My husband and I signed up for both the Birth Ed class as well as the Newborn care/Breastfeeding…read moreclasses with Hilary Baxendale. We are soooo glad we did! She is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to babies and parenting. We crammed in so much helpful information in just two days! She provided handouts and was open to all questions and topic discussions. Hilary is absolutely incredible. To be quite honest, she was my first experience with a doula. I always had a misconception that doulas were against any sort of medication during the birthing process and always naively pictured home births in a bath tub ;) I was so wrong! Hilary is supportive of all kinds of birth plans. The great thing about her is she has experience in all of them and never passes judgement. We highly recommend taking these classes with her... whether you're novices like my husband and me, or pros like some of the other couples who also took the classes with us and equally found it incredibly helpful. Now that we feel super prepared, we just need to safely get this baby out :) We are now hoping to use Hilary as our birth doula if she is available, as she was very calming for an anxious person like me, and seems like she would be assertive as the baby's advocate if need be. Thank you again, Hilary, for such great classes and all of the support you have provided during a very challenging and anxiously exciting time for us :)

We had an excellent birthing class with Hilary. Due to COVID19, it was moved to online but still…read morewent wonderfully. She covered a lot of topics that we hadn't even thought to ask about, was thoroughly prepared, and the best part was being able to do it while we lounged on our couch (and cast the computer screen to our big screen)! Hilary also catered to all our birthing plan ideas, without judgement or trying to push participants one way or another. Highly recommend.

Getting a massage from Emily is like everything she is or was or will be is touching everything you…read moreare or were or ever will be. (Too much? Lol) She's the best. She genuinely cares about every aspect of the care she's offering and it shows. She's also very professional and makes it very easy/convenient to do business with her. I couldn't recommend her more. Note: she only takes female/female identifying clients at this time.

Emily is the most talented masseuse! She is kind, a great listener, and customizes sessions to meet…read moremy requests. She is the only masseuse able to cure my aches and pains.

I'll forever be grateful for the game changer support, expertise, and guidance that I received…read morethroughout my birthing and delivery experience by Stephanie! Her warmth, nurturing, and gentle touch kept me on track and calm (as much as possible) during the most life changing experience of my life! I had challenging delivery and the experience, knowledge, and expertise of Stephanie ensured that I was able to keep going (when I thought I didn't have it in my to go on!) to deliver my baby girl naturally -- as close as possible to my birthing plan. She also ensured that lactation got off to a good start. She helped me through unbearable pain, gave me strength, soothed my fears, and calmed my anxieties by ensuring I had evidence-based support and guidance all throughout. I'm still healing from my birth and will never forget that I couldn't have gotten through it without Stephanie. Thank you for the amazing, miracle work that you do! My husband, baby girl, and I, will always remember your name and how you supported us during such difficult and exhausting days! On top of that, she recommended the best night nurse I could've asked for (still working with her after 5 months!) after I had a bad experience with the one that I originally hired!

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!

We absolutely loved our classes with Lisa! The class was informative, supportive, and incredibly…read moreempowering. The classes are extremely comprehensive without feeling overwhelming. We came into class feeling excited but very nervous about this next chapter and left feeling so much more confident and prepared for both birth and the newborn stage. We loved Lisa's thoughtful approach - blending evidence-based information with compassionate, personalized support in a way that felt holistic, reassuring, and never fear-based. 10/10 - Highly recommend to any expecting parents looking for a childbirth class that feels both realistic and deeply supportive! Thank you, Lisa!

Lisa is a gifted educator on all things childbirth and we're SO happy to have attended her 3 day…read moreintensive in-person classes a few months prior to our due date. I was immediately impressed by Lisa's care and high-touch approach when I saw her thoughtful response to my intake form at the time we registered for the program. And throughout the course, Lisa's wealth of knowledge, passion, and genuine desire to help really carried through. She's also a bright ray of sunshine and we really appreciated her warmth and hospitality in what could feel like a long three day class otherwise. We had snacks and drinks, were able to move around freely, sit on the floor, sit on the yoga ball, there are squatty potties in each bathroom, I mean she literally thought of everything in trying to make this experience as comfortable and smooth for us as possible. With each class, we felt more and more confident and well equipped to welcome our baby and of course the added bonus in this being in-person is that we also loved connecting with other couples that we will continue to stay in touch with. I would highly recommend to any couple who's expecting no matter the kind of birth experience you envision for yourseleves.

Amazing service for getting a reliable and professional night nurse…read more Amanda was so easy to talk to and I told her exactly what I was looking for in a night nurse. I already had a terrible experience with my first and had to let her go. Amanda sent over Bianca who was the best. She handled by gassy, fussy baby with love and guidelines. She was very professional and left notes for us daily. She even pointed out things to change as my baby was growing. She left her nurse extra clean and organized. She also prepared bottles for the day and did my laundry. Of course my baby needed extra attention so baby comes first before anything else. I slept in peace knowing my girl was in good hands. Bianca was God sent and I wish she could have stayed with us longer. You do have to book with them way in advance because they are booked out. We only had Bianca 3 days a week because she only works those days and we were on waitlist for another night nanny but couldn't get another person. Very professional and great with new born.

The Bella Nurses were truly a life saver! Not only were they amazing with my twins but they…read morecomforted and pampered me!! I recommend them wholeheartedly!

One year ago, on this exact day I gave birth to my son (first child). Today on his first birthday I…read morecan't just help thinking of Myla as she played such an essential role on my son's birth. I was lucky to have a smooth pregnancy over the course of the nine months and had a very clear idea about my birth preferences. However, I was concerned about the strict protocol of the main hospitals of New York City. My husband and I are both Italian and birthing process in Italy is different than here. So, we started looking into doulas and interviewed quite a few of them. Myla was the one who impressed us the most. With her calm and peaceful manners but also her deep knowledge on anything related to birth, we both felt she was the right doula to assist us. Myla was really crucial in giving birth of my baby. I had a natural birth and my son weighted 11lb 10oz: a shocking news for everyone especially since I was able to deliver him naturally and with no C section. Having a natural birth was my main wish but I am aware I wouldn't been able to accomplish that without Myla's support. She helped with breathing, soothing massage and expert touch to get my baby in a lower position. My husband was engaged all the time and the three of us literally 'worked' as a team over the long hours of labor and then pushing. Myla reminded us to take our time before rushing into any decision and we truly felt reassured with her on our side. I remember one of the most experienced nurses praising on Myla as she pointed out how lucky we were on having such a knowledgable and passionate doula assisting us (and I guess she had seen quite a few over the years). And yes, we truly felt blessed in having Myla on our side. The process was painful, I won't lie, but without Myla I would not have been able to deliver my baby without a C section. I'm glad I was able to safely accomplish my wish. After my son was born Myla took the time to make sure my baby latched and she even took so many pictures of the three of us during those first moments as we wished to have a memory of those. We could count on Myla even after the birth experience, as we met her again a few days after leaving the hospital to provide guidance and helpful advice with our newborn. "Grazie Myla!" - You were a precious gift to our family.

Having a doula during the birthing process was integral to making the day of my son's birth as…read moresmooth as possible, and Myla exemplifies this. Myla was an incredibly kind, supportive guide through my pregnancy process. She helped me cut through the noise of opinions and blogs and provided the resources to know what and how to talk to my birth team (doctor, hospital, partner, etc). Pregnancy can be a roller coaster of emotions and even fears and Myla helped navigate what questions we would potentially want to ask and how to ask those questions to empower ourselves to make the right decisions. My confidence when it came time to enter into the actual birth I can absolutely attribute to Myla. During my birth itself, Myla was there to help me have a positive experience. Whether it was soothing massage to ease labor pains at home, or just reminding me in the hospital to ask for time to think about choices that I needed to make, her focus and incredible knowledge and many years of birth experience made everything easier. I felt confident that I was making the right choices because Myla was there with me. After the birth Myla continued to be a crucial resource. She is a lactation consultant and guided me in the breastfeeding process. In the hospital she got my supply started and helped me navigate challenges that continued once I was home Myla's full continuity of care from pregnancy to newborn is invaluable. I experienced curve balls throughout the entire time and was able to navigate everything and ultimately have a successful confident experience thanks to Myla.

I could not have asked for a more capable, supportive, and wonderful doula than Sooo-z, who played…read morea huge role in helping me achieve the birth experience I wanted. She was a source of immense comfort and reliable expertise at every step, starting with early labor while I was at home, and then over the course of a 15 hour day in the hospital. She came equipped with all kinds of labor support tools that she used at various points throughout the journey, but her gentle, steady, and encouraging demeanor played the most critical role. I felt that she was connected to me the entire time, physically through gentle touch or guiding me through various positions, as well as mentally, offering mantras, listening carefully, and helping me navigate tricky decisions as my labor presented some challenges--she felt like my ally and advocate at every moment, never putting pressure on me, letting me lead and supporting my instincts. Ultimately, we achieved the tremendous feat of an unmedicated natural birth together, and I absolutely know that I would not have been able to reach that goal without her help. One key strength of hers was the way she skillfully navigated working with the rest of the L&D team. Our doctor told us afterwards how impressed she was with Sooo-z's professionalism, her ability to collaborate smoothly with the nurses to get me what I needed, and her absolute focus on me--something they don't always see with doulas. She's also just a delightful person, easy to spend time with, caring and kind, un-fussy and down to earth. I'd recommend her a thousand times over!

I did not have a birth doula, but I contacted Sooo-z in a panic after my daughter was born and…read moredesperately needed support. If I could go back in time and have Sooo-z with me during both my births, I would. In a time during which everything revolved around taking care of my newborn and my toddler, Sooo-z made sure someone was caring for me. From helping with some nursing challenges, to making sure I was nourishing my body (her lactation cookies and spinach smoothies are amazing), to watching my baby so I could sleep, even to washing pumping parts - Sooo-z was a true gift. While I'm over the hump of sleepless newborn nights and days without routine or breaks, I still reach out to Sooo-z for questions, recommendations, or just to chat. She is one of a kind, and anyone who can include her in their birth or postpartum plans is truly lucky.

Vicki was, and I am not exaggerating, the best doula I could ask for. She worked with me for both…read moreof my births, which couldn't have been more different -- 36+-hour induction, ending in a c-section, and then four years later, a 6-hour spontaneous, unmedicated vaginal delivery that was so fast and furious that the anesthesiologist didn't even have time to get to the hospital room. In both situations, Vicki was calm, kind, good-humored, cheerful, and gender- and body-affirming. She helped me make realistic but optimistic birth plans for both births, helped me process my first birth before we planned for my second, and overall was just an incredible support. She was also there for my partner to help him process his own anxieties after my first birth, and to give him some support to so that he could be my #1 person during my second labor and delivery. I honestly can't recommend her enough!

From the owner: Whole Self Doula has provided complete prenatal, birth, and postpartum doula services to clients in…read moreWestchester, Greenwich, the Bronx, and Manhattan since 2010. Certified through Doula Trainings International. Lactation services and placenta encapsulation also available. Medicaid accepted.

Jenny with Bluebird Doulas is absolutely wonderful! She's patient, knowledgeable and quick to…read morerespond. I highly recommend her!!!

From the owner: Bluebird Doulas is more than just another birthing agency. We offer our services throughout the…read moreHudson Vally and surrounding areas catering to teens and adults with every step of your pregnancy. We work with you and your family to insure you are heard and feel as prepared and informed as can be for whatever the occasion in the form of education and physical support starting from pregnancy through postpartum. We also offer sibling support during your labor and delivery as well as postpartum as this allows the parents and newborn as much time as needed to connect and enjoy the first few moments of life and help the family adjust to the changes. We take great pride in what we do and get no greater feeling than helping with the enormous undertaking of parenthood at its earliest stages.