If you're like me, trust doesn't always come easily. This can be especially true when finding…read morehealthcare providers. When I moved cities halfway through my pregnancy, I struggled to find a reputable home birth provider that would take me as a transfer. Enter Wellspring. I am so grateful I took the leap of faith with Lizz and Elliott. They are down-to-earth, knowledgeable, and really came through for me as a patient when my baby experienced shoulder distocia during my home birth. I had the most beautiful home birth I could hope for (despite the hiccup), and absolutely have them in part to thank for it. In addition to that, their office is lovely & full of plants and toys. My 3 year old loved going to "the baby store" with me and playing with all their fun toys before listening to baby's heartbeat. Finally, they were very sympathetic to my challenging financial situation & were flexible with my payment plan. TL;DR : Yes, I recommend these great midwives.

We had an incredible experience with Wellspring Midwifery. I had recently had a missed miscarriage…read morewhen I came into their care with my second pregnancy. The midwifery clinic I was previously with for the first pregnancy , told me I could no longer work with them and did not give a reason. Valley medical midwives said they would not work with me because I am overweight and of advanced maternal age. The other midwives clinics in the area said they were full for my due date. Swedish midwives did not take my insurance. When I went to the obgyn, she made me feel like I was wasting her time and I felt rushed during a very tender time. I felt discouraged and decided to widen how far I was willing to travel for care. I reached out to Wellspring Midwifery, and they promptly set up a zoom call where I asked tons of questions, we discussed our experience and they shared info about their practice. I felt so relieved to find them during such a hard time, filled with fear and anxiety. Our first appointment was over an hour and Lizz made me feel so comfortable and heard. It was amazing, they even did Saturday appointments so we didn't have to miss work and the traffic was much better. I met Elliot a few appointments later and she was equally awesome to Lizz! Throughout the process, I had monthly appointments and additionally was able to call for questions or write them in the online portal and they would promptly respond. Later in my pregnancy, we made the informed decision that we would prefer to transfer my care to a hospital so that I could access an epidural during labor and knowing which hospital we were going to. Lizz and Elliot were supportive of this decision and helped with the transition of paperwork. They allowed me to stay on for postpartum care. I even called them during my labor when I was trying to make a decision. It was awesome to have the support of their postpartum care because my obgyn only scheduled me for 1 appointment at 8 weeks postpartum. Lizz and La-Kiesha (their midwifery student who joined many of my appointments) came into my home 2 days after my baby was born and did a visit where we talked about the baby, my husband and myself and did some checks on the baby and me. They also gave me breastfeeding support. I had multiple follow ups in office during the first 6 weeks postpartum. It was so helpful to get regular support throughout that period of time. I am forever grateful for my experience with Wellspring Midwifery and I highly recommend them for your prenatal and postpartum care.

Simply amazing through two experiences. As a partner, Kristin is an invaluable resource. Her…read moreinsights are key, she's a great advocate and frankly you cannot put a price on another set of hands. Highly recommend (in fact I already have...).

Kristin from Kind Birth Services was my doula for the birth of my first daughter. I also took her…read moreassociated birth class, based on her book Expecting Kindness. Throughout preparing for and delivering my daughter, Kristin worked with me for over 30 hours. She's a stellar doula. At the time she was working as my doula, she had already delivered over 350 babies throughout her 20 year career. Her experience showed through in every interaction I had with her. Every question I had she could answer not only with broad knowledge, but also with specific examples from past deliveries. She knows birth inside and out. Beyond her deep knowledge and experience, she is also incredible at holding space and advocating for a mother-to-be through the birthing process. My original plan was to deliver at a midwifery clinic, but I had to transfer care to a hospital a week before my labor started. This unexpected change of plans would have been massively stressful had it not been for Kristin's steady consistency and emotional presence through the process. Her experience in both birth centers and hospitals again showed through to me. Throughout labor and delivery, she guided me through with clear suggestions and a calm demeanor. Because of her presence and the preparation I had from her class, I was confident in my ability to delivery vaginally without medication. She taught me (and reminded me in the moment) of the details of each stage of labor and how I could best empower myself through the process. She also helped me to be a strong advocate for myself and my own control over the birth process, which was invaluable in my transition to hospital delivery. One of my favorite things about Kristin was her passion for integrating my partner in the birth process, from the birth classes through delivery participation. My partner was well prepared and confident to be fully present in the birth process. Kristin is an excellent coach, guide and guru from the classroom to the delivery suite, and I couldn't recommend her more strongly. She also gave our daughter one of her first gifts during one of our follow up appointments with her!

My experience with these ladies, was amazing! First they provided a free consultation phone call,…read morethen great informational video and a prenatal appointment in person to go over questions. After delivery I was having extreme pain and long feeds, and I was able to have an AT HOME visit, which was amazing itself. Emily was able to promptly provide feedback on my newborns feeding and issues, which we got a great recommendation listing for pediatric dentist for lip and tongue ties removals. Since the procedures, my newborn has been feeding great and gaining weight, and the several follow up appointments have been just as good, Emily provided techniques on different positions, how to adjust the latch, and queues for when baby is done eating. HIGHLY RECOMMEND Fern Lactation! They are just great people and glad they were apart of my postpartum experience! Furthermore, the scheduling process was great! They were able to text to help set up appointments and made it so streamlined and less stressful! THANK YOU!

Emily is incredible! I was referred to her by both my doula as well as a good friend who had used…read moreher; my baby had stopped latching on day 6 and I was desperate for support to be able to breastfeed her again. Her office is so clean and cozy, and from the first second, Emily was extremely warm and welcoming. She is so knowledgeable about lactation and put me at ease, she is great about consent before touching and so gentle with my baby. She always includes my partner in the appointment and our results were instant. I am now able to breastfeed the way that I wanted and also in a way that works best for our lifestyle and we have continued to evolve with each appointment. I highly recommend Emily, she is so kind and compassionate and she gets the desired results for your breast/chest feeding journey.

Aneke at Mama Bear comes highly recommended by our family. We took her childbirth education class…read morewhich covered pregnancy, birth and post partum. It left us with many life changing "golden nuggets" of information. We also hired Aneke as our doula. She went above and beyond in supporting and empowering me through this process. From education to massage to supporting me at appointments to connecting me with other resources--Aneke's support was invaluable. It also brought so much comfort that Aneke was only a text or phone call away. Aneke also encapsulated my placenta and gave me the most beautiful placenta art. I would love to have Aneke support me through this process again and I recommend her to any expecting mother and family. Aneke is a wealth of information and welcomes you with the most open and loving arms.

From the owner: Aneke opened Mama Bear Midwife Care after moving to Seattle to bring her 25 years of expertise…read more(certified midwife since 1998) to her new community. She believes in natural childbirth out of hospital for low risk pregnancies. She trusts the human body, the physiology of birth and babies to work in harmony together. She is experienced in water birth, VBACs and offers a natural and holistic guidance for your journey into parenthood. As a midwife she offers prenatal , birth and early postpartum support. Aneke thinks that postpartum time needs lots of attention and offers therefore different package deals for lactation and newborn care support. Aneke helps you as your doula through birth too, if your birth place of choice is a different one than your home. Baby massage is taught at Mama Bear to keep you all bonding with your babies and meet other parents. At Mama Bear we thrive together, so come and join lactation tea meet-ups, dads meet-ups, childbirth ed /prenatal classes and let's just have some fun at events or talks on special topics. If you are trying to get pregnant and would like a belly massage, then Aneke can help you. She was trained by her Mexican colleagues in the mexican belly massage/ sobada abdominal and bone closure after birth. We offer placenta encapsulation for you with fast return times under 4 days, so right when your big hormonal shift occurs, you have your placenta pills/ prints/pictures and a keepsake ready for you.

Autumn is an awesome doula!!! We had a great experience with Seattle Doula Partners and would…read moreabsolutely hire them again. We interviewed 3-4 doulas and the team at Seattle Doula Partners stood out the best to us. They were not pushy and their experience and calmness in communicating to us through facts and information really appealed to us. The initial conversations before the birth were very helpful. I was very apprehensive about the birth and talking with them to help uncover my and my husband's anxieties about the birth and it really helped prepare us emotionally. In many ways I felt like it was a therapy session! When I was hospitalized at 32 weeks, Autumn checked in on me consistently to make sure we were doing okay which felt very reassuring. Finally when the day came, we let Autumn know we were on the way to the hospital at about 11pm and she arrived just after I settled down in the L&D room which was super speedy! She immediately attended to both mine and my husband's needs, answering any questions we had. One of the most valuable things that Autumn did was that before anything that happened, e.g. getting my epidural or pushing, Autumn talked through in detail what to expect and this helped prepare us well emotionally and in many ways, made me less fearful. She was always right by our sides coaching us on what to do in a gentle and reassuring way. She wasn't intrusive and allowed me and my husband to have our own time. Through the pattern of my contractions, the nurse hypothesized that my baby was face up. Autumn had a ton of suggestions on how to resolve this and coached the nurse to getting me in the right positions. By then, my lower half was pretty weak from the epidural and every time the nurse had to shift me, Autumn was always there to lend a helping hand. At about 2am, all of us went to rest and my husband was exhausted. The IV machine kept beeping and Autumn always promptly stood up and turned it off so that we could all rest. She was close by and helped me with every small little thing I needed so my husband could rest. Autumn coached me through the entire 2 hours of pushing and holding my legs up. She was very encouraging and her calming and reassuring words gave me a ton of confidence. Once the baby was out, she stepped back, got one of our phones and took a bunch of pictures that I really treasure today! Post birth, I had a lot of difficult breastfeeding and Autumn shifted her schedule so she could come and visit me soon after that. She helped me with the latch and gave me a bunch of ideas to help increase my supply. 3 months on and I still think about how lucky we were to have Autumn by our side! Thank you so much for your hard work, Autumn!!

Autumn is a fantastic Doula! I am so thankful that I was able to have Autumn during my labor. She…read morewas extremely helpful with pain management and came with a bag full of goodies to aid in my comfort. She was very helpful in coaching my husband and provided an extra set of hands so he could shower and make sure we had everything we needed before leaving our place. She arrived at our apartment at nearly 2am and stayed with us for at least 24 hours! We had planned an out of hospital birth, but after a very long labor at home and at the birth center, my midwives transferred me to UW. Postpartum home visits are just as helpful, providing breastfeeding and pumping advice, she will even show you how to baby wrap and answer any questions you have. Before I decided to hire a Doula for my birth, I was unsure if I would "need one." My midwife had initially recommended that I have one, especially for first time births. I then spoke to a few people who had used a Doula, and only heard positives! No one ever says "I wish I didn't have my Doula!" Now I tell everyone "you need a Doula!"

Emily is such a supportive, knowledgeable, and KIND person. Her advice on breastfeeding and baby…read morecare in general made such a difference during my panicked early days of motherhood. She's an excellent listener, and I felt supported in making decisions that work best for me and my baby. Emily is responsive, considerate, and highly effective at using puppets to demonstrate proper latching techniques!

Our experience with Christina was amazing. The human touch, the honesty, the company, the…read moreknowledge, it was everything we needed! During our prenatal visits I felt like I had the power to have the birth that I wanted! She was such a great support to have by our side at the hospital! She made sure all my preferences were met and respected. She stood by our side when we needed her the most. I was able to have the unmedicated birth that I wanted thanks to all her help, knowledge and support. I really never thought I could have such an amazing birth experience! And it was so nice to meet with Christina after my baby was born. She helped us with breastfeeding. I love that she really cares and creates an honest connection.

I don't even know where to start with this review - we owe Christine so much. We were so tired of…read morebeing treated like cattle by hospitals, with midwives giving us conflicting information, not listening to us, and leaving us feeling unsafe. So we reached out to Christine and In Tandem for a consultation. I honestly have always been a bit skeptical and afraid of home birth, so I came armed with a lot of questions. But once we talked (virtually) to Christine, we immediately felt compassion and care. She is the perfect guide - never pushing her own agenda, listening, but not afraid to give you her opinion. She backs everything up with science and her experience. Christine put us at ease throughout our pregnancy - That was the exact opposite to what we had experienced at our hospitals. She always listened, and even involved our oldest kiddo during visits. Christine and her team were amazing during our son's birth, we felt so safe and cared for. We had great postpartum care as well, coming to our home and checking on my partner, answering questions, and again, involving our older kiddo. It's been almost two years since, and we still miss Christine!

PART 2/2 (finishing our review on my husband's account due to character limit):…read more Now for the postpartum care. This is the most unique part of choosing midwifery care and in my opinion, the #1 reason to do so. Whereas in the traditional obstetric model you typically see your provider one time at 6 weeks (often just to make sure you don't have any signs or symptoms of postpartum mood disorder, to discuss birth control, and to clear you for sex and physical activity), Christine sees clients and their new babies about 6 times in the first 6ish weeks after birth. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all postpartum visits have been at home. These visits are about so much more than just you and your baby's physical well-being; they are focused on the entire family, involving older kiddos in the home, and it's evident that Christine genuinely cares about how everyone is adjusting and doing emotionally. For the first two weeks of your baby's life, Christine's license includes the provision of all routine pediatric care, saving you from additional appointments or trips out of the home so you as the birthing person can focus on recovering and celebrating your growing family. Again, the level of attentiveness and family-centered care received is unmatched. After the birth of our first son, I dealt with a resurgence of a lifelong struggle with anxiety related to the transition to parenthood. Until I connected to a community of West Seattle mama friends, I can genuinely say Christine and Taylor were the women who provided me with the most support. After the birth of our second son, I experienced some unexpected postpartum complications that required me to page Christine. I could have easily been sent to the Emergency Department for the symptoms I was experiencing, but Christine took the time to come evaluate me in the comfort of my own home and provide me with additional testing and support. If anything page-worthy arises during your time in care with In Tandem, you will receive a response promptly, and instead of a nurse line as in hospital-based care, you get to talk to your midwife directly. If you are looking for perinatal care that will change your life, look no further than In Tandem. The name of the practice is so fitting as your midwife will walk hand-in-hand with you and your family every step of the way. Pregnant families--run don't walk to In Tandem Midwifery!

Christi performed placenta encapsulation for us after our baby girl was born and I highly recommend…read moreher for this service. The process took two days, and she spent about two hours in our home each day. She explained the whole process and took time to make sure I understood the instructions before she left. During "down time" she gave me some pointers on breastfeeding and some guidance on cluster feeding. She left our kitchen cleaner than it was before. :)

Christi Nixon at Emerald City Doula's was by far the very best person I was lucky to work with…read more Week 32 of my first pregnancy I was to suddenly change care from midwives to a specialty care. I was so stressed out, I decided to get myself a doula to help self advocate and boy was that the best choice! Wonderful Paula, who mans the office, got back to me immediately and helped reassure me that she was on the case and would help me quickly. I got a call that day and I was paired with Christi (who I was referred to). It's so strange having to choose a complete stranger to pay to be a close companion in little to no time. It turned out to be a perfect fit. After a long and troublesome induction I called Chrisi to Northwest and the nurses attitudes completely changed. Chrisi had a wonderful working relationship with the staff and I wish I'd called her sooner even if it meant going beyond the contracted time. In the end, with such a complicated and troublesome delivery, Christi was right there with me postpartum and helped me get through the most challenging parts of adjusting to parenthood. Her non judgement, compassion and empathy were life savers and what's best about having a postpartum doula is that they're there to help you specifically, so there is very little to no drama like you'd inevitably get with family. I also appreciated how available she was via text. She even helped coach me through my child's tongue tie and helped me find a wonderful lactation specialist who came to my home. Together we worked out breastfeeding and pumping and the very best gift of a postpartum doula was giving me one blissful full nights rest while she stayed up with my child. Having a doula is a wonderful gift to give yourself, having a postpartum doula in addition is a blessing and having Christi or anyone from Emerald City Doulas is a must! I recommend these wonderful folks hands down every chance I get.