Having a kid is scary. Beautiful. Amazing. And SCARY. As a first time mom I am thrilled to have run…read moreacross an organization that supports the many forms/styles/approaches parenting can take. And participating in E.M. s new mama group was one of the most intelligent things I could have done. (In fact, i still am!) The childbirth collective and enlightened mama were really the two most positive organizations I have run across when it comes to birthing and parenting. I highly encourage any parent to check out Enlightened Mama's wide array of classes and groups.

Liz and Gigi are incredible lactation consultants, and they are top of our list when referring our…read moreBetter Beginnings clients in need of IBCLC expertise!

When I found out my husband and I were expecting again just after our second turned six months old…read moreI immediately told him I wanted to hire a post partum doula. I interviewed three companies, and chose Better Beginnings because I had heard such glowing reviews from a friend. Joy went above and beyond: providing our family with much needed support and care as well as delicious meals that I still (over one year later!) think about. We felt so well cared for and held during a vulnerable and overwhelming time.

After the birth of our second child, we used night doula support through Better Beginnings. Saideh…read moreand Eileen were our doulas and they were fantastic-- proactive in finding ways to support our family and offering gentle encouraging support as we transitioned to being parents of two. All of the communications, from the first introductory call with the owner to our pre-natal consultation to our first meetings in person with the doulas were all so professional. We don't plan on having more children, but if we did we would absolutely use Better Beginnings again!!

Our doula Sarah was great when she was here to help our family but I can't in good faith recommend…read moreWelcome Baby Care and their unprofessional/disorganized admin services to other families. Not only did the owner run late and almost miss our very first meeting to get to know Welcome Baby Care & what they offer (because she admittedly slept in past our meeting time) WBC also decided that our previously arranged doula schedule was less important than another families new request for doula Sarah, despite us having had her scheduled with us previously weeks in advance (prior to this other client). I understand things happen but I feel that what I experienced from the owner & her scheduling team was very unprofessional - and left me without care and needing to scramble in order to find help with my baby and not let my own clients down for my and my husbands in home business and meetings..causing this new mama a lot of stress that was unneeded as shouldn't have been an issue because I thought I had a dependable service.

Love the staff at Welcome Baby Care! They've now helped us with two of our babies and it's such a…read morerelief to have someone trustworthy watching our newborns so we can get some much-needed sleep! The service and care are both wonderful - cannot say enough good things!

We just took the Labor & Birth Basics 2 class tonight with Mary at Regions Hospital in St. Paul. I…read morewould have to say that it was much needed to understand comfort measures. There were demos like birth balls, Rebozo wraps, and yoga mats. Alot of the material focuses on how control your situation and having good support partner. We did breathing exercises at first then transitioned to massage. Mary was great to explain things in her perspective of doula. Overall, my wife appreciated we took this class together. Already we got our birthing ball sized so know which one to get at Target.

Kelly Rae was our doula and an intern midwife for the duration of my pregnancy, and was there to…read morehelp catch my daughter as she was born in our home. For nine months, Kelly Rae was available to me as a constant support, a teacher, a calming presence, and a friend. She answered any and every question I had, and if she didn't know the answer, she'd research it and get back to me as soon as she had an accurate and well-studied answer. This gal knows her stuff more than anyone I have met in this profession! Kelly Rae would show up to our house with nutritious teas, books about pregnancy/delivery/self-care, and her adorable and loving presence, whenever I needed her. When she was there, she was THERE-always focused on me and my baby and my family! I had several bouts of prodromal labor-each time, no matter what time of day it was, Kelly Rae showed up to help me stay calm, she rubbed my feet and my back, and helped me work through pain. I knew she'd be there for me no matter what! On the night I went in to labor, Kelly Rae was the first one at my door. She guided me through my contractions, helped me stay collected, and was the one to say "Reach down and catch your baby!" when my daughter made her arrival! She was there at every follow up appointment, and helped me through a few days of difficult breastfeeding, as well as the concerns many moms of newborns have! I couldn't have had such a positive birth experience without her. Kelly Rae also encapsulated my placenta! I wish I had done this with my first child, but I'm SO GLAD I did this last time. She had the capsules back to me less than 24 hours after she took it to process! I still take a tincture she taught me to make, 6 months postpartum! Overall, I felt fantastic, and I genuinely credit my experience mixed with my placenta capsules to this. Ladies-use Kelly Rae. I can't sing her praises enough! She's a rock star, and you'll be grateful to her for the rest of your life-I promise!

Kelly was an amazing doula for my first labor and birth. She guided me through my pregnancy with…read moreincredible knowledge, especially during the last trimester when nothing seems to help the aches and pains and other pregnancy side effects, and when it came time to go to the hospital she was so helpful and comforting. I had a few complications during labor and Kelly did such a great job in keeping me focused and at ease. I highly recommend her.

I have ALWAYS had positive experiences when I've come to ANW. In the past, I've only come here for…read moreemergencies--fell and hurt my hand, eye issues, and one time getting outpatient surgery in 2004. However, last week was my first time as an inpatient. If you've read through my previous reviews, you will have discovered that I had my first gallbladder attack in November 2012 while I was a resident of Maryland. I had the unfortunate experience of going to Laurel General Hospital and received subpar care. I was advised at that time to get my gallbladder removed, but I sure as hell wasn't about to get the procedure done there, so I declined. From about 2013 until last Thursday, I was symptom free; however, I experienced the same gallbladder attack around 1 a.m. last Thursday. That pain eventually went away, but another intense pain continued and did not go away. I was shaky and weak and decided I better go to the emergency department to get checked out. When I went in, it was around 6 a.m., and no other patients were in the lobby when I arrived, so I was tended to immediately. The nurse took my vitals and placed me into a room. Another nurse named Richard was my caregiver after that. He was very compassionate and kind took EXCELLENT care of me. He placed my IV, gave me fluids, and pain medication. Shortly thereafter, around 7:30, I got my abdominal ultrasound, which showed that my bile duct was dilated and might be blocked with a stone. I was advised to get an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) to sweep clean the bile duct, then get my gallbladder removed, which I agreed to have both procedures done. I had quite a few doctors come through before my EUS to check in on me, make sure I was the correct patient, and knew of which procedures I had agreed to have done. The EUS done around 1 p.m., and when I woke up in the OR, it was a little bit after 2 p.m. The EUS went very well, and the stone blocking the bile duct was able to be removed. The only issue was afterward was that my throat felt so bad because of the tubes that had to go down my throat. In the recovery area, a nurse named Iris was WONDERFUL! She kept checking on me and giving me ice chips. I was scheduled to have my gallbladder removed the next day (Friday) around 10:30 or so and was admitted. I was disappointed with how long I had to wait for my room, which was a good 3 hours or so (UGH!), but I finally made it there around 6:30 and was happy that I was given a private room. I have to say that all the nurses who cared for me when I was in my room pre-op and post-op were great, and the two standouts were Reza and LaVivian. They were AWESOME!! Five stars for these two! My surgery came and went without complication, and Reza was incredibly kind, helpful, and very straightforward. He helped me get out of bed the first time after my surgery, and I was in so much pain that I didn't want to move, but he was patient and stern with me and in so many words told me to get my ass out of bed and into the bathroom. I finally did and things got better on their own. He was Johnny-on-the-spot checking in on me and making sure I had everything I needed. LaVivian was one of the night staff nurses, and she was kind, compassionate, and HILARIOUS! Absolutely loved her! I hated that she had to go back to her station, but it was all good. About three doctors came in to check on me throughout my stay, which very thorough, in my opinion, and the nurses were fastidious with my heparin injections and pain meds and to take vitals. I was never in too much pain from my actual surgery; however, I did have an issue with back and leg pain. Because I was strapped down on the operating table and have spinal stenosis and was on my back for so long during gallbladder surgery, the upper part of my left thigh was numb, and I had constant pain in my back on both sides, which then radiated into my legs. That was the worst of it. Of course, now, those problems have resolved. I disliked being woken up, of course, to have my blood drawn, but it's a hospital, and that's just par for the course when you're an inpatient. I didn't eat a whole lot, but as far as my first experience with hospital food, it wasn't bad. I ate mostly Jell-O and water ice, drank mostly cranberry juice and water, and on my last day, I had my first full solid meal of scrambled eggs, a veggie sausage patty, French toast, raisin bran with soy milk, and more cranberry juice. On my last day, the doctor came in and said I could be discharged and that it would take about an hour, but it took more like 2 or 3 hours; nonetheless, I was happy to be leaving. Reza tended to me and ordered an escort. He was able to make me and my husband laugh and was just a super star of a caregiver. I will never forget the great level of care I received during my stay. This is why I will always go to ANW for emergencies and anything else. Thank you, ANW staff, for taking very good care of me!

Bad bad service. My wife who had back surgery needed to go to the rest room to pee but after 15…read moreminutes no one came. After I assisted her to the restroom and got back to the bed and tucked her in someone showed up 45 minutes later and I angerly told her I took care of it and I will send you a bill. My son who is a RN worked here and said allina is the worst hospital he's ever worked in and the employees are all grumpy from the treatment they get from the upper echilon. He works at Methodist hospital in St.Louis Park and said it's a wonderful place to work. Go there if you need surgery.

Working with Justine, Ale, and Rachel was definitely the best decision my spouse and I made in our…read morebirth experience! From providing evidence-based responses to our questions to helping us advocate with providers to simply cheering us on, we were so supported by this team! Justine joined us at the hospital for labor and was absolutely essential to making us both feel comfortable and safe as mine and baby's medical situation got more complicated. We truly could not have imagined doing this without her!!

If you're on the fence about hiring a doula like we were, don't be--especially if you're…read moreconsidering Justine and her team. We hired Justine for our second pregnancy because I was high-risk, on Lovenox, and managing gestational diabetes, and an unmedicated birth felt right for us. With my first pregnancy, I had no complications and chose an epidural, so my husband was very skeptical about needing a doula this time, especially since our first delivery went so smoothly. What ultimately made us move forward was knowing that my husband, being a very logical person, wouldn't be able to give me the emotional support I'd need during labor. After meeting Justine on a video call, everything instantly felt right. She was warm, supportive, and confident from the start, and she was the only doula who genuinely believed I could have an unmedicated birth--especially considering how quickly my first labor progressed with an epidural. She also reassured my husband that her support was just as much for him as it was for me. Throughout the pregnancy, Justine and her team answered every question and helped me navigate every curveball. No matter what came up, she was there with guidance, resources, and a listening ear. On delivery day, I delivered our baby girl in under an hour--completely unmedicated, just as we hoped. Even though there were moments when I wanted to give up, Justine's calm presence and steady, encouraging voice helped me push through. It ended up being the most magical birth experience I've ever had, and I still can't believe I did it. Hiring her was truly one of the best decisions we made. TL;DR: We were unsure about hiring a doula, but Justine completely changed our minds. Despite a high-risk pregnancy, she supported us from day one, reassured my skeptical husband, and helped me have a fast, completely unmedicated birth. Her calm, steady presence made it the most magical delivery experience--we're so glad we chose her.

Rosa attended two births I was a guest at. She has a powerful, calming energy and so much knowledge.read more

Jessica and Rosa went above and beyond (my birth story is on their website) this is a very late…read morereview but much needed. I moved across country half way through my pregnancy and they were willing to accept me and it was a hit since the beginning! They were helpful answering any questions during my pregnancy, were quick to arrive at my birth and had a wonderful experience and the aftercare and thoughts were the best! Start to finish these two are an A+ Roman (20months) is now a few pounds shy of his big brother and thriving! We are so lucky to have had our dream home/water birth!

Amy was our Doula for both of our kiddos. I'm absolutely positive that my first experience was…read moregreat mostly because of her presence. Her support leading up to our birth helped me get my mind and body ready. During labor I was able to really relax because I knew between her and my partner everything was taken care of. I felt supported, safe, and calm. My second birth I needed more help with comfort measures and somehow she always knew exactly what to try to get me through the contractions. I would recommend her as a Doula without hesitation.

From the owner: Holistic birth doula support for families during the childbearing time.read more