Shantel was a pleasure to work with, and an invaluable part of our child's delivery…read more Her industry knowledge, along with extensive experience put us at ease about the process and the options available to us as first-time parents. We ended up having an unplanned delivery, which couldn't have gone as smoothly as it did without Shantel's support and guidance. She helped bring our daughter into this world, and will always have a special place in our hearts. She was outstanding, and we highly recommend her.

I wish I had a good experience like the reviews, but honestly absolute scam. I inquired about…read moreplacenta encapsulation services. I sent in deposit and kept her in the loop on scheduled c section. i was the one who kept initiating contact for pick up of placenta. she never arranged pick up and I requested a refund of deposit, which I never received. so I got scammed out of $95 because she never answered me after the last texts requesting refund again.

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.

Taking the Birth1st Hypnobirthing course with Elizabeth was one of the best decisions I made for my…read morebirth experience! I wanted a natural delivery, but as a first time mom, I was scared! Thanks to the breathing techniques, visualizations, and overall mindset preparation she taught, I was able to have an unmedicated 7-hour labor (most of it at home, arriving to the hospital almost 8cm dilated!!) with no tearing--delivering a healthy 7lb baby girl. Elizabeth's guidance gave me the confidence to trust my body and stay calm through every stage of labor. The tools I learned helped me through my surges, stay as relaxed as possible, and truly embrace the wonder and joy of the birth experience. I'm beyond grateful for this course and would highly recommend it to any expecting mama looking for an empowering, positive birth! Our bodies were made for birth and I am so proud of what I was able to accomplish with Elizabeth's help!

Elizabeth was such a God send for us. First, she is extremely knowledgeable and clearly has the…read morebackground and experience needed to be amazing at her job. Then of course is her heart. She truly cared so much about my husband and I and took the time to walk us through each and every step. We were so nervous being first time parents about the birthing experience and she truly not only prepared us but really put us at ease. When it came time for the actual day of the labor things did not go exactly as planned and Elizabeth was right there for it all! I cannot imagine going through that whole experience without her there. My husband feels the exact same way. She also was so great with the doctors and nurses. She never overstepped but kindly had my back throughout the process. I do believe that should she not have been there, the hospital staff would have pushed me to do things that I didn't want, like a C-section. It took far more time to do a natural birth but with her support I was able to have my daughter vaginally like I very much wanted. If you are considering hiring Elizabeth as your doula, I would definitely do it! She made our pregnancy and birth feel so much safer and she really took care of us every step of the way.

My husband and I took a 2 hour private in-home class and it was AMAZING!! Vivian arrived and was…read morewarm, friendly and so easy to talk to right away. I was 37 weeks pregnant with our first child at the time of the appnt and so it was pretty late in my pregnancy to have a birthing class, but I believe it was perfect timing to keep all the info Vivian provided fresh in our minds. Within the 2 hours Vivian touched on EVERYTHING!! From stages of labor, Bradley Method, breastfeeding, vaccinations, postpartum and anything else you may have any questions and concerns about Vivian is a wealth of knowledge!! You can see her passion and sincere care for you as she teaches you and your partner coaching and positioning techniques for labor. I was able to go to my OB/GYN the next day fully knowledgeable and describe with confidence exactly what I wanted in my birth plan. If you are expecting your first child and would like an idea of what labor is all about Vivian is an expert and puts your mind at ease just to know what to expect and how to be as prepared as possible. Thank you Vivian!!

We took a private class with Vivian Cardinale to prepare for the birth of our fist child. Going…read moreinto the class, we had little knowledge about what to expect and a lot of questions. Vivian's patient teaching style and knowledge helped us to learn all we need to prepare for our child and make decisions about the type of birth we wanted to have. She's willing to answer all of our questions, no matter how out there they might seem, and offered support throughout. I highly recommend that if you are looking for a birthing class in general, or a Bradley Method class specifically, you seek out Vivian.

Leigh was an incredible birthing coach for us, and she kept things fun and peppy the whole time…read more We're expecting our first kid, and while we're very comfortable with babies and excited about what's to come, it turned out there was so much we had no idea we didn't know! We're so glad we had these sessions with Leigh because now we have a confidence and awareness about what to expect with the stages of labor, the processes at the hospital (especially how much agency parents have with respect to them), and the first couple of weeks at home. Leigh came highly recommended to us and now we see why. We would enthusiastically recommend her to every family expecting a new addition!

As first time parents, we were so thankful to have taken Leigh's 5-week childbirth education…read moreseries! We found the course invaluable - Leigh is extremely knowledgeable, engaging, personable, and passionate about all things birth. Her warmth and openness fostered an environment where we felt comfortable asking any question and felt supported with numerous online resources, book recommendations, and community connections. We were also able to connect with other couples expecting around the same time which has been great! Under normal circumstances, we couldn't recommend Leigh's class enough, but with covid-19 and ever-changing hospital policies/ uncertainty, Leigh really went above and beyond to keep us focused on and confident about how to navigate our birth during this stressful time. We were lucky to have completed the class in person but have since engaged with Leigh a few times virtually as well. She has been an incredible resource as we welcomed our baby boy into the world. We highly recommend Leigh!!

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!

I feel so fortunate to have had Erica by my side during labor. She helped me to remain calm and…read moremanage my pain. One of the best things was her helping my husband to help me. He wanted to be as supportive as possible and learning a few techniques from her proved incredibly valuable. When we asked Erica to come meet us at home I had been ready to go to the hospital, but that would have been to early. I was able to stay home and labor for an extra 4 hours thanks to her help. And at the hospital, she helped to translate when the doctors were too busy to explain what was going on. The whole experience was better because we worked with Erica.

From the owner: The Happy Baby offers education and support for expecting families. Services include doula based…read morelabor support, postpartum support, and educational courses to prepare for birth and caring for baby. Please message us for more details!

I wasn't sure about the type of support I'd like after having my first child. There are so many…read moreoptions and things to think about that the decision making process can be kind of overwhelming. Baby Caravan was great - when I reached out to them they answered all of my questions and before hiring a doula I was able to video chat with her so we could get to know each other. I ended up hiring Allie for post-partum visits and she was wonderful. So friendly and kind and she was so knowledgeable! She really supported me with breastfeeding techniques, helped me sort thru baby gifts and had great tips about everything from diaper changing techniques to how to properly sterilize baby bottles. She made the transition to parenthood so much easier and really helped me develop my confidence as a new mom. She also just provided some much needed relief, compassion and extra hands during those crazy first few weeks. I'm really grateful to her and Baby Caravan for all of their help during such an important time in my family's lives.

From the owner: Birth Doula Services // Daytime Postpartum Doula Services //…read moreOvernight Postpartum Doula Services // Lactation Consultants // Placenta Encapsulation // Birth Photography // Return to Work Coaching // Parental Leave Planning

SIMONE WAS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE! If we have another child, we're calling her immediately to get on…read moreher calendar! We hired Simone within weeks of our delivery date. We'd already taken a bunch of classes, however we wanted someone with experience to be in the room for delivery to advocate for our birth plan wishes and guide us. We met Simone through Zoom for her to learn about not only our pregnancy journey, but us as a family and first-time parents. She helped with stretches, food/drink suggestions to encourage labor to start, natural pain remedies, breathing techniques and a realistic expectation of what delivery would be like for a high-risk "mature" mom at Weill-Cornell. I was in labor for several days and Simone helped us through all of it. It meant a lot that when we didn't understand medical terminology she would explain it to us, remind us of our wishes, and helped keep us calm throughout the entire process. I also love that she took candid pictures (at our request) of the birthing experience.  Simone is incredibly professional, polite to hospital staff, but firm when she needed to be if someone wasn't listening or honoring our wishes. Having an advocate in the delivery room helped bring me peace. When it came time to push, she held my hand, looked me in the eye and encouraged me to listen to my body. She helped guide me to welcome our daughter into the world and that's priceless. Simone also did a home visit after to check on breastfeeding and help with all of our follow-up questions. I've texted her several times after as well for advice from everything to nursing to sleeping. Your money will be well spent with Simone. Its an investment where she is fully present and helpful beyond belief! I feel like I have a family friend for life and am honored she helped ease the transition from a couple to a family of three!

I wanted to respond to the comments Simone left on my last review I wrote two weeks ago:…read more1.) I did not move 1.5-2 hours away from Brooklyn. This is an exaggeration on Simone's part. 2.) my husband never referred her to anyone else. I wonder if Simone is confusing us without another family. 3.) I cannot speak on the extent of the support Simone provided, as I was in labor. She may be accurate in the fact that she engaged my husband in a phone call and some text messages. I do remember speaking to her briefly after giving birth when asking her for a refund, which she is correct in stating that she provided. 4.) if it was impractical for Simone to provide back up support given my location, she should have been upfront about this, which she wasn't when I initially informed her or the move. This would have allowed me to make an informed decision in hiring her. 5.) all of our classes with the exception of 1 were conducted virtually. She is not accurate in stating that they were all in person support. I'd like to make clear that I understand Simone had another commitment and she was unable to be in two places at once. However, I want to emphasize that it was her responsibility as a doula to ensure a contingency plan. It is not my intent to go back and forth with Simone but to provide accurate feedback on my experience in the hope that she does better in the future to improve her service. Wishing Simone and all her present and future clients the best.