Class was informational, thorough, and FUN!! Honestly, Amy made the class so fun and birth feel…read morelike I can 100% do it! This class is worth it!

I HIGHLY recommend this class! My husband and I attended Amy's 2-day childbirth class ahead of…read morehaving our first baby, and both agree this class is a MUST for expecting parents. Amy has a wealth of knowledge regarding all things childbirth, post-partum, and breastfeeding. Amy is extremely easy to talk to, which helped me feel comfortable asking her my millions of questions. Above all else, Amy is engaging. She was born to teach. We were never once checked out or bored during this two-day intensive. Amy's class is worth every penny. THANK YOU Amy! p.s. Amy is also one of the funniest people I've ever met, which just adds to the experience of Planet Childbirth!!

This class was truly a life saver. My husband and I were clueless to most things being this is our…read morefirst child. Kristen really took the time to explain everything we needed and wanted to know. She is so personable and kind and easy to follow. It was an interactive class even though it was a private class. She kept us engaged and made me as a soon to be mom feel SO encouraged and empowered to feel confident about my birth plan. I now know that I can advocate for myself and I few great going into the birth! We also learned a lot about breastfeeding. This class was so worth it. Please take this class!!!!

Owner's response was not helpful and did not address issues with the course. She spent time during…read morethe middle of the class talking about what she watches on Netflix and her boyfriend, among other things. No where did I speak about the course starting late, that was not an issue. I was saying that it was frustrating to rush to a course that you hope will be helpful, only to have the instructor go off on tangents unrelated to the class. Owner's email to me was brief and implied that I should have taken better notes. All materials she provided appear that they can be obtained for free. I have since taken another lactation course (at a similar price point) and I learned so much more! It really emphasized the weaknesses in this class. I really didn't want to update this review, but I felt her response glossed over concerns raised in my initial review.

Highly, highly recommend Empowered Beginnings!! Ciarra supported us through the arrival of our…read moresecond baby, and she is the best! Super informative and a wealth of knowledge, helping us to feel empowered and informed during the process. Many doulas wait for questions - not Ciarra. She was very proactive with checking in often and anticipating support needed. Her knowledge is gold and she's so generous with her time. Also, Empowered Beginnings presents a community of families and has a wealth of resources available. They are the best if you want genuine and caring support for one of the most vulnerable times for a family... 5 stars!

Jes at Empowered Beginnings was so great!!! I had such a positive experience with her for overnight…read morecare and would definitely recommend her and Empowered Beginnings to anyone with a new little one looking for some help. Getting someone that is the right fit for taking care of your newborn is so important, and it was great knowing I had someone so caring and trustworthy to make sure I could catch up on sleep the nights I needed it! Plus she's just awesome. Love her and working with Ciarra on the back end was always easy and straightforward!

"The important thing is, the nurse I had for the last 8 hours of labor was AMAZING and didn't leave…read moreus until my daughter was born... she would also make a rad doula." ^ That's what I wrote about Maureen in my review of the hospital where I birthed my daughter in 2015. I didn't go into details in my review of the hospital, but I'll expand here: I had been in induction and (natural) labor for more than 24 hours when I had begun what were to be many hours of transition labor. I'd stopped listening to my husband. Maureen walked into our hospital room at the beginning of her shift, and her voice and demeanor got me back to reality and focused on delivering my baby. She managed to get a very difficult patient (me) to cooperate with relaxation and pain management options, calmly guided me through difficult contractions, and reassured me when she said, "I'm not leaving you until your baby is born." For those last eight hours of my labor, she was supportive and encouraging. Any new options were always presented clearly, and she laid out options, advantages, and disadvantages quickly (and so I didn't have to listen during a contraction!). It was a total change from the previous nurses I'd had. In terms of empowerment, there were two things Maureen did during this experience that definitely stand out. The first was when she confidently said, "You are having this baby by lunchtime." Up until that point, I had no idea what time it was, and didn't want to ask about a finish line. Once she told me the end was near, I became more focused on my role in completing labor. It was just what I needed to hear. The second thing was, after delivery, when she was pushing me in the wheelchair to antepartum, she spoke with me on the walk about the whole labor process. I asked her if I was really in transition for about 10 hours, and she confirmed it, and added, "You tell everyone that. You are an amazon." Those words were something I reflected on often in the next month as I transitioned into life with a newborn. I'm excited that Maureen is now available through Empowered Birth Austin. We are planning to have another child, and figured the chances were slim that we'd manage to snag Maureen as our nurse for a second delivery at the hospital. She will definitely be a part of my next pregnancy and birth experience.

I vividly remember the phone conversation we had a few weeks before my first son's due date…read more Maureen gave me tons of info about the birth process and tips for both me and my husband. I looked over all these notes again leading up to my second delivery, and she was also able to tell me how things might be different the 2nd time around. She was my go-to person to text with during the very confusing time when I thought I felt labor starting mere hours after my OB said it wasn't going to happen anytime soon (and baby did arrive later that night!). Also helpful for providing trouble shooting and advice when I thought I might be having mastitis/clogged duct. Maureen is extremely knowledgeable and caring, and I'd recommend her to anyone!

All the things no one openly shares:…read more Despite how enamored I am with our little girl and all the cute pictures on Facebook, these first three weeks have been extremely stressful. Nursing has been anything but easy, and because our daughter is so tiny I have felt nothing but pressure for her to gain weight as quickly as possible... very difficult when breastfeeding is proving difficult. The onset of vasospasms so painful that it felt like a cigarette burning me straight through to my shoulder blade finally led me to make an appointment with My Pure Delivery. First of all, it was not covered by my insurance because Blue Cross Blue Shield sucks. But every dollar I paid out of pocket was worth the time they spent with me to ensure I felt comfortable utilizing the strategies they helped me master with their help. Additionally, they allowed me to come back periodically to weigh her at no additional cost so that we could monitor her weight without paying for yet another doctor's visit. I am forever grateful for the assistance My Pure Delivery gave me with a skill no one teaches you about, you are just supposed to inherently know how to do, and is perhaps the most stressful task I've ever had to do. MANY THANKS for the compassionate and patient help with breastfeeding.

It was very easy to get an appointment at my pure delivery. After my son was in the NICU and had…read moreissues feeding, we had all but thrown in the towel on breastfeeding. Pumping was also tanking my mental health. Having a quality appointment with a LC was worth every penny. The appointment was not rushed and everything was set right up for us upon arrival. After applying what we were taught, I was able to have a way more positive experience feeding my son

Austin Doula Care is truly exceptional…read more From the moment we began working with Chelsea, Kim, and Chrys at Austin Doula Care, I felt deeply supported, informed, and cared for. Chelsea was our primary doula during pregnancy and birth, and Chrys supported us postpartum. Chelsea's presence during pregnancy and birth was grounding, empowering, and steady. She listened without judgment, shared knowledge without pressure, and held space in a way that made me feel calm, capable, and strong. She helped me trust my body and myself. Chrys's postpartum care was just as transformative. They cared not only for our baby, but for me: My healing, my emotions, my confidence as a new mother. They normalized the hard moments, celebrated the wins, and helped me feel healthy, supported, and seen during such an important time. If you are looking for doulas who are knowledgeable, compassionate, emotionally intelligent, and deeply respectful of your journey, I cannot recommend Austin Doula Care enough. I will forever be grateful for them!

From the moment I met Chelsea and Rachael, I knew I made the right choice in coming to Austin Doula…read moreCare. Their support extended far beyond childbirth support, from pregnancy check ins, the multitude of programs and classes at the office, as well as postpartum help, made my husband and I feel well cared for and confident about the journey of pregnancy and postpartum. Rachael's support during my pregnancy and childbirth was instrumental in me feeling empowered about every decision I made. She was a sounding board for each step of the way, helped me ask the right questions when needed, and assisted in crafting a birth plan and walking through all scenarios to make sure I felt prepared and confident. I am beyond grateful for her presence during my labor and baby's birth, as well as her postpartum help as I navigated things when my husband went back to work. A huge thank you to Rachael and the whole team at Austin Doula Care, I couldn't recommend their support more.

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.

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 found Anya through the Central Texas Doula Association and she was the first doula we met with…read more My husband and I felt almost instantly that she was the doula for us! Her passion for her work, for mamas and babies, is contagious and so comforting -- we knew we would be in the best hands through the prenatal journey and birth of our first child. And we were right! Anya was there for us every step of the way. She dedicated herself to getting to know us, getting to know our worries, wants, and wishes. I loved preparing for the arrival of our little one with her -- she shared so much wisdom and made me feel at ease both physically and mentally (the one-on-one yoga session included in our package was such a nice treat!). We were so ready when the day arrived to deliver our baby! By day, I really mean days... Anya was with us through an incredibly LONG natural labor that ended at the hospital. (But we still delivered vaginally and I owe so much of that to her!) Our journey began at the Austin Area Birthing Center on Monday night and ended on Wednesday morning. She spent every minute of that time encouraging me, supporting me and my husband (literally, like physically supporting me), standing up for and reminding me of the things I wanted and needed, and helping us make some really tough decisions. She was basically like family to me for all those days. It was bittersweet to go our own ways at the end -- sad because she had just shared with us the most momentous occasion of our lives and that kind of connection is so real, but sweet because she needed to rest too!!! Could we have done it all without her? Sure. Would we have wanted to? Absolutely not. I cannot recommend Anya enough if you're looking for a little extra support through your own prenatal/birth/postnatal journey. She's a force. You'll get so much more from your relationship than you ever expected!! We sure did.

Anya is an AMAZING force. I interviewed several doulas, but I went with Anya because of her energy…read more-- she was the perfect balance of confident, non-judgmental, calm and wise. I wanted someone who would help prepare and support me through a natural birth, but who wouldn't judge me if I changed my mind in the end. I'll never forget the thing she said to me in one of our prep meetings that really put me at ease, "There IS something -- a position or a technique -- that will help bring you relief during birth. We'll practice some options now and when the time is here, we'll find the exact one that will work for you." And we did just that. I can say for certain that there is no way we would have been able to avoid an epidural without all the prep she did with me and my husband ahead of time and without her calm, supportive presence in the room. We met with her several times ahead of the birth and she was super thorough with us, never rushed the process and made sure that we as first time parents were as confident as we could be going into this. She lent us books we could peruse if we wanted, but honestly her guidance ahead of time was so thorough and we were so ready for the big day even without taking a formal birthing / breathing class. She even did a prenatal yoga class with me in my home a couple of weeks before our baby arrived. We also hired her for the placenta encapsulation -- it was wonderful having someone who already knew us well do that for us and we opted for her to do it at our home, which sounded strange to us at first, but she scoured the kitchen before and after and in the end, it was a really cool learning process!