We had such a wonderful experience with this service. The HFA team was incredibly responsive and…read moreproactive in connecting us with those who may be on our night nurse team which allowed for me to chat with each one ahead of time. It was our first time working with a night nurse and the whole experience made us feel at ease and in very good hands. Our night nurse, Janette, was wonderful and made us feel so confident that our newborn was in good hands that we could get some sleep back! Definitely recommend!

I am so glad to have worked with postpartum doulas through Happy Family After. We had peace of mind…read moreworking through this agency, knowing the doulas were vetted. We worked with Janice and Sara who were wonderful! On the admin side, Devon, Sondra, and Sara were all so kind and easy to work with. I was able to use my Carrot benefits with ease.

The services at Bend & Blossom were incredibly comprehensive for me and my husband. I took a…read morebreast-feeding class (if you are thinking about it, definitely do it! So helpful!) we were also very lucky to have the owner of Bend & Blossom, Nicole as our Doula. My daughter's birth and our care at the hospital was effortless with Nicole's support. I highly recommend working with Nicole and her staff at Bend & Blossom!

Very unprofessional. Told my friend and I a lot of information about other students in the class…read moreand other like businesses in the area that was inappropriate and negative. The actual yoga class was not great either when she didn't cancel it. Not worth the money. Look for better options in the area and don't waste your time. As you can see from her response below, very unprofessional. Stay away!

If I can give 10 stars!! Let's just say finding Shadisha as my doula could not have happened at a…read moremore perfect time. From start (first prenatal visit/birth planning) to finish (postpartum visit) she was nothing short of amazing!! We connected right away. My husband is nonChalant with all the fatherly "need to knows" when it comes to birthing haha; but Shah made it easy for him to understand and participate. He became more hands on and enjoyed her teaching methods. Very well experienced and Great with communication flexibility understanding reliability attentiveness and reassurance. Teaches and explains everything you need to know that will help you every step of the way of the pregnancy/delivery/postpartum/lactation stages. As a first time mom, The birthing experience with her was very empowering. At the start of surges (39 weeks 3 days) we used the techniques we learned and managed to stay home until The surges were close to 5-7 minutes apart. by the time I arrived at the hospital I was already 6cm!! Those labor surges were something else but with all of the non-pharm techniques she provided and coached us, with a huge those of encouragement, I was able to birth out a beautiful 8.2 pounder baby girl (Emmanuella ) naturally!!! She stayed until I was all good and baby was good. We reviewed everything including breastfeeding over the postpartum visit via zoom, which was very helpful physically, mentally and emotionally. For all expecting moms, If You desire a seasoned, enthusiastic, passionate doula, that you can connect with, choose Shadisha!! Seeing her as family , We are deeply grateful for how God used her to meet us in our times of need. Emmanuella is 9 weeks now and doing exceedingly great. Looking forward to her doula services again with baby #2

My son was birthed by ATOM and it was an amazing experience. My doula labored with me at home and…read moredrove me to the hospital where I labored for a short time upon arrival. I had a pleasant birth experience and outcome. Having a doula by my side allowed me to release all fear and anxiety about what was happening around me and gave me the opportunity to just focus on my delivery and meeting my baby boy. I will definitely have a doula again at my next birth.

I cannot emphasize what a crucial part of my pregnancy and daughter's birth Stephanie was for us…read more Stephanie provided the exact support we needed; from the moment we hired her to the days leading up to my labor to the birth of our daughter to the days after and everything in between. Any question, request, guidance needed - Stephanie was there. She made us feel no shame in asking the smallest questions. She was clear about when something was evidence-based vs her intuition/experience. She never pushed us to do anything and was always supportive of decisions we made. It was important to me and my husband to have a natural birth, which was my main motivation to hire a doula. Truly could not have delivered this baby without Stephanie (I mean, I would have, of course - but likely after much more pain and decisions I would later regret). She was with us on the phone (my husband, mostly) as soon as my water broke and she was with us in person by the time contractions got heavy to get us through the later stages of labor and the pushing/delivery process. Stephanie worked so in sync with the midwife and nurse on my delivery team - it took a village! In addition to Stephanie supporting me, she was also an amazing guide and support to my husband - equipping him with reading materials before delivery and coaching him on best ways to support me throughout labor and delivery. In the days after our baby was born, we talked to Stephanie every day. She visited us to make sure baby was latching properly, showed me some other tips and tricks for feeding, and has continued to provide us with guidance on feeding and pumping and all feeding things! When I become pregnant with baby #2, Stephanie will be among the first to know - could not imagine doing a totally natural birth again without her!

Hiring Stephanie as our doula was one of the best decisions we made while preparing for the birth…read moreof our first child. When my partner and I started looking into childbirth education, we quickly realized how much we didn't know and how overwhelming it could be to research everything on our own. From our very first meeting with Stephanie, it was clear how knowledgeable she is. She focuses heavily on evidence-based information, which was exactly how we wanted to approach decisions around birth. I became interested in attempting an unmedicated birth, although I was only about 60% confident I could actually do it. Stephanie never doubted me. From that point on, all of our preparation and meetings were geared toward helping me achieve that goal. She was always quick to respond to texts and emails and provided detailed, thoughtful information whenever we had questions. Stephanie also did an incredible job coaching my partner ahead of time so he knew how to support me during labor. In our prep meetings, she walked him through different techniques and ways he could help when things became intense. Because of that preparation, he was able to really play an active role during labor. Even during labor itself, Stephanie continued guiding him on how to support me in ways that were actually helpful in the moment. When things were very intense, she would gently coach him on what to do, whether that was how to help with breathing, positioning, or encouragement. If he wasn't sure whether something he was doing was helping, she gave him feedback and reassurance so he could keep supporting me confidently. That support for both of us made a huge difference. When my labor started, I was able to text Stephanie updates and questions and she was always quick to respond and help ease my worries. At one point she had another client in labor (which we knew was a possibility), but her backup doula came to my house and provided wonderful support until we went to the hospital. Stephanie met us there and immediately helped me focus on breathing and staying calm. The moment I'll always remember most was during the pushing phase. I was exhausted having been awake for nearly 36 hours, but Stephanie's coaching and encouragement made such a difference. Her reminders to breathe for the baby and "blow out the birthday candles for the baby," along with her steady counting and encouragement, helped me push through and ultimately deliver my baby the way I had hoped. One unexpected benefit of working with Stephanie is that she is also a lactation consultant. She helped us prepare for breastfeeding, explained how pumping works, and helped us troubleshoot breastfeeding our baby a few days after coming home. I didn't expect that level of support, but it ended up being incredibly helpful. Stephanie is incredibly knowledgeable and very honest. She gives you the information and may offer a recommendation, but she never pressures you if you decide differently. She's straightforward, fact-driven, and clearly very dedicated to her clients. Working with her truly showed me how valuable doulas can be. Stephanie was wonderful to work with, and I would not want to have another child without her by my side.

We asked Taylor to be our doula for baby #2. Pretty sure I would still be pregnant and in labor if…read moreI didn't have her by my side! I was expecting an easier labor since it was my second, but it wasn't really the case. I was progressing slowly, but already at the hospital so after a while the pitocin talk started. I was exhausted at that point and started breaking down because, to me, that automatically meant c-section. Taylor helped us through the decision, encouraged us to speak up about our hesitations, and got me through labor on pitocin without an epidural. She was always ready with positions/tools and gentle but empowering words to help me keep going. Her soothing presence kept me and my husband calm. Her visits before and after were always pleasant and helpful. No matter what my fears and insecurities were about birth, motherhood or wife-hood, Taylor always validated my feelings, offered solutions and was never judgmental. She says I could have done it without her, but I just don't see how that would have been possible!

From the owner: As a doula it's my goal to help you discover and navigate your birth options and preferences, and…read moreto support you in ways that make you feel empowered and safe. My role is to provide you with information, offer continuous emotional and physical support, and be a calm and steady, non-judgemental voice as you journey from pregnancy through parenthood. Serving Northern and Central NJ and NYC.

We absolutely loved our classes with Lisa! The class was informative, supportive, and incredibly…read moreempowering. The classes are extremely comprehensive without feeling overwhelming. We came into class feeling excited but very nervous about this next chapter and left feeling so much more confident and prepared for both birth and the newborn stage. We loved Lisa's thoughtful approach - blending evidence-based information with compassionate, personalized support in a way that felt holistic, reassuring, and never fear-based. 10/10 - Highly recommend to any expecting parents looking for a childbirth class that feels both realistic and deeply supportive! Thank you, Lisa!

Lisa is a gifted educator on all things childbirth and we're SO happy to have attended her 3 day…read moreintensive in-person classes a few months prior to our due date. I was immediately impressed by Lisa's care and high-touch approach when I saw her thoughtful response to my intake form at the time we registered for the program. And throughout the course, Lisa's wealth of knowledge, passion, and genuine desire to help really carried through. She's also a bright ray of sunshine and we really appreciated her warmth and hospitality in what could feel like a long three day class otherwise. We had snacks and drinks, were able to move around freely, sit on the floor, sit on the yoga ball, there are squatty potties in each bathroom, I mean she literally thought of everything in trying to make this experience as comfortable and smooth for us as possible. With each class, we felt more and more confident and well equipped to welcome our baby and of course the added bonus in this being in-person is that we also loved connecting with other couples that we will continue to stay in touch with. I would highly recommend to any couple who's expecting no matter the kind of birth experience you envision for yourseleves.

After my last review, Jada, the founder of Birth Day Presence, reached out to me for an honest and…read moreopen conversation about what she could do to improve not only my experience but classes there in general. Being a yoga teacher with pre/post natal experience I went into their classes already very knowledgeable so they weren't as informative as I would have liked but I think they are probably life saving for people who don't care to/don't have the time to do their own learning and research. Birth day presence and boober provide not only child birth and newborn care classes, but match clients with (and train) doulas, lactation consultants etc Most importantly though, and I got this sense from the beginning but really felt it after talking to Jada, they genuinely care about providing quality information and services to new families. They also understand that the birthing industry (because it is an industry) is far from perfect and they want to empower families and help them navigate it. I feel very grateful to Jada and Birth Day Presence and although I originally walked away feeling there was more to be desired I now feel like I couldn't recommend them more to anyone seeking childbirth/childcare education or training. Oh, and all their classes are conveniently online now due to covid.

My husband and I purchased weekend intensive childbirth education classes and we attended when I…read morewas 27 weeks pregnant with our first child at Birth Day Presence. We came here with an open mind and hoping to learn the important basics of childbirth. Needless to say, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We didn't feel prepared and we were hoping this class would make us feel more comfortable of what's to come. The classes we chose were on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am until 3:30 pm. Jen Buice was our instructor and she was very informative and knew her stuff. We also got to mingle with other couples who were due at around the same time as us. We got to share our experiences with each other, which I think my husband and I wouldn't have gotten a chance to do otherwise if it wasn't for this class. We watched some childbirth videos, learned about different stages of labor, pain management, labor exercises with and without the ball, a little about lactation, etc. We also went around the room and did some activities so it could be more interactive and social. Bring some snacks because the classes might seem a little long at times! We did get a short lunch break. One slight complaint I have is that I got a little antsy and didn't feel that comfortable with their seating arrangements. I felt a little claustrophobic. Overall, I think we feel better and a little bit more prepared about being parents. I would recommend this class if you have a chance to take it. It's located in a beautiful part of Park Slope in a beautiful brownstone. Price is a little steep at $395 but I think it's worth it. You can't put a price on your future bundle of joy.

I highly recommend Rachel and Sherraine! Rachel attended our birth but it was lovely meeting…read moreSherraine beforehand. Writing this review almost 6 months after giving birth so I had time to process everything. Rachel has this calming yet confident presence. She helped me tremendously during labor and worked well with my husband. It felt like she knew exactly what I needed without me saying much. She also knew when to hive us the time to be by ourselves and helped with food and drinks (birthing center). I am grateful she was part of this special day and she also took amazing pictures

I'm very disappointed with my experience with Sierra. We hired her to be our postpartum doula in…read moreDecember. We had our first baby, knew nothing about babies and had no support in the area. After the initial call and prenatal appointment, my husband and I felt that we were in good hands. She claimed to be a support for me and my baby and to be knowledgeable about all things newborns. Unfortunately that was not the case. The pros: - she taught us how to give our baby his first bath - she was communicative in the beginning via text and phone - she ended up acting as a very expensive babysitter for our last four visits The cons: - having a newborn is hard and I had a lot of questions she didn't know the answers to. Instead of finding the answers and calling me or offering to come over, she sent lengthy articles with links to other articles. When you are trying to figure out a problem with your infant in your arms, you don't have an hour to read an article that may or may not help - she knew nothing about breastfeeding, period. She gave me advice when she shouldn't of(she told me not to move my breast a bit away from my baby's nose because he would pull off if he was suffocating- this was corrected by two different lactation counselors) - 90% of her answers were "I don't know, I'll have to look that up" - in the end she was not communicative and it felt like she just wanted our sessions to be over - we were so uncomfortable having her in our home when we were around we asked her to just babysit our already sleeping newborn after he was in bed for the night This service is clearly dependent on who you get. Sierra was part of a lower, less trained tier of doulas. Regardless of the tier, it was a bad experience at a vulnerable time in our lives as new parents.

I truly cannot say enough positive about this doula. I found Jessi during the pregnancy with my…read moredaughter. The pregnancy was an emotionally difficult time for me and overall negative experience, and I struggled with very bad anxiety that something would go wrong. I had a horrible experience with my first doctor where I felt completely mistreated and downright bullied so I fired this doctor well into the 3rd trimester, as I realized i did not want to see her again or have her deliver my baby. Throughout this, she was such a source of peace to me, always there to listen or answer questions and supported me as I found a new practitioner at 35 weeks. At that point I took the only doctor in my area who would take me so late into the game, and although they were better and more respectful than the first doctor I saw, they still were not like minded to myself- they were very medical and intervention minded, and I have always known I wanted a natural birth with no intervention unless absolutely necessary. Switching doctors so late, not having a close relationship with my provider, and also working with someone who i wasn't on the same page with, it was SO great to have someone who I felt was there for me to really support me and who I had developed a relationship with. When there was something I worried about, Jessi was always there with a quick response to reassure me, and to listen; she has a calming way about her. She also always had tons of resources and referrals (for instance my baby was breech until the 11th hour and she provided me with resources and exercises, and by the birth she was headdown). Jessi was also so helpful, supportive, amazingly valuable to have during my birth. Honestly i do not know how i could have gotten through an over 30 hour labor trying to be as natural as possible, without her support. She truly went above and beyond for my husband, myself and my family. The contract was for her to be there 24 hours, she stayed with me for the whole time which included being up all night by my side, which was way beyond what we had agreed upon. She helped my husband to better support me (initially he was not in favor of natural birth or a doula and he has changed his mind and now says he would tell any couple who is expecting to get a doula). He got to rest a bit, which was needed. Also at times when the doctors were rude or pushy re: interventions in my labor, she helped me to think through things and advocate for myself. Although my birth wasn't fully according to plan I felt that Jessi helped support me to make decisions etc. in the moment and I feel overall good about the choices I made in birth given the doctor and hospital I was at that wasn't on the same page as myself... I was extremely nervous going into the birth and she was such a peaceful, calming presence to have there. Also i am very scared of hospital and medical things in general and probably acted in unexpected ways because of that during my birth, and i never once felt judged by her for that... She also updated my mom who was also very anxious about how things were going throughout the experience of my labor probably keeping her from having a heart attack :) ... all in all Jessi is an amazing, talented doula who you can tell truly does what she does from a place of passion and a heart for women in pregnancy and birth, and I would recommend her to anyone or hire her again in a heartbeat.

From the owner: Bump to Baby specializes in supporting women through the end of their pregnancy, birth, and…read moreimmediate postpartum period. Doula Jessi's knowledge, combined with her confidence in your birth plan, and her calm demeanor to help you through labor will help you achieve the birth that you are hoping and planning for. You will feel prepared and empowered to speak up for your desires, no matter what type of birth you envision. Bump to Baby also offers birth photography and lactation counseling both as stand-alone services and in addition to birth doula services.

If I could leave a 0-star review I would. I applied to be a birth doula with this service. I…read morereceived repeated requests to fill out the same video interviews. I should have stopped the process then but alas I persisted in hope this would work out. Then I I have to go through repeated rescheduled onboarding interviews with Jada because she kept having "schedule conflicts" and no respect for my time. When we met it was awkward and the discussion mostly focused on other doulas who don't want to meet with their client until they are way into active labor and then Boober worries about refunds. I do not operate in a way that would entail these risks happening. I spent a lot of time on the application and intake process for boober yet I continued to get leads for potential clients way outside of my geographic area of service. I got clients that were not serious about hiring a doula or I was one of many doulas who would meet with clients. I responded to some potential leads and sometimes wasn't followed up with, other times was matched with clients along with several other doulas or I was sent redundant messages about client requirements which I had already met. As a newer doula (with about a year of experience) I felt I couldn't compete with being matched with clients who were also introduced to several other doulas. I invested a lot of time and effort into my Boober application and profile and saw NO returns for it. I would get no responses, clients would hire other doulas or no doulas or no one from boober would follow up with me for the leads I was actually interested in. At some point I can no longer tolerate such disrespect for my time. While I believe in providing strong customer service our time as birth workers and service providers also needs to be respected and it's just not at Boober. I'm sorry I every signed up for the service. Also there are different commission structures based on race which I'm pretty sure is illegal. I'm all for birth equity but I'm not looking to be disrespected over and over again.

I am a black man in an interracial marriage. Yesterday, my wife and I went to the Prospect Heights…read moreTribeca Pediatrics in Brooklyn, NY, for the Infant CPR and safety. As the only black man and the only interracial couple in the class, I believe Geoff Gohacki gave me disparate treatment. My wife could not do the CPR on the floor because her belly made her uncomfortable to do so. The instructor told her to do CPR on the chair. I decided to be next to her because she is my wife, and I did not want her to be alone and feel inadequate. The instructor told me to get on the floor because my wife is pregnant, and I am not pregnant. That was very insensitive, rude, and uncalled for. I don't care if you were joking. You cannot make that kind of statement. My wife and I are adults and are not in high school or the military. I always tell people that my wife and I are pregnant. We are pregnant because we are doing this together. Lastly, if my wife and I are paying for the class, we don't have to look at how other people are doing it so that we can do the CPR. We could have stayed home and watched everything on YouTube. I was doing the infant CPR. I was not doing the chest compressions up to the instructor's standards. Instead of redirecting me, the instructor told me to look at the other people in the class. So you don't have a mouth to speak or are impatient to give me feedback on what I am doing wrong. My wife and I are not here to look at other people. After we left the class and walked toward our apartment, my wife started to cry about the unfortunate treatment this instructor put me through. It was distress we didn't deserve. Therefore, I would not recommend this instructor to a black man in an interracial couple.