When I was on the Bowmanville Garden Walk last year, before I even got pregnant, I noticed Family…read morePicnic in the neighborhood as I was walking around. I made note of it in hopes that I'd successfully achieve a pregnancy and might check out the programs here, and once I was pregnant signed up for their mailing list. They offer a variety of services from doula and lactation support, childbirth and early childhood classes, to various parent & baby groups. I was here because I attended a music program for babies that was held here and hosted by a partner organization. The space is really lovely and welcoming to parents and children; there are gathering spaces, chairs, pillows, and whatnot. You'll need to take your shoes off when you enter so don't wear lace up thigh high boots! There are great east facing windows that let in enough light that I think when I was here we didn't even have the lights on. I'd like to attend a group that they have here (and as of September 2023 they have a check-in offer for just that, so I hope to use it soon!). The other two parent/baby groups at the music class we went to have been in attendance here because they knew one another, and it would be great to have a community closer to my neighborhood. Parking is ample--it's not a permit zone on Damen itself, though I'm not sure about the side streets. I'd encourage any new parent to see what they have to offer.

My husband and I recently took the 5 week labor class, a breastfeeding class, and a new parent…read moreclass, and it was a wonderful experience all around. The owners/class facilitators are so welcoming and kind, and we learned so much as soon to be first time parents. I really liked the small group feel and that there was no judgment, they really encourage everyone to make choices that work best for them and their baby. It is also very affordable compared to some other classes I looked at. I would highly recommend all of the classes, especially the 5 week series, to any new parents in Chicagoland that want to understand the labor and delivery process better and learn about all the potential choices you'll be making together,

I don't know where I would be without Linda and the Chicago New Moms Group. It was such a necessary…read moresupport system during the most vulnerable time of my life. I learned how to be a mom in public with a newborn without judgement. I have a wonderful network of moms that I ask every question to, all of which are going through the exact same stages with their baby. It's the community that you need during a highly destabilizing time, and the group continues to make me feel right at home. Thank you Linda, and I would highly recommend this experience to any new mom!

Really thankful for this group as a first time mom! The first months of motherhood can feel lonely…read moreand overwhelming at times, and this was the perfect group to meet new people, talk through experiences, ask questions, learn about local resources, and relate to other new moms in a judgement-free environment. It was also great practice gaining confidence bringing my baby out in public on my own. I feel much more confident as a mom after participating in the group. Highly recommend!

Sandra has been beyond helpful! We were struggling with how to best parent our 4 year old - from…read moredefiant behavior to staying in bed to not listening. Enter Sandra. She's a real life Supernanny without the cameras. Her approach is based on the RIE method which was new to us. We have had her come to our home weekly for the past 2 months and the change is noticeable. She will step in and coach you through how to both acknowledge your child's feelings and assert your role as a parent in a loving way. We can't imagine where we'd be without her! She's been instrumental in helping us become patient, understanding parents. Although we are still learning but we definitely are on the right path thanks to her guidance. If only we had called earlier.....

We met with Sandra to help with our two year old as we were having major bedtime struggles. Our…read moredaughter was going to bed at 11pm in our bed because she was resisting sleep so much. We were all beyond tired (also having a newborn who was waking through the night) and at a loss of how to get back on track. Sandra immediately assessed our situation and started sharing some parent coaching tips to help us know how to respond to our daughter's protests (and more importantly said, her needs). Sandra also followed up with articles and podcasts, all of which were beyond helpful. I have to say that Sandra left us with not only hope that things would get better if we continued her recommendations, but relief that we didn't have to resort to external tactics (we were using a sticker chart as reward for sleep and it was failing miserably). Instead, we found that we as loving parents have the power to respond in certain ways to help meet our daughter's needs. She started going to sleep around 9pm within days of having Sandra over. That is still later than we like but after a lot of work and many weeks we have reached a spot where our daughter no longer protests bedtime. And just yesterday she told me when she was tired and ready to go to bed! It has been a difficult journey and we probably could have gotten there sooner had we done more work with Sandra and sooner. I am so happy that what Sandra has shared with us can now be useful for other situations as well such as potty-training.

We had an incredible experience with Janeen. We were basically zombies because our daughter was…read morewaking up every 90 minutes during the night. After two nights our daughter was sleeping through the night with one dream feed. Janeen was really accommodating-- and gave us various options using gentle methods. She also answered all of our questions in a timely fashion and gave us good feedback and tips throughout the two week process. I really felt in good hands and we are in such a better place as a family as a result. I highly recommend Janeen for all your baby sleep (and parent sleep) needs!

I'm knocking on wood with one hand as I write this review because I don't want my good luck to run…read moreout... I never thought I'd need to hire a sleep consultant because my baby was a good sleeper from the beginning. She was never a great napper, but she pretty much came out of me sleeping thru the night. I considered myself to be a pretty lucky mom. Then when my daughter turned 9 months she decided she was done sleeping thru the night. She'd wake up around midnight for 3-4 hours a night. She wanted to just hang out with us, but we weren't really up for a midnight party when there was a long day of work ahead. We tried having her cry it out, but my stubborn little one (she takes after me) can scream for hours. After 3-4 weeks of exhaustion I placed a call to Janeen at Swellbeing who I have heard speak at a Bump Club Chicago* event when I was pregnant. Janeen was very sympathetic and even squeezed us in for a consultation that very night. Phew- I was eager for a good night sleep. Janeen charges $295 for a phone consultation and $395 if she comes to your home. She claims she gets the same results either way so we went the less expensive phone route. An hour after hanging up with Janeen I was filling out a survey for her and already realized that I need to make some schedule changes. I had prided myself on not being one of those crazy moms who runs home for naptime...and instead would run errands, see friends, etc while my baby napped in her stroller. Apparently by not being one of those crazy moms I was just making myself and my baby even crazier because Baby R was extremely overtired. And while you'd think overtired babies would sleep better at night it turns out that's not the case. My hubby and I spoke to Janeen for over an hour and made some of the changes she recommended immediately (ex: all naps in the crib, sleepsack for all naps and nighttime sleeping, white noise machine, etc). Baby R slept thru the night the very first night. At first I thought it was a nice coincidence, but after 11 straight nights of blissful sleep I decided that was the best $295 I've ever spent. Janeen even gave us a few sleep tips for when going on vacation. Baby R's 1st night on vacation was a bit rough, which was to be expected after missing her naps and being in a strange new place. However, she's even now "sleeping like a baby" on vacation. I've totally become that crazy mom that now rushes home for naps (yes, even on vacation), but it doesn't seem so crazy now that Baby R is sleeping 11-13 hrs/night again. Knock on wood. --------------------------------------- Bump Club Chicago: http://www.yelp.com/biz/bump-club-chicago-chicago

I cannot say enough to recommend Martha and her team. I have minimal family around and my husband…read morewent back to work fairly immediately to a demanding job. From the first night Martha came, I felt immediately at ease. She helped me transition into becoming a new mom and provided advice, as much support as I could want, and organized so much of my home. 2-3 nights and mornings a week of support for the first 3-4 months made all the difference between struggling and thriving during my postpartum period. She also has put in so much effort to make sure my daughter is sleeping well for when I go back to work - checking in even on her off days. We are going to miss her presence in our home immensely and hope to need her again in the future.

Martha and her team have made me a better mom. I was struggling with postpartum anxiety and my…read morehusband was looking for any resources to help me. I never thought that I would have care for my newborn or that that would be something that I would need. I reluctantly agreed to have Martha come for one evening and see how I felt, and my journey to motherhood has never been the same since. Martha, Shirley, peace, amma, Doreen and Esther all took care of my daughter, with the love that a parent would have for their own child. In addition to this, they taught me so much! They helped me with learning how to properly feed my daughter, how much food she needed, talk to me through some of my health anxieties, helped me enhance my daughter's development, and worked with my daughter to become a great sleeper. All of this while I was able to get good rest and be a better mom. I am eternally thankful for Martha and her team and if we are lucky enough to have another child, they will be my first call. If I could give one piece of advice to any new parents it would be to use Chicago Newborn Care.

Sydney and Pippin were amazing resources. They came in at a critical time at the end of my…read morepregnancy and made me feel like I had known them the whole time. Their support in the last few weeks when new questions came up was invaluable. They shared unbiased resources and helped me to make my own personal decisions and design questions to ask my midwife team. During delivery Pippin was a godsend. She gave my partner the support he needed to feel empowered and breaks to help keep him strong while at the same time not overstepping or interfering. Her presence was so soothing both during and after birth. We feel so lucky to have found Pippin and Sydney. I highly recommend them for any pregnant person looking for labor support!

My gratitude for Third Coast knows no bounds! I loved their three person team approach and felt so…read moresupported by not one but three knowledgeable and kind women. I thought doulas mostly just helped you during your delivery but no, they were with me the WHOLE time. Throughout my entire pregnancy Lauren, Shawna, and Renee were there to answer questions, give me resources, and talk me through my fears and concerns. When my son was born and had to go to the NICU, they stayed in close contact with me the whole time. I never felt like a client but like a friend that they cared for. What a gift. And then when my baby came home (he's doing great!) that's when Lindsay and Jennie, our postpartum doulas came into our lives. Literally how can so many awesome ladies be in one company? It's really hard to hand over your newborn, especially one that's been in the hospital, but I felt so comfortable with them. They cared for him AND for me so well. I don't know what we would have done without them! Third Coast is really like family to me now. I'm so happy to have found them and had them with me on this journey.

Let me just say that Janelle is a life (and sleep saver)! I've nannied for years and saw all…read moredifferent techniques done but Janelle really takes it home. She is so great at what she does! I highly recommend her!!!

Janelle is amazing! I HIGHLY recommend her if you are a tired parent. I never thought we would get…read moremy two year old out of our bed, but with her detailed and thorough guidance we did it in under two weeks. I am so incredibly grateful for her knowledge and support she provided throughout her program. Besides my toddler sleeping indepently for 10-11 hours every night in her crib, we also got our nights back. Janelle is kind and understanding and non judgemental to anything you may have been going through with your baby, and she helps you fix even when you think it's going to be impossible for your child!

I owe everything to this institution. Back in the late 80s this place made my summer breaks…read moreworthwhile. I read the classics, mastered algebra and played a variety of team sports. This place set the foundation for my college years. Hats off to you guys. I did well and owe it all to you. Thank you.

From the owner: MEF is a nonprofit organization that offers tutoring and mentoring to Chicago students 4th-12th…read moregrade.

I recently had my first baby and worked with Brandi during my pregnancy and postpartum…read more Brandi was amazing during the entire process! She always took the initiative to check in and see how we were doing, was always proactive about sharing endless resources, was always extremely prompt in answering questions I had and providing tips and was always so positive and chirpy. As a first time mom I had so many questions and Brandi made me feel so empowered in asking questions- there was no such thing as a silly question. My birth was a dream come true and Brandi was extremely instrumental in how my experience turned out! Please do yourself a favor and hire Brandi to walk alongside you during your beautiful maternity journey.

A few days ago I delivered my second baby. Brandi gave me so much support before during and after…read morethe birth. She gave me resources and made sure I knew my rights, and helped me with pain management while pushing, held my hand and encouraged me the entire time. She still checks on me and baby which means so much to me. This was my first time having a doula and It was definitely a great experience. If I were to do it again, I would want Brandi by my side! Thank you soo much Brandi for all you've done!!

100% recommend. All I can say is WOW. This was a service I never knew I wanted or needed so…read moregreatly. Robin was an angel and a confidant. Real and trustworthy. She was there for me, my son, and my husband before, during, and after birth. Having her as part of my birth story will be something I'm forever grateful for and if I'm blessed enough to have another child, I'll want her on my team again. Ps: She offered to snap photos of when I gave birth, capturing moments I would never have had without her. What a gift.

I really wanted a great doula for a complicated pregnancy. But Robin slept through my son's birth,…read moreeven after I told her at 5 pm I was checking into the hospital the week of my due date. When I talked to Robin, she said she was at an event and didn't have a car with her so she couldn't leave to come to the hospital at that time, because she was dependant on someone else for a ride. She assured me she would come and said she'd never slept through a birth. She also told me most mothers labor for 12+ hours and not to worry since I wasn't dilated at all. I was given Cervidil. In the middle of the night my son's heart rate started dropping. Cervidil was removed, my son's heart rate stabilized and I was given two options: Do a more controlled C-section or try to labor longer and then likely have an emergency C-section. I tried to get ahold of Robin. She slept through the text and phone call. So I opted to do a more controlled C-section which took a while since I couldn't have an epidural and it took more than 30 minutes for the spinal to take. Robin never showed up to the hospital and it took weeks, months, to get a partial refund. I never got a full refund. She also didn't call a back-up doula. She made a really frustrating situation -- of sleeping through my son's birth -- even worse by having to spent weeks of back and forth emails (and my son was a NICU baby) trying to get some of my money back. More troubling she also sent an NDA to me -- which I didn't sign -- to try and make sure this wasn't disclosed. Accidents happen but the follow-up was more problematic. Yes, her father died in the weeks after my son's birth and that is awful, but sending an NDA to try and cover-up the situation of sleeping through a birth was really awful and weeks of emails to get a partial refund difficult as I was recovering from a difficult pregnancy and delivery was troublesome. This happened in the summer of 2017. It's taken me a long time to process everything. I'm sure most births aren't like this, but other expectant moms need to be aware. I would hate for anyone else to go through something like this.