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.

As a first-time single mom, I contacted Rebecca to receive supportive and effective lactation…read moreconsulting. Unfortunately, my experience fell significantly short of expectations, prompting me to remove my initial positive review. It seemed adequate the first day as she seemed to be a nice person, also relentlessly asking me to leave it, and I had no experience or opportunity to compare it to anything. But in a few days that followed, as advised, practices started leading to the worsening of my milk supply and led me to seek immediate help, which led to a change in my opinion. Despite Rebecca's apparent expertise, the session failed to address crucial issues, such as my son's latching difficulties and my inadequate milk supply. Even though Rebecca advertises such services as checking tongue ties and assistance with the latch, she is an entirely hands-off consultant, which, if I had known ahead of time, I would've not booked her. Rebeca sat on the chair most of the appointment and left promptly at the 1.5-hour mark, citing that I hadn't had more questions. At the time, I did not because I didn't know what I needed to ask. Addressing my pump usage alone would have taken over 30 min, but Rebecca doesn't offer such a review unless you explicitly tell her it's needed. Notably, Rebecca's advice against pumping & burping and her passive approach to the session contributed to a near loss in my milk supply. It exacerbated my son's digestive discomfort due to incorrect shallow feeding positions and lack of burping guidance. The lack of practical assistance, particularly with latch correction and pump usage (Rebecca did not offer to review my pumping practices, check if I was using the pump correctly, or measure my nipple, all that despite me telling her that I was using flanges three sizes bigger than what I'm supposed to), forced me to seek another lactation consultant, whose hands-on and proactive approach starkly contrasted Rebecca's. After the visit, Rebecca has shared many links with me to help me learn some information on my own. Many of those links weren't working, and those that did left me wondering where I would find the time to read and watch them when I have a tiny human requiring my 24/7 attention. Her advice to watch movies in the morning and try to get some rest/sleep also seemed a little out of place for a mom with a newborn child. For $450, the services rendered were inadequate and detrimental, leading to stress and additional expenses needed to rectify the issues caused. This experience has not only been financially burdensome but also emotionally taxing, highlighting a pressing need for Rebecca to reevaluate her service delivery and pricing model. I share this feedback not from personal dissatisfaction alone but to caution future clients about the potential disparity between expectations and the reality of the services provided. Requesting a refund, unfortunately, did not lead to a response or negotiations. Despite the quite apparent issues, Rebecca believes that her services were adequate and was unwilling to negotiate. I hope for acknowledgment of these concerns and adjustments in practice to prevent future clients from enduring a similar experience. Just be aware that with the way Rebecca's visits are structured, you need to proactively advocate for yourself and ask her questions, because she won't touch upon topics you personally don't find challenging. Meanwhile, the other LC I hired has an in-depth protocol where she is entirely hands-on and goes over every detail of your nursing journey without you even realizing how many details you are missing. To future customers, I can recommend never to rush to review services you can't compare to anything, and take the time to see if the provided services do lead to long-term positive outcomes. Also, don't pay cash. Otherwise, you risk never getting any reimbursement, even if the services you'll receive won't be what you've expected.

Rebecca is hands down amazing! I reached out to her when my son was three weeks old after…read moredeveloping a painful blister from breastfeeding. Rebecca responded immediately and came to us the very next day. She noticed right away that his latch was shallow and taught me tips and techniques for helping him get a better latch, along with muscle exercises to loosen his lips. She also showed me more comfortable feeding positions than the ones I was using (with her very own doll and stuffed toy breast, which I thought was cute). She also weighed my baby before and after feeding and helped me figure out the correct size flange to use for pumping. The very next day she provided us an email with her observations and a detailed care plan. Rebecca is delightful, informed, patient and kind. She listens attentively and provides detailed and technical information. I emailed her with some follow up questions and her response rate was incredibly fast. You can tell that she is passionate about this line of work and genuinely cares about her clients. I can't recommend her highly enough.

Kim Collins is well known in our community for her amazing skills as a doula and for being a…read morewonderful person in general. My husband and I were impressed with her upon our first phone call and in person meeting. She was able to speak to my husband's scientific sensibilities and my desire to incorporate more natural approaches to health and wellness during pregnancy and childbirth. Kim's help was indispensable during my labor. My husband has retold the story many times of how I was writhing in pain in a rocking chair until Kim arrived and snapped me out of it with just a few words. Kim calmly suggested that I soften my face, release my shoulders, and take a deep breath and suddenly my whole body relaxed. With Kim's calming presence, expertise, and knowledge of women's bodies in labor, I was able to move past my own self-doubt to deliver my daughter without pain medication. For me, the key benefits of having Kim as our doula was how she showed my husband to help, her guidance in breathing and relaxation through tense moments, and her kneading my strained muscles. My husband and I have agreed to ask for Kim if/when we have additional children. After baby was born, we had trouble with weight gain and breastfeeding. International Board Certified Lactation Consultant Deirdre McLary came to our home with less than 2 days notice and helped turn things around. She listened to me talk about our feeding experiences so far, my anxieties, and my hope to exclusively breastfeed for a year. She also weighed the baby before a feeding, gave tips during the feeding, and weighed the baby again afterwards. We learned that baby was not latching well and was not taking in very much milk. Deirdre helped ease my misconceptions about breastfeeding, pumping, and formula so that I could do what was needed to make sure my daughter was fed. With her help, my daughter has been gaining well and progressively latching more efficiently. Both Kim and Deirdre are remarkably responsive to texts, phone calls, and emails - always with a gentle professional manner no matter how panicked or scrambled I may be.

From the owner: Doula ~ Lactation ~ Newborn. MommaArts is a full service…read morematernity agency transitioning Rockland County NY and Northern New Jersey parents from pregnancy through the first year since 1997. We offer excellent and experienced care from our amazing team of doulas, educators, newborn specialists and lactation experts. Fees range depending on who you work with, from hourly rates to full "maternity concierge" packages. With a rich local history and a diversity of experience in all different birth and home settings we are certain we can create a birth and post partum plan that is perfect for you.

Catherine saved me! My daughter was in the NICU when she was first born and received formula…read morefeedings, but I really wanted to breastfeed. She gave me options and helped me forward. Catherine intuitively knew what I needed.

When Catherine came to our home to help me and my family after the hospital, it was as if the…read moreclouds parted and heavenly disco music blared from the universe. She was knowledgable, funny, and kind. When it comes to breastfeeding - which is one of the hardest things that I ever did - I felt as though no one really talks about it. The clogged ducts, problems with latching, PAIN, exhaustion, mastitis, being tethered to your baby for what seems like forever, cluster feeding, low milk production, pumping, and on and on!!!! Tack on the guilt and shame you can feel when nothing seems to be going right, and you have yourself a recipe for a heaping dose of PPD. I was LOST and felt ALONE. Catherine not only knew what to do, she was an unconditional supporter of everything I needed and wanted to do throughout the process. No judgement. Not pushy. She always knew exactly what to say to steer my thought process into a productive and positive place (AND make me laugh). I cannot recommend her enough and I'm not sure what I would have done if she didn't come into our lives. I was able to make the best decisions about my breastfeeding journey for me and my baby BECAUSE of her. If you feel like any of the above, just know that there is help, and her name is Catherine :) Thank you, Catherine. Me and my little dude are forever grateful. Xo

Dana is incredible!!! After a painful and stressful day due to complicated nursing issues and…read moredoctor visits, Dana completely saved the day!! She is so skilled, knowledgeable, and helpful!! She made me feel really comfortable right away, and was so thoughtful and easy to talk to. My husband and baby were so at ease too! Dana was amazingly organized and resourceful, and provided such useful and insightful feedback and hands-on support. I could not have had a better experience, and I am so grateful we found her! Life saver!!! So thrilled and relieved to be nursing again so smoothly, and would not be here without Dana! I can't thank her enough.

From the owner: IBCLC breastfeeding support to help you reach your breastfeeding goals…read more Some common issues that I can help with are: - breastfeeding questions - latch and positioning - nipple pain/trauma - low/under supply - oversupply - weight gain concerns - tongue or lip tie affecting breastfeeding - fussy babies - twins (or more!) - this one is near and dear to my heart :) - returning to work planning - prenatal breastfeeding planning - weaning

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.

Getting a massage from Emily is like everything she is or was or will be is touching everything you…read moreare or were or ever will be. (Too much? Lol) She's the best. She genuinely cares about every aspect of the care she's offering and it shows. She's also very professional and makes it very easy/convenient to do business with her. I couldn't recommend her more. Note: she only takes female/female identifying clients at this time.

Emily is the most talented masseuse! She is kind, a great listener, and customizes sessions to meet…read moremy requests. She is the only masseuse able to cure my aches and pains.

Amazing service for getting a reliable and professional night nurse…read more Amanda was so easy to talk to and I told her exactly what I was looking for in a night nurse. I already had a terrible experience with my first and had to let her go. Amanda sent over Bianca who was the best. She handled by gassy, fussy baby with love and guidelines. She was very professional and left notes for us daily. She even pointed out things to change as my baby was growing. She left her nurse extra clean and organized. She also prepared bottles for the day and did my laundry. Of course my baby needed extra attention so baby comes first before anything else. I slept in peace knowing my girl was in good hands. Bianca was God sent and I wish she could have stayed with us longer. You do have to book with them way in advance because they are booked out. We only had Bianca 3 days a week because she only works those days and we were on waitlist for another night nanny but couldn't get another person. Very professional and great with new born.

The Bella Nurses were truly a life saver! Not only were they amazing with my twins but they…read morecomforted and pampered me!! I recommend them wholeheartedly!