I knew going into my first pregnancy that I wanted to hire a doula for birth. CFD offers to match…read moreyou with one of their doulas, who will provide prenatal, postnatal and during birth support. I wanted to go with a group like CFD because, in the event that my doula wasn't able to make it to my birth (which can happen with the uncertainty of birth!), they would match me with a backup doula. I was matched with Shelley around 11 weeks, and we initially met on Google meets, then in person at a local coffee shop. Shelley was super personable and a kind and calming presence. I always felt like I could reach out to her via text to discuss how the pregnancy was going. We scheduled another in-person meet up (a birthing class with just my husband and me) closer to when I was due. The birthing class was super helpful, to the extent that my husband, and I didn't feel like we needed a long birthing class offered by the hospital. My water broke at 39w on the dot, and Shelley happened to be at another birth at the time. CFD reached out to us right away via text to work out whether we would like to go with a backup doula. When I decided I did, they sent Rachel over asap with little stress or organizing on my part. Rachel did an excellent job during birth and offered the exact type of support I needed: the ability to talk through options with someone knowledgeable. She stayed with me afterwards through a traumatic hemorrhaging experience when my husband was split between me and our baby. I debriefed with both Rachel (in-person immediately after birth) and Shelley (later via zoom), which helped me process my birth experience. Shelley was so sweet and felt badly about missing my birth (though it was not her fault!) that she offered to come watch our baby for a couple hours so my husband could go on a date night. I would absolutely use CFD again and work with either Shelley or Rachel. Both are wonderful doulas. She even took photos (upon my request) during birth.

Our doula Shelley was a back up for our doula who got sick. We couldn't have asked for a better and…read moremore professional experience from both of our doulas. I did an unmedicated birth, Shelley showed up with a positive attitude after a night of getting induced. She arrived just as the sun was rising and helped me through 7 hours of contractions! I never felt worried or scared, she reassured me that my baby was happy and healthy. She continued to work with me and my husband and helped me take the edge off the pain of the contractions with counter pressure, cold packs and changing positions. She never left my side to even eat or use the bathroom! I will use her for my future deliveries. We really had the best birth experience and I truly think Shelley had a lot to do with it!

I don't even know where to begin! I knew this second time around I wanted to do a home birth but I…read morewas naturally scared and wanted to find the right doula for such a big decision. I reached out to many doulas, but when I met with Samantha, I immediately knew I wanted her to be the one to guide me in this beautiful process of bringing my baby earthside. I could tell Samantha was experienced, kind, knowledgeable and she had such a calming and soothing presence. The weeks before giving birth, Samantha was always quick to respond to my questions and eased any concerns . Leading up to my birth, I knew Samantha was going to be reliable and I already felt comfortable with her. The day I went into labor around 4am, she was quick to respond to my call and was able to make it to my home promptly. As soon as she got to my house there was such a calming presence about her that I instantly relaxed and felt so much more at ease. She assisted my husband and the rest of my laboring team in setting up our home for the delivery while helping me labor. I told Sam I wanted my labor to progress quickly, and she listened and delivered! She knew so many exercises and positions to get my baby to descend and guided me every step of the way. Her expertise, her calmness, and reassurance made my laboring so much faster and more manageable. Sam helped me feel safe, calm and supported through the entire process. I also really appreciated that she kept me hydrated, fed and just overall was always checking in on me to make sure I was managing well. After delivery she also kept checking in with me and my husband to see how else she could assist us. She was so wonderful to have around post delivery to make sure I was coping well with the pain as well. She was truly amazing throughout the entire process and so easy to work with. My labor and delivery was a dream thanks to Samantha!

I wish I could give a 6th star. I was nervous to give birth so I opted to get a doula…read more I can't say enough good things about Holly--she was truly a lifesaver during my birth experience. From the start, her calm, grounded energy helped me feel supported and confident, even when things didn't go according to plan. When my labor stalled, Holly guided me through exercises that actually got things moving--my water broke soon after, and she also shared positions that helped my baby flip. Her pain management workshop gave me tools I leaned on hard during some intense moments. And when my epidural failed (twice!), Holly didn't miss a beat. She advocated for me when I was in pain and made sure I felt heard and cared for. I honestly don't know what I would've done without her. She played a huge role in turning what could've been a traumatic experience into something empowering. If you're considering a doula, do yourself a favor and call Holly. She's the real deal.

We love Heather and Victoria. We worked with 312Doulas as we prepared for the arrival of our first…read morechild. They were fantastic. We engaged them at about 18/20 weeks in the pregnancy and were able to take advantage of the pregnant person weekly zoom meeting (which provided a wonderful support system through the pregnancy), the birth classes (which were more evidence-based and intimate than what my hospital offered), and they were available for any questions (which gave us another opinion outside of our OB). On the day of our birth, my husband was able to engage with them via text and let them know how things were going. Heather arrived at the hospital and was able to offer comfort measures, support, and coaching that helped both my husband and I feel that we could do THIS! :) In addition, they were able to relieve my husband and let him get some sleep and they got me ice and food, etc. Just so kind. Once I started to push, Heather was there to coach us and encourage us and then take pictures of our new family when our baby girl came. Heather had to leave (they work 12-hour shifts) and Victoria slid in, so quickly I didn't realize it was happening and never felt alone. Victoria then stayed to help us breastfeed and get settled in. After our birth, we had a postpartum call to ask any questions and now participate in the new parents' weekly zoom which already has been super valuable. We'd highly recommend working with 312Doulas.

312 Doulas was recommended by a friend, and I'm so glad I listened! My review focuses on my doula…read more(Marie Weiss) and a course my partner and I took as part of our doula package. I delivered 12/19/21, and our little one is just over 2 weeks old. My doula was supportive, knowledgeable, and responsive. I expected a slow labor (first child) but had the opposite. My water broke around 4pm, and contractions came on quick and strong. All Marie needed to see was a screenshot of the app I was using to time my contractions to say, "time to go to the hospital" (my partner and I would have probably held off--so glad we listened!). I arrived 6cm dilated, and she helped me navigate an unmedicated birth (consistent with my birth plan). She offered excellent labor support (breathing reminders, holding my leg, walking me through decisions) and advocating (e.g., anytime someone walked in the room, she immediately approached them and asked who they were, why they were there, etc.). As part of our package, we took the 6-week Evidenced Based Birth course (founder: Rebecca Dekker; teacher: Heather McCullough), and we both loved it. The course meets weekly for 2 hours to discuss material presented in asynchronous modules. The material is informative, clear, and helped us make many perinatal decisions. There were many topics my partner and I would not have discussed if it wasn't for the course, and they were so important. Thank you so much 312!

: Not a nice person. Be sure to check her return policies…read morefor any items you consider purchasing as the belly binder a is ripped up sheet (muslin) that you can purchase at your local Joann's . This is the video I was given for the technique. I can't include it due to Yelp rules, but it is a regular person's YouTube account, not even one of the doulas or Maura. Search Bengkung Belly Binding on YouTube and a ton of videos will come up. The binder did not help me feel held in. I asked for a refund and was told the price was mainly for the doula coming to my house--which was unnecessary because the YouTube video was the guide. After continued times trying to reach a reasonable resolution, Maura told me that I was harassing her. (What the heck weirdo woman?) What doula worth anything speaks to a mom of a 2 week old that way. Beware!!!!!!!!! This doula is unstable and no new mom needs that. Get a Bellefit binder. It helps without dealing with a psycho doula.

Maura was a joy to work with before, during, and after the birth of my little one…read more She obviously approaches her work with a great deal of professionalism that isn't always present in the birthing world. For example, her email communication is clear and prompt, she is obviously very well organized, and she gave me sweet little new-mama-related gifts at our first meeting, as well as after Baby's birth. But all that is not reason enough to hire a doula, right? When I first met Maura, I must confess I was a bit dismayed by her youth. Although I knew she had lots of experience supporting births and more medical training than most doulas, there was a part of me that wanted an older presence on my birth team. Well, thankfully the rational part of me won out over this other, ageist part, because Maura was wonderful and everything we (my husband and I) could have wanted. And I'm sure she's probably not quite as young as she seemed that first day ;) My labor and birth were pretty quick, uncomplicated, and relatively painless. I don't think I actually noticed Maura much during the process. However, when I watched the video of my baby's birth (which Maura was happy to film and photograph for us), I noticed Maura was the one who'd pick up on how I was feeling and cheer me on when I seemed to need it, and my husband and mom (who I wanted hands-on with me) would follow her lead. She just seemed to have this way of fitting in and being exactly what we needed her to be at the time, even though we ourselves didn't know what that was. After Baby's birth, she provided encouraging support and a postpartum visit to see that all was going well for our family. She was pretty awesome answering my questions via text, about all things from newborn poop to homeopathic remedies. I know that she will soon begin to study midwifery, but if you find her still offering doula services, I would highly recommend adding her to your list of doulas to consider.

We decided to go the home birth route after researching our options in the early months of…read morepregnancy. Our Midwife gave us a few choices, Sam was one of them, which we interviewed and ultimately chose Sam. The main reason was she was so down to earth that I knew she could get along with my fiesty husband and take charge at the same time if something was to go wrong. We also liked the fact that she could still come along with us if we had to go to the hospital to give birth. We were impressed and comforted by her great amount of expertise which we learned from taking one of her child birth classes. The day of the birth we called Sam at 2 am and she comforted our anxiety and asked us questions that would help her understand how far we were. As the labor progressed she came over and gave me little exercises like going up and down the stairs and swaying my hips to help move the baby around. She was the one who passed along the info to our midwife of how far along I was. My midwife came over and 30 minutes later we gave birth to our son. Sam was there adjusting my pillow, helping me drink water, and encouraging me while I pushed. After the birth, she checked on us frequently and gave us tidbit of info to help that we still use today. I would recommend Sam to anyone whether home birth or hospital birth to have by your side. We will use her again in the future and wouldn't think to go elsewhere!

We hired Samantha as our doula for the birth of our first-born, who arrived this past February. I…read morecan honestly say that had it not been for Samantha...despite my best intentions...I would not have had a natural childbirth. Although my labor was relatively short for a first-born, it was very intense and happened somewhat suddenly. Within an hour of me calling her to let her know I needed her, she was at my home and helping me work my way through it. The biggest challenge for me was fear, and she had a number of different techniques to keep me focused and relatively composed. Also, she incorporated my fiance into everything as well. It was such an amazing experience for him as well. By time we reached the hospital, I was fully dilated and our son was born just two hours later. Without Samantha, I would have given up and gone to the hospital much sooner and probably given in to getting an epidural. In case you have any doubt about whether you should go natural or not, within 15 minutes of giving birth I was up and walking around. My recovery time was quite short, which allowed me precious additional time to get to know my baby and adjust to my new life as a mommy. She was wonderful from start to finish, and I couldn't be happier with how things turned out. Thank you, Samantha!

I am so grateful to have had 312 Doulas be a part of 2 of my 3 births. The knowledge and resources…read morethey possess are priceless. I leaned on them through every step of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. They were a huge asset to our birth team and even helped my husband feel more confident in supporting my labor. We can't say enough good things about them!

We worked with Victoria and Heather as first time parents. We can't imagine our birth without…read morethem--and we don't want to! We started with them around 36 weeks and they immediately provided immense support and great service. (I only wish we found them sooner!) When we first interviewed Victoria to see if we'd like to go with 312Doulas I loved that they utilized the Evidence Based Birth resources, had an educational component built into the price, and saw Victoria as someone that would support the type of birth I wanted with absolutely no agenda, just a depth of experience, knowledge, and care. Immediately after ending the Zoom call we emailed that we'd love to work with her and it was truly the best decision we made around labor/birth. We felt the same way about Heather when meeting with her! Working with them leading up to the birth made my husband and I feel so much more confident and empowered going into such a new and intense experience. We both became much more equipped advocates for ourselves and felt like true partners with the doulas and our medical team instead of just participants in the birth. When it was time to give birth Victoria was an immense physical, mental, and emotional support during labor. One of the nurses recognized Victoria from her + Heather's work with other patients and said they're the best, even adding when fellow nurses want to work with doulas they go with 312Doulas. Heather joined us at the hospital when it was time to push. Heather was an amazing support--suggesting new positions and techniques to help me progress. This was especially important when the doctors started bringing up more intense interventions like forceps, Vaccuum or C-section despite baby and me coping well. Only Heather gave actionable ideas that led to progress. I credit the evidence-based knowledge 312Doulas gave us + Heather's active support with why we were able to have the birth we wanted and everyone stayed safe and healthy. We can't thank them enough and are so grateful for our time together. I could go on and on, but suffice it so say we HIGHLY recommend them to any expecting parents.

I don't know where I would be without Linda and the Chicago New Moms Group. It was such a necessary…read moresupport system during the most vulnerable time of my life. I learned how to be a mom in public with a newborn without judgement. I have a wonderful network of moms that I ask every question to, all of which are going through the exact same stages with their baby. It's the community that you need during a highly destabilizing time, and the group continues to make me feel right at home. Thank you Linda, and I would highly recommend this experience to any new mom!

Really thankful for this group as a first time mom! The first months of motherhood can feel lonely…read moreand overwhelming at times, and this was the perfect group to meet new people, talk through experiences, ask questions, learn about local resources, and relate to other new moms in a judgement-free environment. It was also great practice gaining confidence bringing my baby out in public on my own. I feel much more confident as a mom after participating in the group. Highly recommend!

Mary was my doula for the birth of my daughter and I have nothing but the absolute best to say…read moreabout her. She was absolutely wonderful and went above and beyond for us before, during and after the birth! As a first time mom with limited prior exposure to the medical system, I wanted to be as prepared as possible: My main priority was having step by step guidance and handholding; Anne and Mary overdelivered! Before the birth -- Both Anne and Mary guided me to ensure I was prepared and knew what to expect; they also answered my every question (including things such as looking at my registry plans). Also, and perhaps most importantly, when a complication arose towards the end of my pregnancy, they were able to quickly explain the recommendation we were receiving from the medical team, provided some (spot on) recommendations given their experience, and gave us an overview of what EXACTLY to expect next. During and after the birth - Mary ended up being my doula for the birth. She went out of her way to ensure my birth plan was met as much as possible. This included helping the medical team that was clearly understaffed during COVID, despite being one of the best hospitals. Mary's involvement didn't stop there. She made sure I had the resources I needed to set me up for a successful nursing journey and checked in on us even a few months after the delivery. Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Mary as a doula to my friends and family. Furthermore, the partnership between Anne and Mary is also unique -- They make a terrific team, complementing each other every step of the way. If I could give them 10/5 stars, I would. Thank you again, Mary and Anne!

Anne was our doula for the birth of our first son, Jack, and it's not any exaggeration to say that…read moreshe was nothing short of miraculous. We originally decided to hire a doula to help with pain management upon learning that I may not be able to get an epidural for medical reasons. But after seeing all that she had to offer, we would have been wise to hire her regardless. She was incredibly warm and supportive and non-judgmental. She recognized patterns in how I was laboring that I didn't even recognize, and employed techniques and tools to cope with the contractions that were suited to what I was feeling, what was most comfortable, etc. I don't think I could have gotten through it without her. She is also incredibly knowledgable and accessible. Before labor started, I texted her many times with various non-urgent questions and concerns, and she got back to me almost immediately. Then, once labor started (which was in the middle of the night), she also responded immediately with suggestions and was over in 15 minutes once we told her we wanted her. She is everything you'd want in a doula and more. Perhaps most important is her warmth and genuine sense of empathy. She is so integrated and dedicated throughout the process that she teared up after the baby was born and even during the follow up meeting several days later. She is truly a wonderful person who will give you all her energy--physical and emotional. To find someone like that is rare.

Holly's birth prep class is absolutely outstanding. This is my second pregnancy, and my only regret…read moreis not finding her the first time around! She's engaging, funny, knowledgable, honest, and her main focus goes far, far beyond facts and information (which are also rich and helpful). The exercises in pain coping were excellent. They became even more powerful when paired with the exercises for couples to help us to understand our fears, expectations, hopes, etc. Yeah, I think couples therapists may learn a thing or two sitting in on Holly's classes! Discussing the smells, sights, sounds and other details about childbirth are not a regular part of mainstream Midwestern culture. Somehow, Holly made the information and exercises approachable and not at all weird to do in front of a group of other people. Holly is a great facilitator. A lot of great ideas and discussion came from members in the class because she made space for participation, thought, and sharing. This class involves making art. Normally I think that kind of stuff is total hippy BS, but I really enjoyed it. Maybe I had some pent up stuff from my previous birth experience, but whatever it was, it was awesome. I totally surprised myself with that. I uniquely appreciated Holly's class because she was totally welcoming despite the fact that I was the only one in the room that already had given birth once (emergency c-section not at all what was in my "plan"), and also the only one without a partner in class. Holly made it easy for me to be there, and to participate even though there was a lot of partner work. I really looked forward to coming home to share and practice with my partner. Holly also shared information and guided discussions in such a way to help the couples to manage their expectations and understand all of the possibilities and interventions that can occur, including c-section. She also spent time helping folks in the class to understand their emotions and expectations of themselves and each other. I'm paraphrasing, but she focused on helping us to prepare for the birth that gives us our babies, versus the 3-page plan of stuff that we "want." One thing is not "better" than another, only different, and understanding how to navigate it will make for the most positive birth experience. Holly has spent time at all of the area hospitals, so her tips on productive communication with staff and doctors at the hospital, as well as what to remember to ask for ( eg. squat bars, fresh batteries for the fetal heart monitor) were totally awesome. I'm so happy I took this class with Holly. I'm due in a few weeks, and my partner and I both feel far more prepared for how to navigate our way through the labyrinth, whatever path that may be.

My husband and I took Holly's Birthing From Within Childbirth class and really enjoyed it. We both…read morehad read and connected with the book Birthing From Within so the class seemed like a natural extension. We went to Holly's house for 3 Saturdays and covered what to expect physically and emotionally in labor. I was impressed with Holly's overall knowledge and passion and how she was able to get all of the couples to participate so thoughtfully. I recently gave birth to our first child and throughout my labor I was able to connect with things that Holly had said and so was my husband. Even though she constantly told us that labor is unpredictable, I had some mile markers in my head from what I had learned and it was very helpful. I highly recommend this class! Thank you Holly :)

Sydney and Pippin were amazing resources. They came in at a critical time at the end of my…read morepregnancy and made me feel like I had known them the whole time. Their support in the last few weeks when new questions came up was invaluable. They shared unbiased resources and helped me to make my own personal decisions and design questions to ask my midwife team. During delivery Pippin was a godsend. She gave my partner the support he needed to feel empowered and breaks to help keep him strong while at the same time not overstepping or interfering. Her presence was so soothing both during and after birth. We feel so lucky to have found Pippin and Sydney. I highly recommend them for any pregnant person looking for labor support!

My gratitude for Third Coast knows no bounds! I loved their three person team approach and felt so…read moresupported by not one but three knowledgeable and kind women. I thought doulas mostly just helped you during your delivery but no, they were with me the WHOLE time. Throughout my entire pregnancy Lauren, Shawna, and Renee were there to answer questions, give me resources, and talk me through my fears and concerns. When my son was born and had to go to the NICU, they stayed in close contact with me the whole time. I never felt like a client but like a friend that they cared for. What a gift. And then when my baby came home (he's doing great!) that's when Lindsay and Jennie, our postpartum doulas came into our lives. Literally how can so many awesome ladies be in one company? It's really hard to hand over your newborn, especially one that's been in the hospital, but I felt so comfortable with them. They cared for him AND for me so well. I don't know what we would have done without them! Third Coast is really like family to me now. I'm so happy to have found them and had them with me on this journey.