the receptionist in the matronly center was very rude and unfriendly not helpful not go backread more

We had an exceptional birth experience for our second child at Our Birthing Center. The design,…read moredécor, and amazing staff create a tranquil, secure environment. At our first visit, I knew I wanted my child to be born in this peaceful place - it had none of the sterile, mechanical & "busy" feeling of the hospital where our first child was born. The orientation class held by Beth Ann was very informative, and created a sense of familiarity, especially when we ended up having Beth Ann as our nurse. I was well into active labor when we arrived at the birth center, but as soon as I walked into the birthing suite, I felt a complete sense of security & confidence. We immediately got into the shower for hydrotherapy while Beth Ann prepared the bathtub. The room & bathroom were impeccably clean, and somehow everything we needed was concealed but close at hand - from a birthing ball to towels to a puke bag from the dresser drawer! The best part of the experience for us was the intimacy - my spouse, doula, nurse, and midwife were right there, focusing only on caring for me. There was no in & out of nurses, or additional personnel in the room. I felt completely safe and protected, even through the intensity of the delivery. My daughter was born in the birthing tub and I was the one to pull her out of the water and into my arms. Once she was born, everything was so relaxed and we could truly enjoy those first few moments. Beth Ann & our birthing team took such wonderful care of me after the birth, ensuring that my husband knew exactly how to care for me & my daughter at home. We left the birth center about 4 hrs after the birth and it was so comforting to sleep in our own bed that night! My recovery was much quicker than with my first birth, and I contribute that in part to the unmedicated, gentle waterbirth I was able to achieve at Our Birthing Center. Knowing now the extraordinary level of care, encouragement, and medical expertise available at the birthing center, I wouldn't give birth any other way!

Excellent just excellent care. They are so caring and concerned about their patients. They are even…read moregentle about the billing. I go to the Madison location and ALL of their receptionists are actually super sweet trained dulas - one of whom will come to your birth. They believe in you, and they believe you know what is best. Know that you'll get to drive your care, and they are happy to spend as much time as you like answering your questions any visit.

There is so much good about this practice, but unfortunately it is completely overshadowed by the…read morebad. There are, or maybe were, some great midwives. Seems a lot left. There is a homey feel as opposed to clinical feel. That is were the good ends. They badly mismanaged my hyperemesis, it was hands down my most difficult pregnancy (it was my third) and although my birth was okay, it was my only birth that I tore and my son had shoulder dystocia and came out not breathing. Thank god he is okay. To make matters worse, the follow up was laughable. They are very hands off, but maybe to the point of negligence. But the very worst part of the experience was despite asking to meet all the midwives, I never once met the head midwife. She only reached out very rudely about billing issues. I would avoid this practice, it is wrapped in a pretty paper but has systemic issues throughout.

If I can give 10 stars!! Let's just say finding Shadisha as my doula could not have happened at a…read moremore perfect time. From start (first prenatal visit/birth planning) to finish (postpartum visit) she was nothing short of amazing!! We connected right away. My husband is nonChalant with all the fatherly "need to knows" when it comes to birthing haha; but Shah made it easy for him to understand and participate. He became more hands on and enjoyed her teaching methods. Very well experienced and Great with communication flexibility understanding reliability attentiveness and reassurance. Teaches and explains everything you need to know that will help you every step of the way of the pregnancy/delivery/postpartum/lactation stages. As a first time mom, The birthing experience with her was very empowering. At the start of surges (39 weeks 3 days) we used the techniques we learned and managed to stay home until The surges were close to 5-7 minutes apart. by the time I arrived at the hospital I was already 6cm!! Those labor surges were something else but with all of the non-pharm techniques she provided and coached us, with a huge those of encouragement, I was able to birth out a beautiful 8.2 pounder baby girl (Emmanuella ) naturally!!! She stayed until I was all good and baby was good. We reviewed everything including breastfeeding over the postpartum visit via zoom, which was very helpful physically, mentally and emotionally. For all expecting moms, If You desire a seasoned, enthusiastic, passionate doula, that you can connect with, choose Shadisha!! Seeing her as family , We are deeply grateful for how God used her to meet us in our times of need. Emmanuella is 9 weeks now and doing exceedingly great. Looking forward to her doula services again with baby #2

My son was birthed by ATOM and it was an amazing experience. My doula labored with me at home and…read moredrove me to the hospital where I labored for a short time upon arrival. I had a pleasant birth experience and outcome. Having a doula by my side allowed me to release all fear and anxiety about what was happening around me and gave me the opportunity to just focus on my delivery and meeting my baby boy. I will definitely have a doula again at my next birth.

My wife and I had our baby with Judy and we couldn't have asked for a better experience. Highly…read morerecommend

Best choice you can ever make. I am so glad I found her and called her first. I felt an instant…read moreconnection and knew this is who I wanted to stay with. She truly cares about both mom and baby. She supports you both physically and emotionally and puts your health first. Due to having twins I have to do a hospital birth which I wasn't expecting but I know it's for their safety which is more important. I would be an emotional wreck if it wasn't for knowing i have her by my side. Almost forgot to mention she's 30 minutes away from me and I'm more than happy to drive every minute of it because she's worth it. If you have insurance they should cover midwives as well.

Emily was my doula for the birth of my second child - she is incredible! I did not have a doula for…read moremy first child, and this experience was so much more positive. Prior to the birth, she met with me and my husband multiple times, and gave us excellent guidance, including how to manage contractions, and understanding what I could say "no" to in the hospital (like having an IV placed at the start of labor). I wanted to avoid and epidural and have fewer interventions during the birth, and thanks in large part to Emily I was able to have the labor that I wanted. Throughout my pregnancy and then postpartum, Emily was communicative and caring. She came to my home after the birth and showed me some additional strategies for breastfeeding, and has checked in on me multiple times just to see how I was doing. If you're looking for a doula who is really knowledgeable and passionate about birth work, don't hesitate to contact her!

The birthing world is filled with so much information for first time parents, but Emily made sure…read morethat we had all the knowledge we will need to have a successful labor and delivery. We did the Hypnobirthing class with Emily, and my husband certainly thought I was crazy for signing us up for 15 hours of training, but we came out of each session with so much information and thought provoking conversations that could help us make well-informed decisions for our upcoming birth. Emily made herself available to us during the class, but also in the weeks following, to act as a support for any other questions that came up. We are so lucky to have found her!

I cannot say enough about how amazing Kayla was to work with. From the moment we decided that she…read morewould be our doula, she was kind, engaging, empowering, and comforting. She checked in frequently and answered all of my questions. Whenever I needed her, she was prompt to answer and always reminded me that she was there for me. When I went into labor, she was immediately by my side and did not leave until my baby was born and done with her newborn evaluation. I could not even imagine what birth without Kayla there would have been like! She massaged me the entire time, constantly encouraged me, and took care of any little details that came up so I could stay focused. I had an amazing, unmedicated birth and I could not have asked for a better experience! I would recommend Kayla to anyone! She will always be a part of my incredible birth experience and I am so grateful for her.

Jill and her team are nothing short of amazing. Her GentleBirth method really works - I had a 4…read morehour labor just like she said I would if I followed the teachings! She and Jessi supported me before, during and after my (very fast) birth. I felt safe and secure with them by my side throughout my pregnancy, delivery and postpartum period. Jill even attended my sons bris and supported me during that difficult day. Jessi is the reason I continued to exclusively breastfeed my son for almost 5 months. I wanted to give up many times and she encouraged me to stick with it and guided me through the rollercoaster that is breastfeeding. The breastfeeding 101 class, better baby class, belly wrapping instruction and placenta services were great as well. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Jill and Jessi, Shea, Anna and the whole WBC family for making my first pregnancy and birth a wonderful experience.

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.

We asked Taylor to be our doula for baby #2. Pretty sure I would still be pregnant and in labor if…read moreI didn't have her by my side! I was expecting an easier labor since it was my second, but it wasn't really the case. I was progressing slowly, but already at the hospital so after a while the pitocin talk started. I was exhausted at that point and started breaking down because, to me, that automatically meant c-section. Taylor helped us through the decision, encouraged us to speak up about our hesitations, and got me through labor on pitocin without an epidural. She was always ready with positions/tools and gentle but empowering words to help me keep going. Her soothing presence kept me and my husband calm. Her visits before and after were always pleasant and helpful. No matter what my fears and insecurities were about birth, motherhood or wife-hood, Taylor always validated my feelings, offered solutions and was never judgmental. She says I could have done it without her, but I just don't see how that would have been possible!

From the owner: As a doula it's my goal to help you discover and navigate your birth options and preferences, and…read moreto support you in ways that make you feel empowered and safe. My role is to provide you with information, offer continuous emotional and physical support, and be a calm and steady, non-judgemental voice as you journey from pregnancy through parenthood. Serving Northern and Central NJ and NYC.