Amy is amazing. Very knowledgeable and professional. I leave feeling great and look forward to my…read morenext appointment. Highly recommend.

I was very lucky to get a last minute appointment with Amy while I was in town for a few days. She…read moregave one of the best massages I've had in a long time. I'll be back!

Darcy is such a warm and welcoming person. I first met her when I attended her prenatal yoga class,…read morewhich was great to get to know her and some other local pregnant mamas! My husband and I then took the Yoga for Birth class that she teaches and that was beyond helpful and really helped us feel ready, or as ready as possible, with techniques and poses to help during labor and birth. And then after my baby was born we went to the baby and mom yoga classes. She really creates a culture of open sharing and non judgment. She also encourages Moms to look to each other for support and resources so that you can start new relationships with moms going through the same thing as you are. Finally, I had Darcy come to my house for a lactation consultation and she was so helpful and again encouraging. I will definitely lean on Darcy again for my next pregnancy!

Dover Doula provided me with excellent breast-feeding support. Darcy is patient, knowledgeable, an…read moreexcellent listener and extremely helpful. I've been to other lactation consultants who pretty much take over the whole process and not let you do it yourself so when you get back home you still have no idea what you're doing. Darcy not only came to my home but she stood back, watched what I was doing first and then offered her advice and support in a very kind and reassuring manner. I highly recommend her!

Ellie is an absolute gem. My husband and I first worked with her as a sleep consultant during a…read morebrutal 18 month sleep regression for our daughter. Both empathetic and whip-smart, Ellie helped identify specific actions we could take to get sleep back on track. It was so reassuring to make a plan with her and to have real time follow up so that we could course correct and adjust as needed. When we encountered some challenges with the 2 to 1 nap transition, Ellie was the only person we wanted help from and once again she was exactly the resource we needed. We also felt SO supported by Ellie as a birth and postpartum doula for our second child. Using zoom, email, text, and phone, Ellie was like an expert big sister in the weeks leading up to the birth, as well as in the beginnings of labor, and most especially in the early postpartum period. The birth escalated so quickly that there wasn't time for zoom support, but honestly the postpartum support alone was invaluable (and thank goodness for Ellie's nudge via phone for us to hightail it to the hospital-- our son was almost born in the car). Her expertise in sleep and lactation along with being a thoughtful and experienced mom of three... I truly can't speak highly enough. We will forever be grateful to Ellie for helping us grow into happier, stronger parents, and she will forever be our go-to for all questions parenting / birth / sleep!

Working with Ellie was a wonderful experience. I am so grateful that she was our doula for my…read morefirst birth as there are so many questions and unknowns. Ellie helped us navigate all of this and made me feel incredibly supported.

We are so grateful for the support Natalie provided to our family. From the first meeting, she…read morebrought a calm, reassuring presence. Through our initial meetings, labor/delivery, and our days after she offered thoughtful advice that focused on determining and achieving our preferences days afterward. During labor, her grounding presence, advocacy, and encouragement made all the difference -- she helped us stay centered, connected, and prepared for every step. After our baby arrived, Natalie continued to be a source of comfort and clarity, offering practical tips and calm support. We really appreciated her help, and we feel lucky to have had her by our side.

My husband and I could not recommend Maine Doulas enough! Natalie was kind, supportive, gave…read morehelpful suggestions and cared for our newborn at night as if she was her own. It's a little daunting handing over your newborn (that you hardly know yourself!) to a stranger, but Natalie made us feel comfortable from the start. Thank you MD for all you did for our little family, we will definitely use them in future!

The Doulas at Granite State Doulas, (specifically Amber and Maria in my case) have been extremely…read morehelpful. I am currently debating a second child after several surrogacies, during which Amber supported me, and they both have given me a confident listening. Neither has ever thought to sway my thoughts one way or the other, but have thoughtfully listened and helped me listen to my own mind. I have never before had the privilege of having a Doula attend my birth, as my intended parents were uncomfortable with more people being in the room. Despite not being able to officially employ their services, both Maria and Amber listened and have wonderful advice about having a peaceful medicated hospital birth. In short, I have no question that I will be using their suffices should I have another, the only question is, which wonderful woman?!?!

It's best if I start at the beginning…read more We first contacted Amber Barrett of Granite State Doulas, which operates out of the Wild Woman Wellness Center, via doulamatch.net this last summer concerning our baby boy, whose birth date should have been October 22nd. Our li'l one couldn't wait and was born 9/23/2015. He was just 5 lbs 4 oz, so small he could curl up in my hands. He's wonderful. Truly. Our experience with Amber, however, was anything but. While we didn't exactly start off on the right foot (she forgot about our initial scheduled appointment and never showed up), we hired her anyway given that mistakes happen. We were afforded one consult prior to the birth. Sadly, Amber did not bring us any of the promised pregnancy literature: the "Awesome Birth" workbook, an emotional signpost handout, comfort techniques cheat sheet. This was our first baby; it's why we hired a doula. At 2:44 a.m. on September 23rd, my wife's water broke and we contacted Amber to let her know. We were given the impression that she'd be available anytime--our pre-birth conversations suggested so--though it's clear now we were mistaken. At 8:20 a.m. we received a response and I called at 8:30 a.m. to give an update--water broken, in the hospital, 3 cm dilated, etc. Amber told me things would take a while and she should wait before coming in "otherwise we would just be hanging out." When I asked her how long it would take for her to get to our hospital she said one hour. Between noon and 2pm, I kept her updated, when my wife's dilation increased, how she was doing pain-wise. All along, I expected Amber to tell me when it made sense for her to come. We hired a Doula with the expectation that she'd guide us through a potentially scary situation, not the other way around. At 4:07 pm I insisted she come; my wife's natural birth was taking a toll. 2 1/2 hours later Amber arrived, only 6 minutes before our son was born, which our doctors confirmed, and then she hung back, out of sight. Immediately following the birth she apologized profusely--she'd gotten lost, she said, google maps was being weird, traffic--and she offered great postpartum care in lieu of doula services not given. But considering our experience, we couldn't exactly trust she'd follow through. How could we? We declined. We stayed with our beautiful boy that week he recovered in the NICU, and not once did she check in. Not even an email to say hello, I hope you're doing well. A text. Nothing. She still hasn't contacted my wife. September 26th, I emailed Amber regarding a partial refund (minus retainer, i.e., half of what we paid), which appears to be spelled out in her contract under "Failure to Provide Services" or "Any Other Circumstances." Despite our experience, she responded that she didn't see how she could've done anything differently. No refund. She pointed to a cause in the contract citing either "quick labor," defined as birth under two hours, or "that we call too late," less than two hours before the birth, "a refund will not be provided." When I wrote 1) that our labor began at 2:44 a.m. and he was born at 6:36 p.m., not "quick," and 2) that she arrived about 2 1/2 hours after my call, despite claiming to be an hour away, she said she remembers things differently. One particularly sleepless night, we were watching our baby through the glass of the NICU and my wife broke down. She said, "I feel like she swindled us." I lost it. She was right. In center of what should've been a beautiful experience, we'd thrown away money we could've used to help our struggling child. Rather than providing security, Amber added anxiety and financial strain. I was so frustrated that I contacted the owner doulamatch.net, and she suggested the following actions: contact the doula's certifying organization and file a grievance; if the doula holds a business license, file a grievance with the city or state's Better Business Bureau where the doula holds her license; post a testimonial of your experience with this doula on her profile. She also said, "Doulas should err on the side of a new family's emotional experience and do what is right and fair by everyone involved." It's worth noting that Amber's Doulamatch.net profile has since disappeared so we can't review her. After much trying, Amber finally promised a refund in mid-October. When it didn't arrive, I emailed, and again she promised something in November. And then in December. Then in early January. Late January, we received less than half of a partial refund, $150, as opposed to the $400 her contract spells out. She stated that this was for the billable hours of post-partum doula care we didn't take (how could we?) in reparation for missing the birth. We are leaving a negative review because we would hate for other couples to have a similar experience. Your child is too important so spend your resources carefully.

The Concord Birth Center was out of this world incredible. My wife and I just had our first child…read more10 hrs ago. Kate our lead midwife was nothing short of 10 out of 10. We arrived at the center at 6:30pm. As a man I super curious about how a natural birth would go. However, I got to experience the most beautiful gift I have ever received up close and personal. It was difficult to watch my wife go through the struggle, however, Kate was on top of every move. She had my wife in a tub, in different positions for different phases of the pregnancy. And come to find out she is coming up on her 800 birth that she has been apart of. To anyone who is looking for an alternative to the hospital experience and can handle a natural birth, I recommend this place with full enthusiasm. Our baby girl was delivered at 11:17pm. The birth could not have gone any smoother. I am so grateful to Kate and her assistant Bryn. Words can not express our gratitude. Outstanding job!!!! Thank you for playing such a huge part in one of the greatest days of our lives. You two are the BEST!!!!!

From the owner: We are a midwife-led freestanding birth center in Concord, NH, offering professional and…read morepersonalized prenatal, postpartum, and childbirth services. We support your vision of birth, including home birth, water birth, and VBAC. We are dedicated to providing the highest standard of care, offering an intricate balance of tradition and technology. Midwives are the facilitators of natural process and reserve intervention, invasive testing and procedures for situations outside the parameters of normal. We also recognize that parents value and honor the experience of pregnancy and birth as much as the health of mothers and babies. We allow as much time as needed to listen, interact and educate -- encouraging families to be proactive, to make truly informed decisions about their care. Call us to tour the birth center, and to learn more about what truly collaborative, family-centered midwifery care looks like.