I originally chose Puget Sound Midwives and Birth Center because I didn't have insurance at the…read morebeginning of my pregnancy and wanted something smaller, more personal, and supportive of a natural birth. I paid for all my early appointments in full, in cash, as soon as I was informed of any charges. I was looking for compassionate care, continuity, and a trusting relationship with the person who would eventually help deliver my child. Unfortunately, that is not what I received. I first saw Courtney in May 2025 and was told I needed to also see Amanda, the other midwife on staff at the time. I really connected with Amanda and felt hopeful that she would be present at my birth. Sadly, that plan fell apart when I was told (months later, around November) that Amanda would be leaving in December -- and I'd now be under the care of a new midwife I had barely met. From the beginning, appointments with Courtney often felt condescending and patronizing. There was a noticeable amount of fear-mongering around hospital births and C-sections -- (to the point that when I did get to Evergreen hospital the first words out of my mouth were, "I don't want a C-Section!!!") rather than being supportive of informed choice, the conversations often leaned into judgment and pressure. As I neared the end of my pregnancy, things got even worse. I went nearly 2.5 weeks overdue, and in those last five weeks, I was constantly offered cervical checks, a balloon pump, and other interventions to try to get labor started. The new midwife said she couldn't reach my cervix because her fingers were too short -- yet I was still billed for every single "exam." In total, I was charged $250 for completely unhelpful and ineffective procedures. When I asked how I would know if I was in labor, I was simply told, "You'll just know." When I called the on-call number to report that my water had broken, I was told I wasn't dilated enough and was advised not to come in. No one tested me to confirm whether my water had actually broken. As it turns out, it had -- three days before I gave birth. Thankfully, the rupture was at the top, or the consequences for my baby could have been devastating. I ended up giving birth at Evergreen Hospital, and I truly believe my child is alive today because I left the birth center and sought real medical care. On the billing side, it was a complete mess. I kept getting bills addressed to the wrong last name, even though I had input my correct name in their patient portal. The billing department never even properly checked my insurance until after I gave birth -- and only then because someone called me demanding the correct information. They had scanned my insurance card months earlier, but somehow still had it entered incorrectly in their supposedly HIPAA-compliant system. I ended up having to enter my insurance manually myself. To top it off, I'm now fighting a $600 emergency transfer fee with my insurance. I was only at the birth center for two hours before my husband had to drive me to the hospital himself -- after the midwife suggested I walk the apartment complex stairs at 3am to try to "get things going." And yet, I'm being charged as if they coordinated an emergency transfer. Save yourself the time, stress, and incompetence. What was supposed to be a supportive, natural, empowering birth experience turned into chaos, confusion, and unnecessary risk to my baby. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone looking for truly safe and supportive midwifery care.

I started my pregnancy with an OB/GYN, but made the switch to this birth center at 26 weeks. It was…read morethe best decision ever! Both midwives; Heather and Blake are lovely! I looked forward to every appointment and never left feeling like I wasn't heard. Heather was at my birth and she made me feel calm, safe, and confident that I can do it natural (which was my goal). As a first time, mom I am very happy I made the switch. I would recommend this birth center to any and all the pregnant people I know!

Simply amazing through two experiences. As a partner, Kristin is an invaluable resource. Her…read moreinsights are key, she's a great advocate and frankly you cannot put a price on another set of hands. Highly recommend (in fact I already have...).

Kristin from Kind Birth Services was my doula for the birth of my first daughter. I also took her…read moreassociated birth class, based on her book Expecting Kindness. Throughout preparing for and delivering my daughter, Kristin worked with me for over 30 hours. She's a stellar doula. At the time she was working as my doula, she had already delivered over 350 babies throughout her 20 year career. Her experience showed through in every interaction I had with her. Every question I had she could answer not only with broad knowledge, but also with specific examples from past deliveries. She knows birth inside and out. Beyond her deep knowledge and experience, she is also incredible at holding space and advocating for a mother-to-be through the birthing process. My original plan was to deliver at a midwifery clinic, but I had to transfer care to a hospital a week before my labor started. This unexpected change of plans would have been massively stressful had it not been for Kristin's steady consistency and emotional presence through the process. Her experience in both birth centers and hospitals again showed through to me. Throughout labor and delivery, she guided me through with clear suggestions and a calm demeanor. Because of her presence and the preparation I had from her class, I was confident in my ability to delivery vaginally without medication. She taught me (and reminded me in the moment) of the details of each stage of labor and how I could best empower myself through the process. She also helped me to be a strong advocate for myself and my own control over the birth process, which was invaluable in my transition to hospital delivery. One of my favorite things about Kristin was her passion for integrating my partner in the birth process, from the birth classes through delivery participation. My partner was well prepared and confident to be fully present in the birth process. Kristin is an excellent coach, guide and guru from the classroom to the delivery suite, and I couldn't recommend her more strongly. She also gave our daughter one of her first gifts during one of our follow up appointments with her!

My birth experience was absolutely incredible all thanks to my amazing Doula, Sean Hoke, from Let…read moreIt Be Birth, as well as the team at NW Hospital in Seattle. I ended up having to be induced at 42 weeks and was pretty fearful of the process/struggled with the fact I couldn't labor at home before going into the hospital. Sean helped me overcome all of my fears surrounding the induction process and made me feel excited and confident in the plan to be induced by explaining what the labor may look like as well as answering all my questions. She was by my side from the very start of contractions until a few hours after our daughter was born. Having Sean by my side not only as my primary support person, but also to communicate with nurses and midwife so I could focus solely on birthing my daughter, was amazing. She helped me feel confident when labor seemed impossible to continue, giving me the courage and support to carry out my goal to have an epidural free L&D. There were times towards the end that I remember saying I couldn't do it anymore, crying in pain and fear -- she was right beside me to encourage, give me strength emotionally and empower me to keep going. Honestly, my husband and I both agree that it wouldn't have been such a beautiful and incredible birth experience without Sean by our side. She went above and beyond anything we could have imagined, her communication with hospital staff was awesome, her knowledge, teamwork with birthing partner (my husband) and love/support for both momma and baby was amazing. Thank you Sean, from the bottom of my heart for being by our side for the most memorable, most difficult and yet absolutely beautiful moment of my life. Also, a huge thank you to Kalyn, she was such an amazing support and source of knowledge during all our prenatal meetings leading up to our daughter's birth. She ended up giving birth to her son the day before I was induced at the same hospital, it was neat to have someone to talk to that was experiencing similar things that I was throughout the pregnancy. Kalyn was always so supportive and even made sure to check in on my L&D while recovering from her own L&D the day before. Sean and Kalyn are incredible, we couldn't have imagined going through this entire process without them by our side. My husband and I will forever remember this amazing doula team and love them so very much!

Are you thinking about hiring a doula but unsure it will be worth the money? DO IT, trust me you…read morewill be glad you did! I hired Sean Hoke from Let It Be Birth to attend my son's birth in December. She was excellent and a needed asset to assist me during his birth. She kept me on track with breathing exercises during labor and a calming force when I thought my body was being ripped apart by contractions. I ended up needing a c-section but I was still very glad to have Sean with me during this. It was super helpful because my husband was able to concentrate on our son in the immediate moments after he came out because I had Sean at my side keeping me calm and giving me the play by play of what was happening. I would hire her again in a heartbeat if we ever have a second child.

Troop saved my life!!! I could not have survived the newborn phase without the help of my doulas…read more They were all so caring, helpful and knowledgeable. Even though it can be tough to be separated from one's newborn baby, I felt so comfortable sleeping while my doula took care of him. Having overnight support allowed me to get the rest I needed to heal and gave me energy to spend time with my toddler during the day. Troop is like family to me! I would recommend them to anyone in need of support.

Pregnant and postpartum moms - DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY…read more We signed up for doulas for 12 weeks while I was pregnant and put down the deposit (roughly $10k). Our needs changed postpartum and when we went to update our timeline we were told that the deposit we put down would not be applied to the updated timeline - basically we were asking for $8k in services and even though we had already paid $10k we were told that we still needed to pay more. They quoted the handbook which was not noted in the contract we signed and we were never told of this "policy" while interviewing or signing the contract. We received the handbook after we had signed the contract. We worked out an agreement after pointing out how ridiculous this was and we felt it was still worth it to move forward as we were hopeful that they would provide the services they promised. Over the course of four visits we had two different doulas. Both were very polite and nice but had totally different levels of care. The first doula set timers on her phone to wake up and check on our daughter as well as wake and bring her to feed so that she didn't go too long without eating. As a mom that is EBF this was immensely helpful and she was great to work with. The second doula was polite but did not take care of our daughter. She slept so deeply that did not wake during my daughter's feeding cues/crying. I awoke to engorged breasts and when I checked the monitor I could see my daughter fussing in her bassinet while the doula slept on. I also saw that she had set the temperature of the room to 74 degrees. For a 6 week old that can't regulate heat this was VERY concerning. I went to wake my husband to figure out how we could change it to a safe temperature and then went downstairs and woke the doula while getting my daughter from the bassinet. My daughter was so overheated that she could barely finish one side even though she regularly finishes both. While I was feeding her, this doula fell asleep again and when I brought my daughter back she did not wake to me entering the room- I changed my daughter's diaper and only after returning with a light on did she wake up. We were scheduled to have her for the next month and my husband and I did not feel comfortable leaving our child in her care again. When I emailed the company to cancel (on a Thursday with our next visit being a Monday), I received an OOO message from Lynette Wilson the Director of Operations. The following day (Friday) I forwarded the message to the scheduling team and did not receive a response. When Lynette returned that following Monday she did not ask why we were suddenly cancelling but did try to tell us that she was going to charge us for not cancelling 24 hours before the shift even though the message was sent several days before. Only after I was able to get Lynette on the phone (you cannot contact anyone in the office directly) did she relent. I also brought up the concerns with the doula - again she did not once ask why. She did not seem to care or bother to offer solutions but rather wanted to end the conversation. We've spent $10k+ for 4 nights. Pregnant and postpartum moms - this company does not care about you or your child. Their team of overnight doulas is sporadic in their level of care and created an unsafe environment for my child. This company only cares about squeezing you for money during one of the most stressful and vulnerable times of your life.

I had such high hopes for this class, but ultimately it was taught by a doula and not a certified…read morebirth instructor and therefore the doula was not knowledgeable about medication, hospital interventions etc and was instead pushing themselves to be hired. Almost no emphasis on breathing techniques in class. Save your money and time and look elsewhere.

Ignored all emails before the class and for our questions post class. I should have canceled the…read moreclass when our email was ignored before the class started. Not recommended. Ignoring emails is extremely frustrating and basically feel totally ripped off. The class had dated materials and made a big deal they wouldn't hand out stuff. More worried about someone taking their presentation, that their own customers. New Moms and Dads.

Just amazing . She really cared about what ached/bothered me and worked on those parts . Then parts…read moreI didn't even know I was sore she massaged . AMAZING prenatal massage . 10/10 . The room was quiet and relaxing . Warm as well

I cannot recommend Chelsey and her business, Swan Perinatal Services & Family Massage, highly…read moreenough. As a first time mother concerned about possible postpartum recovery and breastfeeding challenges, I was so lucky to come across her practice while searching for a prenatal massage therapist! From our very first session, I was amazed at Chelsey's warmth, compassion, and wealth of knowledge. With her strong background in women's health, perinatal care, and lactation support, Chelsey understands the physical and emotional needs of new mothers on a deep level. She is incredibly intuitive and attentive, customizing each massage to address my unique concerns, whether it was nipple pain from breastfeeding, postpartum tissue discomfort, or general tension from the stresses of new motherhood. Chelsey's specialized training and certifications in techniques like prenatal massage, breast massage, and infant massage allow her to provide targeted relief and empower women through every stage of the childbearing year. Her work has been invaluable in helping my milk supply, easing pregnancy aches and pains, promoting postpartum healing, and bonding with my baby. As a doula, lactation educator, and former birth worker herself, Chelsey offers so much more than a standard massage. She provides holistic care with an empathetic, women-centered approach. I'm so grateful I found her and can't recommend Chelsey and Swan Perinatal Services enough for any prenatal or postpartum massage and support needs. Her services are simply unmatched!

My experience with these ladies, was amazing! First they provided a free consultation phone call,…read morethen great informational video and a prenatal appointment in person to go over questions. After delivery I was having extreme pain and long feeds, and I was able to have an AT HOME visit, which was amazing itself. Emily was able to promptly provide feedback on my newborns feeding and issues, which we got a great recommendation listing for pediatric dentist for lip and tongue ties removals. Since the procedures, my newborn has been feeding great and gaining weight, and the several follow up appointments have been just as good, Emily provided techniques on different positions, how to adjust the latch, and queues for when baby is done eating. HIGHLY RECOMMEND Fern Lactation! They are just great people and glad they were apart of my postpartum experience! Furthermore, the scheduling process was great! They were able to text to help set up appointments and made it so streamlined and less stressful! THANK YOU!

Emily is incredible! I was referred to her by both my doula as well as a good friend who had used…read moreher; my baby had stopped latching on day 6 and I was desperate for support to be able to breastfeed her again. Her office is so clean and cozy, and from the first second, Emily was extremely warm and welcoming. She is so knowledgeable about lactation and put me at ease, she is great about consent before touching and so gentle with my baby. She always includes my partner in the appointment and our results were instant. I am now able to breastfeed the way that I wanted and also in a way that works best for our lifestyle and we have continued to evolve with each appointment. I highly recommend Emily, she is so kind and compassionate and she gets the desired results for your breast/chest feeding journey.

Besides being on one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever been on (Bastyr University) the…read morequality of education support and follow provided by Simkin Center for Allied Birth Vocations is world class. I took the certification course to be an Infant Massage Educator there and was thoroughly impressed with every aspect.

I took a doula training workshop from the Simkin Center as a mid-career professional and really…read moreenjoyed the format and material. The instructors were very professional and opened my eyes to new information, concepts and different ways to think through birth scenarios. I enjoyed it immensely and feel prepared to continue on the path to be certified. Highly recommend!

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.

Jenne was recommended to us by friends who had used her for their birth. I met with her right away…read morewhen I found I was pregnant and she was immediately calming. I felt confident in hiring her to support myself and my husband during our second birth. Jenne was incredibly thorough, meeting with us before our due date to ensure she got to know us and would be able to offer the kind of support we were looking for on the day. When it came time to deliver, Jenne was again an incredibly calming presence and support that truly allowed for such a beautiful birth as we welcomed our son. Jenne also followed up with us several times after the birth to make sure we were adjusting well. Her experience and knowledge of adding a second child to our family was invaluable. I also found Jenne to be incredibly professional and knowledgeable. It is clear that this is a true passion for her, as well that she takes her role very seriously. We were so pleased that we hired Jenne and would absolutely work with her again.

Jenne was a real pleasure to work with. She provided so much support not only for my labor but also…read morepostpartum. She's incredibly knowledgeable and truly cares about your well being. I highly recommend working with her!