The Post Partum Doula support we received from Austin Born's amazing Stephanie was simply perfect…read more Seriously. Perfect. Stephanie is a doula and a lactation consultant, plus her sense of calm and reassurance helped us first time parents relax a little--which is saying a lot! We arranged to have Stephanie come on our first night home from the hospital with our beautiful baby. She provided lactation advice and created a priority list for me which we hung on the master bathroom door: 1. Feed baby 2. Feed Mommy (eat/drink) 3. Sleep Seems pretty simple, but after a week of sleep deprivation, the list helped stop my "one-more-thing" syndrome. For the first time in my life I was responsible for a needy, helpless, endlessly adorable baby--my baby. Who had time for sleep? Once I got into bed I was so amped up on adrenaline I couldn't shut down. My husband had to hold me tight to turn off the humming in my mind and body. I was finally able to sleep for an hour--it was a gift. My first nap after baby, along with Stephanie's unwavering, consistently calm, reassuring presence through those first days, gave me room to breathe and think again. She was there for many other firsts too in person, via phone, and via text. And I'm thankful for all of the support. There's nothing like having an expert to guide you through this miraculous journey--hopefully you'll get a chance to be as grateful as I am. Cheers to Austin Born!

We used Austin Born prenatal and postpartum services. As new parents, the prenatal classes we…read moreattended were very informative and empowering. Unfortunately, we could not obtain maximum benefit of support groups and attend all classes due to pregnancy related illness. We did, however, feel a huge value of using Austin Born, was in the communication and correspondence with our Doula, Kim Borchert. She answered many emails, texts and calls in a very open-minded and timely manner. We were referred to amazing pregnancy specialists such as chiropractors, twin trainers and also given pain relieving techniques which greatly reduce the discomfort and frustration of carrying twins. As new parents of twins with no family nearby, our postpartum Doula service was important. Austin Born was holistic in every sense and we felt that we had not only one awesome doula checking in and supporting us in our home each day but also had a team of doulas with vast experience behind the scenes. Without Austin Born and our doula, Juanita Sawyer, we are not sure how we would've survived. From small suggestions of types of bottles to breast-feeding struggles to reflux management solutions, there is no obstacle this team can't fix. Now that our babies are older, we look back and realize the value Austin Born services is not in how many classes were attended or how many hours of doula services were provided. The value is most definitely in the knowledge, resources, accumulated experience and open-minded approach. In short, they were amazing and invaluable to us.

Ciarra has been our doula twice and my wife had two very beautiful births. Our kids both came…read morequickly and Ciarra was there both times to support us through the process but also in dealing with the hospital staff who did their jobs but needed to be reminded to allow my wife the space to have the births she wished to have. I didn't know what to expect when my wife first approached me about wanting to practice hypnobirthing and have a doula but I am completely sold on the idea at this point. I'm very grateful for the work that Ciarra did for us and for teaching both me and my wife about the practice of hypnobirthing. Should we have another child, we agreed that we wouldn't change a thing.

We used multiple resources from Empowered beginnings to get ahead as first time parents:…read moreHypnobirthing Child Class, Breastfeeding class, Doula Service, Newborn sleep class, and of course the birth baby podcast. Save yourself the effort/stress of researching on your own and go straight to the experts at Empowered Beginnings. The lessons and instruction is calm, clear, and most importantly CONFIDENCE BUILDING. From day one, Empowered Beginnings helped us to enjoy the process instead of feeling overwhelmed. Our Doula answered every question, no matter how small, and gave us practical, evidence-based advice we could use immediately. We cannot imagine the pregnancy, birth, or postpartum without our Doula, Ciarra. We will use Empowered Beginnings for all of our future children!!!

Where to start. I was in a bad situation when a relationship is broken. You end up starting from…read morescratch. I didn't have any confident to be on my own with my two beautiful smart boys whom I've raised for so long. When someone mention to me about TBCH, I was scared to reach out to them maybe because of being judged or rejected. Few weeks later, I had to take that chance and do it for my boys. Being a single mother isn't easy, people look at you differently, but now I understand. You become who you are and should be proud that you have desire's and can accomplished anything. TBCH is a AMAZING program for single mom's who is going through tough times. They help you get resources that you need, career choices, help you save, your able to pay off debit, education, counseling, daycare, food, church, and mostly a safe place to live. TBCH-I want to say thank you for the bottom of my heart saving me from my heart ship and stress I went through and helping my boys succeed.

They helped me and my family through a tough time. They were very kind to us. The rec is also a…read moregood place to take kids(7th-12th). The people there at the rec are so kind and they go for dinner on Friday and some breaks they go on fun adventures. I would 100% recommend it if you need somewhere to recoup.

Had to use this place in a pinch and my mama anxiety was through the roof as I don't use drop in's…read moreever!! But this place was really fun for my girls and they spent the rest of the week asking me when they could go back!! Care givers were all very nice and engaged with the kids when I was in to drop off and pick up! Great first experience!!

As a single parent, this place has helped me so much with last minute childcare. I couldn't…read morerecommend it enough!

A Tale of Two Entities…read more Useful: 1. Settlement Home: Helps young girls who were abused have a place to live and thrive. It's a great nonprofit residential center that I hope no one on Yelp ever has a chance to use. 2. Settlement Home Garage Sale: At Palmer Events Center the first weekend in November. Friday you have to pay to get in. Don't bother. Saturday, it's free and it's a great day to scout out the merchandise and buy things you just can't go without. Sunday, the morning is pretty picked over, but the afternoon is the highlight of the whole thing. At a certain hour, they start selling boxes. Get there early, buy one or two boxes, depending on whether you think you can manage it. Plan to be trampled, nudged, elbowed, et cetera. Stuff your box as fast as possible and get the hell out. Funny: 1. My freshman year of college, my rooommate worked for Settlement Home, where abused girls get their lives on track. Some have been sexually abused, physically abused, and so on. I really respected that. This same roommate thought it was funny to tell her mom and boyfriend (stationed in Iraq, by the way) that she was pregnant. After he got someone to buy the ring (within 24 hours) and freaked out sufficiently, and her mom went a little nuts, she called both of them back and said, "Just kidding!." I don't respect that at all. 2. The people at the Settlement Home Garage Sale are friggin' animals. After I bought my box, I went to stand in front of the Center. "GET BACK BITCH! I'VE BEEN STANDING HERE FOR 20 MINUTES!" Wow. I stepped back about 10 feet, actually closer to the door. I think I actually got in before this woman. She had two of the largest boxes available, $8 apiece, duct taped together and on a big luggage rack. I went to the art section. She was sweeping entire tables full of frames into her boxes. She swept in a picture I was in the middle of grabbing. "Can I have that please?" "No!" "Are you even looking at what you're taking?' "NO! I JUST CARE ABOUT THE FRAMES, NOT THE ART, STUPID!" Well, she got a really interesting picture of Michaelangelo's "David" in the deal. Lucky lady. Cool: 1. The Settlement Home basically runs off the funds raised by the gigantic garage sale once a year. What a neat concept. But you can donate to them at any time. It's a good cause, really. 2. For a $3 box, I got the following: An antique intercom that doesn't work A bunch of Royal Doulton "Thistledown" bone china (valued at about $15 a plate) 3 novels 2 small framed photos A large framed photo of a broken window A toothbrush holder A citrus zester Two original, one-of-a-kind paintings What a deal!

I stayed at the forsaken place for a year and a half tooooo long!! I can't begin to tell you how…read moredreadful that this place was. I left fifteen years ago on my eighteenth birthday. My first opinion is that, if they still do, the settlement does NOT need to hire people who are basically kids themselves. I used to wonder if the "houseparents" had bad days, which I'm sure they did, we all did. It appeared as though they took their frustration out on the girls who lived there. Everytime you turned around somebody got a consequence for SOMETHING! Damn! I wonder if giving the girls a consequence for something made them feel taller and better about their egos, especially if they personally had a bad day before they got to work. I heard and saw how the "houseparents" used to gather around and talk about how they punished someone and how they had to restrain a girl and then they mentioned what kind of punishment they had given them. I feel I got punished every time I breathed fresh air. Instead of being punished, I felt as though they should have taught me the values of life. What's out there in life and PREPARE me for it!!!! I felt that there was no need to punish someone THAT often. Instead of punishing a girl, damn, get to know their past. See why they what they do, look behind the problem to correct it. A punishment is not going to do it. Work with them slowly. I should never have been in such a place anyway, but that is another story, in which my family and I are in court as we speak against the state for what their CPS worker did when I was eight years old. One of the houseparents told me that I had to be put on birth control, (I was not sexually active at the time), or else I would not be allowed to go anywhere on my own while I stayed there. I gave in and she ordered the birth control: I took the birth control for a month and a half and cheeked the bitch for the remainder of the time there. She never knew it, either. Then she told me that once a girl comes to the Settlement, it would be hard for she to leave it; I often still wonder sometimes if the Settlement home gets "high money" per girl who stays there. No wonder it would be difficult for she to leave unless she runs away. One of the staff had gone to court exactly two weeks before I left the hell hole, two weeks before I turned eighteen. She tried to testify to make me look bad. She told the court all kinds of fake crap and a bunch of lies!! I couldn't believe it, but then again, they are the state employees, which explains why the CPS worker ten years prior to the date did what she did. HEY!! I was trying to get emancipated, which didn't make sense at the particular time because I turned eighteen two weeks later, in which, I still left the hell hole! She couldn't stop me and didn't! My over all opinion of this place is that you people can do better and don't chastise the girls for not having a loving home who want them, they didn't ask to be born. It's not their fault that they are in such a place. Oh, yes, birth control and prozac, they call it, are popular drugs with this home and they have you open your mouth to show them that you swallowed them, but....damn I am good! I cheeked that crap all of its days! Oh!...& there is no need to feel as though you have to threaten me to not tell others that a houseparent was seen at a refund raiser for GAY people...or I would get a "consequence". They forever used that threat. God be with us all!!!!

Austin Baby Guru's Postpartum Doula Training program is unmatched. As an agency owner, I prefer to…read morecontract with postartum doulas that have taken this particular training. There are a few things that set this program apart from others I have seen. 1 - The mentorship provided by the owner of the company, Allison Coleman. The unrelenting support she gives and the way she lifts people up are unique and refreshing. 2 - The comprehensive material covered. This program provides a wide range of information and produces postpartum doulas that not only understand how to care for families in the postpartum period, but also the ethics of running a business in this industry. 3 - The way the materials are presented is clear and thorough. I appreciate the mix of video education and reading so it keeps the participants engaged in the program. I highly recommend ABG Postpartum Doula Training to anyone looking to enhance their understanding of all things postpartum doula!

When I was less than two months pregnant, I contacted Allison to get on her calendar for postpartum…read morecare. At first I thought this was going to be such a luxury service, but I quickly realized that Allison was going to be an absolute vital piece to my mental, emotional, physical and spiritual postpartum health. She worked with us for the first 8 weeks of my daughters life and I seriously wouldn't be where I am without her! She provided an invaluable amount of knowledge and experience and was a non-judgmental soundboard for me. I can't recommend Allison enough! I now truly believe Postpartum Doulas are a necessity, not just a luxury.

I can't say enough about how incredibly helpful Austin Childbirth's services were for our family…read more If you are on the fence as to whether to get a doula I highly recommend that you talk to them. When my wife first suggested a doula I was concerned that a doula might be "woowoo" or try to influence our decisions or approach. This was not the case at all. Prior to childbirth they offered unbiased information, introduced us to helpful tools and practices and took much of the mystery and anxiety out of child birth. During child birth the doula offered a steady and experienced hand so that my wife could focus on a safe delivery. Their techniques substantially reduced my wife's pain and in our case helped her have an unmedicated delivery. In short they helped us make an educated delivery plan and then used their experience to support our decisions relative to that plan during childbirth. Here are highlights of their service: - Met with us in our home and helped us prepare a birth plan and understand the birth process. - Were available to answer questions leading up to birth (which was particularly helpful in alleviating anxiety) - Met us at the hospital and advised throughout the labor. This was HUGE. Our doula helped us follow our birth plan, made recommendations for pain relief, did hands-on pain relief, gave me (dad) options for how to be most helpful, told us what was coming next, encouraged mom, and stayed with mom after the birth. - Stayed with us after birth until we felt comfortable -- What she didn't do (also important) was meddle in medical care or personal decisions, sideline dad or push an agenda. She had a great rapport with the hospital staff who clearly valued their help and were also glad she was there. I suggest that you talk with them if you want to learn more about the doula option.

My husband and I learned about this class through our prenatal care provider with Women Partners in…read moreHealth. We registered for an all day Childbirth class complete with a Seton hospital tour-- it was a wonderfully informative day that left us feeling confident and prepared for what to expect on "Labor Day". Jillian Silva, our childbirth instructor, was communicative via email and text in the days leading up to the class and welcomed us at the door upon arrival. The class presentation was delivered through PowerPoint slides, lectures, videos and hands-on demonstrations and practice. Jillian was very knowledgeable on all points discussed during the class, and had tangible hospital items for us to view and touch for further understanding and familiarity. We covered topics such as: what to pack in your hospital and baby bag, stages of labor, relaxation techniques, responsibilities of partner, options for labor pain relief (degrees of natural and non-natural options), labor aids/tools that the hospital provides and more! Jillian, who is also a certified Doula, has such a calming and confident nature. She was professional, timely, prepared and very friendly; she even made brownies for the class! Anyone who chooses to have her presence and expertise during their labor and delivery is one lucky mama. The class was from 9am-4pm with a 30 min lunch and the hospital tour from 3-4pm. The long day was totally worth it! I walked away from the class feeling equipped to do what my body knows how to do naturally, and if and when I need support, I now know who to contact. Thanks Jillian for being a great instructor!

Repeat customer: After a break we noticed a few things cropping up that seemed more than just "he…read morewill figure it out" so we are back to Capital Area Speech for insights. They are responsive via email, detailed, and specific. Love it.

The therapist work their own hours and I think they just share the staff for our OT therapists…read moreMegan she is great the office front staff is just ok but not coming here for front staff so I'm giving my therapist 5 star. My kid has mild behavior issue and just coke here to have therapist work with him