Birth Matters NYC

07/22/2025

It makes our hearts sing when folks we work with take the time to share their kind testimonials; here are the 3 newest ones from the past week along with their birth class cohort pics!

05/09/2025

Are you looking forward to having a baby, but worried about what it’s like to be a “patient” in the hospital system? Never fear, Savvy Birth 101 is here!

WHAT? The 1-hour Savvy Birth 101 class was developed by Evidence Based Birth to give you the inside scoop on how to form the ultimate birth team, so when the time comes to bring your baby into the world you can find yourself at the center of respectful, evidence-based care.

WHEN? Mon 6/9 at 7pm EST

WHERE? Live & interactive on Zoom (virtual)

WHO'S THIS MADE FOR? Expectant parents earlier in pregnancy and/or ideally before taking a comprehensive birth class. TTC folks also welcome; never too early to think through your pregnancy/birth choices!

WHO'S TEACHING? Lisa Greaves Taylor, founder of Birth Matters NYC & director of East River Doula Collective

Learning Objectives covered in Savvy Birth 101:

~Define evidence-based care and discuss the difference between evidence-based care and routine care

~Describe how the power system works in most hospital labor and delivery units

~Discuss ways to create a team-based atmosphere in the birthing room, so that you and your partner can get evidence-based, family-centered care

Register at: birthmatters.thrivecart.com/ebb

05/09/2025

Expectant parents, we'd love for you to join us for our free, virtual MEET THE DOULAS event Wed 6/4 @ 6:30 pm on Zoom to meet some birth and postpartum doulas who are available to provide compassionate, expert support & advocacy for you to experience the happiest, healthiest rite of passage through birth & postpartum!

After you RSVP and a few days before the event, we'll send you a complete list of the doulas available for your due month along with their profiles and rates, and an informational video (which is also on our homepage) that will answer a lot of your Qs.

For the event, you'll be assigned to meet for a few minutes with one or more doulas who are available for your due time in breakout rooms, speed-dating style.

Even if you've never heard of doulas and would just like to learn more, you're welcome to come for an informational interview/Q&A! (We'll give you a few ideas of things you could ask if you don't know where to start.)

Or if you're sold on the benefits of doula support but partner isn't just yet (common!), join us here (and/or in birth class) and it'll convince them you've had a brilliant idea. 😉

RSVP at eastriverdoulas.nyc or DM us with questions.

PS You can also reach out to us anytime for 1:1 help exploring your options, if you prefer.
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📷: image of a partner standing behind pregnant parent, hands on her belly. Text reads "Virtual Meet the Doulas Wed 6/4 @ 6:30pm." along with a quote that reads "All of the doulas were absolutely amazing, but one really stuck out to me as someone I can't imagine giving birth without. ~MTD attendee" At top, brown logo with text that reads "East River Doula Collective, eastriverdoulas.nyc"

05/07/2025

Shoutout to respected NYC doula colleague, Emilie Rodriguez, who's quoted in this piece.

Elon Musk has long claimed civilization will collapse unless we raise the birth rate. Meanwhile, his “DOGE” group is slashing billions in funding for pregnant and nursing mothers and their children.

05/05/2025

🎉🎉🎉 It's birth class reunion time, one of the most fun days of the year! 🎉🎉🎉

If you've taken birth class with us (or worked with a doula in East River Doula Collective), we'd love to see you at our reunion!

We'll gather at Bohemian Beer Garden in Astoria on Sat May 17 3:30-5:30pm with a rain date of Sat 5/31.

Eventbrite RSVP link (or DM us for it since it's a bit long!): https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spring-25-birth-matters-alumni-reunion-tickets-1352885800849?aff=oddtdtcreator

Doulas, if there are families you've worked with who are coming, you're welcome to RSVP, too!

04/16/2025

It's Black Maternal Health week! The theme, “Healing Legacies: Strengthening Black Maternal Health Through Collective Action and Advocacy”, honors the resilience of Black Mamas while addressing systemic injustices that shape Black maternal health outcomes. Through advocacy, policy change, and community engagement, BMHW25 highlights the power of Black-led perinatal, maternal, and reproductive health organizations in driving systemic change and fostering community healing. This week highlights the necessity of collaboration, policy change, and community-based solutions to advance Black maternal health equity.

Follow and support , join all of us in advocating for policies and practices that ensure Black Mamas, families, and communities thrive!

04/03/2025

Join us for another IG live! ERDC doula Laura Dalesme will lead us in a 30-minute yoga & pilates movement routine appropriate for postpartum bodies. Wednesday 4/9 @ 12pm EST.

Get your mat ready!

03/28/2025

Ok so this blog title should have included the word ACCURATE…did you know that:

1) the way most of us get our BP readings at prenatal (or any medical) appointments can lead to a false diagnosis of hypertension? Not just due to white coat syndrome, but because of the physical positioning and state of things.

2) it’s a smart idea to have an at-home BP monitor for postpartum, but not all of them have been tested for accuracy. We’re giving you resources to research this -or- if any nobody got time for that(!), we did the work for you and have a couple of recommendations.

We were inspired to write this blog post after learning more after listening to an NPR Science Friday segment on this topic, combined with the fact that we’re seeing an increase in perinatal cases of hypertension and preeclampsia since 2020. We feel this is perhaps the most valuable and practically useful blog post we’ve ever written; check it out! https://www.birthmattersnyc.com/blog/blood-pressure-monitoring

Did you know these 2 things? What has your experience been in the topic of BP readings, hypertension, preeclampsia? Has your provider recommended baby aspirin during pregnancy to reduce the risk of these medical challenges? We’d love to hear from you!

03/20/2025

It’s time for another IG Live chat! Join Lisa (childbirth educator/birth doula), Dr. Maria (pelvic floor DPT), and Bori (birth & postpartum doula) as we discuss a roadmap for Safely Returning to Exercise in Postpartum. Thurs 3/27 @ 1:30pm EST.

If you have questions or thoughts on this topic, go ahead and drop them here and/or attend live and you can chime into the conversation in real time!

03/10/2025

If you're expecting a baby in the next few months, now's a great time to register for birth class!

Most of our March & April series are sold out or nearing selling out (so act fast if you're due on the sooner side!). We do also have other options if you're due soon! You could: 1) register for the virtual (interactive) simulcast option (which is less $ than in-person), 2) take our online/on-demand course, or 3) schedule a private class or two.

If you're not due for a while, we have plenty of dates scheduled for May and June (and schedule ona. rolling basis around 3 months out)!

Register at link in bio. DM us with any Qs and we hope to have you in class!

03/10/2025

Are you looking forward to having a baby, but worried about what it’s like to be a “patient” in the hospital system? Never fear, Savvy Birth 101 is here!

WHAT? The 1-hour Savvy Birth 101 class was developed by Evidence Based Birth to give you the inside scoop on how to form the ultimate birth team, so when the time comes to bring your baby into the world you can find yourself at the center of respectful, evidence-based care.

WHEN? Thur 4/10 at 7pm EST

WHERE? Live & interactive on Zoom (virtual)

WHO'S THIS MADE FOR? Expectant parents earlier in pregnancy and/or ideally before taking a comprehensive birth class. TTC folks also welcome; never too early to think through your pregnancy/birth choices!

WHO'S TEACHING? Lisa Greaves Taylor, founder of Birth Matters NYC & director of East River Doula Collective

Learning Objectives covered in Savvy Birth 101:

~Define evidence-based care and discuss the difference between evidence-based care and routine care

~Describe how the power system works in most hospital labor and delivery units

~Discuss ways to create a team-based atmosphere in the birthing room, so that you and your partner can get evidence-based, family-centered care

Register at: birthmatters.thrivecart.com/ebb

03/03/2025

Expectant parents, we'd love for you to join us for our free, virtual MEET THE DOULAS event Thurs 4/3 @ 6:30 pm on Zoom to meet some birth and postpartum doulas who are available to provide compassionate, expert support & advocacy for you to experience the happiest, healthiest rite of passage through birth & postpartum!

After you RSVP and a few days before the event, we'll send you a complete list of the doulas available for your due month along with their profiles and rates, and an informational video (which is also on our homepage) that will answer a lot of your Qs.

For the event, you'll be assigned to meet for a few minutes with one or more doulas who are available for your due time in breakout rooms, speed-dating style.

Even if you've never heard of doulas and would just like to learn more, you're welcome to come for an informational interview/Q&A! (We'll give you a few ideas of things you could ask if you don't know where to start.)

Or if you're sold on the benefits of doula support but partner isn't just yet (common!), join us here (and/or in birth class) and it'll convince them you've had a brilliant idea. 😉

RSVP at eastriverdoulas.nyc or DM us with questions.

PS You can also reach out to us anytime for 1:1 help exploring your options, if you prefer.
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📷: image of a pregnant parent sitting on a couch with their partner's arm around them and hands on their belly. Text reads "Virtual Meet the Doulas Thurs 4/3 @ 6:30pm. You deserve support!" along with a quote that reads "All of the doulas were absolutely amazing, but one really stuck out to me as someone I can't imagine giving birth without. ~MTD attendee" At bottom, brown logo with text that reads "East River Doula Collective, eastriverdoulas.nyc"