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.

I highly recommend the birthED lactation course with Nicole, and the Home Birth Prep course with…read moreLiz. We left both feeling more educated and empowered than we arrived. These two powerhouse females are funny, confident and really know what they are talking about. Invest in yourself and your baby -- take these courses!

My husband and I cannot recommend birthEd enough! We took both the Lamaze class as well as the…read morenewborn/breastfeeding class. Both classes prepped us better than we could have hoped. Prior to taking these classes I tried to fill out a birth plan that I found online, but did not fully understand most of the terminology. After taking the class, I was able to confidently fill out our birth plan, knowing that it aligned fully with our values and what we wanted for our birth. When we started the Lamaze class we were in the unique situation of taking class right before the stay-at-home order came out. We had our first class in person and the following classes were virtual. Liz was on top of making the class accessible to everyone. Even though it was virtual, class ran seamlessly and she still managed to keep it fun and interesting. Both Liz and Nicole are amazing instructors. They provided a plethora of great information all while making the classes fun and engaging. My husband and I constantly reference back to class saying, "What was that Liz said about...?" Each class flies by, and you can't help but fall in love with them. Taking these two classes from birthEd was probably one of the best decisions we made around preparing for birth.

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!

As a first time parent, you literally have no idea what you're doing. The best thing I think you…read morecan do is to have a community around you who can help guide you, and Amma feels like a great first step to creating this community. We were recommended coming here by friends and our hospital, and ended up taking a one day class for newborns and breastfeeding, and a one day class for childbirth. I am also just starting my New Mama class with my month old infant (and I have heard fantastic things about the new mama class!) so I'm excited to experience that as well. Amma feels like a safe space for new parents to ask questions (I literally asked if I needed to worry about birthing a child into the toilet - a weird irrational fear I've always had, and they didn't laugh at me) and learn about this new stage of our lives. I'm really glad the twin cities has a resource like Amma. For pregnant people coming in - bring snacks to classes and consider bringing chair support - the chairs are not necessarily the most comfortable, but they do have a few yoga balls in case that is better for you.

If you haven't read any parenting books and this is your first baby, then I'd say the price is well…read moreworth it. Highly recommend the All In One Express class. They did a great job condensing key things from delivery process, postpartum, car seat safety, breastfeeding, newborn care, and putting on diapers. Due to our busy schedule the 7hr class in Edina worked for us. Don't be scared of the long session, you get several 5 min breaks and a lunch break. Their chairs weren't so bad for me, but I also had the step stool and/balance ball as an option. It was interesting hearing our instructor Tanya's personal perspective given that she's a mother and L&D nurse. She was great at getting the group to engage, so it wasn't just her lecturing the entire time. Given the good experience we might check out other classes like Infant CPR and/or Infant Sign Language.

My husband and I recently enlisted in the services of Birth Made Beautiful for the birth of our…read moresecond child. We worked with Cassanda and Kara Jo and both women made us feel safe, valued, respected, and cared for. Despite having a wonderful, uncomplicated and unmedicated birth with my first child, during my pregnancy with our second, fear and doubt began to set in. I really began to believe that all of the positives associated with my first delivery and birth were a fluke and that I either would not be able to get through a second unmedicated birth or some sort of medical emergency would arise. Kara Jo met me initially and spent a long time with me unpacking what was leading to these fears. Based on our conversation, she suggested that Hypnobirthing might be a good fit for me. Had Kara Jo not suggested Hypnobirthing, I never would have sought it out. Our initial meeting with Kara Jo's careful listening, experience, and intuitive sense for what needs to be done set the stage for the rest of our time with Birth Made Beautiful. She brought all of those same qualities to my birth. We primarily worked with Kara Jo but did do a prenatal visit with Cassandra. She felt like hanging out with an old friend who has a lot of knowledge surrounding birth. She was quite helpful in refreshing us in the Three Sisters of Balance positioning and showed my husband how to do certain types of support touches to be used during labor. (We did end up using everything she showed us so thank you very much Cassandra!) It was somewhat amusing actually as the Hypnobirthing techniques were working so well, I didn't recognize that I was as far along into labor as I was. When I thought I might need to contact the doulas for a heads up via text, Cassandra called us within minutes at about 3:00 AM. It had been decided between the two of them that Kara Jo would attend my delivery so I think Cassandra also reached out to Kara Jo. We spoke on the phone and despite my insistence that I didn't think I was in anything past early labor, Kara Jo could tell this wasn't the case. We credit her to me not having our baby on the road or in the parking lot. Thank you Kara Jo! Once at the hospital, Kara Jo took charge in terms of making sure my birth plan was executed. It was so nice to not have to bring up my preferences to the nurses or ask if certain things could be done. She was just on top of it. She was so calming, uplifting and caring. Both my husband and myself were impressed and appreciative of Birth Made Beautiful's services. Additionally, Kara Jo took a series of high-quality birth photos. She'd asked us if this was something we wanted prior to the birth. I was excited about the prospect and said "yes please" but gave some preferences in terms of what would/wouldn't be shown. While photography obviously isn't the doulas main role, I absolutely cherish these pictures showing the first moments our child entered the world. They are so sweet. Also, we were provided with a detailed timeline after the birth which we appreciate. Things are such a blur in the moment, it is really special to be able to look back at what happened and when. We would hire both doulas back in a heartbeat. They were an important part of why our second child's birth was as positive, empowering and lovely as it was. From our entire family, thank you.

Kara Jo was our Doula for our 3rd baby (a successful VBAC at 41w 6d, 10lbs 11 oz) - we had doulas…read morefor our first two as well. If we have a 4th we will definitely be asking Kara Jo to be our Doula again! What made her so different was the amazing support she provided before (processing my second birth which didn't go well, spinning babies, natural labor induction tools and pros/cons, etc) and after the birth (breastfeeding support, pt and postpartum recommendations)- although she was amazing during labor and delivery as well (hip squeezes through every contraction, coaching through different positions to progress labor, helping my care team follow our birth plan, etc)! After birth she provided us the beautiful photos she took and a write up of the birth and timeline. I am so thankful that our doctor recommended Kara Jo!!

Erin is a great doula and educator. She helped me through my 36+ hour labor with a mixture of…read morekindness, humor, and tough love. She was there every step of the way. Her child birth prep class was also great. Definitely planning on hiring her for any future pregnancies and would highly recommend her to anyone!

From the owner: Flutterby provides HypnoBirthing classes and Doula Services for families in the Twin Cities.read more

I'd like to say thank you. Treasured Births was perfect for me. I felt calm, but excited I would…read morefinally meet my child. I would do this again next time and here.

Kelly is the most caring and knowledgeable midwife. I can't even or into words what she did for my…read moredaughter during the birth of my granddaughter.

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.

Disappointing bedside manner. Can't handle or recognize anything going possibly wrong. Do not use…read moretcbc.

So thankful for the care I received at TCBC during my first pregnancy and birth. The team is so…read morecaring and easy to get ahold of when scheduling an appointment or reaching out about a non-urgent question. I felt supported and empowered throughout my birth experience! Highly recommend a water birth!