Mind Body Birth Wellness and Birthing Center - Los Angeles, California

Jasmin Pope

I will never fully be able to express my gratitude for this team of amazing people!
I toured Mind Body Birth back in March 2024 when I was 26 weeks pregnant with my third child. I already knew I wanted to transfer my care to midwifery from OB because I was not feeling seen, understood or supported. That all changed as soon as I met Faith!

Faith was very attentive when I spoke and always made sure to explain everything before it happened, as we were doing it and answered any questions my partner or I had. Faith was also available outside of appointment times through the app and also by phone which was so convenient! I was also very lucky to be cared for my Maryam at nearly every appointment. Maryam ALWAYS asked before touching my belly, explained how my baby was positioned and also always made sure I wasn’t in pain or uncomfortable during the exam.
Labor and delivery was amazing and so smooth with this team also! I had an appointment the day before my due date(which my son was born right on his due date) and during this appointment Faith, Maryam and Miriam were all present as they would be my birthing team. During this appointment we discussed how I’d started having inconsistent contractions and how to help my body relax to allow my labor to become more consistent. Miriam also helped to guide Maryam with a massage to help my muscles relax and then guided my partner and I through some exercises we could do at home to help also! I went into labor that night and because of all of the preparations we had done as a team I was in such a good headspace for my labor and delivery.

Upon arrival at the birth center everybody allowed me to have space. I didn’t have a bunch of people in my face, touching me or trying to give me an endless amount of information/commands. The team asked my partner many of the questions and allowed me to just be present in my labor. I had initially not wanted a water birth but my son had different plans. The water was the only thing that helped relieve some of the pain and I am so happy this was an option/encouraged to help with my labor. Maryam was still able to check for my son’s heartbeat while I was laboring in the water and delivered him right there in the tub. When it was time to push I felt so safe and confident in my body, baby and team! My golden hour was truly just that. Once I was settled in the bed everybody left the room and didn’t come back for an hour. The newborn screening went so smoothly and was done right next to me. One of my older sons was able to help cut the cord and my family was able to head home and get settled about 5 hours after delivery.
Maryam also took my placenta for encapsulation and to my surprise also made a tincture and preserved my son’s entire umbilical cord!

All of my postpartum visits I was asked how I felt physically and emotionally. I was also spoken to directly and not through my partner which was so refreshing. At all visits(prenatal and postpartum) I felt like I could really truthfully be myself without judgment. I could feel the love from this team and that I was more than just another patient. I am so happy I chose Mind Body Birth and that Faith has created such a safe space that was also available to everybody(I’m on medi-cal and was grateful to find a birthing center that worked with people from all walks).
I have raved to all of my family about how much I loved the entire process and will always be so deeply grateful for the amazing care and beautiful experience Faith was able to provide/allow me to have!

ALSO- my last postpartum visit I was able to get my PAP done which was so convenient and also a very comfortable experience. I haven’t always had the best experiences. Faith explained everything to me before they even began and walked Maryam through the whole process as it was her very first one she’d performed! I have never had such a smooth PAP and there was no pain(which had been an issue in the past with other providers). So not only are they an amazing team for prenatal care but they are an amazing team for reproductive health care as well!

JC Nalli

Words cannot express the eternal gratitude and love I have for these women and birth center. Faith & Maryam were our ‘fairy birth’ midwives who taught us so much and took their time to ensure quality care and genuine respect for our birthing needs. Tchala was the absolute sweetest & always there to help accommodate our scheduling/paperwork/ questions. Natalie arrived for my final pushes welcoming my son safely into my arms & assisted me with our first latch! The list goes on with these women guiding us through so much more!! This team of ladies help empowered me to the birth I have always wished for with knowledge, patience, confidence, genuine love & grace. They are family now & we absolutely are looking forward to them delivering all our future babies!

Axeline Johnson

I am a physician and chose to work with Faith because she is both knowledgeable and experienced (20 years in this field!) I found her to be confident and yet still incredibly thorough and meticulous. I always felt I was in great hands. Very family-oriented environment, provides a guidebook with a wealth of information, drew labs and provided appropriate recommendations to address any issues. Excellent communication via her chat app and email. Great midwife residents on my team, but she was present at every prenatal and postpartum visit as well as during my birth. Phenomenal in-house chiropractic care, lactation consultants, placenta encapsulation/tincture and high quality recommendations for doulas, acupuncture, body work, etc. The office manager is so professional, she was incredibly helpful with everything from scheduling to disability paperwork and always timely, clear communication. Convenient affordable parking, a donation box for moms to pass on quality baby items they may no longer need to other moms, a mother's walking group! But most importantly, Faith is a warm, funny and kindhearted individual...I always felt like I was in a friend's livingroom at our visits. I highly recommend Faith as a midwife and Mind Body Birth as a birthing center to anyone looking for a truly special birthing experience!

Ashley Somersall

I gave birth 2 months ago. It has taken me a while to write this review because my labor at mind body birth with Faith Freeman and Maryam Abdoul was very traumatic! My water broke and it was time for my midwifery team to perform, they let me down. Apparently they both, “could not find my cervix” so they could not tell me how dilated I was. I labored at their birthing center for a day before finally deciding to transfer to the hospital. Prior to me deciding to transfer faith did yet another cervical check on me. (they did over 10- cervical checks on me.. inducing very excruciating pain every time!) After this cervical check Faith finally told me I was 8 to 9 cm dilated and that it was time for me to start pre-pushing. I was overjoyed that after so long and after so many cervical checks that they could finally find my cervix & tell me how dilated I was. I pre pushed, nothing came about this except extreme exhaustion. They did not seem confident in my progress and I decided to transfer to MLK hospital. At the hospital, the midwife on shift did a cervical check on me and let me know that I was in fact only 3cm dilated. THREE! At my 1 week postpartum app I asked Faith where she got the 8 to 9 cm of dilation number from and she blatantly said “I guessed that number” I expressed that having me pre push at 3cm could have not only have harmed my baby but could have harmed me as well. She denied that to be true. Save yourself the anxiety and trouble. Go elsewhere. Either another birthing center or a hospital. This was my 1st experience as I am a FTM. I would not recommend Mind Body Birth Birthing Center ran by Faith Freeman and her interns to any birthing mothers. Not to mention every appointment you have to pay $12 valet parking that they do not validate. And with the condescending tone and energy of Faith throughout many of our appointments, I left many appointments feeling overwhelmed and overall sad! It seemed as though with anything I did, there was always more to do to, “stay within their care.” Faith would say, “If you don’t get your Iron levels up, we can not service you further” “Your Iron levels have increased but now your platelet counts are low” “Your platelets have increased but now your A1C is high” it almost felt as though my test results were being rigged. Faith constantly dangled, “If you don’t do this or that, you risk not being able to stay within our care.” Not to mention we constantly would get this statement after already paying for her services. Ridiculous! You are supposed to create a Safe space for birthing people; not constant anxiety and overwhelming energy. I chose to have my 1st child at a birthing center as opposed to the hospital because I am a black woman and the birthing mortality rates at hospitals for black women are astonishingly high! Ironically the hospital took care of me and made me feel safe, welcomed and guided when Faith and her team at Mind Body Birth Birthing Center could not. Thank you for reading my review, take the time to read the other 1 & 2 star reviews & read between the lines.

Shah Granville

Absolutely 1000/1000 infinite stars. My experience with Mind Body Birth was exceptional from start to finish. Everything I was hoping for at my high end hospital was actually provided by my midwifery team at MMB led by the truly gifted Faith. Maryam, also now a midwife, led my hour long clinical visits -and I never felt rushed, humored or gaslit. Every little concern was addressed. Pilars of care that are important to me include: educated details, informed consent, patience, compassion and competence. Ongoing communication, and transparent feedback on bloodwork and baby positioning.The MMB team exceeded my expectations. I was not treated like a geriatric Black mom lined up for meds and surgery. My birth plan was throughly discussed, affirmed, and supported with nutrition, medical advice, mental health support (validation: you are okay, these thoughts and feelings are normal, you are not wrong, your feelings are normal) and physical fitness education. This team also refers you out for many unexpected needs like physical therapy, ethical ultrasounds, support groups for mom and dad, and doula care if needed.

The MMB office is clean and welcoming. The other patients become like friendly neighbors passing by -and yet confidentiality and responsible HIPPA practices are still honored. The office manager is so so skilled at organization, scheduling and is also knowledgable. My first call with the office manager is actually what reassured me I was in the right place.

My birth was perfect, because I went home with my husband and baby in my arms. That's a perfect birth to me. That said, my birth plan was implemented with great skill and care. Because of our extensive talks and preparation, I felt very confident even during the most intense surges. I credit this to the child birth education class that is also provided and led by Faith. I was able to push my nearly 8 pound baby into the world successfully, knowing I was healthy, hydrated, nourished, and mentally and physically prepared. We learn that childbirth is natural to birthing folk and therefore it's something that we (I) can do. It's okay, normal and natural. Insomuch I had a very empowering birth, with pushing initiated by the baby and my body's urges. I truly felt in the birth room that time stopped. I had all the time and space in the world to birth according to my body's rhythms. All the while my baby and I were monitored for safety and etc the entire time. The Team was on it!

After birth my child and I were immediately attended to --there is never a time where my husband or I felt like we were neglected or that there was any guess work. Birthing the placenta was intently monitored, and nutrition and baby's first screening were prioritized. We enjoyed golden time (we weren't confined to an hour) and my husband and Maryam cut the cord. My baby latched nearly immediately and I cannot recommend taking a lactation class with Nathalie enough! (call office for details)

Faith hand picks some of the most talented, highly skilled, compassionate individuals in the game. I trust her and her team. I benefited from the detailed and serious POST BIRTH care up to 6 weeks postpartum. But I know most people reading this review are more concerned with safety, emergent care and risk mitigation. I will say, I started my prenatal care in a hospital. I had every intention to do it the way that is pushed on us. But my husband and I felt like we weren't getting the best care for myself or my unborn child. The hospital polices for us were the biggest risk. I was mostly scared, fearful, anxious and confused. This isn't my natural response to stressors or disappointment so I knew I was just not in the right place for me. After extensive research I selected MBB. Most of our questions were about safe delivery, healthy mom and baby, and emergency care if needed. Faith and team are more than capable of providing that type of care. Life saving procedures. They are medical professionals. For many women, the first step to protecting life and birthing safely is to hire a midwife. Thank you guys.

leslie gomez

Everyone is super friendly, I always felt welcomed! My birth team (Faith& Emily)always went above and beyond to make sure baby and I were good. They helped me achieve my dream birth! Def recommend if you’re looking into having an out of hospital birth !

Danielle Thomas

I am so grateful for the phenomenal care I received from Faith, Mychal, and the amazing team at Mind Body Birth.

I had a truly magical home birth experience and I credit this team for how absolutely perfect things went.

From the moment I started working with Faith and her team I felt understood, cared for, and informed. This is unfortunately rare with medical providers, but is clearly so ingrained in how Faith works. My prenatal care was incredibly holistic and everything I hoped it would be. Appointments were always at least one hour and in addition to making sure everything with baby was ok we covered nutrition, movement, mental health, and more. Prior to my labor, I spent so much time with Faith and Mychal. I was able to get to know them well and trust them deeply.

I felt very prepared for labor and birth, and thankfully I had a relatively fast and "easy" labor. Some of this was undoubtedly luck, especially as a first-time mom, but I know a big part of this was because of the advice and counsel I received from the team. I closely followed the direction of Faith and Mychal about literally everything (lol), and while I can't point to one thing that made my birth what it was, I know the midwifery model and the care from Faith and Mychal made all the difference.

I also found the six weeks of care baby and I received postpartum to be incredible. I felt very centered in that care and credit my easy physical recovery to heeding their advice, and it was so reassuring to be able to direct our first time parent questions and anxieties their way. They welcomed it all.

Faith, Mychal, and the Mind Body Birth team became a huge part of our lives. We love them!!!

Karyn Torres

I was lucky enough to have a husband who researched and brought the idea of having our first child at a birthing center. This concept was entirely new to me, but I am so happy that I went this route because I had the best experience with Faith and her team. I started my care with Faith at the beginning of my second trimester, so I was able to compare the care I experienced at the OB with her care. It was a completely personalized experience, and I felt genuinely cared about throughout the remainder of my pregnancy. Faith provided a ton of resources and walked us through what every phase of our pregnancy plus postpartum would look like so we had a clear idea of the journey ahead and felt well prepared. Every question that I had in between my appointments, I would ask via chat and their response times were prompt. The day that I had my son was beautiful. It was a serene experience where my husband and I truly had our uninterrupted golden hour and were able to have the most peaceful experience welcoming our son into the world. Faith took the best care of me the day I delivered my son, including making me a smoothie with a small piece of my placenta. My birthing experience was truly empowering, and I hope to work with Faith and her team during my future pregnancies.