Love Child Yoga & Midwifery — Local services in New York

I recommended Love Child to a friend, without ever having been & long before I was pregnant and in a position to join myself. I'd come across it online and it sounded like the most wonderful place to practice yoga, while also offering holistically minded advice in all aspects of pregnancy. Subsequently, I signed up very early on in my pregnancy and never looked back. As someone with a vigorous exercise background, having a grounded & calming, yet challenging, prenatal yoga practice that kept in mind growing bellies and exhausted mamas to be, while offering targeted strengthening to get them through the coming months and inevitable labor, was exactly what I needed. The support outside of the physical practice was second to none. Neelu was instrumental in helping me to change care providers when I decided that I wanted to deliver with a midwife, rather than an OBGYN, and spent time before and after class, as well as over email, helping me to figure out options. Among many other things, she helped me understand what certain aches, pains and general changes in my body could be a result of, reducing my stress and worry and making things feel normal! The resources available - such as the amazing massage therapist Brandi (honestly, best massages I've ever had!) and the incredible Connie who offers prenatal acupuncture (I was terrified of acupuncture before I had a session with Connie, but she soon changed that with her calm and thoughtful treatments) all add to the Love Child experience. While everything around me felt like it was changing - physically, emotionally and mentally - knowing that I had my regular, almost daily, prenatal yoga practice kept me feeling grounded and in control. Despite my pregnancy falling throughout the pandemic and therefore classes being online I never felt like I was missing out, rather the opportunity to practice, without having to travel to class (I live in Brooklyn) made things so much easier. I am so grateful that I found Love Child – I feel like my pregnancy and birth would have been very different without the support it has offered me. And as much as I learnt to let go and enjoy my changing body as I moved through my pregnancy, the post-natal yoga is now helping me to thoughtfully rebuild my strength and readjust to my post-partum body. Thank you Neelu...

I walked by Love Child many times before I was pregnant and loved the peaceful looking space. Mere days after seeing my positive pregnancy test I popped in, feeling overwhelmed by all the newness coming my way. I spoke to Neelu and Holly inside about membership, and left with a sense of calm and comfort.

Fast forward a bit to the end of the first trimester. I finally felt up to more movement and was already noticing the effects of my body changing. Now was the time to sign up, although looking back I wish I’d done it sooner for the energizing and relaxing effects to take hold even sooner.

Throughout my pregnancy I went to yoga classes, childbirth classes, and more and absorbed the knowledge and positive energy shared amongst everyone who came through those doors. Any questions or worries I had were met with kind, thoughtful and comforting answers. When I felt uneasy about my initial OBGYN choice, I was given a wealth of resources and information to help me make the decision that was right for me. I hired Holly as my doula which was the best investment I made for the birth of my son. Both myself and my husband felt educated and empowered throughout the end of my pregnancy, during and after the birth.

Our son was born mid-February 2020, and a few weeks into his life the world changed with the spread of COVID-19. I had had the opportunity to attend in person postnatal yoga classes and a few new parent circles prior to the shelter in place order, and was so impressed with how well Love Child pivoted to support new and becoming mothers throughout all of the upheavals. From live streaming the in studio classes to zoom classes and on demand content, they have been doing everything to be relevant and helpful as ever. Now we have had the joy of joining some socially distanced outdoor classes for myself and my son. Between the physical recovery, the text support, and the social connections and support offered through Love Child’s online components I was able to feel very much a part of the community, rather than the isolation of new motherhood compounded with that of life during shelter in place orders.

My experiences at Love Child made me feel calm, supported, and educated throughout my pregnancy, birth and postpartum periods. I would whole heartedly recommend membership to...

Love Child has been an integral part of my family life since last April when I was 4 weeks pregnant. Holly, Sarah-Grace and Neelu supported me throughout my pregnancy and my son's early life. While pregnant, Love Child's pre-natal yoga classes helped me stay physically fit and emotionally grounded, and every teacher helped me (and the other expectant mothers) tweak their routines to accommodate the evolving aches and pains of pregnancy. I took Holly's prenatal circles and Neelu's childbirth ed course during my second trimester, and by the time I was nearing my delivery I felt well informed, incredibly well supported and thoroughly prepared for birth.

After my son was born I continued with postnatal strength classes which truly helped me regain my abdominal strength after nine months of growing a human. Tiffany's new parent circle was so informative and supportive, and it connected me to a network of wonderful new moms who regularly share resources and help one another out.

When Covid moved classes online, I continued postnatal yoga and strength classes which helped me stay active and grounded, and also began taking several online baby classes each week. From music classes to baby sign language and itty bitty baby yoga, Love Child have a diverse schedule which has helped create fun, developmentally driven activities for my son (which I look forward to as well!)

Whether you are reading this review during social distancing or in a time when we can once again gather in public, if you are pregnant or have a young child I can't recommend Love Child enough. I hope they can become a part of...