I had the best pregnancy and birth experience here with Joyful Beginnings. My professional…read morebackground is in labor and delivery and I had my son through a traditional OB/ hospital setting but I decided to do a home-birth this time with my daughter. Right off the bat one of the biggest differences was the office appointments. The atmosphere is so lovely and calm, they were always ready for me when I arrived which meant no time spent in a waiting room, I never felt rushed, and my son was always welcome to come with me. My midwife, Joani, answered all of my questions thoroughly and patiently and was so knowledgeable about anything that I brought up. I always felt safe and cared for by everyone I met with at their practice. My homebirth experience with them was nothing short of amazing. They were quick to respond and arrive when I called them in labor in the middle of the night. I never felt rushed or pressured into doing anything I didn't want. All care was delivered with dignity and respect to myself and my baby. The midwives were comforting and encouraging the entire time. I always felt secure that I was well taken care of by knowledgeable and compassionate professionals. Without a doubt I will be coming to Joyful Beginnings for any future pregnancies; my husband and I can't stop reflecting on what an amazing and empowering experience we had with them. We can't thank them enough.

I hired Joyful Beginnings for my first baby and Claire Randall was my midwife. For months I kept…read moretelling her I was gaining too much weight and getting too big, and for months the answer was the same: you're fine, it's a small baby, stop worrying. The other midwives who saw me during my pregnancy said nothing either. Near the end Claire guessed the baby at 8.5 pounds. My daughter was born at 11.5. I was in labor for 48 hours and nothing happened. Claire told me I was at plus one station. The hospital told me I'd been at minus one. Claire's explanation for the stall was that I didn't have enough "power," and around hour 40 Joani Koenig, the owner and the most experienced midwife in the practice, came in and told me the same thing, adding that she'd delivered plenty of big babies. Then I got to the hospital, they broke my water, and my contractions were coming every 2 to 4 minutes and strong. Power was never the problem. The baby was enormous and physically could not come down. They kept me pushing for two days when I should never have been pushing. That was negligent. At the hospital they found meconium in my fluid. My baby was already in distress. The doctor told me flat out that if I had been able to push my daughter, she would have died - would have gotten stuck in my pelvis. Everything Claire and Joani had been telling me to do was the thing that would have killed her. I watched the doctor's face when she walked in and saw the situation. The way she looked at Claire told me everything I needed to know. Small details tell you a lot. As we were rushing out to the hospital, Claire stopped to grab a gift bag. Ninety minutes later I was in emergency surgery. After the C-section she was gone and never came back to check on either of us. During those two days of labor I was bouncing between the birth center and a hotel because you can't stay overnight there, and when my husband and mother-in-law were exhausted from helping me around the clock, the midwife made them sleep in the entry room rather than let them use the other bed, because she didn't want to change the sheets. But she had her room where she got her beauty sleep. I nearly died. My daughter nearly died. I have a permanent scar, I've been told to wait 18 months before trying for another baby, and I'll be high risk from here on, which likely means a smaller family than we planned. And after months of "you're fine," the story now is that somehow this was my fault. They refused a full refund and I'm still out $4,000. When I raised all of this with them they brushed me off and insisted they'd done everything right. Months later I heard they changed how they operate because of my case. Good for them. I'm the one with the scar. You hire a midwife because they're supposed to know more than you. I told these women for months that something was wrong and it changed nothing. You can argue with them all you want and they'll just smile and nod you toward a cliff. They're quacks. A middleman who adds nothing and makes things worse. Skip them and go to the hospital.

Ember is one of a kind midwife ! Birth is her calling; her execution and intuition in the birth…read morespace is unparalleled . This was our second birth with her. We wouldn't have chosen anyone else! Specifically in my second birth, she helped me manage my gestational diabetes( as well as in my first) , fluid retention issues and getting labor to start that otherwise would have landed me in the hospital with a C-section. Being solution oriented with so much wisdom and natural remedies for everything, she can help you achieve the home birth you desire. She delivers the upmost professional care with a tender heart who provides her mamas with physical, emotional and spiritual support. From her sense of humor to bed side manner and her expertise in birthing babies look no further. We love Ember!

Stephanie is awesome. She truly loves birth and is so friendly and down to earth :) Hays County is…read moreblessed to have her for home births.

I'm so happy she's my gyno amazing results as always every visit!!!! Thank y'all for going above…read moreand beyond, Dr. Rae is a one in a million dr and the staff, the staff never ever acts as though my many questions or requests are an inconvenience. I believe this office also does cosmetic rejuvenation I mean they do it all and TRUTH BE TOLD THEY HAVE A LIFE CUSTOMER PATIENT!! A++++

Dr.Miskell and her staff are awesome I went to her thinking my irregular period was abnormal and…read moreshe did testing and blood work! We found out nothing was wrong and all I do is follow up with her once a year as needed . My cycles have now become normal again ! I will be staying with Melissa for a long time !

My time spent interacting with everyone at the birthing center has been nothing short of genuinely…read moreamazing. My husband and I are consistently impressed with the level of care the midwives and doula's have shown throughout our pregnancy.

I had a traumatic birth experience at Family Birth Center that could have been avoided if they were…read morerunning a competent operation. This took place in 2023. It was my first birth. As new parents, we were just too thankful that our baby was healthy--and too overwhelmed by new parenthood--to fully process what had happened. Had we been of sounder mind, had the confidence that comes with parenthood, or the financial wherewithal, perhaps we would have sued. Instead, I'm writing this review, over a year later. I am so disappointed and, oddly (or not), still scared by the experience I had. I write this now, 13 weeks pregnant with my second child. I will not be using FBC. The majority of my birth took place in the main house with only my husband there to care for me. We arrived around noon that day for Galyn to check on me. She confirmed I was 4cm dilated and said we could go to lunch in town and then return to get settled at the center. We did just that. After a day of check-ins with other patients, Galyn left the center around 5 or 6pm. She told us multiple times I'd likely give birth that night. She told us to text her when things picked up. She told us to call. My husband and I were alone for a while. We watched Seinfeld, hung out, and ate frozen mango. My parents stopped by briefly around 9:30pm to drop off food and hug us. Shortly after they left, my contractions intensified--around 10pm. We texted. We called. There was no answer. My husband texted and called multiple times--me, in the throes of labor--met with radio silence from Galyn. The assistant, Brittany, eventually responded and said Galyn was with another patient at their home. One of our biggest fears in preparing for this birth was the 1.5-hour drive to the center. We worried we wouldn't make it in time. But we arrived HOURS before active labor--and it didn't matter. The care team wasn't available. Galyn and Brittany finally arrived around 12:45am. There had apparently been phone communication issues. My son was born at 2:05am. They were present and helpful for just over an hour of my labor. And yes--when they were there, it was wonderful. But my husband and I should not have been abandoned at the birth center that night. They cited phone issues on Galyn's end. In retrospect, that truly DOES. NOT. MATTER. I was in your facility. You told me I would likely give birth that night. And you were nowhere to be found. You didn't have proper backup in place. You abandoned me. A week later, we discussed what happened with Galyn. We brought it up--she said she hadn't intended to, because she didn't want to define what was traumatic for us. As we walked through what happened, it was decidedly traumatic--and she agreed. But there was no ownership beyond a heartfelt apology. That's fine on a human-to-human level (a realm in which Galyn operates wonderfully and the reason I was drawn to her care in the first place), but I've since decided that, operationally, it's not sufficient. In rehashing the events, we learned that the patient Galyn was with was not in labor. This was extreme negligence. This was terrifying. Galyn is a wonderful human, she is meant to deliver babies -- but running a business is not her forte. Establishing proper communication, patient safety protocols, and sufficient personnel to handle multiple births is not her strength. And I deeply regret overlooking certain communication breakdowns in my prenatal care that foreshadowed the terrifying experience I ultimately went through. Most women I know who pursue unmedicated birth are looking for a calm, safe environment in which to do so. FBC did not provide that for me.

I just left this office after seeing Dr. Jamie Zachrison and although I came here for a follow up…read moreafter suffering a miscarriage somehow I feel a little better. After I left the hospital I called to make an appointment for the following day. They managed to squeeze me in and I was seen on time, the office looks nice, and the staff is even nicer. Dr. Zachrison was very sweet and reassured me that this was not my fault, common, and that everything will be ok with time and self care. He even shared his own personal heartbreak. I really appreciated and needed someone like him during this sad time. I will definitely be back when I hopefully have better news!

A few days ago I got verbal confirmation that I owe $0 for the out-of-network lab for the pap…read moresmear. That took almost 4 months of protest to my insurance. A couple days later I got the written response to my grievance against Katherine Lynne Berdofe, NP, for sending my lab Out-of-Network. The answer was she said the lab was sent to X co in Houston, it was in-network and I could switch to a provider in GALVESTON. 3.5 hours away. My medical record contradicts her claim and customer services confirms based on my plan and zip code there is no co x in network. I told them they should sanity check their work. Be persistent. Ask customer service over and over why. State your disatisfaction with customer service. File a grievance. An appeal only has to state that the provider did x and you want the claim reconsidered because you believe your plan entitles you to y per the Evidence of Coverage. I used Facebook too and that finally got noticed. The quality of a lab can make a difference. If a provider wants they can make sure you stay in-network and help you make a selection (as I have experienced) or they can make it your duty to prevent them from using the lab that benefits them. So they fail you two ways in concern for your health and financially.

Top-Tier Experience! Worth Every Penny! This was the most pleasant and amazing experience I have…read moreever had. From the moment I found Texas Placenta Service, everything was seamless. The instructions on how and what to prepare were incredibly detailed, making it impossible to mess anything up. The shipping and delivery process of the box and pills was flawless.To give some context: I had my son two and a half years ago at age 38. I did not encapsulate my placenta back then, and I suffered from severe postpartum depression.Fast forward to now: I am 40 and decided to try placenta encapsulation for this birth. It was truly the best decision ever! I am almost two months postpartum and have had absolutely no signs of postpartum depression. On day one, I took five capsules, which gave me an incredible rush of energy. By week two, while taking three capsules daily, I felt like my usual "happy-go-lucky" self. I have experienced no mood swings, no depression, no random crying, and no anxiety.I cannot recommend Texas Placenta Service enough. She provided exceptional service, communicated consistently, and answered every single question I had. It was worth every single penny. I am even having my last few capsules made into a tincture so the benefits will last me a bit longer. If I could, I would give this business 1,000,000 stars!

I used Veronica's placenta encapsulation service after my second was born and I truly believe it…read moremade a huge difference. After my first was born I felt like a mess. I was always irritated and my emotions were crazy. I often felt sad and unstable. With the pills, my overall mood was really chill and mellow. My emotions were in check and I felt happy; much more able to be present and in the moment. Pickup/delivery was easy too! 10/10 ! Would use her again in a heartbeat

My husband and I are so very grateful for Dr. Susan Hudson and her excellent team. With Dr…read more Hudson's guidance, help, and unending support we are thrilled to be expecting our first child. We were looking for a doctor with experience and knowledge as well as a calm and supportive bedside manner. Throughout our journey we always felt listened to and supported. Words cannot express our gratitude. We highly recommend Dr. Hudson and team.

I highly recommend Dr Susan Hudson! Excellent bedside manner and extremely knowledgeable and…read moreprofessional. She discovered an issue that was causing my miscarriages and quickly addressed it. She tailored my treatment to address my personal needs and answered our prayers! Very easy to get in for appointments and never had to wait! She was always on time or even early to meet with us. Also very responsive to respond to messages on the online portal. Her and her staff were always so welcoming and took their time to answer all questions. We are forever grateful.