Yael is the best! My wife was having our first baby at home and we knew that we needed some extra…read moresupport. Yael came over twice during the pregnancy to talk to us and answer any questions we had. She assisted us not only with preparing for the birth, but also with newborn care basics. During my wife's labor she was a calm spirit, who helped my wife feel comfortable and helped support me in knowing how I could help best. She was the best decision we made. In fact one of the first things my wife and I said the day after our daughter was born was that we didn't pay Yael enough. She is worth every penny! My wife is pregnant with our second child due this Winter and we are thrilled that Yael will be part of our birth team again.

Yael lives, breathes, dreams, and loves all things babies and mamas. She's insanely knowledgeable…read moreabout everything from pregnancy to birth to nursing and early babyhood. Her demeanor is calm, sober, empathetic, supportive, and pretty silly if that's what you're in to. She anticipated my needs before I knew I needed them and made me feel like I was the only person who mattered in life - and of course, my son too :). I recommend Yael to anybody looking to have the best, most authentic birth possible. And even if breastfeeding is going fine, it can always go better with Yael's help and attention. I love her. My little family and our birth experience wouldn't have been the same without her.

The office was lovely and Stephanie was very prompt. She made me feel relaxed even before I got on…read morethe table for my session ! I got to choose 2 top of the line essential oils for my session and then got on the table. Stephanie has a great touch. The reiki and reflexology was awesome. I floated out of the office and had the best nights sleep. I can't wait to go back to see Stephanie again.

Stephanie is a wonderful pregnancy support. I started going to her prenatal yoga classes from my…read more19th week and there is really no way I could have survived the pregnancy without her support, guidance and practice. I am full term at the moment and feel as prepared as I can get due to her exercises and lessons learned in class. She creates a supportive environment for first time moms, teaches at a slow, but challenging pace, and is very attentive in and out of class. I take other prenatal yoga classes at the studio, but the fact that Stephanie is also a doula makes a huge difference in knowing what the students need, our anxieties and how to best prepare for pregnancy (oh! those pelvic floor exercises!). I highly recommend her classes! She's the best!

I highly recommend Karla and Narchi as an amazing team of doulas! I really wanted an all natural…read morebirth with no interventions, and they were essential in helping me successfully achieve my goal. They are both extremely warm and understanding people, and I immediately felt comfortable sharing everything with them. They are also very communicative and respond quickly and with very useful information. My husband and I learned many extremely useful tricks from our pre- and post-birth classes, such as the best breastfeeding and bathing techniques and how to correctly use a Boba wrap. My labor was long and drawn out - 4 days of start and stop contractions which didn't get closer together at the end! Therefore, all the usual sign posts didn't apply to us. If we hadn't had Karla to check in with and ask questions, not only would have been very hard to have the mental fortitude to be patient and let my body progress naturally, but we would have had no idea when to go to the hospital. Also, at a point when we were really stuck and exhausted, Karla was brilliant and essential in coaching me and my husband through to the next phase. And this was all done virtually, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and quarantine! I was very skeptical and disappointed when I had found out they wouldn't be able to attend in person. But it turns out Karla was still able to provide amazing and necessary service. When I went to the hospital, Karla was on the phone with me with earbuds the entire time. Turns out I was fully dilated when I arrived, much to everyone's surprise because my contractions were still on average 5 mins apart! Karla helped coach me through the pushing stage with great encouragement and my baby arrived completely naturally about 2 hours after arriving at the hospital. I couldn't have asked for better education, coaching and encouragement. Thank you Karla and Narchi!

I highly recommend Rachel and Sherraine! Rachel attended our birth but it was lovely meeting…read moreSherraine beforehand. Writing this review almost 6 months after giving birth so I had time to process everything. Rachel has this calming yet confident presence. She helped me tremendously during labor and worked well with my husband. It felt like she knew exactly what I needed without me saying much. She also knew when to hive us the time to be by ourselves and helped with food and drinks (birthing center). I am grateful she was part of this special day and she also took amazing pictures

Rebecca was both my prenatal massage therapist and my doula…read more I got such a good energy from Rebecca during our first virtual meeting that I immediately knew she would be my doula. She offered me her prenatal massage services at a discount price which was was awesome. I saw her from week 24 until I gave birth. The location: I went to the Manhattan office conveniently located in the Flatiron district. The area was clean and serene. Temperatures are checked and Rebecca wore a mask during our sessions. The massage: I wish it lasted forever. As someone who was pregnant and working at a hospital in the middle of the pandemic, these massages were heaven at the end of a busy work day. Rebecca took the time at the beginning of each session to ask how I was feeling and where I was feeling tension. The massage was so good I often fell sleep something I never did during massages. I honestly never wanted it to end. Rebecca also provided tips on stretches to do to help with my tension. I am currently on maternity leave but I plan to get some postpartum massages once I am cleared by my doctor. I highly recommend her!

Rebecca is a well trained and experienced masseuse. As a dancer looking to massage to help maintain…read moremy physical condition, I felt that she listened carefully and responded intuitively to my physical issues.

I walked by Love Child many times before I was pregnant and loved the peaceful looking space. Mere…read moredays after seeing my positive pregnancy test I popped in, feeling overwhelmed by all the newness coming my way. I spoke to Neelu and Holly inside about membership, and left with a sense of calm and comfort. Fast forward a bit to the end of the first trimester. I finally felt up to more movement and was already noticing the effects of my body changing. Now was the time to sign up, although looking back I wish I'd done it sooner for the energizing and relaxing effects to take hold even sooner. Throughout my pregnancy I went to yoga classes, childbirth classes, and more and absorbed the knowledge and positive energy shared amongst everyone who came through those doors. Any questions or worries I had were met with kind, thoughtful and comforting answers. When I felt uneasy about my initial OBGYN choice, I was given a wealth of resources and information to help me make the decision that was right for me. I hired Holly as my doula which was the best investment I made for the birth of my son. Both myself and my husband felt educated and empowered throughout the end of my pregnancy, during and after the birth. Our son was born mid-February 2020, and a few weeks into his life the world changed with the spread of COVID-19. I had had the opportunity to attend in person postnatal yoga classes and a few new parent circles prior to the shelter in place order, and was so impressed with how well Love Child pivoted to support new and becoming mothers throughout all of the upheavals. From live streaming the in studio classes to zoom classes and on demand content, they have been doing everything to be relevant and helpful as ever. Now we have had the joy of joining some socially distanced outdoor classes for myself and my son. Between the physical recovery, the text support, and the social connections and support offered through Love Child's online components I was able to feel very much a part of the community, rather than the isolation of new motherhood compounded with that of life during shelter in place orders. My experiences at Love Child made me feel calm, supported, and educated throughout my pregnancy, birth and postpartum periods. I would whole heartedly recommend membership to anyone interested.

I only have nice things to say about Love Child! I cannot speak for the yoga classes since I have…read morenever attended them. We have a child membership and we go to the wonderful baby-toddler classes they offer! Love Child has been a little haven for me that I look forward to go to a few times a week. As a stay at home mommy, going to school, Love Child is offering me the opportunity to step out of my bubble. Holly and Sarah-Grace are wonderful. They are so loving and creative, each class is a treat! We love French class on Tuesday, and art class on Thursday. There are also music classes on Monday and Wednesday with Corbitt and Alex. They offer Spanish classes and toddler gym. Really, this place is amazing. Every day of the week, there is an activity for your baby. It's also a great space to meet other parents, nannies and babies! It's a safe and clean environment where my baby can explore under the loving eyes of Holly and Sarah-Grace. Under Neelu's vision, Love Child is beautiful community. They offer doula services, as well as pre-post natal classes, breastfeeding circles, and a all lot of holistic baby-parent care. This place is a gem, and I will thoroughly miss it when my family moves across country in a few weeks!

This Bradley Method preparation class is amazing! I chose Bradley Method over hypno birthing or…read moreLamaze because as a long-distance runner it's approach to pain made more sense to me. Also, it seemed like a method that fully incorporated the partner and I wanted the birth experience to be for both of us, and for my partner to not simply be a mildly supportive by-stander. I chose Mary Esther's class based on the recommendation of the midwifery practice we are with and signed up months before it started. By the time it started I was sorry I'd chosen such an intensive class. 8 weeks instead of the couple of hours one session that most people I know had chosen for their birthing class! I was worried it was a waste of time and money, a rookie mistake from being a little too gung-ho at the beginning of the pregnancy. Those fears were gone by the end of the first class. We'd chosen the Sunday afternoon class since the weekday evening classes seemed too hard for this early bird (how does dinner work?) Our group was a a great and diverse mix of hospital/birthing center/home birth going with midwife/ob. We were surprised by just how diverse it was in terms of childbirth choices. The classes themselves were tremendously enjoyable. Mary Esther keeps a relaxed energy going through the class and from the beginning mentioned we should eat, drink and go to the bathroom as we wanted. With so many pregnant ladies in the room, we all did! I was worried about having to sit for so long, but though the main seats are uncomfortable, there are plenty of props to make yourself comfortable on the mat, and there are these little chairs that don't look very comfortable but are surprisingly comfy pregnant ladies. (I'm actually trying to figure out where I could get one for home. They're adorable and could double as kid's seats for later.) Plenty of people simply would simply lie down on the mat when they felt like it. But the main reason I recommend this class is for the effect it has had on me, my partner, and our relationship through this pregnancy. We've learned so much, and we're approaching this birth with a sense of joyful calm excitement I don't see in others who have not taken this class. As a type A, make the list and check it twice, and boss everyone around kind of person, it's been hard to get used to not being able to do everything I used to do before my pregnancy. But it seems like pregnancy and birth go much better when you learn that you can't control everything. You have to trust your body, and trust those around you. Learning to lean on my partner more has helped deepen our bond, and having my partner be so involved and so knowledgeable about what helps and what doesn't and giving me nightly massages (it's part of the homework! true story!) has helped me relax and go into this knowing I've done all I can, and that I'm in the best hands.

I hated this class with Mary Esther Malloy. Hated. I actually threw up from how much stress this…read moreclass caused me, not once but TWICE. So we quit after 4 sessions even though it meant forfeiting the $450 fee (although ME said she would refund it if I took down my review...). I had heard great things about this class before enrolling. This review is my opinion and you should feel free to trust other people as you see fit. I am having a hard time organizing in my head all of my issues with this class and with ME so I will just try to make a list. Some things might not be that carefully explained though so send me a message if you want more information on anything I say. 1) ME spends a lot of time telling stories from births where she has been the doula. She does not spend enough time with the students on preparing for their own birth experience. She spends a short period of time going over labor positions and a short period of time on techniques to deal with pain. She never in any way ties in the Bradley Method with the stories she tells. 2) The Bradley Method is very partner oriented. AKA, I felt fairly unimportant in the class. I felt like my husband could have gone to the class without me and when he got home asked me to hold ice for a minute while deep breathing. That sounds super useful in labor. Wait, no it doesn't. 3) ME is really condescending. She showed scientific pictures to the class and asked the class to guess how dilated the cervix was in those pictures. In one picture my husband guessed "5" and she laughed. Actually laughed. Then a doctor and a midwife also taking the class said they thought 5 or maybe 6. And she let it go. There was no answer on the picture but if a doctor and a midwife agrees, I think you should apologize to my husband for laughing at him. Twice in the first class I felt like it was better to keep my mouth shut than to offer an answer. And so I really did become mute. Oh, then after the class I cried. At least it wasn't on the first day of class when I threw up. 4) Everyone in the class is expecting a different birth experience. Some were using a birth center, some a hospital and just me and my husband were planning a home birth. I felt like she taught the class for those using a hospital and glossed over the other options. She would teach something oriented to being in a hospital and then as an after thought say how it would differ in a birth center or at home. So I felt really confused taking in all of this unnecessary information and trying to identify what actually applied to me. 5) ME is entirely unreachable by email or phone. She might reply a week later - Depends what her three kids have going on that week, you know? The contract for the class states that she would be accessible by email or phone throughout the class but that's laughable. 6) ME ignores the needs of pregnant women taking the class. I was signed up for the summer intensive course which is 8 classes that are each 3 hours long. She would take a break where people would gobble down some dinner at around 8:15pm. She didn't take any other breaks. The chairs are super uncomfortable but so is sitting on the floor. No pregnant woman can really sit still for 3 hours. By the end of the classes my back and stomach would be killing me. There was nothing I could do to make sitting for 3 hours comfortable. 7) ME never told us to bring the binder she handed out to every class. In fact, looking through it it seems like extra information (which it for the most part is) so I was never even sure what pages from it she might want us to bring to the next class. Stating that to the class would be really useful. Again, ignoring the needs of pregnant women (to not carry around an unnecessary binder of articles that barely matter). 8) The materials are very outdated. The creators of the Bradley Method should be embarrassed to show videos from the 1970s and videos where the words "civilized people" are uttered. 9) It is hard to wrap my own head around why this class caused me such extreme stress so bear with me. If you are a Type A person like myself, you like to feel in control. Now, with labor, there is a lot you can't control. I get that. But the idea that I have to hand over control to my husband or I will fail at my natural childbirth is really disarming. It caused me to feel physically ill to think that the success of my birth plan really has very little to do with me and a lot to do with how well my husband interprets my needs. 10) After quitting this class we decided to purchase Hypnobabies. Hypnobabies puts me squarely in control of my ability to completely relax and treats my husband like the support person that he is. It is a way better fit and apparently what ME used herself!

I cannot speak highly enough about our experiences with both Stephanie and Alice. Stephanie was my…read moreback up Doula for my first daughter's birth in 2015. We had only met once, but I knew I was in the best of hands the second she showed up to calmly bring me back into my body so I could labor efficiently, all done with such warmth. She anticipated every need that I had while in labor so I could have the drug free birth I had wanted. Fast forward to three years later...I reached out to Stephanie once again, who was now partnering with Alice Mackenzie. Alice came to our apartment so I could interview her and she was lovely. I know Stephanie would only partner with someone of the highest caliber. As it turned out, it was Alice who was my doula the second time around and her calm demeanor and guidance were exactly what I needed. Alice praised me while in labor which gave me confidence and allowed me to have another drug free birth. We unexpectedly had our baby at home and Alice was phenomenal when we had to switch gears from getting ready to head to the hospital to we're having our baby right, then and there. Once again, I felt so cared for. During both births, they stayed at the hospital to make sure I was comfortable, help with nursing and answer any questions we might have. Days later they came to our apartment to check in on our family and to help us with any needs we had. Since then, they have continued to be a supportive resource with any issues that have come up. You cannot go wrong with either Stephanie or Alice. They are a dream team and we feel so fortunate to have had them coach us through two of the most important days of our lives. Tara & Doug, November 2018

Stephanie was amazing! I was late to finding a doula and then my induction date was moved up by two…read moreweeks. I was able to connect with an amazing doula who I interviewed on short notice and was amazing with my newborn. It made all the difference in not being sleep deprived and being lost the week we brought her home. Our doula ZIna knew her stuff! She helped me with latching and brewing lactation tea for me overnight. So sad when her last day came.

I cannot imagine giving birth to my first baby without Meredith there. She helped us feel prepared…read moreand empowered going into it, spent ample time with us beforehand, never rushed, never judgmental and always offering crucial evidence-based insights. She was there every step of the way, from laboring at home to the hospital and back home. When Meredith met us at the hospital, she helped me get through labor with breathing, positions and incredible counter-pressure techniques that were a total game changer for me. Following the birth, she has been a rock for us, helping us navigate the hospital stay and pediatrician visits, which has been invaluable to us as first-time parents. I'd choose her as our doula and recommend her as one a thousand times over. Plus, she's an overall lovely person who is a pleasure to spend time with. She was easy to schedule with, always readable by phone (even while on vacation abroad) and an incredible support throughout the entire experience. She will forever remain an integral part of our birth story!

From the owner: Let's make your birthing experience magical! Let me support you by sharing evidence based…read moreresources and an abundance of love so you can make decisions to birth your baby your way!

I came to Maeva because i had some stress and anxiety problems…read more I was truly amazed by each sessions i received from her. Her work helped me so much in my everyday life. She takes time to listen to you and to understand where the real problem is coming from. I'm happy and so grateful i found her. I highly recommend Maeva, you won't regret it. Thanks again for your beautiful work ! She changed my life for the better :)

I took Maeva's group course leading up to the birth of my first baby and she was an instrumental…read moreresource. Maeva helped me prepare for little things I could do now to help prepare for an easier labor - like certain sitting positions, yoga moves, and meditations - and made me feel strong and ready as the event approached. She was a wealth of knowledge about everything having to do with childbirth and her tips helped insure everything went smoothly when the time arrived. I recommend Maevas course to all my pregnant friends!

I have a high-risk pregnancy and asked one of the doctors at Maternal Fetal Medicine Associates for…read moref they could recommend a place that does prenatal classes, and the only place they recommended was BabyZone. I am so glad they did! My husband and I took three classes: Baby Basics 101 and a Childbirth class with Dominique, and infant and child CPR with Evelyn. They were both amazing and not only have tons of experience, but are really big on evidence and research based recommendations, which are invaluable. Being pregnant and high risk is scary (especially as a soon-to-be first-time parent), and having the science presented is so reassuring that I will know what to do that isn't the opinion of someone on the internet. You have no idea how important that is, and essential that is, and how rare that can be to find in a class. Classes are small, too! We had a max of 6 (3 couples) in Dominique's classes, which was great and allowed the classes to be tailored to the needs and concerns of the parents (and babies!). As a bonus, both Dominique and Evelyn are amazing, kind, and generous people who will stay after class to answer any and all of your questions. I cannot more highly recommend BabyZone!

I was referred to Baby Zone NYC through my OB and I'm so glad we did these classes! Both the…read moreChild/Infant CPR class and the Childbirth Prep: Crash Course were incredibly insightful and helped us better understand what to expect and feel more confident and prepared. After our baby was born I was looking for a lactation consultant who would do home visits and ended up working Dominique - not only is she incredibly knowledgeable with literally anything related to babies, she's also such a kind, encouraging, and supportive person to be around. I felt so comfortable with her during a very challenging and emotional time, and I cannot recommend her enough!