At 5 months pregnant, I signed up for an in-person prenatal class and paid $350 to support the…read moreorganization. I soon got an email saying I had applied for a newborn class too early if my due date was November. When I clarified that I had signed up for a prenatal class, the organizer apologized and said she would get back to me. 3 months later, I was finally contacted for scheduling, but I had already made plans that conflicted with those dates, and the alternative dates were at an inconvenient location. So they put me in a newborn class. After thinking about it, since I had little to no communication with the organization and there was no real attempt made to schedule me in the FOUR months I was available to participate in a group, I asked for my money back. The organizer apologized for the lack of communication and issues scheduling, and agreed to the refund but charged me $35 for overhead. For a non-profit organization to have a 10% overhead rate with NO SERVICES RENDERED seems preposterous. I don't see non-profit status as a reason to take people's money and waste their time. If you're looking to sign up, don't make a donation until you're satisfied with what they're providing.

I own a boutique parenting center here in Austin and we've loved sending our clients to PiP. Their…read moregroups have helped mamas & papas navigate the transition to life with a new baby in a way that's engaging and supportive. Such a great organization!

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 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.

Rude! I apologized for being late to the consultation, I had twisted my ankle and was waiting at…read moreurgent care. She reminded about the session since it had slipped my mind. I went to sit in my car to joint the meeting as soon as I realized. We spoke about what my concerns and what I was looking for and my partner did come to interrupt me for my id to finishing filling out paperwork. I apologized for the interruption and she asked if I wanted to continue. I said yes and we finished up with her saying she would send intake form. She didn't send intake forms, I emailed her and again apologized for that day and asked for next steps. In her response she mentioned again how I need to find distraction free space for sessions and that if I was late or had to cancel last minute she would charge..... which she hardly ever had to do. Which I understand I was late and was distracted. I filled out forms and got a email tonight that made me seek other options. I'm not sure why you would want to speak to a paying client in such a condescending way. Pleaseeee find service elsewhere! Emails are attached below.

Cheryl is an invaluable resource. She is sincere in her desire to help and truly cares. She is the…read moreconsummate professional, very respectful and an amazing listener. She has an incredibly calming presence which is important when you're dealing with two (frazzled!) working parents trying to juggle it all. We are much more organized and have a significantly better handle on our household than before. We will definitely continue to use her counseling services as issues evolve and our needs change. We absolutely love Cheryl and consider her to be the mayor in our village!

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!

Heart songs has been a gift for my boy, he treasures his time there with the teachersread more

Heartsong is amazing! It is so great for music and language development! The space the owner…read more(Carey) has created is wonderful for playing before/after class and connecting with the other families. My son does several paid activity classes during the week (music, gym, dance, etc.) - this is by far the best value for your money. You'll get music, teachers who have studied the curriculum and Montessori education, movement, language development, and a beautiful space for play and community after class. My son started at 11 months and I wish we started earlier! For weeks he just sat in our laps and listened most of the class. He seemed like he wasn't super excited but he was actually just slowly absorbing everything! It's now been four months and he gets so excited every time he hears music he starts dancing and smiling! We listen to all the songs in the car and someties at home and he's started singing along to several words from different songs. He even remembers which words/sounds are coming next - it's so adorable to hear him in the back of the car singing! Heartsong has been great for language development too - an unexpected plus! My son started saying words with difficult sounds (e.g., "car") that we hadn't heard as a babble sound or really used often and we figured out it's because the "ca"/"ka" sound is used in several songs we're singing this semester. Neat! I love that Heartsong follows the Music Together curriculum which means you do the same set of about 25 songs over the 10-week "semester" and then move to a different set. This allows time for the kids to get used to the sound of a song over the semester. The songs have been developed to help with language development (lots of different sounds), music development, and even self-regulation (slower/faster). I love that the teachers offer insights on why certain things they do help with development. The in-class experience will vary by teacher. Keep that in mind if you decide to do demo classes first.

It has taken me about four years to write this review. I…read morehave a son who is quite challenging medically and behaviorally. My lack of consistent parenting role models left me feeling alone and uncertain at times. Sometmes I felt like a failure, other times I just felt lost. All I knew was that my fantasy of how I would parent was nothing like the day to day reality. To be fair lfe was stressful back then to this single parent. And when it seemed the dust had settled enough for me to consider my needs and not just deal with crisis and survival i reached out for guidance. Ms. Zentner came recommended via a Google group for mental health professionals as someone good with parenting issues and kids. Perhaps she is. I wouldn't know. She spent one meeting with me-an introductory assessment, one with my son and I (another assessment), And I think one more after this perhaps discussing her assessment. I wasn't blown away in a positive manner, I thought her conclusions and observations were rather elementary but I was willing to give it time. After all it took years for me to commit, so I certaily wasn't going to let myself quit prematurely. However I was disturbed by her persistent yawning throughout our few meetings. I tried to rationalize it, be a big girl and not personalize it. A bit of a challenge for someone already feeling inadequate and inept. I had to reschedule our fourth appt. I gave PLENTY of notice. Well over two weeks. She said she would call me back because the date I had available didn't work for her. And I never heard from her again. I may have called once after but maybe not. It was the holidays. I made excuses for her and thought I would give it a bit more time. As the weeks passed the clarity of my disappointment and discomfort was impossible to ignore and I decided it was best to just not return. We were clearly a poor match. I suspect she isn't a terrible counselor but I am not convinced she is a clinically astute therapist. Yawning without any recognition of the impression it gives is rather obtuse in my opinion. I was and remain a bit raw deep down about my parenting fears and disappointments. However I also have a ton of strengths and skills to fall back on. Yet if this situation struck such a chord with me I would hate to imagine its' impact on someone even more distressed/vulnerable than I had been at that time. She is probably not a bad counselor and with the increased emphasis these past two decades on short term cognitive techniques (over more in depth psychodynamic skills) she probably does okay. However I doubt I would ever recommend her to someone I cared for or whom I believed to be in need of good emotional support.

Kathryn is an incredible therapist. My son has advanced emotionally at a much higher rate since…read moreour regular sessions with her. She is prompt, communicative, and extremely non-judgmental in making sure her recommendations work with our family culture, values, and beliefs (even though I suspect she doesn't share them). In response to the other reviewer, in two years of regular sessions I don't recall a single yawn (or unreturned phone call). In short, I feel 1000x more equipped as a parent with her in my corner. EDIT: She often runs 10-15 minutes behind schedule, but I understand this given the amount of attention she gives to her clients. I have always received my full 55 minutes of attention.

I've known and worked with Tina personally and professionally for over 5 years. She's the real…read moredeal. She's amazing with children, kind of like a baby whisperer! She connects with children because they know she has a huge heart, "speaks their language" and she's playful and fun! She also teaches parents how to better connect and communicate with their small children. I highly recommend her, her classes and her services.

Tina is fantastic! She has so much enthusiasm and passion for helping babies and parents…read morecommunicate. I highly recommend her Baby Signs classes and workshops!

On average I work out 7+ times per week doing different exercise modalities. That type of activity…read moreon your body takes its toll. I used to get massages on a regular basis but fell off the massage wagon. A friend of mine highlighted that she has gotten massages once a month for the last 14 years. I was definitely behind the 8 ball on massages. My friend's long-term revelation was eye-opening, so I decided to get a massage today with Green Care Massage, which is located on W. Parmer, next door to Tomo Sushi. My massage choice was a deep tissue massage. Those polls are not for curtains!!! When my massage therapist asked me could she work on my back, I thought, I said yes. What she actually said was can I "walk" on your back. In my head, I was thinking why do her hands feel like feet...because they were feet! Snappity, snap, snap...I was getting a full on Ashiatsu massage (also known as back walking massage or barefoot massage). If you are not aware, Ashiatusu is a technique where the massage therapist uses their feet to apply deep pressure while holding onto overhead bars for balance and control. The word "Ashiatsu" is a Japanese word meaning (ashi=foot and atsu= pressure.) Apparently, my back was so tight I needed Ashiatsu first. My massage beginning to end was incredibly effective and rejuvenating experience. From the moment the session began, it was clear the massage therapist was highly skilled and knew her craft. The deep, slow strokes and focused techniques worked through my knots and tight muscles, especially in my back and legs. While there were moments of intensity that you would expect with deep tissue work, it was never painful (pressure...no pain). Afterward my body felt like it had exhaled and breathing fresh air.... well worth the time and money. I could feel the tension evaporating with each targeted movement. It is important note, I felt soreness in my neck and back during the massage that I did know existed previously. After the massage session, I noticed a significant improvement in my mobility and range of motion. My usual stiffness had disappeared. I do not know if I will get a massage once a month, but I certainly will not wait too long before another one.

I'm a regular! Can't quit this place, great massage for a very reasonable price. They were able…read moreto squeeze in a 90 min couple massage very last minute on Valentine's Day. They open at 9:30 for those early birds like myself. I've had massages by Angie several times now and she is wonderful. Next time I swear I'm going for the 120 min massage...and there will be a next time!