My husband and I signed up for both the Birth Ed class as well as the Newborn care/Breastfeeding…read moreclasses with Hilary Baxendale. We are soooo glad we did! She is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to babies and parenting. We crammed in so much helpful information in just two days! She provided handouts and was open to all questions and topic discussions. Hilary is absolutely incredible. To be quite honest, she was my first experience with a doula. I always had a misconception that doulas were against any sort of medication during the birthing process and always naively pictured home births in a bath tub ;) I was so wrong! Hilary is supportive of all kinds of birth plans. The great thing about her is she has experience in all of them and never passes judgement. We highly recommend taking these classes with her... whether you're novices like my husband and me, or pros like some of the other couples who also took the classes with us and equally found it incredibly helpful. Now that we feel super prepared, we just need to safely get this baby out :) We are now hoping to use Hilary as our birth doula if she is available, as she was very calming for an anxious person like me, and seems like she would be assertive as the baby's advocate if need be. Thank you again, Hilary, for such great classes and all of the support you have provided during a very challenging and anxiously exciting time for us :)

We had an excellent birthing class with Hilary. Due to COVID19, it was moved to online but still…read morewent wonderfully. She covered a lot of topics that we hadn't even thought to ask about, was thoroughly prepared, and the best part was being able to do it while we lounged on our couch (and cast the computer screen to our big screen)! Hilary also catered to all our birthing plan ideas, without judgement or trying to push participants one way or another. Highly recommend.

I cannot emphasize what a crucial part of my pregnancy and daughter's birth Stephanie was for us…read more Stephanie provided the exact support we needed; from the moment we hired her to the days leading up to my labor to the birth of our daughter to the days after and everything in between. Any question, request, guidance needed - Stephanie was there. She made us feel no shame in asking the smallest questions. She was clear about when something was evidence-based vs her intuition/experience. She never pushed us to do anything and was always supportive of decisions we made. It was important to me and my husband to have a natural birth, which was my main motivation to hire a doula. Truly could not have delivered this baby without Stephanie (I mean, I would have, of course - but likely after much more pain and decisions I would later regret). She was with us on the phone (my husband, mostly) as soon as my water broke and she was with us in person by the time contractions got heavy to get us through the later stages of labor and the pushing/delivery process. Stephanie worked so in sync with the midwife and nurse on my delivery team - it took a village! In addition to Stephanie supporting me, she was also an amazing guide and support to my husband - equipping him with reading materials before delivery and coaching him on best ways to support me throughout labor and delivery. In the days after our baby was born, we talked to Stephanie every day. She visited us to make sure baby was latching properly, showed me some other tips and tricks for feeding, and has continued to provide us with guidance on feeding and pumping and all feeding things! When I become pregnant with baby #2, Stephanie will be among the first to know - could not imagine doing a totally natural birth again without her!

Hiring Stephanie as our doula was one of the best decisions we made while preparing for the birth…read moreof our first child. When my partner and I started looking into childbirth education, we quickly realized how much we didn't know and how overwhelming it could be to research everything on our own. From our very first meeting with Stephanie, it was clear how knowledgeable she is. She focuses heavily on evidence-based information, which was exactly how we wanted to approach decisions around birth. I became interested in attempting an unmedicated birth, although I was only about 60% confident I could actually do it. Stephanie never doubted me. From that point on, all of our preparation and meetings were geared toward helping me achieve that goal. She was always quick to respond to texts and emails and provided detailed, thoughtful information whenever we had questions. Stephanie also did an incredible job coaching my partner ahead of time so he knew how to support me during labor. In our prep meetings, she walked him through different techniques and ways he could help when things became intense. Because of that preparation, he was able to really play an active role during labor. Even during labor itself, Stephanie continued guiding him on how to support me in ways that were actually helpful in the moment. When things were very intense, she would gently coach him on what to do, whether that was how to help with breathing, positioning, or encouragement. If he wasn't sure whether something he was doing was helping, she gave him feedback and reassurance so he could keep supporting me confidently. That support for both of us made a huge difference. When my labor started, I was able to text Stephanie updates and questions and she was always quick to respond and help ease my worries. At one point she had another client in labor (which we knew was a possibility), but her backup doula came to my house and provided wonderful support until we went to the hospital. Stephanie met us there and immediately helped me focus on breathing and staying calm. The moment I'll always remember most was during the pushing phase. I was exhausted having been awake for nearly 36 hours, but Stephanie's coaching and encouragement made such a difference. Her reminders to breathe for the baby and "blow out the birthday candles for the baby," along with her steady counting and encouragement, helped me push through and ultimately deliver my baby the way I had hoped. One unexpected benefit of working with Stephanie is that she is also a lactation consultant. She helped us prepare for breastfeeding, explained how pumping works, and helped us troubleshoot breastfeeding our baby a few days after coming home. I didn't expect that level of support, but it ended up being incredibly helpful. Stephanie is incredibly knowledgeable and very honest. She gives you the information and may offer a recommendation, but she never pressures you if you decide differently. She's straightforward, fact-driven, and clearly very dedicated to her clients. Working with her truly showed me how valuable doulas can be. Stephanie was wonderful to work with, and I would not want to have another child without her by my side.

Amazing service for getting a reliable and professional night nurse…read more Amanda was so easy to talk to and I told her exactly what I was looking for in a night nurse. I already had a terrible experience with my first and had to let her go. Amanda sent over Bianca who was the best. She handled by gassy, fussy baby with love and guidelines. She was very professional and left notes for us daily. She even pointed out things to change as my baby was growing. She left her nurse extra clean and organized. She also prepared bottles for the day and did my laundry. Of course my baby needed extra attention so baby comes first before anything else. I slept in peace knowing my girl was in good hands. Bianca was God sent and I wish she could have stayed with us longer. You do have to book with them way in advance because they are booked out. We only had Bianca 3 days a week because she only works those days and we were on waitlist for another night nanny but couldn't get another person. Very professional and great with new born.

The Bella Nurses were truly a life saver! Not only were they amazing with my twins but they…read morecomforted and pampered me!! I recommend them wholeheartedly!

Vicki was, and I am not exaggerating, the best doula I could ask for. She worked with me for both…read moreof my births, which couldn't have been more different -- 36+-hour induction, ending in a c-section, and then four years later, a 6-hour spontaneous, unmedicated vaginal delivery that was so fast and furious that the anesthesiologist didn't even have time to get to the hospital room. In both situations, Vicki was calm, kind, good-humored, cheerful, and gender- and body-affirming. She helped me make realistic but optimistic birth plans for both births, helped me process my first birth before we planned for my second, and overall was just an incredible support. She was also there for my partner to help him process his own anxieties after my first birth, and to give him some support to so that he could be my #1 person during my second labor and delivery. I honestly can't recommend her enough!

From the owner: Whole Self Doula has provided complete prenatal, birth, and postpartum doula services to clients in…read moreWestchester, Greenwich, the Bronx, and Manhattan since 2010. Certified through Doula Trainings International. Lactation services and placenta encapsulation also available. Medicaid accepted.

Catherine saved me! My daughter was in the NICU when she was first born and received formula…read morefeedings, but I really wanted to breastfeed. She gave me options and helped me forward. Catherine intuitively knew what I needed.

When Catherine came to our home to help me and my family after the hospital, it was as if the…read moreclouds parted and heavenly disco music blared from the universe. She was knowledgable, funny, and kind. When it comes to breastfeeding - which is one of the hardest things that I ever did - I felt as though no one really talks about it. The clogged ducts, problems with latching, PAIN, exhaustion, mastitis, being tethered to your baby for what seems like forever, cluster feeding, low milk production, pumping, and on and on!!!! Tack on the guilt and shame you can feel when nothing seems to be going right, and you have yourself a recipe for a heaping dose of PPD. I was LOST and felt ALONE. Catherine not only knew what to do, she was an unconditional supporter of everything I needed and wanted to do throughout the process. No judgement. Not pushy. She always knew exactly what to say to steer my thought process into a productive and positive place (AND make me laugh). I cannot recommend her enough and I'm not sure what I would have done if she didn't come into our lives. I was able to make the best decisions about my breastfeeding journey for me and my baby BECAUSE of her. If you feel like any of the above, just know that there is help, and her name is Catherine :) Thank you, Catherine. Me and my little dude are forever grateful. Xo

I hope this service improves as I want to support local businesses, but this one truly harmed our…read morefamily. This service seemed helpful at first. In the end, it not only wasted our time and thousands of dollars, but most distressing, we got stuck with a nanny who made us and our daughter deeply unhappy for several months. My husband and I were trying to secure a nanny, and the first that we hired through Family Helpers had misled us on a few critical items. It turned out the nanny did NOT want to work with a newborn, showed up reeking of cigarettes, and was mean to our daughter. We asked Family Helpers to send us more candidates. Family Helpers repeatedly sent us candidates who could not meet our scheduling or budget needs. In short: * Family Helpers' vetting failed as it sent us a nanny unwilling to work with 2 kids * Family Helpers' vetting failed as it sent us a candidate unwilling to work within our discussed budget (i.e., less than $25/hour) * FamilyHelpers' vetting failed as it sent us a candidate unwilling to work the hours that we stated we were looking for * FamilyHelpers' vetting failed as it recommended a nanny who could not detect something was off when our daughter, who she had gotten to know over 8 weeks, lay on the couch for hours with a very high fever. Additionally, we were frustrated at Family Helper's guidance to increase our budget to $25/hr, which is 25%-33% more than peers using Family Helpers service, what several strong candidates we evaluated were willing to accept, or what we see online. Even more hurtful, Family Helpers blamed us for not being clear about the hours / pay, even when faced with email evidence to the contrary. After weeks and weeks of no good candidates, Family Helpers audaciously recommended we simply fire the current (bad) nanny, with no coverage at all. I was flabbergasted--what kind of plan was this, for two working parents? In the end, we found a few wonderful nannies through friends. My husband and I requested a substantial refund given Family Helpers failed to send vetted candidates that met our criteria and we paid $1,600 severance to one of their nannies, but Family Helpers refused. Family Helpers refunded us 50% of our fee, whereas we thought 95% would have been appropriate. I am a big supporter of local businesses, but I am a bigger advocate for the parents and families in my community. It is for this reason I share our recent experience with Family Helpers.

We were referred to Family Helpers by a friend and colleague. We were very surprised to see the…read morequality of nannies to be extremely poor. We were informed that Susan was available and reliable as a resource .... we found this to be untrue. Susan was always out of the office and the information she shared with us and the referrals was incongruous. Her nannies were extremely inexperienced and they were requesting a salary comensurate with an experienced well trained nanny. I would never recommend Family Helpers to help find someone to care for the most treasured people in the world to us, our children. In addition, Susan charges a consultation fee and their consultation services were a falasy!! Everything Susan said during her limited "consultation" did not match the qualities the nannies portrayed or the expectations the nannies had during the interview!! Run as fast as you can!!!

Shiry came to our home when our son was 1 week old. she helped us so so much! she took all of the…read moretime we needed to get a successful latch before she left. she answered all of our questions and gave so many amazing recommendations. if you are looking for a home visit lactation consultant, i would highly recommend Shiry Weinstin. THANK YOU SHIRY

From the owner: lactation servicesread more

Dana is incredible!!! After a painful and stressful day due to complicated nursing issues and…read moredoctor visits, Dana completely saved the day!! She is so skilled, knowledgeable, and helpful!! She made me feel really comfortable right away, and was so thoughtful and easy to talk to. My husband and baby were so at ease too! Dana was amazingly organized and resourceful, and provided such useful and insightful feedback and hands-on support. I could not have had a better experience, and I am so grateful we found her! Life saver!!! So thrilled and relieved to be nursing again so smoothly, and would not be here without Dana! I can't thank her enough.

From the owner: IBCLC breastfeeding support to help you reach your breastfeeding goals…read more Some common issues that I can help with are: - breastfeeding questions - latch and positioning - nipple pain/trauma - low/under supply - oversupply - weight gain concerns - tongue or lip tie affecting breastfeeding - fussy babies - twins (or more!) - this one is near and dear to my heart :) - returning to work planning - prenatal breastfeeding planning - weaning

Shannon is an incredibly gifted healer. She has wonderful energy and will help you feel relaxed and…read moresafe with her warm and gentle hands. After my first reiki session I was able to sleep through the night for the first time in months!

From the owner: At Divine Heart and Soul Healing, we offer a range of holistic healing services to support your…read morespiritual journey. Shannon is a highly experienced practitioner in providing powerful Reiki sessions, Akashic Record Readings, and psychic readings to help you find balance and healing, to become prepared to be empowered in your own healing journey. Catering to the specific needs of each individual makes it unique. In person in Dobbs Ferry also receive tea! Shannon invites you to contact her to inquire about her services for a free 15 minute intake. Shannon habla Español y está feliz de hacer todo lo que ofrece en Español. ​