We cannot say enough wonderful things about DCBD. This was my/our first pregnancy, and we truly…read morefelt supported every step of the way by their team. Especially in those last 1-2 months, we leaned so heavily on the birth doulas and they responded to all of our questions and concerns immediately. We learned the most about how to care for our daughter and what was happening in my body from DCBD. I went into labor and the birth experience feeling ready and excited, and that's because of the experience, information, and kindness that were shared with us ahead of time. The birth - nearly 4 months later, and we are still talking about Camille! We are going to remember her forever - she was such a wonderful presence during my entire labor and after, and we don't know what we would have done without her. She made sure my husband and I knew what was happening, she advocated for us, she ensured I was comfortable (well, as comfortable as you can be in labor), and she really rooted for us the whole time. I felt safe because she was with us. And Ella - we were shocked that someone who didn't *have* to be there, stayed for the entire labor, participated, and stayed after when we were transferred to the postpartum room! She will be (or already is) a phenomenal birth doula. We felt so lucky to have Camille and Ella. Post birth - Lolonyo came to our house the very first night we were back from the hospital, and what a gift she is. She taught us how to soothe a baby, how to change a diaper (I'm sure they showed us in the hospital... but I could not remember haha). We had her for several nights during those first 2 months and we were so, so grateful to wake up the next morning refreshed, rested, and with the knowledge that our daughter had been held in loving arms all night long. She was never judgmental and was always supportive as we navigated breastfeeding, safe cosleeping, and everything else. We also had Joanna for several daytime visits. She always made sure to check in on my mental and physical health, which was so appreciated, and she was so helpful. We always felt like we were able to reset a bit after her visits, because she'd leave behind clean bottles and pump parts and a rested (and sometimes still sleeping) baby, and we would have had time to ourselves to shower and get a little more organized. She made our chaotic lives feel lighter, and we loved her for that. As a DCBD member you'll also have the opportunity to be part of a postpartum circle of other parents going through what you did. Shaleen and Elizabeth gave us space to talk through birth and everything that comes after, while feeling supported and safe. I'm still friends with some of the parents from my circle. In closing - DCBD is worth every single penny. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts!

Rebecca from DC Birth Doulas was absolutely incredible. From the moment we first connected, I…read moreimmediately felt comfortable with her and the entire team. She has such a warm, genuine presence that made it easy to ask questions and talk through everything honestly. She was always responsive and gave thoughtful, real answers that helped me feel informed and confident throughout the process. I was hoping for a VBAC, and with Rebecca's support we were able to have a successful one. She provided amazing support not only for me, but also for my husband. During labor she was calm, encouraging, and incredibly knowledgeable, helping us both feel grounded and supported every step of the way. Having Rebecca there made such a difference in our birth experience. I'm so grateful for her care and for the support of the entire DC Birth Doulas team. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a compassionate, knowledgeable, and truly supportive doula

Jenny and Rose are wonderful and I would highly recommend their services and Silver Spring Doula to…read moreany expectant mother in the area. As a first time mom, it was wonderful to have their expertise and level-headed approach to pregnancy and childbirth throughout the journey - and lord knows I had a million and one questions. They are both knowledgeable, kind, and genuinely lovely people to know and work with. Rose was the doula in attendance at my birth and her presence was so calming and appreciated. She came to our house during early labor when I was unsure of how the process was going. And from the house to the hospital, she was with us every step of the way. In the hospital, she had lots of supplies with her to support my L&D, including a much used hot water bottle that made those first few hours more bearable. And when the doctors said my son was "sunny side up," Rose helped moved me into different positions and did adjustments to help encourage baby to change position (which he did!!). She held my hand (and my leg ) during 3 hours of pushing and reminded me often to breathe, made sure I was drinking water, and reminded me to relax when possible. Truly, I could not have done it without her. It was amazing to have someone looking out for me in the L&D room. As as added bonus, she took photos when our son was born which are really special to have. Although I think I'm a "one and done" type person with my son, if I were to have another child, I would engage Jenny and Rose again for their services in a heartbeat!

This was our second time using Silver Spring Doula for my labor and delivery, and I'm so glad they…read morejoined us again. I can't recommend Rose and Jenny highly enough. SSD has TENS units for clients and I got to use one for this birth (no idea if it helped but so glad to try it out!). The community classes are informative. I went into labor at 2:30 in the morning and Rose joined us shortly afterwards. She knows what signs mean your labor is progressing and what might be helpful in reducing pain and when you need to leave for the hospital, and she knows how to let your body lead the labor. At the hospital, Rose advocated for us to make sure we had the care we needed (e.g.: the hospital was understaffed and we were left alone and I was in no state to ask where on earth our medical team was when I was pushing). Pretty sure I'm done after kid #2 but if we do have any more we will definitely be asking SSD to join us again.

Desperate for a few nights of sleep in the early days of preemie baby coming home from the NICU,…read moreTeresa connected us with Njomeh. We were understandably nervous to trust someone else to take care of our fragile little one, but Njomeh put us at ease. She has a warm, loving energy that helped us relax, and our little boy loves her. She's also super prompt and reliable. We'd recommend her to anyone!

Our awesome baby showed up 50 days before his scheduled due date. Needless to say, we were totally…read moreunprepared and caught off guard. When we finally got him home, we realized we were overwhelmed. We called Overnight Newborn Care and they set us up with Claudine. She has been nothing short of a miracle. We can sleep through the night now which gives us the energy to finish our cross-country move (which was supposed to have happened BEFORE the baby came, but nooooo - yikes!). They explained everything in detail and were sensitive to our concerns about safety and care for a premie. Claudine is super sweet and has been so reliable, we actually don't want her to ever leave. She has been with us for almost 3 months now - 7 days a week - without incident! So, yeah, happy parents here. Highly recommend.

If you're interested in a home birth + midwife around Takoma Park, look no further. Rachel is…read moreprofessional and empathetic, reassuring and earnest. If I could have all of my babies with Rachel, I would. This is my 5-star experience from start to finish: Pregnancy: I reached out to her when I had a subpar bedside manner experience at George Washington Hospital for my low-risk pregnancy. I couldn't imagine moving forward in maternity care with rotating OBs and random residents. I really wanted a home birth, but also wanted to find a midwife who would have an emergency transfer plan and not recklessly force a home birth. Cue Rachel! My husband and I both looked forward to cozy monthly appointments with her--she ensured that we were educated on important topics by guiding us through a few discussion points at every meeting. I never felt overwhelmed by information (or at a loss of what to ask). If she wasn't 100% certain about an answer to a question, she was honest about it and pointed me towards resources. Labor & Delivery: As I approached my due date, she was available by phone to discuss my uncertainty about whether or not my water broke. She arrived within an hour of us calling during active labor. She was with me during literally every contraction, tirelessly applying counter pressure, checking baby's heart rate, guiding my breath, and juggling a billion other things that I didn't know about. When I hemorrhaged during birth, she so acted quickly and calmly with Pitocin and a fundal massage that I didn't even realize the severity of the situation. There is nothing as delightful as being in my own bed eating my own food 10 minutes after giving birth, and Rachel facilitated it all so gracefully. Home births are messy (duh) and Rachel brought so much equipment, but she and the second midwife left our apartment cleaner than when they came. Postpartum & Misc Thoughts: I had so many follow-up appointments with Rachel where we were able to address everything from my baby's health to breastfeeding to my physical wellbeing and spiraling emotions. Paying a flat fee for ALL pregnancy through postpartum care is amazing--no hidden bills or up-charged items at the hospital (she administered multiple IVs during labor and didn't have to think twice about $$). There's an annual community gathering of her current and past clients, which is really special! The bond we built over the span of 9 months with Rachel is incredible and she will forever be an important person in our lives.

I had the most incredible experience with Rock Creek Midwifery and cannot recommend them highly…read moreenough. Rachel, my midwife, was gentle, caring, and deeply respectful of my needs, while also being completely professional and grounded in her expertise. Throughout my pregnancy, Rachel led me through so much more beyond standard care - like prenatal nutrition, emotional well-being, and many "what if? have we considered...?" topics. I never felt rushed during our appointments. When labor came, it lasted much longer than expected, but Rachel guided me through every moment, keeping me focused and positive. Working closely with my doula, she created a series of labor positions that helped my sunny-side-up baby make his way earthside. Her skills, patience, and steady presence were everything I needed. After the birth, Rachel continued to show up with the same care and professionalism through at-home postpartum visits, which supported my goal of self-imposed bed rest and allowed me to stay in a peaceful bubble of recovery. I felt truly cared for from start to finish. If you are considering a home birth, I wholeheartedly recommend Rachel and Rock Creek Midwifery.

We were struggling to get sleep through the night and found Linda through a friend. Hiring Linda…read morewas the single best decision I ever made. She has helped us to sleep train our newborn son, while giving us 8-10 hours of desperately needed sleep every night. We were overwhelmed with our first child and Linda made our lives exceedingly better. I highly recommend Linda and her team as they are covid vaccinated, and are great around pets. Best money ever spent!!!

Linda is a terrific person to welcome into your home for the arrival of your new one. She gives…read moregreat advice, helps make the transition home easier, guides you as you navigate all the baby's development and growth and gives parents a sense of confidence as they learn their baby. She is such a wonderful warm person to have in your home.

After my baby was in the NICU for two weeks and unable to feed, I had trouble with nursing him. I…read morehad an oversupply and sore nipples from pumping, combined with a baby with a lot or reflux. I rented a pump through them that they made available at Children's National and when I went to return it, I noticed they had in-person appointments. I had seen several other lactation consultants virtually, but none of them were actually able to help me. Everyone said everything looked gine and to use a nipple shield. I was getting ready to give up on nursing and just pump (but that was double the work, so I wanted to find a solution. My appointment with Susan solved all my problems. We did not feel rushed at all and had plenty of time to troubleshoot. The office is very warm and welcoming. They also can come to your home, but I preferred to get out of the house. She took a good look at the latch and helped show me how to pull down his chin slightly to help with his latch. She showed me the best way to feed to help with his reflux and even gave me a little bit of a compounded ointment for my nipples to help with the pain I was having. This was the turning point for us. After that session things got much better. We still had to work on what Susan showed us, but after a few weeks, we finally could enjoy feedings. Baby is now 6 months and nursing has become second nature at this point. I am very thankful to Susan and Metropolitan breastfeeding for providing exceptional service and not only supporting breastfeeding, but supporting NICU moms by providing hospital-grade pumps at the actual hospitals. I am now returning to work and made an appointment so that I can figure out how to continue to provide my baby with breastmilk as I handle a very busy work/travel schedule. I saw many negative reviews regarding cost and sale of items, so I figured I would mention my experience. My experience was great. I did not have a copay but I did have to pay a copay for baby. It will depend on your insurance though, but I didn't have any surprises. For supplies, I was surprised to see the negative reviews. I didn't have any pressure to buy anything from them, nor did I realize they sold anything except for nursing pillows. During my session we used the pillows to feed and I really liked them, so I did buy one, but at no point did I feel like they even wanted me to purchase anything.

Do not go here unless you want to pay out of pocket TWICE. I've been to two other lactation…read moreconsultant groups and finally found one I love and this has been a non issue. Metropolitan Breastfeeding charges you TWICE- one charge for the mom and one for baby and because their costs are so high you're left with a bill after insurance pays their costs. What ridiculous business that claims to support new women treats the mother and new baby as two separate charges when they're there for one appointment? Don't waste your time coming here... very shady and not discussed or mentioned upfront.

I would not recommend Family Ways to anyone who needs a doula. I had a contract with them for doula…read moresupport for the birth of my son, which included birth prep, the birth itself, and postpartum support. I had one meeting in person with my doula and a handful of texts and one call with her (almost all of which were initiated by me). I ended up having a precipitous birth and didn't make it to the hospital in time to deliver. I delivered in my bathtub at home just as the paramedics arrived and then was transported to the hospital via ambulance. I was in contact with the doula before this happened and she said she was on the way to the hospital to meet me there. I obviously could not call her as the birth was happening and I was transported to the hospital (I did not even have my phone on me) but my husband called the doula and let her know. When I finally got my phone back, I had a text from her from hours prior saying she was in the area and wanted to know if I still wanted her to come. I thought she had left so I texted back that the baby had arrived and that I wanted to touch base for some postpartum support. She never reached back out to me. So once I was home from the hospital, I emailed with Family Ways to ask about this. It seemed rather unfair to have paid $1,500 and to have not really received any support. I understand that they would not give me a refund, but I asked if they could at least offer some postpartum support, since I had nothing during a rather traumatic birth, and that was included in the contract. They refused any further service and argued that the contract had been fulfilled. I'll let others decide if that sits right wit them, but I was very disappointed by this. I felt abandoned and gaslight after a difficult pregnancy, traumatic delivery, and in the fog of postpartum. It was especially disappointing from a service that is supposedly based on being a support system from pregnant and postpartum people during a very vulnerable time. If you do decide to use Family Ways, I would be very clear before signing any contract what support they will give you, especially if your birth doesn't go as planned.

What can I say?? Rachel was so wonderful to work with for my birth. I had a birth plan in mind, and…read moreshe was supportive from the beginning. She is a wealth of information, and was able to educate me on many evidence based birthing practices. I had an unmedicated birth, and was so glad to have Rachel by my side during labor. Note that she will support you in any birth plan or however your labor ends up going. Thankful for Rachel and Family Ways!

I could not recommend Birth You Desire / Ursula / Jenn more. Jenn has been simply the best doula we…read morecould have asked for. During birth, she was able to tell when my husband needed some extra help, asked the hospital staff for what he needed on his behalf when he was not mentally able to, and gave us guidance based off of my preferences and state of mind that led to an incredibly successful birth. Her postpartum care has honestly been the highlight of her services. I did not realize how much help we would need overnight and the help and resources that Jenn provides have been invaluable. Jenn claims she is not magic - but she is. You are in the best hands with Birth You Desire.

I'm located in San Diego and was in need of renting a reliable labor TENS unit. After many…read moreunsuccessful reliable searches online, Birth Your Desires came up and seemed legit and straightforward and it was. She sent me the TENS unit very quickly and included packaging and a return label for easy return after birth.