My partner and I hired Emerald Doulas to help us find a postpartum doula. Melanie, who runs Emerald…read moreDoulas, was fantastic in shepherding us along the process. She got on the phone with me once I requested a consultation and chatted through what kind of support I wanted from a doula, went over what doulas could do to support us, and went over our schedule. She then sent us profiles of doulas who could fit our needs, and I was able to interview the ones I though were the best fit. Our doula, Keya, was fantastic. She had such a calming aura compared to mine and my husband's frenetic panic as new parents. She also would check-in with me before heading over to our apartment to see if we needed any errands run or any products brought to the apartment. I wholly recommend Emerald Doulas and especially getting a postpartum doula--especially if you don't have family in the area!

We cannot say enough great things about Emerald Doulas! We had a wonderful experience with Melanie…read moreand Bridget who both taught us a lot before baby arrived. I rented the TENS unit for labor and it was very helpful for pain control during my induction and the rental process was easy and convenient. Highly recommend Emerald Doulas!

Ayden is amazing! I have referred clients to her for prenatal massage as well as craniosacral…read moretherapy, but today I became a client of hers! Her space is super cute & peaceful. Ayden was thorough; checking in with me about any concerns & injuries I have, then got to work making me feel delicious! Afterward she checked back in with me & made suggestions for gentle stretches I can do to help ease the tension I'm holding. I highly recommend her!

From the owner: Harvest Moon Bodywork provides skilled, professional massage therapy in a safe and comfortable…read moreenvironment. With over seven years of experience, we specialize in condition-specific deep tissue massage, prenatal massage and infant craniosacral therapy. We also offer reflexology, reiki, hot stone massage, myofasical release, and fertility massage. Rooted in LGBTQ+ community, we pride ourselves on providing the most culturally competent childbirth education and birth support/doula services available to queer and trans families in the Triangle.

Working with Bianka as our birth doula was an amazing experience! I highly recommend her services…read more She was well educated, informed on all pregnancy + birthing questions I had and was a big comfort. We spoke often and met throughout my pregnancy - she was always just a phone call or text away. Bianka supported all of my birthing choices and was a huge help in the delivery room. She was so calm, helping me through contractions, labor and the stress of a surprise c-section. We could not be more thankful to Bianka for all her help. I definitely plan on having her by my side for our next child!

From the owner: We specialist in Birth and Postpartum Doula Services. We offer Lactation Counseling (CLC) and…read moreInfant Massage Education to parents. We are Experiencd Infant Care Specialist with references that can be verified. We are called baby whisperers by our clients.

***BEWARE--Melissa stole almost $3,000 from my family***…read more Melissa was our doula for the birth of our son. She was excellent. When I found out I was pregnant with twins, we hired her again without hesitation. She was absent during my pregnancy except for 1 short phone call (which she rescheduled twice) and when she asked me via text to borrow $1200 for medical bills when I was 6 months pregnant. This was in addition to the full amount we had already paid her for her doula services. I told her I wasn't comfortable lending her money but I could pay her in advance for postpartum doula services. She agreed and I sent her the money. 1 week later she posted on Facebook that she had adopted a large dog--I thought that was odd seeing as she had just asked to borrow money from us. It was 3 weeks into COVID at the time I went into labor and doulas were not allowed in the hospital, so she could not attend our birth. She encapsulated my placenta and made a print of my placenta, as we had agreed upon. When I found out her partner at the time was an ER nurse with obvious close contact to COVID patients, I didn't feel comfortable with her providing postpartum doula services to my twins who were born 6 weeks premature. She said she understood and would give us a full refund but wasn't in a financial position to refund our money all at once. We said we understood and in June of 2020 we set up a payment plan for her to pay us $100 a month. We really cared about her and didn't want her to feel a financial strain during what we knew was a stressful time for everyone. From the time we set up the payment plan in July of 2020 to the time I wrote this review on July 10th, 2022 Melissa has paid us $200. My husband and I texted her several gentle reminders about our payment plan and she never responded to either of us. I reached out to a friend in the birth community to see if Melissa was ok. She told me Melissa was on a cross country vacation with her partner. I was shocked seeing as she owed us so much money. It wasn't until I threatened to contact the Better Business Bureau that she responded immediately with a slew of excuses and finally dropped off my placenta print on July 2, 2022 (2 years and 3 months after my twins were born). I hesitated to write this review because I saw a thread on a local birth Facebook page where her partner had threatened to kill someone who posted a negative review claiming a very similar experience to my own. Losing the money was unfortunate but feeling swindled by someone who we allowed to be so close to our family has been devastating. She has communicated no remorse. I would hate for anyone else to be taken advantage of during such a vulnerable time.

The wonderful team at Peace and Serenity are there to help you navigate through the journey of…read moreconception through postpartum. They are a group of educated, knowledgeable, and capable humans who will ease any worry one might have while starting a family or giving birth. It doesn't matter if it's your first time or sixth time going through this process they are here to help. My husband and I just had our fourth child and Melissa had such a hugely positive impact on our home birth experience I couldn't imagine having anyone else at future births. She is calm, educated, capable, and most importantly affective with her training to make labor and delivery the smoothest and most positive experience it can be. I would highly recommend Melissa, or any one of the doulas in her team, to be there for you too. Anyone would be so fortunate to work with them, I know my family is!

I really loved working with CBW, Emily the owner was quick to reach out and explain the process and…read moreofferings. I worked with Doulas Maris and Katie, I had an in home meeting with each of them to get acquainted with one another and address my needs and birth plan. I was able to to attend some prebirth classes via zoom during my pregnancy which I found informative and refreshing since this is my 2nd child. I wish I would have taken advantage of the yoga classes, but it didn't work out in my schedule. Katie ended up in the birth room with us. She was such a great comfort and aide, she even took some pictures with my phone for me so we could remember the moments. Highly recommend!!

My only regret was calling them so late in the game. I didn't know you could hire a doula outside…read morethe hospital - stupid I know! I was already 35 weeks I believe, by the time I called them. They were on call for me, provided 2 trainings (I only had time for one because my baby came early). Megan was super helpful to have at my birth experience at Rex. She was a rational, calm and sweet influence. She explained things. She asked for things, helped advocate for us and held my legs while I pushed for three hours! I couldn't imagine not having her there. She took pressure off my husband and made a very, potentially, stressful experience way better. I also enjoyed the post birth visit - she played with my son and shared some of her birth experiences - it made me feel better about my stresses., I also had a massage shortly after the birth and a stomach wrap. It was lovely.

East Raleigh Doula is a phenomenal company! We hired them for birth doula services, which also…read moreincluded education class which were all phenomenal. I attended the childbirth education class, newborn prep class, and the prenatal movement class -- I'd recommend all expecting parents to attend all of them! Emily was always super responsive over text whenever I had any questions during pregnancy, she's incredibly knowledgeable and empathetic. I ended up getting a cesarean section due to my baby being breech so I didn't need a birth doula, so they gave me the option of a partial refund or 12 hours of postpartum doula services (which is what I opted for). It was great having Jessica come check up on me postpartum and go through some basics of breastfeeding, infant care, and also just giving us a small break during the early newborn days. We've recently also worked with Amanda for babysitting services and she's amazing! ERDC does it all. They are big on community and fostering support before, during, and after birth. Highly recommend!

From the owner: Here at East Raleigh Doula Co., we believe in empowering women to confidently make choices in their…read morepregnancy and birth by providing evidence-based education and labor support. We want to help you experience your dream birth by educating you on your birth preferences, potential interventions and ways to help you achieve your goals. As part of your birth team, we will be by your side throughout your pregnancy and labor to help support you in every way we are able to: emotionally, physically and mentally. During pregnancy, we help you gain the knowledge and education to help you feel confident in giving birth. During labor, we support you in making those decisions and accomplishing your birth desires.

Jamie was everything we needed and more! She was so sweet and really took the time to know what I…read morewanted out of my birth. And, man, did she deliver! She turned my hospital room into an amazing fairyland that was calm and peaceful and was hands on and helpful every step of the way. Her knowledge and background as a L&D RN made me feel even more comfortable and at peace. I highly recommend Jamie and all she has to offer!!!

Listen up, mama's - YOU NEED JAMIE!!!! Hiring her was THE best thing we did for our labor, hands…read moredown!! Especially if your goal is a natural delivery, you 100% need Jamie to be there with you for so. many. reasons. I'll be honest - at first, my husband and I were very hesitant because we didn't want to spend the money, but literally the day after we had our baby girl, when Jamie came to visit us we both said to her how incredibly grateful we were for her, and we agreed we would have paid her MORE now that we knew how much WORK she did for us!!! It's hard to understand what a doula can do for you if you've never hired one before. We ultimately decided to take the leap, deep down knowing it would be worth it, but it wasn't until I was in labor at the hospital and she got there to help that we really started to understand how necessary having her there was!! She immediately started setting up the room to make it more relaxing and zen-like... she dimmed the lights, strung up cute little lights around the room (and on my IV pole, which was such a cute touch!). She hung up positive and empowering birth affirmations along the wall, put new oils in my diffuser, and once the room was done she started participating in my labor in ways I never knew about, but oh my gosh it was so, so helpful!!!! I wanted to have a natural delivery but ended up needing Pitocin (I'll spare you the details). I was determined to avoid pain medication, and literally Jamie took the place of my needing that. She was the reason I was able to labor without it!! She affirmed me with literally every contraction and said I was doing a great job, she'd massage me and/or apply counter pressure to help me get through contractions, she encouraged me to change positions and told me every time I did that the contractions would feel different, which they did, and her warning me of that was so helpful for me! I had NO idea how much WORK she would put in, like physical work on her part, to help me through the waves!! She was AMAZING!!! There is no way I could have gotten through that without her, and I am so incredibly grateful for everything she did for me and for us!!! I'm telling you, you will not regret hiring Jamie!!!! She is the best!!!

I absolutely adore Rashida. Pregnancy during a pandemic was so isolating, and I knew I would need…read moreextra support when we brought our new baby home. Rashida helped with our transition from one kid to two, helped us feel comfortable getting our oldest off to school in the morning with the baby, and gave me a break to nap or shower and practice some self care. She did all of this while encouraging me and cheering me on through those first few tough postpartum weeks. I highly recommend Rashida's services to any family welcoming a new addition. She's the best!

Rashida, was patient with me every step of the way during the delivery , before my delivery helping…read moreme make sure everything was in order and also never failing to make me feel supported ! I love the fact that I can honestly say no matter what she is always just one phone call away. I appreciate her kind words when I needed to talk , her compassion for her work and the way she treated me as if she was nothing less than family !