This review has been a LONG time coming! I've been meaning to write this for a year now!…read moreWorked with Tender Beginnings from Feb 2022 until Sept 2022 during my first pregnancy. I was SO excited when Donise called me, as I sat in a cold, sterile OB's office that I absolutely hated. When she said a spot opened up, I jumped at the opportunity! From the initial visit when I met Mary Anne and grew acquainted with the team (including Howie ) to my follow up 6 weeks after giving birth, Mary Anne took her time to educate, inform, listen, and understand. The care she takes with each patient is the opposite of what you get with an OBGYN, who tends to take the "one-size-fits-all" approach. Together, we planned the home water birth I always dreamed of. We talked game-plan, from who would be there, who would arrive later, care for me, what to buy/save, and what would happen after, and in my mind the birth of my dreams was destined to be. Around my 30-32 week follow up, I shared with her some anxiety/fear around the what-if it didn't go as planned? What if I had to give birth in my bed instead because my baby came too quick? What if XYZ? She gently & tenderly replied "Oh honey, there's a very high chance your birth won't go as planned. It may not be the birth you envisioned, but it will be the RIGHT birth for YOU." Those words echoed in my mind 10 weeks later, when due to illness/stress/lack of sleep, I went past 42 weeks & I had to be induced at St Thomas Midtown in Nashville. I remember the fear of hospitals (passed down from my mother, who delivered 6 by C-Section & had rough recovery) and feeling devastated and like my body had failed me. I was terrified of being induced, terrified of IVs/needles. I wanted a natural birth, no drugs, no interventions. But sometimes, God gives you exactly what you need. He knew me and my husband needed a whole team around us of trained professionals. He knew Mary Anne and Isabel would be the coaches/cheerleaders both of us needed to get through the long labor. They decorated my hospital room with some of the pictures/affirmations and twinkle lights I had set up in my birthing room at home. They were ANGELS sent from Heaven just in the nick of time. The nurses and anesthesiologists were the sweetest most caring people we could ask for. With everyone's help and support, I got through 22 hours of labor before I decided an epidural was the right call for my exhausted sleep-deprived body. There are NO TROPHIES for going through labor unmedicated (just bragging rights ;) ) and once I allowed my body to relax and rest, the rest of labor moved at a much quicker pace. 10 hours later, it was time to push! We had to hold off for a bit so that the attending OB could arrive, and once she made it, 3-4 quick pushes and my sweet son came into the world! And it all melted away. Nothing else mattered anymore, just that my baby was here, safe and sound, and I was safe and sound. I will never forget Mary Anne & team, and their kindness and compassion during the most intimate raw moments of my life. This birth wasn't the birth I had planned; but it was just the birth I needed. Bonus: I have had a lot of medical things done to me since having my son. Needles don't even phase me anymore, my fear of hospitals is gone. I still have such a heart for natural protocols and interventions, yet hold in my heart and mind a newfound respect for some of the things modern medicine has given us. Mary Anne will help you set out to have the birth you envisioned and do everything in her power to make it happen. Just know, if it doesn't happen, she will be by your side. She will grieve with you for a second, and when its time to adjust, she is already 2 steps ahead preparing the gameplan. You can't go wrong with her on your birthing team. Picture of my 13 month of wild child dancing with a stick, as well as my son at 1 Day old

Incredible!! If you are looking for the best Nashville or Murfreesboro area midwife, Mary Anne and…read moreher team are amazing! I am currently pregnant with my second baby, during this and my first pregnancy Mary Anne was super patient and thorough with me and my husband as first time parents at each appointment. She is extremely professional, knowledgeable, and it is evident she loves what she does and truly has a gift. My birth was absolutely amazing: Mary Anne, Elise, and Maggie are just incredible at what they do and I can't imagine a better team. We thank the Lord everyday for sending us to Tender Beginnings!

I would rather give birth alone in a barn than be abused by Kameron. I was lied to, drugged despite…read morerefusals, coerced, and threatened that I would die and my baby would be brain dead. All while in labor with my first, possibly only, child. I had read hours upon hours about my risks (low) she read the front page and none of the linked studies on vaginal birth after fibroid removal surgery then used fear mongering to scare my family. When I disagreed she made up a diagnosis without any labs, signs or symptoms and forced medication into my IV while I slept. I probably had toxicity based on symptoms, but no labs were checked for another 12 hours. They withheld significant information from me, making informed consent iffy at best. Because of the medications I was given I have almost no memory for 36 hours, including the birth and first day of my little one's life. It is devastating. Because of their interventions I had a massive hemorrhage a few hours after birth, where an emergency team was required to stop my bleeding (~2.7L between surgery, a small hemorrhage, and the severe hemo). I struggle with severe birth trauma, postpartum depression w/suicidal ideation, PTSD, and body dysmorphia (from the unwanted and completely unnecessary C-section). This practice does have some very kind people, but you don't get to choose who you get. I have heard a few reports of lovely births...follow your gut and hire a doula for added support/protection.

The business of birthing is a crazy arena…read more On one hand, you have the assembly-line production of a place like Baptist, which is set up to crank out babies regardless the costs to the mother. Sure, it has pretty rooms and massages, but it is all about the c-sections and interventions. On the other hand, you have a group like the Vanderbilt Nurse Midwives. Really the focus there is on the mother and child, and their safety, not making sure the baby comes out so the doctor can hit his tee time. And the really cool thing is that they are totally impartial and non-judgmental; no matter what way you choose to have your kid, they have your back. The rooms at Vandy may not have rich Corinthian leather recliners, but if something goes wrong, you're right there in one of the best hospitals in the country. With our first child, they were fantastic from an education and reassurance standpoint. I think one thing that is truly missing from medical professionals nowadays is the ability to empathize and frankly have a conversation. Not so here. Everyone that I have met through this practice has been amazing. My wife's primary nurse midwife is Linda Hughlett who has been a fantastic resource of advice and guidance for my wife. For the birth of our first child, my wife was in labor for 41 hours, so it was kind of a rollercoaster ride. It took so long that we went through two of the nurse midwives, Emma Gensert, who managed to be energetic, positive and supportive for over 12 hours, and Soheyl Asadsangabi who came in for the end with all new positive energy to help my wife get the job done. They were a great team, working with the nurses and our doula seamlessly and very flexible when the plans changed and my wife decided to get an epidural at hour 36. With our second kid, we had the amazing care of Melissa Allred and a nurse midwife in training, Sarah. While we were really only in their care for around four hours, it was wonderful how positive and supportive of us they were during the process. I can never thank them enough and with their help, my wife ended up delivering unmedicated! The Vanderbilt Nurse-Midwives were also recently featured in a new TLC series, "Baby's First Day". So, if you want a birthing experience without an agenda, centered around the needs of the mommy and baby, combined with a level of care that unusual in this day and age, this is the way to go. Oh yeah, and dads, get a doula, at least for your first one. It's the best thing you can do as an impending parent, short of buying scotch.

Maggie was my midwife for my 4th baby, I was referred to her by a dear friend; and I am so happy to…read morehave found such a beautiful, kind and caring midwife! My situation was very different than most and I'm so glad that she decided to take me on as a client. At the time, I was traveling the county with my husband and 3 kids full time in an RV and knew that I'd be in the Nashville area when I'd be close to my due date. Maggie agreed to take me on at around 27 weeks when so many other midwifes backed out because of my different living situation. An RV birth wasn't easy, but Maggie was so wonderful and positive throughout the entire experience. I didn't end up getting my water birth as I had planned; as RV water heaters just don't cut it, but Maggie and Chelsea made me feel calm and very comfortable. They're a fantastic team!! I wish I could have used her for each of my pregnancies and any future pregnancies.

From the owner: Offering personalized midwifery care in your home. Rooted in faith, nourished by connection,…read moreempowered by evidence-based knowledge.

I could not say more wonderful things about Susie! I am so happy that I found her and chose to have…read moreher as my midwife. She was amazing from the beginning. She has a wealth of information and experience. She has such a vast tool box of tricks of the trade, remedies, soothing techniques and resources. She really helped me in all areas and took a well rounded approach. She helped me problem-solve and provide ways to combat nausea, maintain a healthy meals for me and baby with the right nutrients, she had great recommendations from prenatal vitamins, natural remedies and diet modifications to other providers for part of the pregnancy and birth team. She really listened to me during each session, and helped not only me, but also my family. She talked about how to help my toddler transition into having a baby around, and talked to my husband and answered his questions and also gave me ways to set me up for success in the postpartum period. She and her team (a nurse and a doula) came at 37 weeks to help me set up the birth room and walk through my birth plan. It made me feel so at ease to know that everything was ready and we had a plan for baby. I felt very confident in their care and attention to detail and particularly listening to my desires and wishes and being sure they understood what I wanted. When it came to birth day, she came to my house in the early stages of labor to check in. She was always available via text message or phone call throughout my whole pregnancy, labor and postpartum. It was so nice that I was able to labor at home, but she was available the whole time for me. She gave me things to try throughout labor to help me progress and have the baby well positioned. She did a wonderful job being calm, collected, helpful, but also very professional and knew when she needed to intervene and when she could let me labor. She also was very helpful to my husband, explaining to him what he could do. He loved her just as much as I did, and loved that she talked through things with him, so he knew how he could be helpful to me, and understand what was going on. When I had postpartum complications, she came to my house immediately to check in on me and make sure everything was okay. She always made sure I understood what was happening and why, which, being an anal/cerebral person also in the healthcare field, I very much appreciated. Susie went above and beyond what I would have ever expected and made my pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum experience so comfortable and beautiful! I am forever thankful to her! I will not only use her for my next pregnancy and recommend her to everyone, I also consider her my wise, sweet friend and mentor.

Abby was very knowledgable and compassionate throughout my pregnancy and delivery! She made it easy…read morefor me to learn as much as I could about the whole process, which I really appreciated. My husband and I felt she was the best to bring our daughter into the world. She was absolutely amazing during my labor. And took great care of my baby once she arrived. We will be grateful for her for such an important part of our and our daughter's lives.

This was my first pregnancy, and I really couldn't have had a better team on my side. She was there…read morefor me literally 24 hours a day if I needed anything. Even if it was just a silly question. When I went into labor they traveled from Nashville Tennessee to central Georgia to make sure I had all my needs addressed and any support needed. This was a highly blessed pregnancy and delivery. I couldn't imagine it with out Itty-Bitty's delivery

Haven Birth helped us with our last birth (in 2019) and it went so smoothly! We chose Haven for our…read morehome birth because of their depth of experience and safety standards and because of the positive feedback we heard from other mamas and families. We had a rocky start to the pregnancy with a miscarriage scare that required pelvic rest and the Haven team was wonderful throughout that time. The prenatal visits were encouraging, empowering and educational and I was always given plenty of space to voice my concerns and ask questions. When labor began (a full week "late"), baby came very quickly and we were so thankful that our birth team did too. We loved having our son at home (instead of in our vehicle, like we did with our second )! How amazing to feel safe and empowered to give birth the way we wanted to, in our own space! The birth team was attentive to postpartum care as well and helped us get started as a family of five. Our midwife felt like part of the family by the time our journey with Haven was over and we are so grateful!

I had my youngest baby with Haven at home. The care and attention that I received was my most…read moreamazing birth experience. The care throughout my pregnancy was sweet and personal. I have often considered having another baby just due to how amazing this experience was for me and my family. I cannot recommend the Haven team more!

Had 2 children born here. Amazing people and wonderful experience for everyone involved.read more

I had my little one here in december via waterbirth. It was an absolutely wonderful experience and…read moreI could not have received better care. There are so many things I could say about Natchez and Elaine (their midwife). Instead of gushing I will just say this... if you are interested in their care please feel free to message me I would be happy to answer any questions that you have or tell you more about my experience in detail.