NYC Birth Village
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Description
"A birth is more than a life entering this world. It is the beginning of the foundation from which this family will forever come from. We believe that your birth, how you feel, and what happens before, during and after matters.
At NYC Birth Village, our doulas combine birth and postpartum support to build confidence, instill peace and inform you of the options you have. Ranging all experience levels, our doulas are warm, hands-on, and evidence based in their approach.
In the past, we lived in communities where friends and family would tend to the birthing mothers and their families after. As our world and communities shift, we are overjoyed to fill the role of guide, believer, advocate and friend to so many NYC families throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens."
Reviews (26)
Review from the Spring 2023 Birthing Survey
Birth Doula: NYC Birth Village (Jess and Kate) What month and year was your child born? September 2022 Review: Good overall. We had a doula team, and I thought that Kate was more helpful. Jess was there for us more of a friend, it felt like, while Kate had more practical/actionable advice. Definitely helpful to have both since this was our first child, but would probably not employ their services for our second child. Any advice for people who are considering using a birth doula? If you don’t have family, friends, or other support in the area, or this is your first child, I think doulas are helpful. We were fortunate to have our OB-GYN and birthing hospital be very accommodating, so we didn’t necessarily need a doula to help us advocate for our needsReview from the 2020 Birthing Experience Survey
Jill Businelle via NYC Birth Village - We were so grateful to have the support from Jill as a postpartum doula after our daughter was born. With not having family locally, she provided us with peace of mind in knowing we'd have someone coming by that could help guide us during those early, sleepless weeks. We asked her so many questions and she helped us navigate things like our baby's first bath, baby wearing, and even helped us get dinner together and do a load of laundry when it was what we needed most. She was very intuitive, caring, and sweet towards our baby. We even reached out to her again recently when we needed a last minute babysitter! I would definitely recommend services provided by NYC Birth Village, and Jill in particular!Review from the 2020 Birthing Experience Survey
[Narchi is] The best. That’s all there is to say. She is the only reason I got my vbac2020 Review
We were so grateful to have the support from Jill via NYC Birth Village as a postpartum doula after our daughter was born. With not having family locally, she provided us with peace of mind in knowing we'd have someone coming by that could help guide us during those early, sleepless weeks. We asked her so many questions and she helped us navigate things like our baby's first bath, baby wearing, and even helped us get dinner together and do a load of laundry when it was what we needed most. She was very intuitive, caring, and sweet towards our baby. We even reached out to her again recently when we needed a last minute babysitter!Doulas and Midwives - Advice
There are a lot of great doulas recommended in the PSP site, that’s where I found mine. I went with https://www.nycbirthvillage.com/ and Sierra/Erica were my doulas for birth and postpartum. Doulas are not cheap in general, but this service was fairly affordable considering, and they have been worth every cent, I have no regrets and would hire them again in a heartbeat. Erica got me through a tough birth when all my “plans” fell apart and we’re nothing but supportive, helpful, and nonjudgmental. When I was in so much pain I could barely speak and my partner didn’t know how to help, she was my voice and made sure I got the care I needed. I felt safe and supported. Prior to your birth you receive two home visits where you meet and discuss everything in detail, and they are on call from week 37 (although they were both super responsive throughout if I had a question or issue, like a breach baby that needed turning). You get one of the two for your birth, whoever is on call, and that person will stay with you through your entire birth. I selected the package with 4 postpartum visits as my family is also far away, where they will visit for 3 hours at a time, hold your baby while you do normal people things like shower, shop, clean, etc., or they’ll just be a supportive person to chat with, whatever you need really.2019 Birth Survey
We hired Karla after interviewing a few postpartum doulas because of her authoritative (in a good way!) demeanor; we knew we’d be in good hands. She was so helpful in making sure I was taken care of as my body healed, and was great with problem solving with our fussy newborn. Her availability via text was crucial in those first weeks. One downside: all the advice she gave on breastfeeding contradicted what our lactation consultant provided (and the latter was mostly right). One of the big reasons we decided on a postpartum doula was for the breastfeeding support, so this was a letdown (pun intended).2019 Birth Survey
Narchi was great and gave us a personal class with lots of tips we actually used. Having a private class also took out a lot of the stress of hearing from other nervous parents. Very wholeheartedly recommend!2019 Birth Survey
Karla was a perfect in-between as a postpartum doula! Provided lactation assistance as a lactation counsellor. https://www.nycbirthvillage.com/home/birth-doulas-nyc-manhattan-doula-brooklyn-doula-queens-doula2019 Birth Survey
Karla was my postpartum doula and both my husband and I were and will be eternally grateful for the guidance, patience, and overall assistance she provided as new parents. Warmth, care and generosity as well as an easy going, no judgment attitude to help us accomplish sanity as parents.NYC Birth Village Doulas
The support Karla and Narchi provided me and my family was invaluable! Throughout a demanding labor I had my needs continually met despite the difficulty I had communicating these needs – I was amazed by Karla’s responsiveness and intuition! She made it possible to follow my birth plan as closely as possible given the circumstances, respectfully relaying my wishes to providers when I was unable. She also guided my husband so that he could help me and have a key role in my labor. Afterwards he told me how essential Karla was to his ability to support me. Even my parents let me know that they were very impressed by Karla.During the postpartum period (when I though I wouldn’t need as much help!), I was comforted by Narchi and Karla’s wisdom and their compassionate presence. They answered my many questions, helped me find solutions that worked for my household, and truly took care of me.I would not have had the experience I wanted without Karla and Narchi – they were truly vital. We’re definitely going to work with them again for the next pregnancy!2018 Birth Survey
Karla was my post-partum doula and I feel so lucky to have had her support during that transition. I felt so comfortable with her and appreciated having her in my home to listen to all my thoughts and concerns about birth and infant care. I believe those early months were stress free because I knew Karla was there to support me. She also cooked amazing meals for my partner and I to enjoy. I especially appreciated that I could talk to her while my baby was in the NICU. While friends and family were incredibly supportive and kind it was also beneficial to have a professional outside of the hospital environment providing advice, feedback, and encouragement.2018 Birth Survey
"We interviewed a few doulas and what stood out about Narchi and Karla was their breadth of knowledge. They have so much experience and gave us some insights into the childbirth experience that we hadn't encountered before. During my very very fast labor Karla was instrumental in getting us to the hospital in time. If it hadn't been for her we might have had the baby at home or in a EMT's bus! They also offer a package that includes 3 or 4 postpartum visits which were so so helpful. During those visits Karla cooked for us, helped us give our baby his first bath, helped me with pumping and nursing, helped us practice our carriers and even watched the baby so we could go on a date! I have no critique of them as doulas, as they were fabulous, though next time I might end up going with more of a hands on healer type doula. But they were perfect for my first baby!"[Summer2016Babies] Doula Recs
Narchi and Karla are absolutely wonderful. Narchi chronicled every detail of [my child]'s birth step by step for us . They make several visits before birth, and one postpartum. I felt well-prepared but not inundated. They tag-team so you can call either and whoever is avail is your woman that day. I found them a good measured balance - not super granola-pushy-intense but very supportive. They will work with you no matter what kind of birth experience you want and make gentle suggestions. Very laid back and easy going while extremely caring and nurturing (and knowledgable).Review for doulas Karla Pippa and Narchi Jovic
I recently had my daughter (3/2017) and was incredibly fortunate to be supported by Karla and Narchi for my first pregnancy. They work as a team during the pre-natal period and whoever is on call when you go into labor is your doula. My first impression of them was that they seemed to strike a wonderful balance of professionalism and warmth. I appreciated that our initial conversation was thorough, organized and also personal. Once my husband and I decided to work with them, our two pre-natal visits (one with Karla and one with Narchi) were, again, very directed and covered a good overview of the process, labor coping techniques, and how we might imagine ourselves navigating decision-making while in the midst of labor. They were also fun! I felt very empowered after each session. They provided a lot of email and phone support during the final few weeks of my pregnancy - frequently checking in, answering questions, guiding me as I dealt with issues like a potential breech position (she flipped so we avoided that!), and going well past my due date. Karla was on call when I (finally) went into labor. Actually, I was induced unexpectedly and the labor was long, painful and a real emotional challenge - nothing like we imagined (of course!). When my husband and I tell our daughter's birth story, we always say we could not have done what we did without Karla. She was absolutely tireless, incredibly adaptable, and constantly helped us to face hard moments without judgement. She worked really well with my midwives and the hospital staff, and gave my husband the tools and confidence to support me, allowing us to share the experience fully. Our post-partum visit from her was so grounding, given the tumult of bringing home our first child. She is genuinely engaged with her job, and able to command the chaos of labor with kindness. We absolutely recommend Karla and Narchi, without reservation.Review submitted via the PSP Birth Survey
Awesome. Helped advocate at the hospital. Made me aware of how in control I was. Had partner who I met as well in case Carla no avialble. They were both very accessible to me for questions and help along the way. Based on June 2016 birth experiencereview submission for NYC Birth Village
My husband and I highly, highly recommend NYC Birth Village (Karla Pippa and Narchi Jovic) - and Karla Pippa in particular - as a postpartum doula. We had our twins in Feb 2017, and it is no exaggeration to say that we don't know if we could have made it through the first few months without Karla. At the beginning, we really weren't sure exactly what we wanted from a doula, but Karla has the experience and wisdom to know exactly the best uses of her and our time. As new parents without much family around, we most needed and wanted help with the vast amount of responsibility dropped in our lap on day one: breastfeeding, sleep habits, bathing, using slings and carriers, soothing and comforting techniques (especially with twins). Karla was a fantastic resource for all these things, but even more importantly has a quiet calmness and confidence that made it easy to turn to her for help, even when we were at our worst. For us, household help was less a priority, but Karla is a fantastic cook and squeezed in grocery shopping and meal preparation in addition to the other help we asked for (we still make her recipes - ask for the energy balls!). We interviewed quite a few doulas before the twins arrived, and choosing Karla came down to two things: her expertise (including past experience with twins) and her personality. It's hard to describe precisely in words, but both my husband and I felt immediately comfortable with Karla: she came across as warm and nurturing, and more than anyone else, listened to us and shaped her assistance to fit our needs even when we didn't quite know what they were. Being new parents, it was extremely hard for us to leave the twins alone with someone else; Karla's expertise and our trust in her allowed us to find little moments of respite, whether just sleeping in the other room or going for a walk outside. Though she had other clients, we never felt less than 100% support from Karla, and she was genuinely respectful of our time and the time of her other clients. Karla is well-connected in the NYC birthing community, which is a useful resource for finding lactation consultants or other kinds of help. The fact that Karla and Narchi work together is an additional benefit, since they can cover for each other and communicate well about their clients - we only worked with Narchi once, but she was reliable, empathetic, and helpful.Review submitted via the 2016 Birth Survey
Highly highly recommend!! The prenatal visits were super helpful in helping me think of a birth plan and in preparing pain management techniques. With the doula's guidance, I managed to labor at home without pain meds for much of my labor. She met me at triage and immediately got to work - massaged my back through my entire active labor, held my hand while I got the epidural, used aromatherapy, even read me meditation readings when the epidural kicked in and I had a bit of time to relax! Stayed with me to help get a good latch after delivery and then knew when to disappear to give us private time. Conducts a post partum in home visit to check on healing and breastfeeding and provides very helpful advice. Was a voice in helping me navigate the medical aspect and overall made my experience so much less scary and overwhelming than my 1st delivery. Absolutely wonderful. Member notes about insurance: No.Review submitted via the 2016 Birth Survey
Karla is a rockstar. It was truly because of her that I had the birth experience I wanted. I had hoped and planned for a natural childbirth but in the thick of labor I nearly gave up on that desire. Karla arrived and immediately soothed me to a calm place with her gentile tone and loving demeanor. She took control of the situation and because of her calming force I arrived to the hospital 9cm dilated and gave birth to my beautiful baby girl within an hour and a half in the new birthing center. I truly couldn't have done it without her. I would recommend her without hesitation. Member notes about insurance: I don't know if she does or does not because my insurance doesn't pay for doulas. Based on a March 2016 birthing experiencePSP Submission of review for Doula Service
I had Karla and Narchi as my doulas for the first labor and delivery. All throughout the process, they were both very professional, knowledgeable, helpful and a pleasure to work with. I had a chance to work with them individually in sessions leading upto the birth and each meeting was very helpful. Karla happened to be on call for my delivery and she was amazing throughout. She was a strong and confident presence throughout my contractions and helped me get to the hospital in an ideal state. I had a long and arduous labor and delivery and she was there to coach me at each moment. Karla was not only knowledgeable but savy when it came to different situations which helped me have the natural birth I wanted. I fully trusted her to guide me and my husband and we could not have done it without her. I would fully recommend them to friends as well should they want a doula.Review submitted via 2015 Birth Survey
Review: Cannot say enough good things about Karla! She was instrumental in helping me achieve the birth I wanted, and I felt a real connection with her. Such a loving, giving person- super knowledgeable and helpful from the moment you hire her to afterwards during postpartum troubles. Amazing lady!! Insurance: Not sure Based on a 2015 birthDoula Recommendations
My doula, Karla Pippa, was amazing! She had such a warm and gentle disposition and she was wonderful with both my husband and me - very important! I had a long (23 hrs) labor but was able to do almost all of it at home, just as I wanted, and arrived at the hospital fully dilated. She deserves most of the credit for making that possible. Every time I felt like I couldn't go on, she showed me how to get through it. I feel like I really learned how to labor with her help. If you choose to work with her, I can't imagine you would regret it. After our son was born, my husband and I wondered how people had babies without doulas, feeling so relieved that we had decided to hire Karla.Re: Doula Recommendations
My doula, Karla Pippa, was amazing! She had such a warm and gentle disposition and she was wonderful with both my husband and me - very important! I had a long (23 hrs) labor but was able to do almost all of it at home, just as I wanted, and arrived at the hospital fully dilated. She deserves most of the credit for making that possible. Every time I felt like I couldn't go on, she showed me how to get through it. I feel like I really learned how to labor with her help. If you choose to work with her, I can't imagine you would regret it. After our son was born, my husband and I wondered how people had babies without doulas, feeling so relieved that we had decided to hire Karla.Recommendation for: Karla Pippa, Postpartum Doula
We very highly recommend Karla Pippa for a postpartum doula. She was great. She walked in and (literally) immediately gave my wife a very calming feeling. She did everything we asked, and gave us great suggestions, as well. She helped my wife breast feed, helped with the baby (of course), helped us organize our baby's room and many baby-related papers that were just piling up, etc., but did not take control beyond what we wanted. She assisted with menus for us, which were healthy, and we still make them today. We call it Karla Pippa's chicken. Scheduling wise, she was very flexible while respecting her prior commitments (which I appreciated as she never had to change her commitments to us), and was always on-time and jumped in with whatever we needed, with little/no direction. Pricing wise, you can discuss that with her, but we found it appropriate and her structure was very professional and accommodating at the same time.Review of doula
I can't recommend Karla highly enough! She was such an important part of my birthing experience. Throughout my pregnancy, Karla was a supportive and empowering presence. I felt that she really respected the wishes I had for my labor and delivery and helped me create a birth plan to honor that. She is a wonderful combination of smart, confident, calm, nurturing and strong. In labor, she coached me through the pain of contractions with clear and calming words and soothing actions. I trusted her completely and was amazed by how my labor seemed to accelerate with her coaching. She knows her stuff! She also got my partner involved and they both worked together so fluidly (much to my benefit!), as if they had known each other for years. Before my pregnancy, I would not have predicted that a doula would play such an important role in my delivery. Now I can't imagine the experience without her! I'll be forever grateful to Karla for guiding my daughter peacefully into the world.Review for Karla Pippa
When we were searching for a doula, it was important to me to find someone who possessed not only the experience and know-how to assist us during labor, but also a genuine person with whom we would share this very personal, and life-changing moment; and we found Karla Pippa to be that person. From our first meeting, Karla exuded warmth, compassion and a nice sense of humor - all traits I thought would be great to have around during labor. On the big day, Karla proved to be worth her weight in gold! I had a relatively fast (9 hour), intense back labor with contractions that began at 3-1-1. My husband and Karla worked together in harmony to press all the right spots every time a contraction began. When I was unable to speak, or sometimes even think, Karla was my voice, advocating for me in accordance with my birth plan. She was there to cheer me on when the going got tough, and massage my shoulders to remind my body to let go and let the contractions do the work. With the help of Karla's support and quiet confidence, I had a beautiful, natural birth, for which I will always be grateful!Doula recommendation
I highly recommend local doula Karla Pippa. Karla helped with my second son's birth at Methodist with PS Midwives. We used both Methodist and PS Midwives for our first son's birth, and I can attest to the enormous improvement Karla's involvement brought. Karla worked with us every step of the way to help us have the birth experience we were hoping for. She was thoughtful, patient, enthusiastic and encouraging from our first meeting, through the labor and birth, and at our follow ups. Karla worked with us to understand our goals and hopes, and to enable those with all the tools she had. She had a great manner with the midwives and other providers. Karla established a relationship with our older son and spent time with him as part of her post-partum visits, which was super helpful and meaningful for me.
