Emily Cohen-Moreira - Lucy the Laborer, Brooklyn Birthing Center

Reviews (13)

• Review from the 2020 Birthing Experience Survey

  August 2020

  Lactation consulting/postpartum visits were covered under her doula services. Emily has a wealth of knowledge & experience. I am an introvert but felt very comfortable with her right away. She was very helpful before birth (we took one of her breast-feeding prep classes), during labor (sterilized & setup my pump), and postpartum. Our baby was not the easiest to breastfeed in his early days (lots of arching & scream-crying & small mouths) but she was very helpful in helping to get him latched & brought a scale to check on his weight.

• Review from the 2020 Birthing Experience Survey

  August 2020

  *Highly recommend as a doula, lactation consultant, & for newborn prep classes!* Our midwife strongly recommended getting a doula as we were planning on a homebirth, but I kept procrastinating, partially because of decision fatigue & partially because I'm an introvert and didn't want extra people there. My husband & I were sooo happy we had Emily for the labor though & choosing her was one of the best decisions I made all pregnancy. We also booked one of her private newborn prep & breastfeeding classes, which my parents were able to come to. We were all able to learn alot in a nice, non-stressful environment (our couch!). She used to teach group classes but I think those are on hold since she had another baby about a year ago. My baby was posterior so I ended up with a very long labor (55 hours total, 42 of those at home). Also I was vomiting during most of it. Emily was extremely knowledgeable, hard-working, responsive, & supportive during all of it. She has a very calming presence & was great at trouble-shooting, offering helpful advice, massage, etc. If Emily wasn't there I would have likely ended up with a C-section or potentially worse outcome. She also communicated sensitively but effectively with my parents, our midwife, my husband, & the hospital staff (I am a nurse & would have found her helpful & not annoying if I was working). She even called in her own doula - Shalawn Facey - towards the end to help with getting the first latch. Shalawn was also excellent, very knowledgeable, & calming. Our baby was not the easiest to breastfeed in his early days (lots of arching & scream-crying & small mouths) but at her postpartum visits she was very helpful in helping to get him latched & even brought a scale to check on his weight.

• 2019 Birth Survey

  March 2019

  Emily is amazing! I would highly recommend her. She did so much more than just address issues. She reviewed pumping, going back to work, baby wearing, and nursing while baby wearing. She gave me the confidence to continue breastfeeding and was kind about supplementing and bottle feeding.

• 2018 Birth Survey

  November 2018

  Emily was sooo helpful!! She made sure we had a great latch and after that I had no soreness or pain. I also dealt with a low milk supply that she helped with. She brought over a baby scale and weighed the baby before and after feedings to help determine how much he was getting.

• 2018 Birth Survey

  November 2018

  Emily was amazing!!! She came two times pre baby and two times after as a lactating consultant. She spent tons of time with us and was helpful with any question or concerns along the way. She helped with everything from breathing techniques to foot massages and really helped make my birth an enjoyable experience! I can’t wait to use her again.

• 2018 Review

  June 2018

  She helped with a great latch and some low milk supply issues. I can’t say enough wonderful things about her! She can even come to your apt with a scale to weigh the baby pre and Post feed to see how much the baby is actually getting and helps you use your pump properly etc.

• Review submitted via the PSP Birth Survey

  September 2017

  Emily Cohen-Moreira and Maggie Torrance Emily was at another birth when I went into labor, so Maggie stepped in. Emily had introduced us to Maggie well ahead of our estimated due date, and we loved Maggie so much, too. Maggie was with us for the duration of labor and when our daughter was about to be born, Emily came right from her other birth. During labor, I didn't know what I needed, but Maggie seemed to know exactly what would comfort me: from foot massages, to pressure on my low back, to a warm shower. Emily came during the final moments and was as supportive as she had been for the duration of my pregnancy. Once Emily came, Maggie took out her camera and started photographing the arrival of our little girl. Another thing we didn't know we even wanted, but are so grateful for. Emily also provided so much postpartum care, and got me started with breastfeeding and basic infant care. Based on a May 2017 birthing experience

• Review submitted via the 2016 Birth Survey: Chilbirth Classes

  November 2016

  Pretty good. The instructor was nice and thorough, and we felt like she knew her stuff. We did think then, and think even more now that we've been through it, that we didn't need to do 4 sessions! The material was really stretched out. That made things relaxed, but it also took a lot of time. And really, there isn't that much that can prepare you for the craziness that is labor, you just have to do it. Based on May 2016 Birth Experience

• [ANONYMOUS] OBs/Midwives and doulas for VBAC

  October 2016

  I know that my wonderful doula Emily Cohen-Moreira has assisted with VBACs in the past, including her sister's. Here's her website: http://lucythelaborer.com/. Feel free to contact me directly if you want more info on her. I have nothing but praise.

• Review submitted via the 2016 Birth Survey

  October 2016

  I'm so glad we had Emily as our doula. I don't know that I really knew exactly what a doula would do beforehand, but I was convinced by the evidence that it was beneficial to have a doula, particularly since I preferred to have a natural birth and avoid a c-section. The real benefit for me was having someone there with me who knew what was going on and who I knew and trusted. I had a 30 hour labor with 2 hours of pushing, and the pushing part was really hard, especially because of all the different people in the room telling me different things, but I just ignored everything else and focused on Emily, which is the only thing that got me through the scariest part at the end. Really the best thing that she did for me was to be there to talk to at 30 plus weeks when I was diagnosed with gestational hypertension and gradually came to realize that I did not trust my doctor and did not want to have to deliver with her. Emily just kept sending me names of different doctors and midwives she had worked with and had good experiences with, and eventually I found someone great who was willing to take me at 35 weeks. Looking back on it, I have little doubt I would have wound up with a c-section with my original doctor, and I also would have wound up trying to fight it and totally miserable. As it is, I may have had a long hard labor, but I felt like I did everything possible to make it go well: I was able to move around, to keep labor progressing, as long as possible and I was able to to decide after 24 hours of labor that I needed an epidural, so I could take a nap. The best things Emily did for me when I was at the hospital were: having me try nipple stimulation with my husband after I'd been on pitocin for a while and things were slow to progress, that really got things going; giving me different positions to go in, mostly I was good with that, but sometimes she told me just the right thing to do that I wouldn't have thought of, it's hard to do much thinking in that sort of situation; telling me to walk around and keep moving around, even when the nurses kept coming in to complain that I was moving too much and the monitors kept losing the baby's heartbeat, Emily made me feel normal for continuing to do these important things, and I know without her there the nurses would have made me feel bad about it; telling me to have to doctor come in to check on my progress when I decided it was about time to get an epidural, so I was able to make an informed decision about that and feel good about it; and then lastly, being someone I could focus on during pushing, when things got crazy. I feel like she was really there for me exactly when I needed her. The one thing I was most unprepared for was the pushing part. In the childbirth class I went to, I was told very little about the mechanics of pushing. I specifically asked how to push and was told I would feel the urge to push, which did not happen as I had an epidural in. Emily was really great in the moment, telling me what to do and how to do it, but I wish I had that information earlier, instead of having to learn it on the spot. Part of this of course, is that I went really quickly from 5 cm dilated to 9.5 cm dilated, once I had the epidural and took a nap, so I was just asking Emily to go over some pushing stuff with me when the doctor came in and said, okay it's time to push now. But really, it would have been nice to have talked about the pushing stuff at a prenatal visit. I don't know how much I blame Emily for that though, more blame should go to that childbirth class, or a little to myself for not asking Emily more about it before hand. Basically that's my only regret, and it's not really a big one. The prenatal visits, she was good at going over what was going to happen, especially once I knew I would have to be induced, she went through exactly what that would mean. She also went over the basics of breastfeeding at the second prenatal visit, which was great information to have beforehand. She helped me get breastfeeding established well, but my problems with breastfeeding really came later when I developed an oversupply and my son’s latch changed for the worse. Actually, I really wish I had gotten a lactation consultant earlier, I think I relied on Emily a little too much, but she wasn't able to help me with that problem. She's great for helping with the basics of breastfeeding, but she's not who I would go to when serious breastfeeding problems develop. That said, the postpartum visits were definitely still valuable, especially for helping me get comfortable using my breast pump. Member notes about insurance: She does not take insurance. Does any insurance even cover doulas? I asked her about this and she said it wasn't worth trying. However, we did use our FSA for the doula fee, and she was helpful in providing the appropriate information for us to do this. Based on a March 2016 birthing experience

• Review submitted via 2015 Birth Survey

  February 2016

  Type: Childbirth Class at Brooklyn Birthing Center Review: Emily gave my husband and I the best suggestions to help with the labor and delivery. Insurance: We paid out of pocket. Based on a May 2015 birth

• Based on a 2014 Birthing Experience

  February 2015

  Member Review: Emily was also my doula, and visited me after the birth of my daughter to help with breastfeeding. She was always available to answer my questions, and helped coach us to a successful breastfeeding relationship. She's warm and supportive. Insurance details: Out of pocket. Not sure if she accepts insurance also. (Review submitted via the 2014 Birthing Survey)

• Based on a 2014 Birthing Experience

  February 2015

  Member Review: Emily was great! She visited me 2x before and 2x after the birth of my daughter, and attended the birth, of course. Although I ended up needing a c-section, I was still glad I used her services. She helped me and my husband prepare for parenthood and birth, and is also a lactation consultant so helped with breastfeeding after. She supported us on our journey, every step of the way. Insurance details: I don't think so. (Review submitted via the 2014 Birthing Survey)