Vanessa Lewis is a colleague of mine and I find her to be very knowledgeable and experienced and a…read morelovely person

My pregnancy was very eventful, it seemed like each day brought on a new difficulty. My Ob office…read morewas not helping me and didn't care about what I wanted for my pregnancy, labor and delivery. I sincerely do not know what I would have done without Vanessa. She helped me and my husband through a very difficult pregnancy, labor and delivery. She started as my midwife but quickly turned into my doula since a home birth wasn't recommended due to gestational diabetes's. She gave me information and guidance to help me stay off insulin and medication. Vanessa really cared about what "I" wanted and that was a breath of fresh air considering all the other OBs and midwifes I saw in the area like to tell me what I was going to do. I'll forever be grateful for her being by my side and helping me look forward to what was really important a healthy baby. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Vanessa. You have been such a wonderful midwife, doula and now friend to me. Thank you for what you do, for supporting what women want during their pregnancy and empowering them to do it. New Life Blessings will give you the information but let YOU make the decisions. If that's what you are looking for New Life Blessings won't let you down :) God Bless!

I've seen Caitlin a few times for virtual PT sessions over the last few months and I cannot say…read moreenough wonderful things about working with her! Between her warm and inviting energy to her medical expertise, I've really enjoyed working with her and have benefited from her treatment plan! As someone who was still struggling with leaks 3 years after having a child, I am happy to say that it is never too late to start and I've noticed a significant improvement in pelvic floor strength! I will continue to see her virtually and recommend her to all my mom friends!

My husband and I took some prenatal classes with Kaeli at Open Circle and it provided us a great…read morefoundation of information about what to expect for childbirth and the postpartum period. We opted for two private classes which were reasonably priced and tailored to our needs. As a teacher, Kaeli is warm and welcoming, knowledgeable, balanced, and evidence-based. After the birth of my child, she even helped get me in touch with some additional support. She is a wonderful resource and we are lucky to have her in our birthing community in RI.

I've had the pleasure of working with Kaeli and Motion Center Mom & Baby over the years. Most…read morerecently, my son(4) and daughter (2.5) attended the toddler yoga class in the spring. Kaeli's steady and warm presence puts children at ease and inspires a playful and curious attitude. My son, who was apprehensive at first grew to love the joyous and consistent rhythm of the class. With each class his participation and level of comfort increased. By the end of the session, he exclaimed that it was the favorite part of his busy and active day. My daughter adored Kaeli and how she infused music and story into the yoga class. She would often request songs from class at home and eagerly awaited her beloved yoga class with Kaeli. My first introduction to Motion Center was through the prenatal yoga class which at the time provided much physical and emotional relief during my pregnancy. My husband and I took the contemplative birthing class 5 years ago for the birth of our first child. The class empowered us and prepared me and my husband for the birthing experience as well as the postpartum stage. Kaeli was also our doula and helped us navigate the birthing experience. She was our steady and gentle guide on the birthing journey and for that we are forever grateful.

Colleen has been an unbelievable help during our time welcoming our first baby! From helping us…read moreset up the nursery and giving us tips about our furniture and room arrangement to teaching us how to swaddle and wear our baby to giving our dog lots of supplementary cuddles to reassuring us that we're doing everything right, Colleen's support was welcome and incredibly useful. Being able to nap and come out to a happy baby and a clean kitchen is priceless! We really appreciated Colleen's expertise and sense of humor, and kindness in never making us feel silly despite having no idea what we were doing. It was terrific to have someone so trustworthy and capable during what could have been a very overwhelming time. We will always be grateful to Colleen for her role in helping us find our footing in these first precious months!

My husband and I were both so happy we had Bethany as our doula. She was awesome prenatally - I had…read morea stubborn placenta previa and didn't know whether I would need a c-section or not until I was nearly 35 weeks along. She provided a lot of information, thoughts, and reassurance during those months of uncertainty and anxiety, but she was also fantastic during labor. You know when someone just somehow *knows* what to do? Where on your back to rub and what words you need to hear? That was her! Bethany is also the reason my daughter wasn't born in the car, or (accidentally) at home in my living room! She knew when I needed to go to the birth center, even though I was worried it was too early (it was NOT too early - baby was born an hour after arriving at the birth center). And, as others have mentioned, her photographs are a great bonus! I have some beautiful photos of me and my husband shortly before my daughter was born that I will always treasure. If I were going to have another baby, I'd hire Bethany again in a heartbeat.

Hilary and her team were all top notch, and I would recommend them most highly to any newborn…read moreparent. We worked with Molly S for postpartum doula help. Molly was an invaluable support both emotionally and with practical help during a difficult time. It was like having a wiser, older sister help out and counsel a few times a week. She is kind, knowledgeable, and brings a lot of mom wisdom from parenting her own three kids. The back office structure and onboarding and contracting process were all fast and efficient. Highly recommend.

I truly do not have enough words to express my sincere gratitude and praise for Hilary and her…read moreteam. I sent Hilary a message at 2am after months of sleepless nights and she promptly replied the next day and set up a call for us to chat. She completely understood not only what I was going through and the help that my family and I needed but she has the kindest, most caring, loving and dedicated team who were willing to jump in at a moments notice to ensure that our baby boy got the love and care he needed so that the rest of us could get some much needed rest. If anyone is thinking about a night nurse or daytime doula, I would 1000% recommend Hilary and her team.

I'm going to talk results. I love what the other reviewers before me have said - it definitely…read morereflects my husband's and my great experience with Zina's classes (we opted for the one that spans several weekends). Informative, empowering, respectful, approachable, individual, caring, encouraging. But, at this point I've had my baby. I had a natural (no epi, no pitosin, etc..) birth at a major hospital. It was an amazing experience (seriously) and I owe that in large part to Zina's teaching and guidance. This is how Zina's classes helped: 1. My husband and I had learned what was happening at different stages of the birth process, and could make informed decisions once we got to the hospital, we didn't feel like we were being told what to do and instead were an active part of the decision-making process. 2. I felt confident and excited, instead of apprehensive and scared (if left to my own devices, I'd just feel scared). This made such a difference. 3. Probably the biggest difference was that when the time came, my husband and I were a team. It's natural for a partner to want to help, but oftentimes it's hard to know how, especially with how birth is portrayed in movies. Zina's class gave us a 'toolkit,' and having those options and ideas at the ready for when you don't really have time to think was key.

I can't say enough to picture how this class helped me feel more confident, secure and overall…read moresuper excited about my baby's birth! These 5 classes just flew by and I did not expect to learn this much. I feel prepared and empowered to help my baby come to this world. And this is not just me, my husband absolutely loved this class and feels like he can really help and that we can do this as a team- all three of us I highly recommend this class, Zina is a great teacher and overall an amazing person. I feel so lucky to have found this class and if I have any issues with breastfeeding I'll know who to call!

I took childbirth class here and the instructor was amazing! She really took the time to answer…read moreeveryone's questions as well. Since having the baby- I have come for mommy cafe which is a great way to meet new mom friends and build a wonderful community! They also have baby classes and events. A wonderful, wonderful place truly

I highly recommend taking a course at Stork Ready. Karen (the owner) is filled with incredibly…read morehelpful and reassuring information. It is not information you just get out of a text book- it's information from someone with true experience with her own kids and she is a delivery nurse. We took the childbirth and newborn essentials classes. My husband and I feel confident and excited for our first born to arrive. One of the best parts about her classes is that in the end you gain a resource as Karen welcomes you to call or text her in the future with anything. I will likely take another class or attend the Mommy group and we want to gift the grandparents class to our parents. Thanks Karen!!

With the birth of our first baby, I had no idea what a post-partum doula could do for me. Nobody I…read moreknew had ever worked with one, and I figured the help of family and friends would be enough. I am so, SO glad we made the decision to get support, and beyond lucky to have found Martha! Martha is the whole package - kind and supportive, super hard working and extremely knowledgeable about babies, childcare, parenting, and any relevant topic in between - from breastfeeding, to mental health to postpartum exercise, In addition to completely taking care of me - preparing delicious food, doing laundry, making sure I was hydrated and giving me precious time to sleep and shower, Martha didn't just help care for my newborn, she taught me invaluable skills of how to take care of my baby as a (pretty clueless) first time mom: How to breastfeed, how to decipher her cries and understand her needs, and how to deal with the multitude of unexpected issues that I wasn't even aware could affect new moms and their babies. Her guidance, encouragement, and wisdom increased my confidence in my ability to take care of a newborn baby and removed much of the anxiety of becoming a first-time parent, which allowed me to focus on enjoying this special time with my daughter. I cannot say enough wonderful things about Martha. She is must more than just a doula - she is a trusted advisor and now, a dear friend. Looking back, I cannot imagine how we would have gotten through the first few days, weeks and months without her. In fact, now at 4+ months postpartum and being back at work for over a month, I still cannot "let go" of Martha and continue to seek her help with our family on a weekly basis.

Martha sets a new bar for postpartum doulas. She is a consummate professional while also being…read morekind, loving, knowledgable, and empathetic. She is exactly who you want to have in your village when you're navigating the first hectic days, weeks, and months at home with a newborn. She is a wealth of information but doesn't give unsolicited advice. She is reliable and an excellent communicator. She goes out of her way to make sure you are comfortable, and you will quickly learn that your baby is in the best hands (besides your own) while Martha is providing overnight care. We were beyond lucky to work with Martha and would recommend her without hesitation.

I delivered with the Midwives at Mt. Auburn Hospital just over a week ago and can't say enough…read morepositive things about labor and delivery as well as the recovery period. I had read rave reviews about Mt. Auburn (including multiple people claiming to have had a "wonderful" labor there), all the while wondering how wonderful labor really could be. I now understand completely. From the moment that we called the hospital after contractions started to the arrival and long delivery process, each nurse and midwife that took care of me provided the utmost care, professionalism, and explanation of what was happening next and why. Amidst the inevitable anxiety of a first labor, I felt fully cared for and at ease. I can't thank the nurses enough for their tremendous care during both the labor and delivery process, as well as postpartum care for myself and baby. Postpartum, the nurses and a wonderful lactation consultant provided guidance on everything from what to expect during the first few days of our newborns' life to feeding techniques to giving the baby a first bath. Recovery was peaceful and allowed us time to bond as a family of three. By the time we left the hospital, we felt prepared enough to care for our newborn and with the opportunity to call with any questions that we might have. Thank you, Mt. Auburn!

I'm very disappointed by my recent experience with the Midwives at Mt. Auburn Hospital. My prenatal…read morecare was pretty standard, nothing exceptional. I had a low-risk pregnancy and everything went according to plan. The midwife I saw continually pushed for induction through castor oil, membrane sweeps, and evening primrose oil - these are not proven to be effective and are not positively backed by scientific research. I cannot believe that they don't follow evidence-based research when making medical recommendations. I went into labor spontaneously and progressed well. However, during my entire active labor, the midwife was in the room for no more than 5 minutes total. She basically did a quick pelvic exam and then left me on my own. I had no one in the room with me other than my husband. There was no nurse and no midwife - I felt so unsupported. After about 6 hours of labor, the midwife came back in and suggested a peanut ball and a warm bath, but she disappeared without setting me up with either. I guess my husband was supposed to figure this out? She returned a few hours later and I requested nitrous oxide - She said I needed a form for this (which was already in my file) and disappeared again. I never received anything to manage my pain and never saw the midwife again. I would have hoped that the midwife would have suggested labor positions to ease pain, pressed on my back/hips, showed my husband some ways to help (we took Bradley classes, but some extra direction in that moment would have been appreciated), provided encouragement, shown care, and simply been present. I feel like I was ignored and neglected. No one even brought me water. It wasn't until an OBGYN arrived that I felt like I was validated and heard - she got an anesthesiologist and I received an epidural. The OBGYN delivered my baby via c-section after failure to progress. My after-care at Mt. Auburn was pretty good. I felt all the nurses were caring and competent. I had to self-advocate to get time with the lactation consultants, but they were helpful. Takeaways: If you want support of any kind during labor, you'll need to hire your own doula. If you plan to breastfeed, arrange for your own postpartum doula or seek support from a non-hospital affiliated IBCLC. I am exclusively breastfeeding in spite of the care I received and not because of it. Just find a good OBGYN and forget about all the midwife nonsense - they're basically useless.