This is an excellent facility, top notch staff, run under auspices of a fetal medicine specialist…read morewho wanted to help women have more options to give birth naturally. They helped me do just that! I ran into red tape on every direction due to a false positive turners syndrome on blood test screening. I did not want to undergo amniocentesis due to risks and wanted a water birth as I had experienced previously with my first baby. My care was dropped by Health Foundations Birth Center at 34 weeks pregnant but I was able to continue with the amazing staff at the MN Birth Center and have the birth experience I had been hoping for! I'd give them 6 stars if possible!

I am still amazed by the awesome care I received at the MN Birth Center (St. Paul) location. I…read morealways wanted a more natural birth and didn't know what was possible until I found the MN Birth Center. Every appointment leading up to the birth of my little one was awesome. Each appointment the midwives made sure to answer all my questions and I never felt rushed. My birth and labor were really long due to baby's position and I know if I had been at a hospital I would have ended up with drugs and a c-section which is not at all what I wanted. But the midwives and nurses were there the whole time helping me through it at the birth center and on the phone when I was at home. Even though giving birth in a pandemic is not what I expected. I am so thankful for the MN Birth Center for the opportunity to give birth how as close as how I wanted to during such crazy times.

We hired Justine and her team again for our second pregnancy/birth. My husband and I knew we were…read morein great, thoughtful care based on our positive birth experience with our first baby. They give hands on and personal touches throughout pregnancy and weeks leading up to birth/due date they check in consistently to make sure we knew they were part of our care team and to prepare for birth right along side us. During birth, Justine helped us through beneficial/changing positions, offered insight into when an epidural should be considered (part of my pain management plan), helped communicate to the nurses my preferences, provided me helpful notes to support labor and pushing, supported my husband, and stayed with me at my side through a longer recovery time post birth. Our birth experience would have been much different without Justine - I'm so grateful for her and her team!

We have absolutely zero regrets about hiring Midwest Doulas and would recommend hiring a doula to…read moreeverybody. Especially with Midwest Doulas, they set you up for success with multiple pre (and post) birth visits,  birth classes, unlimited support, and evidence based resources to help make whatever kind of birth you choose go as smoothly as possible and diminish fear and uncertainty going into it. I personally elected for an un medicated birth for my first child and was successful. I do not think I could have accomplished this (and with only 10 hours of hospital labor with baby #1) without my doula's support. Bella attended my birth and was absolutely wonderful, and we can't thank her enough. Midwest Doulas is worth it. Every time and for every birth.

When I found out my husband and I were expecting again just after our second turned six months old…read moreI immediately told him I wanted to hire a post partum doula. I interviewed three companies, and chose Better Beginnings because I had heard such glowing reviews from a friend. Joy went above and beyond: providing our family with much needed support and care as well as delicious meals that I still (over one year later!) think about. We felt so well cared for and held during a vulnerable and overwhelming time.

After the birth of our second child, we used night doula support through Better Beginnings. Saideh…read moreand Eileen were our doulas and they were fantastic-- proactive in finding ways to support our family and offering gentle encouraging support as we transitioned to being parents of two. All of the communications, from the first introductory call with the owner to our pre-natal consultation to our first meetings in person with the doulas were all so professional. We don't plan on having more children, but if we did we would absolutely use Better Beginnings again!!

As soon as I got pregnant I was looking for a birth center where I get good quality prenatal care…read more All the staff and the midwives are friendly, knowledgeable and make you feel like home. My baby was born in the water as I wanted. No complications, midwives knew exactly how to help me and what o need and allowed me my space at the same time. I highly recommend the new birth midwives!

Jenny is a very caring person. She did a good job in the birthing process. We were one of her first…read morebirths in her new venture alone, and as one of the first on her own she performed skillfully. We have had trouble getting our records from her since the birth was over. We know life goes on. She sent an email saying she attached them, but they weren't attached. After repeated attempts to get them, our next midwife (her mentor) requested them. The requests were ignored. This does not instill confidence in the medical industry, since our awesome family doctor would like to see them and hasn't. Both midwifes we've used required payment in full up front. Well, due to the lack of follow through from both of them after the birth is over, I would strongly recommend, as with all services (I own my own business and live this), put 50% down and 50% upon completion. At least leave something on the table to make sure everything is finished out and both parties are satisfied. It puts you in the game while it holds them accountable. If having a well educated person doing the birthing process was the only concern, it'd be a no-brainer to go with Jenny again!

My husband and I cannot recommend birthEd enough! We took both the Lamaze class as well as the…read morenewborn/breastfeeding class. Both classes prepped us better than we could have hoped. Prior to taking these classes I tried to fill out a birth plan that I found online, but did not fully understand most of the terminology. After taking the class, I was able to confidently fill out our birth plan, knowing that it aligned fully with our values and what we wanted for our birth. When we started the Lamaze class we were in the unique situation of taking class right before the stay-at-home order came out. We had our first class in person and the following classes were virtual. Liz was on top of making the class accessible to everyone. Even though it was virtual, class ran seamlessly and she still managed to keep it fun and interesting. Both Liz and Nicole are amazing instructors. They provided a plethora of great information all while making the classes fun and engaging. My husband and I constantly reference back to class saying, "What was that Liz said about...?" Each class flies by, and you can't help but fall in love with them. Taking these two classes from birthEd was probably one of the best decisions we made around preparing for birth.

I highly recommend the birthED lactation course with Nicole, and the Home Birth Prep course with…read moreLiz. We left both feeling more educated and empowered than we arrived. These two powerhouse females are funny, confident and really know what they are talking about. Invest in yourself and your baby -- take these courses!

My experience at Kindbody Minneapolis was really disappointing. The biggest issue was the…read morecommunication -- or lack of it. I constantly had to chase down answers, and follow-up on important questions was slow or never happened at all. It left me feeling frustrated and unsure about my care. On top of that, I was surprised by several unnecessary or unclear costs that weren't explained upfront. It often felt like I was being billed for things without proper justification or transparency. When acknowledging that we were over charged for medication all they could do is apologize and back out of their word for refunding the extra. Overall, with the poor communication, lack of follow-through, and unexpected expenses, I can't recommend Kindbody Minneapolis based on my experience. with

Kindbody Minenapolis…read more My husband and I tried to conceive for 34 months. I can't count the amount of positive pregnancy tests I saw, only for it to result in a chemical pregnancy. Something was wrong. The first year and a half was filled with "keep trying", "it will happen", "relax", "stop worrying about it". I went through three OBGYNs before I found one who cared. Turns out, I have endometriosis and tubal issues. Over the 34 months, I underwent a hysteroscopy, laparoscopy, two HSGs, and multiple rounds of clomid/letrozole and ovidrel--all to no prevail. I dreaded the thought... is IVF my only option? To make my babies in a petri dish? To recognize that I can't do this on my own? What about the cost? Then, I met Dr. Fabiola Balmir at Kindbody in Minneapolis. I immediately felt cared for, acknowledged, and like there was a possibility I could actually be a mom. I told her I wanted to move as fast as possible, and she saw me that next cycle. Honestly, my experience with the hormones and egg retrieval was horrible and I am so thankful that I will never have to go through that again. The way my body reacted to it was very difficult on me physically and mentally, but I am so grateful that I was with Dr. Balmir and her team. I could not have asked for a better team. The transfer, on the other hand, was a piece of cake. Within two and a half months of my initial appointment, I was pregnant. Finally. I had a complication following the transfer and Dr. Balmir and her team took incredibly good care of me both physically and mentally. Most importantly, my baby is safe thanks to them. I will never forget the moment Shelly found the heartbeat. In 6 months, my husband and I will welcome our first baby into the world, a daughter. That is still surreal to me. She has 6 perfect siblings in what we call "freezer daycare". Three brothers, three sisters. We can't wait to give each of them a chance at life, all thanks to Dr. Balmir and her team. I want to stress the care that I received at this clinic. Some people say IVF wasn't difficult, but for me, the entire process was difficult. The 34 months of trying, being told I was fine and young, coming to terms with the need for IVF, the retrieval, the complications, the fear of losing the baby. Dr. Balmir recognized my struggle, sat with me, held my hand, talked me through everything we did, and truly cared. Her entire team from the front desk to the MA and nursing staff, the techs... I have not one complaint about any of them and I cannot thank them enough. Price transparency with BCBS MN, when all said and done, the total bill was about $50,000, with about $10,000 out of pocket. That said, I had a big complication that caused me to undergo a procedure and to be watched very closely. Worth every cent, nonetheless. -AA

That is probably the best women's health care I've ever been to. Staff were extremely patient and…read morehelpful. The physician really listened to me and gave me tons of useful suggestions.

There are a few staffs that aren't my kind of people but the rest are accommodating and helpful…read more One of the nurse is actually very nice and considerate.

Dr. Toppin is a wonderful, compassionate, skilled and reliable OB/GYN. She saved the lives of both…read moreof my children (nuchal cords x 3 and 4, and one true umbilical cord knot) via emergency and planned c-sections and we are forever grateful to her. It was undoubtedly just another day for her, but it meant the world to us. It's been 17 and 20 years since my kid's births, and I still wouldn't trust anybody else with my obstetrical and gynecological needs.