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.

I had an amazing homebirth experience with Jessica and her team. I wish I had used her for my first…read morebirth. If you are considering a homebirth, I would highly recommend Jessica as apart of your story. She is compassionate, respectful, knowledgeable and professional. She is extremely clean and COVID-19 safe.

I am receiving my prenatal care with Jessica Mills, APRN, CNM, and planning my home birth through…read morecall the midwife. Really love the hospitality and knowledge they carry. It is relieving to know they work with insurances. I'm excited to plan my water birth in the comfort of our home, with my husband and 4 year old and looking forward to see the outcome with baby number two. Obviously, we can't predict if there will be emergencies or not, but having the support of the midwives keeps the anxiety levels down! Jessica is very easy to connect and bond with and always has an educated response to my questions. Wish I found her four years ago!

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.

I recently was provided care by Jen Ross of Lionheart midwifery. After trying to go the local…read morewomen's health practice and plan on hospital birth, I realized I couldn't go that route any further in my pregnancy. The care that I was recieving was impersonal. With different midwives every visit I felt like I was a folder not a person. I was scared of what would happen during labor in a hospital full of people I had never even met, how would I be treated then? I decided to look for a midwife and see if it was an option for me. I quickly found Jen Ross of Lionheart Midwifery and setup the consultation. I knew from the first appointment that it was a better option for me so we moved forward with no pressure from her. Our prenatal appointments were very thorough, she was very knowledgeable and offered me options. Jen was organized and professional yet personable and easy to talk to. The delivery went very smoothly, it was a completely natural process that I can reflect on with a smile. I was also extremely impressed with the aftercare we received. She was easy to reach by text with any questions and her visits at home put me at ease and made the whole experience magical. I can't recommend Jen Ross from Lionheart Midwifery enough. It's easy to tell she has a true passion for what she does!

From the owner: Lionheart midwifery is a home-birth midwifery practice, which means I come to you for all your…read moreneeds in the child-bearing years! I provide pre-conception counseling, home IUI / ICI with fresh or frozen sperm, full scope prenatal care, labor/birth support in your home, postpartum & lactation care for you and newborn care for your baby. I also provide well-person care including pap smears, breast/chest exams and contraceptive counseling. Other services: in-hospital Doula services, placenta encapsulation, birth tub rental and lactation care breast/chest feeding support. I practice based on the "The Midwifery Model of Care" which focuses on the holistic, family-centered ways parents can prepare for this time of life. Midwives acknowledge that the process of bringing a baby into the world is not just a physiological process; it happens within a social, emotional, and spiritual context. The Midwifery Model of Care focuses on preventive care, promoting health and shared decision-making.

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.

Teresa was incredibly knowledgeable. We had her for our first labor and delivery experience and she…read moredid an excellent home visit weeks before I was due which reviewed items we could do at home to prepare. Her presence at the delivery was comforting the entire day. She had me up and walking and arranged for me to have a ball in my room to work from. She also thought out of the box in terms of laboring positions and really made my experience so much better. She got a lot of photos I'll cherish forever that we wouldn't have had otherwise from the delivery experience. We had a wonderful post partum call too which just reinforced the confidence I have in her care (coming from healthcare myself). I'm so grateful I chose to have a doula and I'm so lucky to have chosen Teresa for this first experience. Thank you thank you! Recommend her highly!

Teresa is kind, calm, and very well-informed across a wide range of pre-natal, labor and delivery,…read morelactation, and post-partum issues. Her deep experience gives her the confidence and poise we were looking for to help guide us through this journey with our first child. We interviewed a number of doulas and she was clearly the best. She taught us the basics of childbirth, helped us navigate when to go to the hospital when labor began, worked very well with the L&D staff at the Brigham, and visited post-partum with notes on what happened to help us remember and process the experience. I recommend Teresa without reservation!

Krista is an amazing post partum doula and lactation consultant. In addition to her extensive…read moretraining, skills and years of experience, she has a lovely presence and soothing demeanor which helped me relax and feel like things were well taken care of. She was truly able to help the whole family - including recovery from c section, trouble shooting breast feeding issues, loving infant care, preparing delicious meals for the whole family and providing excellent care for our toddler. She really helps new moms with self care, reminding you to eat and rest and allow her to make your life easier. Even as a second-time mom, I had peace of mind knowing our family was in her care. She also made herself available for questions and troubleshooting between visits by phone or email, which was quite helpful as well.

From the owner: Providing in-home doula and breastfeeding support, parental education, and quality care for your…read moreentire family through the first months of your newborn's life. Services include: Newborn care (bathing, diapering, soothing/sleeping techniques, developmental education, etc) Parenting education (attachment style vs. scheduled style, discipline, role transitions, etc) Sibling adjustment (preparing sibling, inclusion techniques, coping skills, etc) Breastfeeding education and support (Krista is a certified lactation counselor) Safe bottle/formula feeding education Emotional support and companionship (a listening ear, coping skills, extra set of hands, etc) Sleep (techniques to help baby and naps to help parents) Daily tasks (laundry, dishes, meal preparation, household organization) Phone, email, and in-home personal support All services are customized to fit your family's individual needs!