“I am so grateful to Amy Tinney for the invaluable support she gave me for my postpartum visit. I was crying a lot, very disappointed that I had a C-section instead of the home birth we had planned. I had a hard time being so dependent on others and needing so much help. Instead of enjoying the baby I was overwhelmed, what Amy helped me realize was actually grief. Amy articulated my feelings in a way that helped me start to get past them so I could better connect with my newborn. I was so grateful for her help. Her expertise in newborn care as a nurse and midwife saved my husband and I. And at the time we called her the “baby whisperer” but really, she’s a “new mama whisperer”! She knows that taking care of Mama means the baby will be well taken care of. “ - Natalie Lewis, mother of Max, age 9 months

“We were lucky enough to have Amy there for the birth of our first child Oscar, but we were even luckier to have her there again for the beautiful birth of our second child Alice. In both cases, she was thoroughly competent, professional ,and knowledgeable.  Although the two birth were very different, Amy knew exactly what was needed and was completely understanding of my needs at every stage of the pregnancy and the labor.She was always ready and eager to answer any questions that we may have had and was full of expert advice that helped us with the mental and physical and emotional aspect of pregnancy and birth.  Amy was totally comfortable with having my two year-old son, and my husband in the bedroom  during the labor and made a whole family feel part of the process.  the birth was thus a very moving and beautiful experience for the entire family.  Something that would been impossible in a hospital setting.In addition to Amy, she has a team of nurses and midwives who were always available at Amy’s practice to make the regular check ups a thoroughly  worthwhile experience.  We were treated with patience and care in a friendly manner ,and she always took time with us.  We often felt as if we are Amy’s only client.  She is very special and made us feel special from the beginning to the end.  We cannot recommend her highly enough.  If you are planning on having a midwife for your birth  ( which we recommend) , Amy is definitely the best person to choose in LA.” -Tomoko D.

1/01/10  ” I was 34 weeks pregnant with my second child when I decided to deliver my son at home. I changed my intent for big and small reasons: overcrowded, too-busy doctors’ offices, nursing school and maternal-child education, my oldest child being excluded from the process, and my first childbirth experience all influenced my choice. Up until then it was as if I was sleeping through my pregnancy. Once I was in Amy & Sarah’s care, I woke up. They gave me thorough, complete physical assessments and advice. They spent more time listening and feeling my baby than anyone else. Any time I had a physical concern, Amy would ask me to come in, or she would come to see me with no delay. Any time I had an emotional concern, they would listen and support and listen more. They helped me think through this pregnancy, my expectations, my fears and my hopes all in seven weeks. Any woman would want to take all 10 months to do this. But they are Amy and Sarah, and they were able to hold me so securely through the seven weeks, I felt I had been with them my entire pregnancy.

The birth was all I had hoped it would be. The ability to move freely, the luxury of warm water in a birthing tub, the support around me, the comfort of my own home were all key ingredients to a smooth, powerful labor. I did get a small dose of what I feared as well. I was sure I was going to have a big baby, and I feared he would be hurt if his shoulder became stuck. He was in fact big (11lbs 2oz) and he did have a sticky shoulder. Amy was so attuned to the progress of my labor. She was aware of the signs and acted swiftly. It could not have been more than 30 seconds between the time she gave her first instruction and the time he was out. No harm to him, no harm to me, and absolutely no panic at any moment. My husband didn’t even know something was wrong. Amy was simply amazing, always calm and always giving us the very best care.

The story of great care just keeps going in the post-partum period, but I’ll stop here. I said to Amy and Sarah once in the midst of my fretting over the unknown that I felt so alone, but the truth is with them, starting at 34 weeks, I was never alone. I was never alone in labor. I was never alone when my son was one day old, one week old, one month old, and now one year old. Amy and Sarah genuinely care. They love their mamas and babies and we are so, so grateful.”   - Amy Thiel

3/19/2011  ”Sarah and Amy took fantastic care of us while pregnant, giving birth and after the arrival of our little girl. I could not have asked for more thorough, attentive care and compassion. When it came time to deliver, I felt safe, at ease and was able to naturally deliver a healthy baby at home. A year later, I still think Sarah and Amy’s care is one of the reasons my daughter is so calm and bright-eyed. Cannot recommend ANOC highly enough.”   -Ilana K

3/20/2011  ”I went to visit Amy at 34 weeks after becoming disillusioned with my OB who gave me 4 minutes of his time at each visit. Amy was wonderful and our prenatal appointments lasted over an hour and I think I asked her all the questions I had wanted to ask for the previous 7 months! We had a wonderful and supported home birth with Amy, Sarah, Sarah and Laura. They were so good at what they do that I never even felt like there were 4 of them there! But i also felt so secure knowing the amount of experience between them and how thorough their whole home birth experience was. My husband and I were supported in doing our own thing during labour and the midwives prepared the birthing tub and kept an eye on me and brought me energizing drinks and snacks. Amy helped with my husband in showing him ways to support my contractions and kept a soothing, calm presence throughout my loud labour. She let me decided when I wanted to be checked and basically let me lead my own birth- which is how it should be! When it came to pushing the baby Amy and Sarah both attended to me and made sure I knew how to push (I was trying to resist the urge) as well as making sure our baby girl didn’t come out too quickly. The baby was monitored constantly and hearing her little heartbeat racing towards me was wonderful. The result was a wonderful and stitch free delivery an obstetrician literally comes in at the last minute and ‘catches’ a baby, midwives support the baby out the whole way and minimize pain and tearing by doing so. Postpartum the support has been just as wonderful. Visiting me in my home and giving me emotional support as well as lactation advice. And not giving up on me! Every problem I had was followed up by numerous check ins and text messages until they were convinced I was ok! I also love having a mothers group to go to at the art of nursing where I can just hang out, talk to other mums and enjoy yet more advice and support from these amazing women. I can’t wait to have the art of nursing team involved in my next pregnancy from the beginning this time! Even if you are not up for a home birth- having concurrent care would have been wonderful. When you’re pregnant you just want to talk everything through and ask questions and feel like the person caring for you is as interested in your pregnancy as you are. I don’t think any obstetrician can or does provide that sort of nurturing!”   -Lexi D

 1/8/2012  ”Amy and her team at Art of Nursing are true superheroes! My story started with my first son whom I gave birth to two years ago. I had wanted to have a natural birth then but due to complications, I was rushed into a C-section at 35 weeks. Even though my son was completely fine, I had a nightmare experience in the hospital that led to me developing White Coat Syndrome. For the next year, every time I’d have to see a doctor or get my blood pressure taken, I’d experience panic attacks. When I discovered I was pregnant with my second son, I realized I was going to have to face my fears. Luckily, I found Amy Tinney and her team at The Art of Nursing.  I was instantly struck by their calm approach to my VBAC desire.  Amy was so understanding that she’d instantly bring my blood pressure down.  She also recommended wonderful people who helped me release my previous birth experience through hypnosis and craniosacral work. By the time I reached 37 weeks, I was feeling more and more confident that I’d have the home birth I’d always wanted! And it happened – three days ago, I delivered my second son through a successful home birth that I will never forget as long as I live. I felt completely supported by Amy and her expert team.  When I got to the end and my baby was born, I felt like I had not only birthed him naturally but conquered my fears for life! An amazing accomplishment that I could not have done without them. I feel very empowered by the whole experience. I highly recommend Art of Nursing to anyone who has had a similar story to mine.  I am truly grateful for everything these ladies have done for me! Thank you so much!”  -Risa W

5/13/2012  ”We recently had Sarah, Amy and Carly as our midwives for our first child.  My wife wanted to go the natural home birth route and I was inclined to go the hospital route.  WIth some convincing and the hard to dispute argument that she will be doing all of the work, we went with the Art of Nursing. They were superb.  Sarah arrived soon after our call and soon thereafter Carly and later Amy (who was tending other business).  Every detail every encouragement was handled with knowledge and compassion.  Our pre-birth visits were informative and we never felt rushed out the door.  Being a bit skeptical of a home birth, they were patient and answered my home birth concerns without defensiveness and good information.My wife could not be happier with the experience.  She was empowered throughout and was steadfast and strong through her phases of labor.  She feels it would have been difficult to have had a better experience. The wonderful help and direction we received gives us greater comfort in having children in the future. And when we do, no doubt we’ll be using the Art of Nursing.” -Jim S

 8/8/12 ”Thank you Art of Nursing! We just had our beautiful perfect baby boy at home one week ago with Amy Tinney, Carly and Melanie at our sides providing stellar care with confidence and grace. As a first time mom, close to 40 and a doctor, I had many ideas and ideals about my pregnancy and birth. I knew I wanted a home birth but was open to what ever was meant to be would be. I found Amy by dumb luck and we started working together a month after I found out I was pregnant. She was kind and professional, providing all the education I wanted having a million questions and very thorough. She never missed an appointment and always had extra time for us in visits, by phone or email as needed. She let me dictate the care I wanted and gave guidelines for me to do that from a learned place. At the time I went into labor she showed up and everything seemed to unfold seamlessly. We had NO CLUE what we were doing or what to expect(yes we did all the classes and read all the books but we had never done this before) and Amy just floated in and one two three things were set up, sterilized, I was in the tub and 7 cm dilated. I pushed for two hours and amidst all the intensity she and her team quietly entered the room, softly gave verbal guidance, monitored me, all in a way that didnt interfere with my experience. I dont know how they did it but it was as if they werent even there but I felt safe and taken care of. Baby Lucca joined us in the world a few pushes down the line and his daddys got to catch him in his arms! Amy prevented me from tearing(thank god) and got us all cleaned up and checked out with in the hour as we got to bond with our newborn. She kept us warm, fed, gave me an IV for fluids, and the place was spotless at the end of the day. She stayed with us for SIX hours AFTER the birth to make sure we were all doing well. I never considered that part of the midwifery care and it was really, aside from the actual birth emergence, the most important part of the entire packaged care. Since the birth we have had two home visits and newborn testing and checkins/weighins. Wow Amy thank you from the bottom of our hearts, words arent really enough. Cant wait to have you for number two!” -Hillary M