I would not recommend Family Ways to anyone who needs a doula. I had a contract with them for doula…read moresupport for the birth of my son, which included birth prep, the birth itself, and postpartum support. I had one meeting in person with my doula and a handful of texts and one call with her (almost all of which were initiated by me). I ended up having a precipitous birth and didn't make it to the hospital in time to deliver. I delivered in my bathtub at home just as the paramedics arrived and then was transported to the hospital via ambulance. I was in contact with the doula before this happened and she said she was on the way to the hospital to meet me there. I obviously could not call her as the birth was happening and I was transported to the hospital (I did not even have my phone on me) but my husband called the doula and let her know. When I finally got my phone back, I had a text from her from hours prior saying she was in the area and wanted to know if I still wanted her to come. I thought she had left so I texted back that the baby had arrived and that I wanted to touch base for some postpartum support. She never reached back out to me. So once I was home from the hospital, I emailed with Family Ways to ask about this. It seemed rather unfair to have paid $1,500 and to have not really received any support. I understand that they would not give me a refund, but I asked if they could at least offer some postpartum support, since I had nothing during a rather traumatic birth, and that was included in the contract. They refused any further service and argued that the contract had been fulfilled. I'll let others decide if that sits right wit them, but I was very disappointed by this. I felt abandoned and gaslight after a difficult pregnancy, traumatic delivery, and in the fog of postpartum. It was especially disappointing from a service that is supposedly based on being a support system from pregnant and postpartum people during a very vulnerable time. If you do decide to use Family Ways, I would be very clear before signing any contract what support they will give you, especially if your birth doesn't go as planned.

What can I say?? Rachel was so wonderful to work with for my birth. I had a birth plan in mind, and…read moreshe was supportive from the beginning. She is a wealth of information, and was able to educate me on many evidence based birthing practices. I had an unmedicated birth, and was so glad to have Rachel by my side during labor. Note that she will support you in any birth plan or however your labor ends up going. Thankful for Rachel and Family Ways!

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.

Thank you so much, Chanel. You truly supported us every step of the way leading up to the arrival…read moreof our first baby. As first-time parents, we didn't know what to expect, but you kept us informed throughout and continued to care for us even after she was born. Your genuine care for your clients shines through. Without a doubt, you'll be part of every baby we welcome into our family.

From the owner: Offering birth support, virtual labor support and placenta encapsulation services. read more

I'll admit it. I was skeptical as to the role a doula would play in the birth of my daughter, but…read moreafter going through the entire process, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND getting a doula and hiring Lois and Alyssa. Here's why: 1) Even though I remained calm during the birth of my daughter, it's a high stress situation and it's easy to forget all the classes you attended and books you read. Lois was our doula and her calm demeanor, quick problem solving, and extensive knowledge is what got my wife, daughter, and myself through labor. 2) Lois was our advocate. Although GWU Hospital Midwives are amazing, they see so many babies born each day. Lois was our personal champion and helped us create a birth plan and she fought for us during labor. 3) Lois also provided our birth class at our home. It was way cheaper than other classes and personalized to you and your partner. She comes to you, which makes it easier as well especially if your partner is tired due to pregnancy. 4) Lois has a calming presence and that makes all the difference. She listens to you and empathizes with you. She gets to know you and your partner and then works with you to find labor coping mechanisms, etc. that fit you. Some people make experiences about them, but not Lois. She allows the experience to be about you and supports you throughout it. 5) Lois was available. She would answer any questions we had and even came to our house when my wife started to labor. She sat with her and massaged her and found coping mechanisms that actually works (Like holding a comb). She then came with us to the hospital and stayed until after birth and we were in a good place. 6) Lois has credibility. She worked at GWU Hospital Midwives and is a well respected doula. That opened many doors for us at the hospital because of her credibility and integrity. If you're thinking about getting a doula, call Lois. She'll meet with you over coffee and I promise you'll want to hire her on the spot. Her presence is the best and will make your delivery so much better!

My husband and I had the pleasure of working with DC Doulas (specifically Alyssa) to help us with…read morethe delivery of our baby girl. I can't say enough amazing things about these ladies, they are all truly amazing. Alyssa was everything I could have wanted in a doula and more. I decided to use the midwives at GW for my labor and delivery and I am so grateful that they insisted we hire a doula. I was hesitant about the idea of hiring a doula and I was skeptical of their exact role but I'm so so glad that we ended up using them. They were worth every penny (beyond worth it)! After my birth experience, I recall telling my husband that I would have paid double for their services - that's how invaluable Alyssa was to me. She was calm, she was patient, she was loving, and most importantly she was just there. I was in labor for 14 hours and Alyssa didn't leave my side for a second. At some point, my husband told her to take a break and grab something to eat, but she stayed by my side for 14 hours. She only left to use the restroom and to bring me water. Whenever I was in pain, she massaged me. She knew exactly where to add pressure to alleviate the pain and I would go from screaming to relaxed in seconds - she did this for 14 hours - and these weren't light massages, these were deep tissue/deep massages she had to give me every few minutes. She must have been exhausted but no one would ever be able to tell. Not only was I impressed by her, but my entire family was impressed by her including the staff at GW. Fast forward to postpartum care - I have had the pleasure of working with the entire team - Lois, Alyssa, and Hancie. I feel like there is nothing that can prepare you for the first few weeks of a baby's life but these ladies made it more manageable. They came to the house and did any and everything. I had difficulty breastfeeding and they helped me through that difficult period, they made sure I was eating when I was too busy doing everything else, they did laundry, they did dishes, they helped with the baby - they were once again, invaluable. I will forever be grateful to these ladies and I look forward to working with them again when our family grows.

I was one of those moms-to-Be who adamantly wanted her Birth Plan to be honored: I especially did…read morenot want a c-section or drugs! Yet I learned from my wedding day that not everything would go as planned so I'd best learn to let go and live in the moment, accepting things outside of my control. Upon meeting Kerry in person, we knew she would be great! She rolled with all of our questions with patience, and she had a tattoo in Sanskrit meaning we connected on a spiritual level both being yoginis. Yet my husband and I could not have anticipated just how awesome Kerry is as a doula until labor got real at the hospital! I had a complex labor lasting nearly 48 hours. She arrived 20 hours before delivery and thus stayed awake the entire time. She was calm throughout and answered questions about the labor process that couldn't be answered in the labor papers she or the hospital had given us-even the "dirty/gross woman" stuff! When labor advanced, she helped my husband and I make informed decisions when the midwives and doctors came into my room to give me news (more than once) that I did not want to hear (hint: things that needed to be considered that were not in my Birth Plan). Because the labor was so long and I had not slept, I opted for the epidural after 36 hours of labor so I could sleep through contractions and have the energy to push. She never judged me for this and instead supported that decision which was not on my Birth Plan to get me through the labor to delivery. She also gave me the best massages in my lower back so I didn't feel the back labor contractions (they were very uncomfortable without her massages!) She did this often like a champ without complaint and little sleep. She was a coach too encouraging me throughout it all, reminding me of all the positive to keep my energy levels up and believe in myself. For all these reasons and more, without reservation, my husband and I recommend Kerry.

This is the place to go. My two cents here first and my wife's follow. We felt so confident with…read moreKerry and Cara from the moment we met them, and that feeling carried through the long labor and birth. are true godsends. My wife's labor was very long and Kerry handled her morale, the mood of the room, and the family situation with aplomb. She came to our house after the birth and showed us how to wrap and carry our new daughter and gave my wife indispensable advice on her recovery. Can't say enough good things about her.

Faith and the NOVA team are truly first rate…read more Expertise is on pace with any doc we spoke to. The guidance and peace of mind was priceless. We cannot recommend them enough. Easily the best money we've spent in regards to the birth process. Joslyn has been a huge help with the baby at night and treats him like her own. She has offered expertise and little hacks here and there that have made a huge difference for us in getting acclimated as new parents (hello pace feeding). we only wish there were more of her! We feel so blessed to have found NOVA and confidently recommend them to anyone, even though we would selfishly like it if we could keep them for ourselves. God Bless!

Absolutely avoid this business at all costs. They have you pay your entire contract upfront - which…read moreis almost unheard of. The rate is nonrefundable, even if they do not provide you services. I'm out over $2k because we cancelled our contract early after 8 no-show night nannies. 8 times we hired their employee and they either didn't show up or cancelled hours before. They even had the last night nanny that called out day of service contact us saying that if we get a refund, she doesn't get paid. The company lied and exaggerated issues for no shows to make it more justifiably (as seen in the text attached). The nanny called us night of the accident saying she was fine AND she was on a flight for a trip the next day. Faith called it a "near deadly accident". Disgusting business dealings. Not only are they lying, but also putting them in such a desperate situation where the nanny is forced to reach out to the customer and guilt us to not taking a refund (second pic). We've since found another company to work with and they have been amazing, reliable, and professional.

When I got pregnant with my third child, after a very isolating experience with my second during…read morethe pandemic, I was certain that I wanted the support of a postpartum doula this time around. When I connected with Myesha and we agreed to work with each other, I immediately felt relief and support and I knew I made the right decision. After I had my baby, Myesha arrrived to my home, on time and with a huge smile ready to help me tackle my new challenge of being a mother to 3 children. Together, Myesha and I brainstormed systems and routines which allowed me to feel organized and confident. Myesha also held my baby so that I could prioritize self-care. In the several weeks that Myesha supported me and my family, I got to know her more and her presence was truly a blessing. I feel fortunate that I found her and that she was available and flexible. Myesha is gentle, warm and knowledgeable. If you hire Myesha to support you during your birth or during the tender time after having your baby, you will not regret it. Myesha has been a gift!

From the owner: Black-woman-owned DMV-based doula care specializing in fertility, postpartum, placenta…read moreencapsulation, and infant feeding services.

I am so grateful that I found Cara as my birth doula. She was immediately someone who I felt open…read morewith and after talking through my birth plan, I knew she would guide me in the ways I needed during labor. Cara was a true sense of calm, bringing experience, intuition, and all the tools I needed to feel ready when labor started. With all thanks to Cara and our preparation together, I had the most positive, amazing, completely natural birth and I was confident I could do it!

We began our search for a doula with recommendations from a labor and delivery nurse who used to…read morework in DC. As I started checking websites and making calls, Cara immediately stood out from the rest and I knew that she was who we wanted to work with. After an initial video call, Cara came to our home to answer all (& we had a million!) of our questions about labor and delivery, she went over what we could expect from her and helped us put together a birth plan. We had been told to expect a larger baby and I really wanted to avoid a c-section and medication so we discussed with Cara my wishes and we spoke in length about how important the baby's positioning would be for safe delivery. Cara also showed me exercises on a fitness ball, gave me tips on how to increase my chances of spontaneous labor and brought a fabulous tea blend for me! Cara provided us with her 'labor line' number and I alerted her when I was transitioning from pre-labor/early labor into Stage 1 (she provides a very helpful chart!). I then progressed through the stages quicker than I realized (or anticipated) and didn't alert her again until the urge to push was involuntary and my contractions were very intense and very close together. We called her and she very calmly talked me through what was happening and said she'd meet us at the hospital. Within 30 minutes of our call, we were all at the hospital and 30 minutes after that our daughter was born. Cara was incredible at keeping us calm in a very chaotic situation. It was great to have her helping us communicate with the hospital staff because all of their questions (while necessary) were very overwhelming at that point in the labor process. She even does a home visit after the birth, she was able to ease our new parent fears and answer questions we had about caring for our newborn and breast feeding. We very highly recommend Cara for your birth journey!

We have had the most incredible experience with Tay and the Momager Co. We hired them for our birth…read moreand postpartum based on community recommendations from our local LGBTQ+ parenting community, and were especially compelled by their understanding of the additional factors impacting us as an interracial queer couple. Our experience has been above & beyond what we could have imagined, and we are now recommending them to everyone we know - in particular other LGBTQ and BIPOC parents who could use an extra ally in the process who "just gets it" without any explanation needed. From the beginning, Tay offered really thorough support and communication throughout our pregnancy (we hired her sometime towards the end of the first trimester). We had several sessions supporting us as a couple in preparing not only materially and physically for the transitions into birth and parenthood, but also emotionally and mentally/spiritually. Some in person and some over the phone. Highly recommend hiring them early in the pregnancy (or even for conception care!) if you are able. As the birth approached, Tay was supportive of our process and decisions, even as we grappled with anxieties and fears arising from past birth-related traumas, overwhelm and decision making as we interfaced with the medical system, and chose a hospital further out from us (and them!) than was ideal. When we landed in the hospital a couple times prior to labor beginning, she coached us through our options and helped us self advocate with doctors and make decisions that felt right to us. During the birth, Tay helped us make wise decisions about when to wait at home, and once we were at the hospital and labor picked up (we chose an induction date due to some risk factors and past birth experiences) she was extremely supportive, driving the hour and a half to the hospital when we were ready and coaching us skillfully through our labor and delivery. I truly believe that our labor went as smoothly and quickly as it did, and was a positive experience, due in large part to her support and skill as a provider. She is equal parts protective bulldog when necessary, nurturing force reminding you of your own strength, and quick intuitive decision maker helping to ease and support the body's process as it does what it knows how to do. Post-birth, Tay has continued to be a supportive and trusted presence, helping us navigate decisions and processing our experience. We are still in the postpartum period and truly cannot recommend her services more highly. We cannot imagine our experience without her, and would recommend her to anyone without reservation! And in particular to other queer, gender expansive, interracial, and/or BIPOC couples and parents.

Hired Taja as our doula. She came across as being extremely compassionate and thoughtful. We…read morebrought up wanting a doula who would come early because my wife had trouble getting into active labor in our first birth and then it moved fast and our previous midwife missed the birth. She agreed and brought up that our toddler could be a distraction and that my wife and I "need to be in our love bubble." Additionally suggested we hire her daughter to look after our son in early labor, which we did. We brought up that she was just one stop down on the metro and that was assuring to us. She also asked my wife if she was the type of person that worried about inconveniencing people and she said "yes". Come labor post water breaking, we called our Taja and she had an entirely different tone. She said she was an hour away and asked just about contraction timing. Mentioning that she was an hour out after explicitly asking my wife if she was the type of person who had difficulty inconveniencing people seemed mean and a stark contrast to the thoughtfulness she projected. She never listened through a contraction and concluded it was too early, In stark contrast our incredible midwives from Sage Midwifery were already present and stayed until birth. Taja checked via text or phone call maybe two or three more times, but remained an hour out and continued to just ask for contraction timing, nothing else. This seemed irrelevant because we already said we wanted her early and her daughter was to look after our toddler. My wife ended up having a very similar experience to her first birth, active labor was very fast and at that point we gave up on trying to drag Taja into a birth we felt she didn't want to participate in. We hired her late in my wife's pregnancy so we only had a couple of appointments, and she never offered to give us any of our money back.

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