I am a black man in an interracial marriage. Yesterday, my wife and I went to the Prospect Heights…read moreTribeca Pediatrics in Brooklyn, NY, for the Infant CPR and safety. As the only black man and the only interracial couple in the class, I believe Geoff Gohacki gave me disparate treatment. My wife could not do the CPR on the floor because her belly made her uncomfortable to do so. The instructor told her to do CPR on the chair. I decided to be next to her because she is my wife, and I did not want her to be alone and feel inadequate. The instructor told me to get on the floor because my wife is pregnant, and I am not pregnant. That was very insensitive, rude, and uncalled for. I don't care if you were joking. You cannot make that kind of statement. My wife and I are adults and are not in high school or the military. I always tell people that my wife and I are pregnant. We are pregnant because we are doing this together. Lastly, if my wife and I are paying for the class, we don't have to look at how other people are doing it so that we can do the CPR. We could have stayed home and watched everything on YouTube. I was doing the infant CPR. I was not doing the chest compressions up to the instructor's standards. Instead of redirecting me, the instructor told me to look at the other people in the class. So you don't have a mouth to speak or are impatient to give me feedback on what I am doing wrong. My wife and I are not here to look at other people. After we left the class and walked toward our apartment, my wife started to cry about the unfortunate treatment this instructor put me through. It was distress we didn't deserve. Therefore, I would not recommend this instructor to a black man in an interracial couple.

If I could leave a 0-star review I would. I applied to be a birth doula with this service. I…read morereceived repeated requests to fill out the same video interviews. I should have stopped the process then but alas I persisted in hope this would work out. Then I I have to go through repeated rescheduled onboarding interviews with Jada because she kept having "schedule conflicts" and no respect for my time. When we met it was awkward and the discussion mostly focused on other doulas who don't want to meet with their client until they are way into active labor and then Boober worries about refunds. I do not operate in a way that would entail these risks happening. I spent a lot of time on the application and intake process for boober yet I continued to get leads for potential clients way outside of my geographic area of service. I got clients that were not serious about hiring a doula or I was one of many doulas who would meet with clients. I responded to some potential leads and sometimes wasn't followed up with, other times was matched with clients along with several other doulas or I was sent redundant messages about client requirements which I had already met. As a newer doula (with about a year of experience) I felt I couldn't compete with being matched with clients who were also introduced to several other doulas. I invested a lot of time and effort into my Boober application and profile and saw NO returns for it. I would get no responses, clients would hire other doulas or no doulas or no one from boober would follow up with me for the leads I was actually interested in. At some point I can no longer tolerate such disrespect for my time. While I believe in providing strong customer service our time as birth workers and service providers also needs to be respected and it's just not at Boober. I'm sorry I every signed up for the service. Also there are different commission structures based on race which I'm pretty sure is illegal. I'm all for birth equity but I'm not looking to be disrespected over and over again.

Dr. Kurz was a lifesaver when it came to breastfeeding my second daughter! With my first I was…read morenever confident enough and would pump every single meal and bottle feed her. She helped me get over all my fears and also taught me so many techniques like proper latch and comfortable feeding positions for me and my baby girl. Thanks to her we've been breastfeeding for 5 months strong and the only thing I regret is not going to her sooner!

Dr. Kurz is the best! After being in the hospital for 4 days seeing numerous lactation consultants,…read moreDr. Kurz was able to identify my daughter's posterior tongue tie in 1 minute. She recommend 3 different doctors to have it corrected, and after leaving her office we had the procedure at the first appointment available. We called Dr.Kurz and she saw us immediately afterwards, with no appointment, to help us get baby breastfeeding. My daughter has not had a bottle since! It's so convenient to have a pediatrician who is also a lactation consultant, and a mother that is so knowledgable, and truly cares. Dr. Kurz always responds to emails, which is great for a first time mom who is worried about everything. I'm forever grateful for Dr. Kurz for helping me accomplish something so very important to both my baby and I.

I cannot emphasize what a crucial part of my pregnancy and daughter's birth Stephanie was for us…read more Stephanie provided the exact support we needed; from the moment we hired her to the days leading up to my labor to the birth of our daughter to the days after and everything in between. Any question, request, guidance needed - Stephanie was there. She made us feel no shame in asking the smallest questions. She was clear about when something was evidence-based vs her intuition/experience. She never pushed us to do anything and was always supportive of decisions we made. It was important to me and my husband to have a natural birth, which was my main motivation to hire a doula. Truly could not have delivered this baby without Stephanie (I mean, I would have, of course - but likely after much more pain and decisions I would later regret). She was with us on the phone (my husband, mostly) as soon as my water broke and she was with us in person by the time contractions got heavy to get us through the later stages of labor and the pushing/delivery process. Stephanie worked so in sync with the midwife and nurse on my delivery team - it took a village! In addition to Stephanie supporting me, she was also an amazing guide and support to my husband - equipping him with reading materials before delivery and coaching him on best ways to support me throughout labor and delivery. In the days after our baby was born, we talked to Stephanie every day. She visited us to make sure baby was latching properly, showed me some other tips and tricks for feeding, and has continued to provide us with guidance on feeding and pumping and all feeding things! When I become pregnant with baby #2, Stephanie will be among the first to know - could not imagine doing a totally natural birth again without her!

Hiring Stephanie as our doula was one of the best decisions we made while preparing for the birth…read moreof our first child. When my partner and I started looking into childbirth education, we quickly realized how much we didn't know and how overwhelming it could be to research everything on our own. From our very first meeting with Stephanie, it was clear how knowledgeable she is. She focuses heavily on evidence-based information, which was exactly how we wanted to approach decisions around birth. I became interested in attempting an unmedicated birth, although I was only about 60% confident I could actually do it. Stephanie never doubted me. From that point on, all of our preparation and meetings were geared toward helping me achieve that goal. She was always quick to respond to texts and emails and provided detailed, thoughtful information whenever we had questions. Stephanie also did an incredible job coaching my partner ahead of time so he knew how to support me during labor. In our prep meetings, she walked him through different techniques and ways he could help when things became intense. Because of that preparation, he was able to really play an active role during labor. Even during labor itself, Stephanie continued guiding him on how to support me in ways that were actually helpful in the moment. When things were very intense, she would gently coach him on what to do, whether that was how to help with breathing, positioning, or encouragement. If he wasn't sure whether something he was doing was helping, she gave him feedback and reassurance so he could keep supporting me confidently. That support for both of us made a huge difference. When my labor started, I was able to text Stephanie updates and questions and she was always quick to respond and help ease my worries. At one point she had another client in labor (which we knew was a possibility), but her backup doula came to my house and provided wonderful support until we went to the hospital. Stephanie met us there and immediately helped me focus on breathing and staying calm. The moment I'll always remember most was during the pushing phase. I was exhausted having been awake for nearly 36 hours, but Stephanie's coaching and encouragement made such a difference. Her reminders to breathe for the baby and "blow out the birthday candles for the baby," along with her steady counting and encouragement, helped me push through and ultimately deliver my baby the way I had hoped. One unexpected benefit of working with Stephanie is that she is also a lactation consultant. She helped us prepare for breastfeeding, explained how pumping works, and helped us troubleshoot breastfeeding our baby a few days after coming home. I didn't expect that level of support, but it ended up being incredibly helpful. Stephanie is incredibly knowledgeable and very honest. She gives you the information and may offer a recommendation, but she never pressures you if you decide differently. She's straightforward, fact-driven, and clearly very dedicated to her clients. Working with her truly showed me how valuable doulas can be. Stephanie was wonderful to work with, and I would not want to have another child without her by my side.

I'm very disappointed with this business. As a small business owner I expected proper…read morecommunication. I had service done around March. My insurance covered but recently best latch emailed me stating that they took the money back due to having an additional insurance. I sent them both insurance and instead of doing the work to get the money from either of my insurance company they took over $500 out of my account. Without notifying me. They did not respond to my email once I sent them both insurance or email be back after they took the money out. I guess once they took the money out there is no reason to communicate. Be careful because they have one intention only and that is to screw you as a mother.

I had a great session! So happy it was covered by insurance. She was flexible with scheduling and…read moreput me at ease as a new mother breast feeding. I received great tips, even on a virtual session. I will definitely do another one when something changes or I have more questions. Highly recommend!

After my last review, Jada, the founder of Birth Day Presence, reached out to me for an honest and…read moreopen conversation about what she could do to improve not only my experience but classes there in general. Being a yoga teacher with pre/post natal experience I went into their classes already very knowledgeable so they weren't as informative as I would have liked but I think they are probably life saving for people who don't care to/don't have the time to do their own learning and research. Birth day presence and boober provide not only child birth and newborn care classes, but match clients with (and train) doulas, lactation consultants etc Most importantly though, and I got this sense from the beginning but really felt it after talking to Jada, they genuinely care about providing quality information and services to new families. They also understand that the birthing industry (because it is an industry) is far from perfect and they want to empower families and help them navigate it. I feel very grateful to Jada and Birth Day Presence and although I originally walked away feeling there was more to be desired I now feel like I couldn't recommend them more to anyone seeking childbirth/childcare education or training. Oh, and all their classes are conveniently online now due to covid.

My husband and I purchased weekend intensive childbirth education classes and we attended when I…read morewas 27 weeks pregnant with our first child at Birth Day Presence. We came here with an open mind and hoping to learn the important basics of childbirth. Needless to say, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We didn't feel prepared and we were hoping this class would make us feel more comfortable of what's to come. The classes we chose were on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am until 3:30 pm. Jen Buice was our instructor and she was very informative and knew her stuff. We also got to mingle with other couples who were due at around the same time as us. We got to share our experiences with each other, which I think my husband and I wouldn't have gotten a chance to do otherwise if it wasn't for this class. We watched some childbirth videos, learned about different stages of labor, pain management, labor exercises with and without the ball, a little about lactation, etc. We also went around the room and did some activities so it could be more interactive and social. Bring some snacks because the classes might seem a little long at times! We did get a short lunch break. One slight complaint I have is that I got a little antsy and didn't feel that comfortable with their seating arrangements. I felt a little claustrophobic. Overall, I think we feel better and a little bit more prepared about being parents. I would recommend this class if you have a chance to take it. It's located in a beautiful part of Park Slope in a beautiful brownstone. Price is a little steep at $395 but I think it's worth it. You can't put a price on your future bundle of joy.

Kim Collins is well known in our community for her amazing skills as a doula and for being a…read morewonderful person in general. My husband and I were impressed with her upon our first phone call and in person meeting. She was able to speak to my husband's scientific sensibilities and my desire to incorporate more natural approaches to health and wellness during pregnancy and childbirth. Kim's help was indispensable during my labor. My husband has retold the story many times of how I was writhing in pain in a rocking chair until Kim arrived and snapped me out of it with just a few words. Kim calmly suggested that I soften my face, release my shoulders, and take a deep breath and suddenly my whole body relaxed. With Kim's calming presence, expertise, and knowledge of women's bodies in labor, I was able to move past my own self-doubt to deliver my daughter without pain medication. For me, the key benefits of having Kim as our doula was how she showed my husband to help, her guidance in breathing and relaxation through tense moments, and her kneading my strained muscles. My husband and I have agreed to ask for Kim if/when we have additional children. After baby was born, we had trouble with weight gain and breastfeeding. International Board Certified Lactation Consultant Deirdre McLary came to our home with less than 2 days notice and helped turn things around. She listened to me talk about our feeding experiences so far, my anxieties, and my hope to exclusively breastfeed for a year. She also weighed the baby before a feeding, gave tips during the feeding, and weighed the baby again afterwards. We learned that baby was not latching well and was not taking in very much milk. Deirdre helped ease my misconceptions about breastfeeding, pumping, and formula so that I could do what was needed to make sure my daughter was fed. With her help, my daughter has been gaining well and progressively latching more efficiently. Both Kim and Deirdre are remarkably responsive to texts, phone calls, and emails - always with a gentle professional manner no matter how panicked or scrambled I may be.

From the owner: Doula ~ Lactation ~ Newborn. MommaArts is a full service…read morematernity agency transitioning Rockland County NY and Northern New Jersey parents from pregnancy through the first year since 1997. We offer excellent and experienced care from our amazing team of doulas, educators, newborn specialists and lactation experts. Fees range depending on who you work with, from hourly rates to full "maternity concierge" packages. With a rich local history and a diversity of experience in all different birth and home settings we are certain we can create a birth and post partum plan that is perfect for you.

Our LO was born with a tongue and lip tie. Once it was corrected, his eating got better but he…read morestill had a lot of tension in his body and favored one side. In-home pediatric physical therapy was a HUGE help. They helped our son rediscover his tongue and helped loosen up his neck, shoulders, and back. They were safe with masks and gloves while still being personal and warm. There was also a great blend of in-person services and exercises/activities we could do at home to support his recovery.

I was referred to Dr. Tadros for my son's plagiocephaly. He was born prematurely with torticollis…read moreand it was affecting the shape of his head and his ability to latch/feed from a bottle, amongst other issues. We started working with Dr Tadros when he was about 7 weeks old... by 10 weeks my son was able to latch and was receiving most of his at home meals directly from me vs the bottle. When he was using the bottle, he was much more efficient and we weren't losing most of my pumped milk to his shirt! We've now been working together for 3 months and his head shape has drastically improved and he's stronger than ever -- he just loves tummy time! She also has given us tons of advice for at-home activities, toys and other supports. I'm actually not sure what we'd do at home with our kids, if it wasn't for her guidance. We're now working with Dr Tadros to help our daughter (they're twins) with some muscle tightness and feeding issues. At 16 weeks my daughter finally learned to latch, her clicking while on the bottle has stopped, and like her brother, she's much more efficient while feeding from the bottle. I can't recommend Dr Tadros enough. She has been a Godsend to our family!

Heather was a life saver. I was having a lot of trouble getting a good latch with my 1 week old and…read morethe breast feeding process was very painful. I was stressed and confused on how to feed my baby as I had heard different things from the nurses and lactation consultants at the hospital. Heather came for a home visit immediately and taught me how to feed my baby. She was an incredible teacher - sympathetic, knowledgeable, and effective. She showed me how to feed and then let me practice many times with her guidance so I would be able to do it after she left. She also wrote all the details down so I would have it as a reference for later if needed. She put us on a plan that increased my milk supply, allowed my nipples to heal, and enabled me to give my baby the breast milk he needed. Follow up after the visit with Heather was also great - she answered my questions and monitored the progress we were making. I highly recommend Heather to anyone needing a lactation consultant.

I can't describe the help that Heather Kelly gave to us at the most crucial and vulnerable time in…read moremy wife's life. Our baby was 5 days old and the pediatrician said that he wasn't gaining well and that we needed to supplement with formula. My wife was really upset and one of her friends told her not to do that because it would ruin her chances to breastfeed. We called Heather and immediately on the phone she alleviated my wife's concern. She told us to offer formula after every breastfeeding session and explained to us how formula is often needed in the early days and weeks and explained that our problem was really common and--more importantly--that she could give us a solution. Heather came to see us at the very next feeding (4 hours later) and gave my wife a specific plan to bring up her milk supply so that she would be able to get full breastfeedings to our son. She alleviated my wife's concerns over and over; she explained that boosting milk supply would take some time and she gave my wife instructions on how to pump and how to give bottles. My wife actually cried when she left because she was so relieved. Heather checked in every day and after about two weeks, my wife had extra milk to store in the freezer and our son was a breastfeeding champion. I recommend Heather Kelly so highly. I had no idea how important it was to have someone knowledgeable about breastfeeding come to our home.

I was without job for few months and don't know where to go and look for a job and finally came…read moreacross tibetan care agency. I must say they are very efficient and very quick to get me into a placement. And current I am still doing the job and I love it very much. I recommend everyone who's looking for a job can go and apply here ! And thank you so much pema la and Eric la they so nice and helpful

This company is UNBELIEVEABLE: the help is willing, able, helpful, kind and generally fabulous. I…read morewas skeptical about having other people in my apartment, but my husband is at a point where he needed more care than I (as a business owner) was able to give. They follow-up, they care about the work that they do, and I unqualifyingly and without a single reservation, would urge anyone who needs anything from a bit of care, to a great deal of care, to hire this service (ps-they will cook, clean, and organize...whatever you need). They want to work. They are AMAZING. Julie Hutton