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.

We took the childbirth education and cpr classes…read more I'd recommend them. One class was held at Nidhi's residence (separate from her home) and another was at an office location in Arlington. The instructors were great. Nidhi is very knowledgeable, friendly, and open. The class sizes were pretty small and you're encouraged to ask lots of questions. There were also snacks and water which are important to me since i was pregnant and didn't want to go 2+ hours not eating/drinking anything. My husband and I brought sandwiches to one class and we were able to eat them during the class (it was around dinner time/6pm) so atmosphere is casual which I appreciate. You get an online resource packet after the class that summarizes everything covered. Should probably look at that again as i am typing this before my gassy, ornery newborn wakes up.

My husband and I attended the Newborn Care and Infant CPR Class. It was super informative and the…read moreon hands practice and activities were delightful and much appreciated. I am sure our "Nested Grad" is thrilled we learned how to swaddle him appropriately and we were well equipped first time parents. I really appreciate Nidhi (who is my dr and has been for the past 5 years plus) and team and look forward to their services again in the future! Thank you ladies for giving us first time parents the knowledge and practice we so need in those special months leading up to a life changing event!

I am a repeat client of Amy's and I cannot tell you enough of how valuable she is to have in your…read moreback pocket. As a second time mom, I didn't think I would need as much help this time around with Amy. I knew how to get a good latch, how to position my body and the baby, and felt confident that I only needed minimal visits, but baby #2 had other plans in mind. Baby #2 was born at 37wks and while that's considered full term, it's actually on the early side which causes a lot of complications with feeding. My baby had trouble latching and sucking because there wasn't enough time practicing these motor skills in the womb. This resulted in the baby not being able to transfer milk, even though my milk was coming in. Amy confirmed this with her before and after weighing from a 20mins feed. I was so upset and devastated, that we had to move quickly to formula feeding to get the weight up fast because baby #2 had severe jaundice and we were trying to keep from being admitted to the hospital for phototherapy. Unfortunately, we had to be readmitted and Amy coached me through protecting my milk supply, while formula feeding and getting baby's weight up. She also reassured me that this is just a blip in our breastfeeding journey and that we will get back on track when he's healthy and clear of jaundice. I ended up upgrading my package to the Luxe because of how important it was for me to get us back to the basics once baby #2 was in the clear health-wise. I not only was able to protect my milk supply while having to formula feeding for two weeks but I also needed support in making sure once I returned back to work how to maintain a sustainable stash without oversupply, as I did with my first. I am almost 3mo postpartum and baby #2 has a great latch, is thriving in all the drs appointments, and gaining weight beautifully. At my last in home visit Amy walked through our schedule to have a successful stash, pumping schedule, and ready for baby to start daycare and me to return to work. I almost cried when she as leaving because I've appreciated everything that she has done for me and my babies. Words cannot express how much she has meant to me. I am so thankful for her wisdom, support, expertise and care she brings with her to every visit. If you are considering a lactation consultant, get on her books!! She's your go-to-guru.

I had a baby less than two weeks ago, and I can already say that the most important decision I've…read moremade postpartum is hiring Amy. I found her through a friend who had an amazing experience, and I reached out in a panic on a Sunday when my milk came in and I had no idea what to do. Her insanely fast response time was much needed; I found out the next day that our son had lost more than 10% of his birth weight and to say that I was freaking out is an understatement. Amy came that afternoon and I immediately felt like I was in great hands. She taught me how to breastfeed comfortably, got me set up with my pump, did a weight measurement to see how much he was getting with each feed, and also helped get a plan in place to get my son back to his birth weight. After the appointment she has been incredible over text/Voxer and answers questions so quickly. Feeding a baby is so stressful but with Amy's knowledge and confident demeanor, she demystifies it. I immediately signed up for the luxe package and truly wish I did this before I delivered so I would have had a plan in place and didn't have to play catch up. Still I'm so glad that I reached out to Amy and probably would have stopped breastfeeding if I hadn't. She is truly the best and I'm so grateful to have her guidance for one of the most important pieces of my life!

Kerry Reynolds is an amazing Doula. I'm writing this now as the mom of two young kids, so it might…read morebe a little bit scattered, but Kerry was the doula for both births, and I would use her again! For my first birth, I was pretty focused on trying to keep things as natural as possible, but we also wanted someone who would be good with both my husband and myself, and I wanted to be able to have the flexibility to change my mind without any judgment or issues. I do like and respect, doctors, so I also wanted to be able to lean on that sense if I decided to. Kerry was flexible through all of this, but I also never felt like she was being a pushover. She's realistic and pays really close attention to the client she has right in front of her. Kerry immediately put me at ease, telling me that she totally understood if I made certain decisions, and also made it clear that she saw where I was coming from with my initial hopes for my first birth. She explained all kinds of things to me that I didn't understand from any other birth preparation, and she has a really easy-going energy and sense of humor that made her nice company for both of us. My husband even liked her, and he was more skeptical about doulas than I was. Kerry was kind of like the no nonsense, older sister or aunt you really want to have with you when you're getting your baby here. She's straightforward when she needs to be, but she never bosses you around, and she's always right there as her advocate and support system no matter what's going on. In my first birth, I ended up having to get an emergency C-section, but Kerry showed right up as soon as everything was over, having coached my husband through all of the decisions leading up to that point via text, and she immediately got me doing skin to skin with my baby and coached us into what became a very successful breast-feeding year. She also helped us adjust to life with a newborn, helping us take care of our baby for about 11 weeks into his life. With my second, Kerry understood how strongly I felt about wanting to have a VBAC. That kind of birth takes a lot of extra advocacy and knowledge, but Kerry stuck with me throughout all of it. There were some concerns about my son's size, and I was always more concerned about his safety than my ability to have a VBAC, but Kerry was able to hold both of those things and help me stay true to what I wanted every step of the way. Any time I got information, I would talk to her about it, and she helped me figure out next steps and had the best discuss things with my care team. Also, when it came time for my induction, which she never pushed on me but I wanted to have, she spent the last hour or two before I started pushing with me and my husband. She had become like a close member of our family, and it was easy to have her around. She watched the shows we were watching, laughed about the things we were laughing about, and was generally just an easy presence. Also, when I had some pretty strong pain, she was able to work it out through various massage techniques because she knows what she's doing so well. When it came time to push, Kerry taught me exactly what to do, and she stuck with me even when there were moments where we weren't sure the baby would come out that way. Ultimately, I only pushed for 10 minutes, and Kerry was an enormous part of that. She even recorded some of it for me so that I could have it as a memory later. The next day, Kerry came and helped me and my baby get established with breast-feeding properly again, and she has stayed in touch through his first year. She did that with both of our kids, and she'll forever be a big part of our family's story. I cannot recommend Kerry enough to anyone. She is no nonsense, but she's also got a great sense of humor, she knows the client she's working with and tailors her approach to exactly that family. Not just the woman giving birth, but the entire family unit. I could not be more grateful that we found Kerry. Highly recommend her to anyone having any kind of birth. She has incredible knowledge, wisdom, and general sense, and she is exactly the person I would've chosen for this important experience.

If you're even thinking about hiring a doula, stop debating and call Liz! She is the professional,…read morecompassionate, and knowledgeable presence you didn't know you needed but absolutely do. My husband and I couldn't have asked for a better person to have by our side during our second labor and delivery experience. I was late to the game, deciding to hire Liz toward the end of my second trimester, and she jumped in like we'd been friends for years. She listened to every detail of my first delivery (tears and all) and helped me process my fears about being induced again. Liz didn't just hear me--she held space for my feelings, validated my worries, and helped me shift my mindset in the most empowering way. On the big day, she arrived at the hospital right when my contractions were ramping up. Her calm guidance and confidence in me made the experience transformative. I wanted an unmedicated birth, and thanks to Liz's support, encouragement, and expert coaching through contractions and pushing, that's exactly what I achieved. This delivery was night and day compared to my first--it was redemptive, empowering, and everything I'd hoped for. Even my husband, a man of few words, quickly admitted after our son was born that having Liz there was a game-changer. He felt supported and reassured knowing we had someone on our team who could explain the medical lingo and navigate the process with us. Liz is truly a gem. Her calming demeanor, wealth of knowledge, and radiant smile will carry you through labor and beyond. Whether you're a first-time parent or not, she'll leave you feeling capable, cared for, and encouraged. Do yourself a favor: hire Liz. You'll thank yourself later!

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.

We had a great experience! Very early in my pregnancy, I reached out to Nathalie for a doula and…read moregot a response right away. She was very informative and provided my husband and I with answers to all our questions. We were initially connected with a couple different doulas that would be available during my due date and had interviews with them -- we ended up hiring Hannah Wright. From the get-go, Hannah was amazing. She was exactly what we needed. She provided great advice throughout my pregnancy and she especially gave my husband a lot of confidence in being my support person by having her there during the actual labor and birth. She provided excellent support and kept me grounded during the entire process and immediately stepped in and started providing all the tips and tricks in her wheelhouse to help me cope during my fast and intense epidural-free birth. I would certainly recommend her to anyone else. As for the more administrative end of things, we also have no complaints. Communication was excellent, the contract process with was very clear and straightforward, and we found the doula rates very reasonable.

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.

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.

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.

The difference between Joya and other sleep consultants is that she cares more, checks in (even…read moreafter sleep training), and helps get babies sleeping without causing emotional trauma. I would highly recommend to any parents in the DC area who are having trouble getting their baby or kid to sleep

As many parents can relate, kids go through different sleep patterns in their short life. Around…read more2, my daughter was very dependent on me to fall asleep. I reached out to Joya based on a recommendation and she gave me some good advice and a plan which helped so much. A year later at 3, my daughter once again had sleep "issues". I once again reached out to Joya for help, I was so tired and desperate. She explained how toddler sleep training works and laid out another plan for me to follow. Within 3 days, we were all finally sleeping again! Joya is a baby whisperer! She is easy to work with, personable and has a wealth of knowledge. Thanks to Joya, we've all been sleeping well for the past few months!

We are incredibly grateful to have had Katie as our doula. She is professional, deeply experienced,…read morecompassionate, and exceptionally skilled at working with medical providers while always advocating for her clients. As someone of advanced maternal age with a pregnancy complicated by hypertension, I felt supported and informed every step of the way. Katie was a steady, reassuring presence throughout pregnancy, induction, and birth. She helped us navigate complex medical decisions with clarity and confidence, and her calm advocacy made a meaningful difference in our experience. We felt heard, respected, and empowered throughout the entire process. I cannot recommend her highly enough.

Katie is exceptional at her job, and an amazing human being. My wife and I were both very anxious…read moreeven before we were expecting for the first time. My wife needed someone who could instill calmness, provide information, and accommodate her preferences for labor. I needed someone who could help me be the involved partner i wanted to be through the childbirth process and after. That is why once we found out we were expecting we were looking for a doula to help us sort through the tons of information on preparing for childbirth, childbirth itself and the medical, personal, and other choices associated with it. Katie is an expert's expert, but is able to talk through different topics in a way that helped put us at ease. She's friendly and funny, which helps when she is walking through medical decisions, how to talk to doctors, how to talk to family, considerations and questions we have as first-time parents. She also makes herself available by phone and text when we have questions at random hours with baby. On top of all that, after our baby girl was born, she was able to follow up with us and help teach us a few tricks here and there as well as answer questions we had as things came up.

We cannot say enough wonderful things about DCBD. This was my/our first pregnancy, and we truly…read morefelt supported every step of the way by their team. Especially in those last 1-2 months, we leaned so heavily on the birth doulas and they responded to all of our questions and concerns immediately. We learned the most about how to care for our daughter and what was happening in my body from DCBD. I went into labor and the birth experience feeling ready and excited, and that's because of the experience, information, and kindness that were shared with us ahead of time. The birth - nearly 4 months later, and we are still talking about Camille! We are going to remember her forever - she was such a wonderful presence during my entire labor and after, and we don't know what we would have done without her. She made sure my husband and I knew what was happening, she advocated for us, she ensured I was comfortable (well, as comfortable as you can be in labor), and she really rooted for us the whole time. I felt safe because she was with us. And Ella - we were shocked that someone who didn't *have* to be there, stayed for the entire labor, participated, and stayed after when we were transferred to the postpartum room! She will be (or already is) a phenomenal birth doula. We felt so lucky to have Camille and Ella. Post birth - Lolonyo came to our house the very first night we were back from the hospital, and what a gift she is. She taught us how to soothe a baby, how to change a diaper (I'm sure they showed us in the hospital... but I could not remember haha). We had her for several nights during those first 2 months and we were so, so grateful to wake up the next morning refreshed, rested, and with the knowledge that our daughter had been held in loving arms all night long. She was never judgmental and was always supportive as we navigated breastfeeding, safe cosleeping, and everything else. We also had Joanna for several daytime visits. She always made sure to check in on my mental and physical health, which was so appreciated, and she was so helpful. We always felt like we were able to reset a bit after her visits, because she'd leave behind clean bottles and pump parts and a rested (and sometimes still sleeping) baby, and we would have had time to ourselves to shower and get a little more organized. She made our chaotic lives feel lighter, and we loved her for that. As a DCBD member you'll also have the opportunity to be part of a postpartum circle of other parents going through what you did. Shaleen and Elizabeth gave us space to talk through birth and everything that comes after, while feeling supported and safe. I'm still friends with some of the parents from my circle. In closing - DCBD is worth every single penny. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts!

Rebecca from DC Birth Doulas was absolutely incredible. From the moment we first connected, I…read moreimmediately felt comfortable with her and the entire team. She has such a warm, genuine presence that made it easy to ask questions and talk through everything honestly. She was always responsive and gave thoughtful, real answers that helped me feel informed and confident throughout the process. I was hoping for a VBAC, and with Rebecca's support we were able to have a successful one. She provided amazing support not only for me, but also for my husband. During labor she was calm, encouraging, and incredibly knowledgeable, helping us both feel grounded and supported every step of the way. Having Rebecca there made such a difference in our birth experience. I'm so grateful for her care and for the support of the entire DC Birth Doulas team. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a compassionate, knowledgeable, and truly supportive doula