I truly don't even have the words to express how much my experience working with Rachael meant to…read moreme. From the very beginning, it never felt like I was just another patient on a schedule. She truly cares about you... how you're feeling, what you're going through, and making sure you feel seen every step of the way. After having my first baby in a hospital and walking away with a less-than-pleasant experience, I knew for my second and lastI, wanted something different. I wanted to feel safe, supported, and genuinely cared for. And that's exactly what you get with Rachael. She checked in not just physically, but emotionally. She listened, she reassured me, and she created a space where I felt comfortable, confident, and understood. It felt less like appointments and more like being cared for by someone who truly had my best interest at heart. This wasn't just care..it was compassion, connection, and trust. And I will forever be grateful I made the decision to go this route. Truly five-star care from start to finish.

We ended up with Rachael by accident…read more The week before I was due with our first, the midwife we chose had a serious family emergency out of state and had to leave. Rachael was her backup and we set up an in-person meet 2 days before I was due... we never made it to that appointment. Our first meeting was at my house, when I was halfway through labor, wearing only a bralette. "Hi, I'm Rachael!" She said cheerily. She helped me through what she calls an "amazing first birth". And my husband and I really connected with her. She makes it easy! She handled half my postpartum visits. And we decided that next time we got pregnant - it'd be Rachael again. Fast forward a few years, and I'm pregnant again! Having Rachael the whole way through was amazing! We developed so much more relationship and had time to chat about all the birth things and had an incredible 2hr home-birth! About Rachael: She's incredibly knowledgeable, beyond competent (super on top of everything), genuinely kind and nonjudgmental, incredibly easy to talk to, she has fantastic upbeat energy, all the medical paperwork stuff is made super simple, she looks out for your best, is a great communicator and is somehow available 24/7 because she responded so quickly to my texts. (I don't know how she does it... does she ever sleep!?) She encouraged all my ideas about how I wanted to improve things for my second home-birth. I loved every chat we had - at every meeting we had. She makes you feel good and beyond capable of having the best birth experience you can have and backs your choices 100%. Even when she has concerns, she never talks down to/over you and is happy to explain things. She treats you as an equal, even though she's 100% got the most knowledge and experience in the room. In short, I highly recommend midwifery and home-birth. And Dr. Rachael Cook is an excellent choice! Whether you feel most comfortable in a hospital or at home, whether it's your first baby or you're tenth - she'll advocate for you, care for you, and see you through to the birth experience you want to have.

When we found out I was pregnant with our second child I knew I wanted, and needed, compassionate,…read moreloving, supportive, and informed prenatal care. Generations Midwifery checked all these boxes and more! Andy and Terri, along with a team of amazing student midwives, made me feel safe, heard, loved, and respected. They helped me feel empowered and confident in myself, my pregnancy, and my baby's birth. I knew without a doubt that my family, baby, and I were all being supported by a community of exceptional women, who genuinely cared about our physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. Andy and Terri were always available to ease my mind and problem solve any worries or concerns we might've had both before and after my baby was born. To have such gentle, confident guidance made an already monumental moment that much more special, and a tremendous transition that much less daunting. My dreams came true when my daughter was born into a serene space, surrounded by strong, smart, caring women! We absolutely love our midwives, and feel honored to have shared this journey with them!

Where do I even begin!? I can't imagine experiencing my first pregnancy & birth without the support…read morewe had from Terri & Andy. Their holistic approach during my pregnancy made me feel so comfortable. I felt so prepared for my home birth & so comfortable having them in my home to support my family. Even though I ended up having to transfer to a hospital setting after 48+ hours of trying at home, the team made sure I was in the right hands & were constantly checking in with us. In postpartum, I felt so cared for when they only not checked up on our baby, but also checked in so much with my healing & mental health. Terri especially made my husband & I feel so comfortable throughout the entire experience since she could relate to our Asian identities. We really appreciated that. I cannot recommend them enough & know I will be in the right hands for my next pregnancy!

They were super great before they dropped my care a week before my due date. My baby was measuring…read moresmall, but he was (and is) totally healthy. I did not have a back-up plan because I am a healthy person and my baby was healthy. Was not expecting to be dropped so abruptly so close to my due date. They weren't very helpful with finding other options; they suggested St. Pete's, which was terrible. But their prenatal care was great. I wish Constance could have helped me birth my baby. My advice is, if you want to birth here, have a back-up plan that you can act on and be happy with at any time, because you could get dropped over the smallest diversion from "normal".

If you've dealt with bouncing from doctor to doctor (or midwife to midwife, as it were), you KNOW…read morehow stressful it can be. All I can say is I'm beyond happy I've landed at Around the Circle. I'm 6 months pregnant with my first baby, so you can imagine I might be a little anxious about all things pregnancy. They are supportive, rational, personal, and beyond thorough at every visit. And Nikka, at the front desk, is like a dream come true. I'm serious. She's worth switching to Around the Circle, all in her own right. She's managed getting my records transferred, makes sure my lab appointments are scheduled on time and is essentially a pregnant gal's best friend. No stress for me, she's shouldered it all and been supportive the whole way through. And that's without even going into the fact that it feels like you're visiting your 2nd home, rather than a doctor's office, and that's a good thing considering how many times you'll be visiting during your pregnancy! Comfy, cozy and.....well, let's just end this with, if you're looking for a midwife, I highly recommend them! I'll update after the 9 month mark, but for this step of the process...they're fantastic, and I can't imagine that changing!

A Matriarch of Midwives. Kara Neff helped bring forth our…read moresecond daughter into our family. We had a successful Water HBAC, on the 26th of January. Our first child's delivery was a planned home birth that resulted in a hospital emergency c-section back in 2014. Kara has done so much more then being just a midwife; A bond has been made and she become a part of our family. To those who are in search for a midwife, look no further. Kara Neff is superb.

Kara is intelligent, kind, experienced, wise and has a warm calming nature that puts you at ease…read more She is a treasure trove of knowledge and I couldn't speak more highly of her. Kara was my midwife for the birth of my first daughter, Ashlynn. I loved the prenatal appointments, I had alot of questions as a first time mom and by the time Ashlynn was ready to come into the world, I had more than a skilled midwife, but a friend, a confidant, someone I could ask questions, and an unbreakable bond with someone I couldn't trust or respect more. I am hoping to get pregnant again in the next few months and I'll be calling Kara again. I hope I am lucky enough to have her by my side as my midwife for as many babies as I have. Kara is a pregnant girls dream come true and if your lucky enough to know her she will forever hold a spot in your heart reserved for those rare gems of humanity. You couldnt be in better hands than Kara Neff's of Bright Beginnings Midwifery.

I was supposed to have our birthing class today. Stacey texted me the night before to confirm I was…read moregoing to be there, I told her I would be. She texted me the morning of asking again if I was going to be attending. I again told her yes we will be there. My husband and I live about an hour away from Olympia so we showed up at about 145 we got to the door, the door was locked we rang the door bell, we waited about five minutes and no one answered. We went and sat in the car thinking maybe no body was there yet, we sat there until about 200, which is when the class was suppose to start, we saw no one show up. I went up to the door one more time. Tried opening it and rang the door bell again, and still nobody answered. I texted Stacey and asked if she was there. She never texted me back. I totally understand if you have to cancel a class because not enough people sign up, but not only did we waste our day driving, we also made this huge dish she had asked everyone to make, and now I'm out of a class. Very unprofessional and disappointing. I'm just happy I didn't pay prior to the class.

I just have to give the biggest praise I was a late transfer to care at almost 38 weeks after a bad…read moreexperience with my previous midwife. This team took the time and was so kind to ease my mind and make sure my wishes were respected and taken into account. Even without knowing them long before I went into labor they did so amazing making me feel supported, loved and secure in my birth which went amazing! This team is fantastic and truly cares about your desires for birth oh and I must add I had 2 crazy toddlers at my birth asking a million questions and the midwives did great with them and answering questions, allowing them to be involved it really meant the world to me to have midwives that allowed and welcomed the whole family to be part of the process without getting overwhelmed with the chaos of a 4 and 2 year old

Marie and Michelle have been amazing so far. I haven't given birth yet, but they come highly…read morerecommended.

Shannon provides such a personalized experience to her clients. She made the experience of my 4th…read moreand final homebirth and baby a positive experience despite a hard labor! My big 9lb baby really made me work for him! Thankful I had her calm presence.

a breath of fresh air, as a birth worker it's so hard to find a good midwife who listen, cares,…read moreprevious midwives never took the time to really respect my decisions and Shannon was like family instantly! my pregnancy was a dream and my birth as well. she was efficient, she was reliable and I recommend her to everyone and anyone!

I'm one day shy of my son's first birthday and as I reflect on my pregnancy and birth and…read morepostpartum experience, the role that Lizz and Elliott played continues to be profoundly instrumental in my overwhelmingly positive perinatal journey. I'm a practicing birth doula who met Lizz and Elliott years ago in a professional setting, and knew after watching them first hand that they were the midwives I wanted when it was my turn. They held me through the great mystery of pregnancy and when we learned that my baby was breech and my plan for a homebirth was no longer in the cards, Lizz and Elliott offered me the support I deeply needed to feel confident and at peace moving forward with a sacred planned cesarean birth. I'll never forget our sweet third trimester visits looking at my son on ultrasound and marveling that he loved being head up. This tone of celebration and acceptance of how things were unfolding and my informed decision to belly birth absolutely led to me having an empowered birth experience, free of trauma and regret, full of the oxytocin that good midwifery care facilitates. I continued my follow-up support with them once I returned home from the hospital, something that was important to me when I decided to work with community midwives. I can confidently say that I achieved my goal for my birth which was that no matter how things might unfold I wanted to feel held and cared for medically, emotionally and spiritually by my team. Sharing some sweet film photos that my doula snapped during a prenatal visit with Lizz!

I received the best medical care in my life from Lizz and Elliott and their wonderful student…read moremidwives. They were incredibly knowledgeable, professional, accessible, and thoughtful about every aspect of their practice. I felt seen, heard, respected, informed and utterly well-cared for as someone with a non-traditional family structure and a particular medical background. I would recommend them for anyone, and especially for someone who like myself has had some history of less-than-affirming experiences with medical settings.

The midwife I worked with privately from the Inn was amazing, this review reflects my issue with…read morethe owner. I was openly between the hospital or using the Birthing Inn and was told I needed to pay the $475 to start the registration. I was told it was sometimes refundable. I did not complete the registration and called to get the very sizable $475 back but was told the owner denied it. I received no services from this facility and utilized the hospital for my delivery. Please note, if you're on the fence to NOT pay the fee until you're certain.

It has taken me 7 years to write a review. Susan was my midwife and I was fortunate enough that she…read moretook me under her care a few weeks before my due date, not without charging me the full amount of course. I had just turned 20 and my husband had just been discharged from the army and we had just moved to Washington. I was traveling from Bellevue so expected at least a 45 minute trip to the birthing center when I did go into labor. My mother called Susan the day before to tell her I had a family history of very fast labors and that I was showing signs of early labor. When we left Bellevue that night , my mom called to let her know we were heading to The Birthing Inn. Susan let us know she was out to dinner with her family but would meet us there. Well we got there and the place was dark and I proceeded to labor in the car hoping I didn't give birth before she arrived. She finally showed up after 25 minutes and set up a room for me, not the room I chose even though there were no other women there. I had agreed to having a single student present and there were at least 3 strangers I'd never met coming in and out and I was very upset about that. I felt she took all my money and used me for all her students to gain experience. After I gave birth, I felt great. I remember sitting on the edge of the birthing tub when Susan said that the placenta needed to be delivered right away and that I was bleeding too much. She then pulled my placenta out of my body...I felt it tear out of me and instantly felt a gush of blood and was extremely weak. Barely after placing my baby on my chest to nurse she was bringing up controversial things that my husband and I had not yet agreed on, asking us if we had come to an agreement, which was none of her business and caused me a lot of distress. She was still concerned about my bleeding and told me that if It didn't stop that she was going to have me transferred to a hospital. After 6 hours she was rushing me out of there and told me if I wasn't able to get up and walk out of there then she was calling an ambulance. She was gone before I left. I remember hobbling out of the room and having to sit down multiple times to avoid passing out. I felt so stressed that she would send me to the hospital and separate me from my baby. A sad difference from when I gave birth to my second child and was wheeled out in a wheelchair and given so much support and compassion. My birth felt like a rushed inconvenience.. like she was just trying to get back to her family and she had no respect for me or my birthing experience.