Mel and Christina are literal angels and were so kind and patient when I came in for a consult…read morefreshly postpartum. I was a teary mess and they were both so compassionate and helpful as I wandered the store after my consultation. Mel helped me get the right size flange and advised us on what products to use to avoid pumping with plastic as much as possible. She hand selected bras for me to try on and gave me a hug when I needed it. Truly the most positive retail experience I've ever had! They have everything you might need to pump with and if it's not in store, they have great recommendations. Thank you guys so much for all that you do!

Nurturing Expressions made the whole process of figuring out my breastfeeding supplies so much…read moreeasier. The staff is kind, patient, and very knowledgeable--they explained in detail the pros/cons of varying breast pumps, bottles, pacifiers etc...and in a way that was easy to understand. I love that they do breast pump accessory fittings to ensure you are ordering the correct sizes. Not having the correct size can have a huge impact on your breastfeeding experience. They're well organized and even handle insurance and billing directly. I left confident in my choice of breast pump and find peace of mind knowing I can stop by anytime if I need any help down the road. Nurturing Expressions is a gem for new and expecting parents--supportive, professional, and genuinely invested in helping families thrive. I can't recommend them enough! Thank you Nicole and team!

We felt lucky to have Barbara with us for our second baby in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic…read more Once again, my labor and delivery was a dream experience. With Barbara there, it felt calm and focused. Leading up to labor, I kept Barbara updated with my symptoms and she came by a few times to measure my dilation and give me her experienced perspective each time. On the day my contractions started in earnest, she came over and made the quick decision to head over to the hospital immediately because I was progressing quickly. Thank goodness she did, because our boy arrived just 2 hours after we arrived at the hospital! We are so thankful to have had Barbara with us both times, and I credit her for my positive experience both times. Without her there, I am sure I would have been anxious with endless possibilities of outcomes racing through my mind. She was our sounding board and we fully trusted her to guide us through the experience, which allowed us to enjoy the moment without worries.

I cannot recommend Barbara enough!!! She was an essential part of my birth team and I'm confident…read morethat I wouldn't have had a successful unmedicated birth without her. From the moment we started working with Barbara, she took the time to truly get to know us, my goals, and concerns regarding labor. She provided thoughtful reassurance and guidance that was clearly backed by years of experience as both a midwife and doula. She never pushed a particular approach but instead empowered me with information and support so I could make the best decisions for myself. During labor, Barbara's presence made a huge difference. Her coaching helped me manage pain and stay focused. Her experience allowed me to try various labor positions that I believe aided to a more efficient birth. She also advocated for me when I was faced with tough decisions, which is already hard enough to navigate when you're in labor! Not only did she support me, but she was also an incredible resource for my husband. She provided him with the confidence and guidance to be a present and helpful partner. We both felt she added so much value to the experience. Another major plus is that Barbara has a strong relationship with the providers at NW Women's Healthcare. They clearly enjoy working with her and respect her. During the labor, I felt that she worked well with Dr Jiao and the nursing staff; it truly felt like a cohesive team that was focused on me having a successful birth. On top of all that, Barbara is just genuinely an awesome person! She is easy to talk to, kind, and calming, yet also fun and engaging. We had many good laughs together. If you're looking for an all around amazing doula who is knowledgeable, supportive, and truly makes a difference, Barbara is the one!

Autumn is an awesome doula!!! We had a great experience with Seattle Doula Partners and would…read moreabsolutely hire them again. We interviewed 3-4 doulas and the team at Seattle Doula Partners stood out the best to us. They were not pushy and their experience and calmness in communicating to us through facts and information really appealed to us. The initial conversations before the birth were very helpful. I was very apprehensive about the birth and talking with them to help uncover my and my husband's anxieties about the birth and it really helped prepare us emotionally. In many ways I felt like it was a therapy session! When I was hospitalized at 32 weeks, Autumn checked in on me consistently to make sure we were doing okay which felt very reassuring. Finally when the day came, we let Autumn know we were on the way to the hospital at about 11pm and she arrived just after I settled down in the L&D room which was super speedy! She immediately attended to both mine and my husband's needs, answering any questions we had. One of the most valuable things that Autumn did was that before anything that happened, e.g. getting my epidural or pushing, Autumn talked through in detail what to expect and this helped prepare us well emotionally and in many ways, made me less fearful. She was always right by our sides coaching us on what to do in a gentle and reassuring way. She wasn't intrusive and allowed me and my husband to have our own time. Through the pattern of my contractions, the nurse hypothesized that my baby was face up. Autumn had a ton of suggestions on how to resolve this and coached the nurse to getting me in the right positions. By then, my lower half was pretty weak from the epidural and every time the nurse had to shift me, Autumn was always there to lend a helping hand. At about 2am, all of us went to rest and my husband was exhausted. The IV machine kept beeping and Autumn always promptly stood up and turned it off so that we could all rest. She was close by and helped me with every small little thing I needed so my husband could rest. Autumn coached me through the entire 2 hours of pushing and holding my legs up. She was very encouraging and her calming and reassuring words gave me a ton of confidence. Once the baby was out, she stepped back, got one of our phones and took a bunch of pictures that I really treasure today! Post birth, I had a lot of difficult breastfeeding and Autumn shifted her schedule so she could come and visit me soon after that. She helped me with the latch and gave me a bunch of ideas to help increase my supply. 3 months on and I still think about how lucky we were to have Autumn by our side! Thank you so much for your hard work, Autumn!!

Autumn is a fantastic Doula! I am so thankful that I was able to have Autumn during my labor. She…read morewas extremely helpful with pain management and came with a bag full of goodies to aid in my comfort. She was very helpful in coaching my husband and provided an extra set of hands so he could shower and make sure we had everything we needed before leaving our place. She arrived at our apartment at nearly 2am and stayed with us for at least 24 hours! We had planned an out of hospital birth, but after a very long labor at home and at the birth center, my midwives transferred me to UW. Postpartum home visits are just as helpful, providing breastfeeding and pumping advice, she will even show you how to baby wrap and answer any questions you have. Before I decided to hire a Doula for my birth, I was unsure if I would "need one." My midwife had initially recommended that I have one, especially for first time births. I then spoke to a few people who had used a Doula, and only heard positives! No one ever says "I wish I didn't have my Doula!" Now I tell everyone "you need a Doula!"

I cannot say enough good things about Cheryl. She is incredible and I hope she'll be my doula for…read moreall my future births. BACKGROUND on me/us. We decided when the pandemic hit that we wouldn't let it stop us from starting a family. I got pregnant in April of 2020, and in September, we moved from San Francisco to Seattle. Since this was my first, I wasn't sure what I was looking for. I visited Swedish First Hill thinking I might want a hospital birth, and interviewed three midwives and several (six, to be exact) doulas. When I met Cheryl, I knew I had found "the one." She was also the only person I spoke w/ that made me genuinely feel EXCITED about giving birth. PRE. Not only did Cheryl offer to meet me throughout my third trimester to do the stairs or go for walks, but she also hosts weekly prenatal yoga classes (over Zoom), which I'll be honest, were the *only* times I did yoga during my pregnancy. BIRTH. On the birth day, Cheryl was phenomenal. She comforted me not only w/ her words, but also her hands when I was laboring. She rubbed my back or my leg, which I later found out is not the standard for birth doulas, and suggested different positions for me as things progressed. She was so good about feeding me and making sure I was staying hydrated, too. (As an endurance athlete, I know for a fact I would have bonked had she not force fed me a banana, honey, and electrolytes.) She made me feel strong and safe throughout my entire labor. POST. After baby was born, Cheryl took such good care of my partner and me. She fed us, taught us how to swaddle baby, helped me through mastitis, and became someone we consider to be family. She encapsulated my placenta after making placenta art, too. Her intuition about what we needed was so spot on, it truly is a gift. I birthed a 9lb1oz baby w/o drugs or stitches at home, and I thank Cheryl (and my midwives) for that. We adore Cheryl and anyone would be lucky to have her.

As a first time mom, I was clueless about the labor and delivery process. As I was exposed to…read morevarious kinds of births, I came across the idea of having a birth doula to help both my husband and I through the process. Cheryl was everything we had hoped for and more. We connected with her immediately. I would reach out to her regularly during my pregnancy with questions and concerns, and she was very quick to respond and ease my nerves. We took a few prenatal classes with her which helped us understand labor and delivery better. I wanted to make sure my husband and I were also well versed with the possible interventions that could take place at a hospital birth. Cheryl did a great job of teaching us what the alternative options were in case things didn't go as planned. On the day of, Cheryl helped me labor at home and the hospital, which is exactly what I had hoped for. I wanted to labor at home for as long as possible before heading to the hospital, and I felt very secure knowing that Cheryl would know when is the best time. The majority of my labor was pretty intense back labor and Cheryl knew exactly what to do to help me get through the contractions. Our experience with the labor and delivery would never have been the same without Cheryl. I had an amazing experience thanks to her faith and support. After the birth, Cheryl came to our home a few times to check on us and help me breastfeed as well. Being with Cheryl on this journey felt like being with our family! It's been almost a year and a half since our daughters birth and we still keep in touch with her and enjoy speaking to her about parenthood! Cheryl was a Godsend, and we could not have imagined our daughters birth without her!

I don't even know where to start with this review - we owe Christine so much. We were so tired of…read morebeing treated like cattle by hospitals, with midwives giving us conflicting information, not listening to us, and leaving us feeling unsafe. So we reached out to Christine and In Tandem for a consultation. I honestly have always been a bit skeptical and afraid of home birth, so I came armed with a lot of questions. But once we talked (virtually) to Christine, we immediately felt compassion and care. She is the perfect guide - never pushing her own agenda, listening, but not afraid to give you her opinion. She backs everything up with science and her experience. Christine put us at ease throughout our pregnancy - That was the exact opposite to what we had experienced at our hospitals. She always listened, and even involved our oldest kiddo during visits. Christine and her team were amazing during our son's birth, we felt so safe and cared for. We had great postpartum care as well, coming to our home and checking on my partner, answering questions, and again, involving our older kiddo. It's been almost two years since, and we still miss Christine!

PART 2/2 (finishing our review on my husband's account due to character limit):…read more Now for the postpartum care. This is the most unique part of choosing midwifery care and in my opinion, the #1 reason to do so. Whereas in the traditional obstetric model you typically see your provider one time at 6 weeks (often just to make sure you don't have any signs or symptoms of postpartum mood disorder, to discuss birth control, and to clear you for sex and physical activity), Christine sees clients and their new babies about 6 times in the first 6ish weeks after birth. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all postpartum visits have been at home. These visits are about so much more than just you and your baby's physical well-being; they are focused on the entire family, involving older kiddos in the home, and it's evident that Christine genuinely cares about how everyone is adjusting and doing emotionally. For the first two weeks of your baby's life, Christine's license includes the provision of all routine pediatric care, saving you from additional appointments or trips out of the home so you as the birthing person can focus on recovering and celebrating your growing family. Again, the level of attentiveness and family-centered care received is unmatched. After the birth of our first son, I dealt with a resurgence of a lifelong struggle with anxiety related to the transition to parenthood. Until I connected to a community of West Seattle mama friends, I can genuinely say Christine and Taylor were the women who provided me with the most support. After the birth of our second son, I experienced some unexpected postpartum complications that required me to page Christine. I could have easily been sent to the Emergency Department for the symptoms I was experiencing, but Christine took the time to come evaluate me in the comfort of my own home and provide me with additional testing and support. If anything page-worthy arises during your time in care with In Tandem, you will receive a response promptly, and instead of a nurse line as in hospital-based care, you get to talk to your midwife directly. If you are looking for perinatal care that will change your life, look no further than In Tandem. The name of the practice is so fitting as your midwife will walk hand-in-hand with you and your family every step of the way. Pregnant families--run don't walk to In Tandem Midwifery!

Unreliable! Untrustworthy! Insecure! Jessica was basically trying to make us cancel the contract on…read moreher by purposely creating way too much stress, so that she can keep my retainer money. Long, unnecessary and stressful emails, which surprised me and made me and even other doulas I've spoken to think "how is she a doula in the first place?" No new mother should have to deal with this. People hire doulas for a smoother time post birth. Jessica comes in and does the exact opposite with her insecurities. I found her to be insecure per her emails, which is why she kept pushing to cook for us from her commercial kitchen a lot. She brought a lot of negativity with her.

Trust your family to Jess's capable hands!…read more Jessica helped in my home after the birth of my second child. Her work was immensely appreciated, as she really helped ease the adjustment to having two little ones (especially two who are relatively close in age). Her skill set is both broad and unique, which makes her an especially great asset to a family with a new baby. Not only is she amazing with babies, mommies, daddies and older children, she's also great with food---a professionally trained chef! Jess creatively and skillfully prepared meals for us, making sure our bellies were full with delicious and healthful food--and for my and baby's benefit, she chose ingredients that were lactogenic (helped with milk production) and helped with post partum healing. Her skills didn't stop there. She soothed and entertained my 18 month old on more than a few occasions, helping me to get some much needed breaks. She arrived on time and left us with a clean kitchen and a full fridge. Having healthy food readily on hand is such an important thing for families with a newborn--knowing I didn't need to cook or rush to the grocery store, definitely reduced my stress level. I also knew if I needed help with babycare or questions about first baths, etc. she was there to offer suggestions and support. All in all, we had a fantastic experience with Jessica and would readily and happily recommend her to any family in need of post partum support in the Seattle area.

This place is like pregnant lady haven. Ashley and Katie are amazing! They remembered my name after…read morethe first appointment. I thought I was just another face to them. Ashley even remembered off the top of her head how far along I was. I did my research when it came time to choose OB vs midwife and I'm SOOOOOOO glad I signed up to see the midwives. Midwives concentrate on the special topic of pregnancy, birth, and post partum recovery. OB is a trained surgeon for generally anything going on "down there." Most childbirths don't need surgery. They're definitely related and a lot of their jobs overlap, but midwives are specialized nurses that spend overall more time with their patients as supports and guides. Midwives are the ones that deliver and catch the babies at NW hospital. OBGYNs are surgeons. They don't catch the babies; they perform surgery. They are there to perform surgery when something goes wrong. They did not train as in-depth as midwives when it comes to helping you survive those 9 months beforehand. As the hospital nurse very politely whispered to me when I sat in my hospital bed after 15 hours of labor..."Let's hope you will never need to see the OBGYN. If you do, it means something during labor went wrong." TL;DR - If you want preggo sage lady experts COME HERE! When I was there, there were 6 midwives on staff rotation. They're all extremely knowledgeable. I saw Deborah, Yaseem, Cindy, and Victoria the most often and she was never judgemental even though I asked (looking back now) the stupidest "questions." Everyone was so patient and open-minded. They respect women's bodies and do everything with faith that our bodies are stronger than what we believe to be (it's very true.) My appointments sometimes ran long because I'm long-winded but they always let me stick around. I would have slapped myself if I had to listen to me for a hour! When I needed to be induced (baby was 11+ days overdue) Victoria Swarthout saw how terrified and concerned I was so she squeezed me into a morning appointment on the date of my induction so I could ask her ALL the questions and address all of my concerns... which @ 42 weeks pregnant as a first time Mom during a pandemic just sounded like this "WHY why whyyyy me!!! Why won't this baby come!!!" Oh forgot, it was the start of the pandemic. Yeah I gave birth in March, the very same week things went into lockdown. New hospital policies were being put in place and my anxiety level skyrocketed. I'm first generation Chinese American of course, and a little bit of a hypochondriac so the pandemic got me off on a very rough start. I was afraid of discrimination (none at all found here) and I was afraid of changing hospital policies. On top of the unexpected induction and having to find a doula last minute. I was literally being induced with a hand UP my cervix while trying to hire a new doula on the phone...ugh! Lol. The induction and labor was 35+ hours. Very very very long. And we were all ready to give up...get that C-section no one wanted...when Victoria calmly said "You know what? Let's give it another hour." I wanted to cry. I hadn't eaten in over 24 hours and I was going to end up on the surgeons table after all that waiting and exhaustion. Victoria gave me as much time as she could. 1 hour or 2 later, I suddenly felt a crazy need to push. So she came back to check my dilation and suddenly I went from 7 to full 10! How did she know I just needed some time? Time to PUSH!! YASSSSS! Pushing was the best part. That took no time at all. And suddenly I had a perfect baby on my chest. No c-section. Pure miracle. All thanks to the patience and faith the midwives have. No medical intervention, no pressure, no rush, no panic. A woman's body is truly, truly a miracle blessed by nature. We were designed to give birth and on our own body's timeline. Post partum support with midwives was awesome too. They vetted for post partum depression, checked on my perninal tear, talked and administered birth control. I am basically going to use the midwives as my general doctor. Did you know they do that? Yup! You can do your annual check ups with them :) Anyways this is probably the most personal Yelp review ever hahaha. Look at the handiwork that Victoria caught on that first day of spring at 3 am. Eden is 1 year old already. What a blessing and what a miracle these 6 women at NW midwives are. I'll be forever in debt to them my entire life.

My allergy shots were moved to this location when UW decided to consolidate locations. The Eastside…read morelocation had staff that focused on providing customer service and worked to make sure appointments were flexible enough to work with customer's work schedules and other issues. So far, this location couldn't care less about the patient's needs or working with them. They threaten to charge you if you're late (a very likely possibility considering city traffic), but leave you sitting in the waiting room if you're early, racking up additional parking fees.

My husband and I had only had 3 appointments with Sarah during my entire pregnancy, but she made…read moreeach appointment a delight. She put us at ease through her passion for her profession as well as her emphasis on customer care. My baby daughter was due to come on June 3, and Sarah originally had an appointment conflict, but decided to reach out to the midwife scheduled for that shift so that she could be with us during delivery. She certainly didn't have to, but given her passion for her patients and her desire to put her patients first (as much as possible - since I believe she had a family appointment this day) she was an amazing assistant to the OBGYN in the birthing room. Sarah made herself present to answer questions once in the operating room and afterwards in the post-birth suite. She is certainly someone that I would count on to walk a patient from the first stages of pregnancy to the last and makes every effort to put your family at ease as you navigate the twist and turns of bringing life into the world :)

Sarah Chandler was one of my 3 (rotating) midwives throughout my whole pregnancy, and I got super…read morelucky that she was the one who was on call to actually deliver my baby girl when I went into labor. She is literally THE most amazing midwife I could have ever dreamt of. The whole pregnancy, she was informative, always gave me time to answer the absurd amount of questions I would bring into my appointments (my first pregnancy = SO MANY unknowns). She was always positive but honest, which I really, really appreciated. She took the time to explain things to me to make sure I understood everything to the extent I wanted to. And on the day my daughter was born, Sarah made my L&D experience the most positive and happy experience I could've hoped for. She encouraged me with every push, she kept my mind busy in between pushes/contractions with light and fun conversation. She cheered me on, she kept my husband involved and excited. I could not have had a better experience delivering my little girl. I look forward to my next pregnancy knowing I am going into it again in the best hands!