, and reminded me to relax when possible. Truly, I could not have done it without her. It was amazing to have someone looking out for me in the L&D room. As as added bonus, she took photos when our son was born which are really special to have. Although I think I'm a "one and done" type person with my son, if I were to have another child, I would engage Jenny and Rose again for their services in a heartbeat!

This was our second time using Silver Spring Doula for my labor and delivery, and I'm so glad they…read morejoined us again. I can't recommend Rose and Jenny highly enough. SSD has TENS units for clients and I got to use one for this birth (no idea if it helped but so glad to try it out!). The community classes are informative. I went into labor at 2:30 in the morning and Rose joined us shortly afterwards. She knows what signs mean your labor is progressing and what might be helpful in reducing pain and when you need to leave for the hospital, and she knows how to let your body lead the labor. At the hospital, Rose advocated for us to make sure we had the care we needed (e.g.: the hospital was understaffed and we were left alone and I was in no state to ask where on earth our medical team was when I was pushing). Pretty sure I'm done after kid #2 but if we do have any more we will definitely be asking SSD to join us again.

We recently finished working with Gemma after the birth of my third child, and I can't say enough…read morepositive things about our experience. I didn't have postpartum support with my first two births, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect--but having Gemma made such a difference, and I only wish I had her the first two times as well. She was always punctual and arrived with a warm, positive energy, immediately asking about my goals for the day and how she could best support me. She was incredibly knowledgeable and always able to answer any questions I had about the baby, nursing, pumping, sleep, and more, which gave me so much reassurance. What stood out most was how much she genuinely cared--not just for the baby, but for me as well. That level of support meant everything during those early weeks. In addition to caring for the baby, Gemma also helped with things like cooking and laundry, which made our home feel more manageable and allowed me to focus on recovery and bonding. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for postpartum support.

I highly recommend Gemma (owner of New Parent Harmony) to all of my psychotherapy clients. I am a…read moremental health therapist that specializes in the pregnancy and postpartum period and my clients often need referrals for doula care, breastfeeding help, and infant sleep assistance. Gemma provides all three! My clients have LOVED Gemma. She is incredible with parents and babies. She has such a soothing presence and is extremely skilled and knowledgeable about infant sleep practices, breastfeeding, and doula care. I wish I would have known her when I had my babies. Honestly, look no farther. Anyone is lucky to have Gemma support them postpartum.