Kristina

3/14/2024

Marlene was the best thing that could have happened to our family. I can’t say enough good things about her. She’s so calming, kind, thoughtful, knowledgeable, respectful, amazing cook, willing to go way out of her way to help me (in the rain, drove all the way to cherry blossom to get donor milk when I found out I wasn’t making enough. She had to stop to get a cooler, ice and even thought to pick up postpartum tea). Everyday she came in and helped in whatever way I needed (watching baby so I could sleep, playing with my daughter, troubleshooting postpartum healing issues and breastfeeding - I was using my pump wrong)! She never made me feel like a “customer” but rather a friend or family member that she genuinely cared for and their well being. She has a true gift helping others heal. I know my whole family will miss her when she isn’t coming regularly. I don’t know if I could have made it through the first newborn week (sanely) without her."

Nina Tekwani

9/26/2023

Doula Marlene was incredible to our family! She came into our lives two months into the shutdown in May 2020 and helped us with our Pandemic baby. With little to no support nearby, she was able to help us learn to navigate life with a colicky baby. She taught us many tips and tricks to help us get our baby to sleep, bottle feed, etc. She was a support system we did not realize we needed so badly then, especially during the height of the pandemic. We had our second boy in March 2023, and hiring her again for postpartum support was an absolute no-brainer. It was extra special since our now three-year-old just adored her, and he loved knowing that she helped him so much when he was a baby. Even though life was a bit easier to navigate the second time, having two kids certainly posed challenges, and Marlene helped us find our new norm. She is truly the best, and I consider her a lifelong friend. I am so grateful for Cherry Blossom Doulas and her impact on our family.

Alyssa

6/2/2023

Marlene was absolutely amazing and such a big part of my mental and physical recovery after having my daughter. Since the day we brought the baby home Marlene was there. Not just for the baby but for my husband and myself to help with anything we needed and to help answer all the questions we had. We don't have family that lives close by to help out but having Marlene in our corner helped us feel we were never alone. I can't recommend Marlene enough!

Julia Doelger

5/23/2023

We had Marlène as a postpartum doula this year and we are incredibly grateful for her help with our newborn daughter. We are especially thankful to have benefitted from Marlène's huge breadth of knowledge from postpartum healing and lactation to baby care and product recommendations. We 100% recommend her to any new parents.

Shanna Moore

8/15/2022

We had a wonderful experience with Marlene from Cherry Blossom as our postpartum doula. She came to our house once per week for 6 weeks. Prior to the baby's birth Marlene visited with us to discuss how she may support our family and me as the mother postpartum. This being our 3rd baby perhaps the support we desperately needed looked a bit different than a first time mom. Each time Marlene arrived we'd talk about what support was needed on that day and then she'd quickly jump into action. She helped with such a variety of things and always knew exactly where to help even if we hadn't specifically talked about it. Examples of things the postpartum doula helped with during her 4 hour visits: holding baby so we could spend time with our older 2 kids and/or during dinner, helping with meal prep, coloring and playing with the older 2 to keep them occupied while I nursed baby, putting away clean laundry, doing dishes, picking up toys, bringing sitz bath, caring for children while I could cook (helping me feel somewhat normal doing cooking which I like), gave baby bottle, etc. Marlene established a bond with the kids and they would ask when she was coming next! She helped us keep the nights moving regularly for our older 2 during those hectic few weeks. We highly recommend cherry blossom doula postpartum services and our experience with Marlene specifically. One of the best treats you can give yourself as a new mom ??

Thao C.

6/2/2022

Marlène was a helpful doula when we had our 2nd baby. She was caring and thoughtful with my baby and toddler. I liked her food prep plans and we enjoyed those meals a lot. She often checked on my postpartum feelings to be sure that I was heard. Our family really appreciated all she did for us during the first chaotic postpartum month :)

Cassandra Pero

5/24/2022

We hired Cherry Blossom Doulas for both a birth doula and postpartum doula. We could not be more grateful and happy for our decision!

Marlene was our postpartum doula and we literally would not have made it without her! She came to our apartment hours after my son was born and helped me figure out breastfeeding, took such good care of me, let my husband and I sleep and even prepared food and tea for me. She guided us to countless resources, led us to our pediatrician, lactation consultant, showed us how to bathe baby and walked us through so many of our “first-time-evers” as new parents. I’m so grateful for Marlene’s presence and support in our weeks postpartum, especially since we live away from family and friends. Marlene also has an amazing, almost supernatural gift for this work. I cannot say enough positive things about her or Cherry Blossom Doulas. We will definitely be hiring them again if we are in this area when we have our next child!

Odette Claridge

11/27/2021

I had Marlene as my postpartum doula after I delivered twins. I knew I'd need help because I had two older daughters (2 & 5 years old) and not much family support. Even when family visits, they only care about the babies, no one checks on Mama. Marlene was above and beyond anything I could have imaged. She was there for me every step of the way. The first session was solely dedicated to processing my birth. Later sessions were comprised of anything I needed to make me feel less overwhelmed, such as laundry, cooking, organizing the nursery, lactation support, and she even cared for the twins while I had a 3 hr job interview. She became more than a doula to me, she's one of my best friends and the twins favorite woman after Mommy. I would recommend Marlene to anyone, and make sure to get at least 48 hours of services, I had to add on later and ran the risk of not fitting into her schedule with other mamas. Thank you Marlene for everything.

Karah Fowler

8/18/2021

This woman was a SAVING GRACE! I cannot even imagine where we would have been without her. Evangelynn just melted in her arms, she is a legit baby whisperer. Marlene not only soothed our baby but also helped the older kids adapt to their new roles. She helped our family to develop a thorough chore chart to help keep the house clean and develop a sense of responsibility in our children.  Marlene took this relationship with the older children even further by playing with and loving them. As for my partner, Marlene checked in on him to gauge what he needed while she was in our home. She respected his time when he needed space to work on schoolwork but was also always easy and ready to talk or offer advice to a first-time dad. She empowered him to be a fantastic father, and in her short time with us gave him a plethora of tools to help Evangelynn. For me Marlene was a multi-faceted support system. She cooked us meals and taught me how to use the instapot. She basically did anything and everything we needed to survive. The best part though, she showed me love in such a vulnerable time, without expecting anything in return. We started off as strangers, but her genuine kindness helped to break down my walls and allowed me to process my emotions. With Marlene I cried, I got frustrated, I walked annoyingly in circles not resting as she coaxed me to go to try to sleep…. And through all these emotions she gave me support and grace. She never judged me, she always checked in on me, she made me feel thought of when in the past I had felt overwhelmed. As many others asked about Evangelynn first, she always asked where I was at.  I truly could go on and on but let me just sum it up as Marlene was our superhero during those first few weeks. She came in during our time of need and helped us transition smoothly into this phase of our lives, making a dramatic difference in how I had previously experienced the “newborn phase”. You will LOVE Marlene!

Brooke D

5/22/2021

Marlene was absolutely a godsend. She provided me with love and support right after birth. She took such amazing care of my newborn which allowed me to rest. She would make my husband and I breakfast and help us with chores around the house. Having this kind of support was an absolute dream and so helpful in my postpartum recovery. I highly recommend her and her services. 

Sam Timbrook

5/20/2021

There are no words that properly convey how wonderful Marlene at Cherry Blossom Doulas is, and how much she helped our family during the early days with our new little one. She was there with helpful tips and advice for all the new mama stuff, but most importantly, she offered support and kind words during the toughest and most exhausting of days. I cannot recommend her enough. Marlene supported our family longer than we initially intended for her too because it was that hard to have our time with her come to an end. She is kind, empathetic, helpful and so caring. Truly the best!

Lauren

3/22/2021

I think every family should have a doula when they have a baby. Frankly, I don't know what we would have done without Marlene. She was with us after the birth of our first born and gave us priceless comfort. She helped us with household chores, answered our many questions, cooked and gave our baby and puppy endless snuggles. While I don't know what we would have done without her in the early days, it was the best feeling to know when we no longer needed her---- that gift of confidence was the best thing Marlene did for our family. Marlene is kind, thoughtful and very organized. I'm so thankful for our time with her.

Claire Harding

2/17/2021

What a blessing randomly stumbling across Cherry Blossom's website has been for my family and me! My husband and I were not planning on hiring a doula until after taking childbirth classes and realizing how much of a benefit it would be to have a knowledgeable birth professional help us through labor and delivery, as well as educate and advocate for us. ESPECIALLY as this was our first child and we would be expecting him during a pandemic which meant family and friends could not attend birth or help us once we brought our newborn home.

After coming home with a newborn a few weeks earlier than expected and an exhausting 7 day hospital stay, we decided to look into Cherry Blossom's post-partum services after having such a positive experience with Megan as our Labor and Delivery doula. We were connected with Marlene and had the privilege of having her support for 3 weeks (we miss her dearly already). Marlene was able and willing to do whatever we needed to support us and the baby in our first few weeks. Being a mom herself and an educated doula, she was able to answer questions and give us some tips and tricks as new parents. She also helped out around the house with tasks which helped take the burden off of our shoulders and always checked in to see how we were doing/feeling, making sure to listen and encourage us to take care of our needs as well as the baby. I can't leave this review without mentioning that Marlene is a FABULOUS cook!!!

Let me tell you, we will ABSOLUTELY be hiring these women again for our next pregnancy and will be recommending them to any and everyone in the meantime!

Christi

11/24/2020

We were lucky enough to have Marlene as our postpartum doula! She is amazing. We needed support outside the timeframe that is considered normal to hire a postpartum doula. Everything was just a mess for us and so it was hard to even articulate what we needed help with - everything! Marlene came in so smoothly and just intuitively knew what to do. SUCH A HUGE STRESS RELIEF! She was so kind and wonderful even the story behind why she became a doula is amazing. And she is so great on sibling support too!!!

Vicky Yu

11/14/2020

Marlene is such a wonderful doula during my postpartum rest. She tried to make sure that I could get enough rest, provided good sibling support to my son and took good care of the baby!   Also, she always made sure that I do not have postpartum depression.

We are all so happy that we had her  help! ??

Mariah

9/17/2020

When I became pregnant for the second time I knew I would need some form of help. I didn't know exactly what kind of help, maybe with holding my newborn? Playing with my first child? Help with laundry or dishes? I just knew it was all to sustain my mental health and I would need someone I felt more than comfortable with, Un-judged, during such a vulnerable period...when my home is a mess, hormones are raging and mom brain is in full gear. Cue Marlene! The first time we spoke I emphasized the emotional support I was looking for during postpartum, since my first time round was tough. Not just during postpartum, but for the remaining 5 months of my pregnancy Marlene continuously checked in on me. How I was doing, if I needed anything, just general sharing of excitement for baby #2! She sent links and information on multiple supportive resources. She was so flexible/understanding with our changing schedule. A lot of women, myself having been one, often don't understand what PP doulas do. Marlene assured me that she would know what she needed to do once she got here and she sure did. It was very natural how she picked up on the needs of myself, family and home. For us personally it was home help, sibling help, and sincere conversation for mama. Our firstborn Wren -who is a tough nuggett-was always sad to see Marlene go. She was so good at handling Wren's fussy spouts. Our home was always clean and felt refreshed at the end of her shifts. Marlene always had new knowledge to share about newborns and ways to help manage. She set us up for success by spending an entire shift prepping frozen crockpot meals. (Her idea!) She even offered to pick up the groceries. Our personal conversations made me feel much less isolated in an already isolated world during social distancing. I felt heard and seen. She is nurturing, instinctive, and assuring. I would have Marlene back in a heartbeat. Thank you for your love and support!

Lindsay

8/17/2020

At first, I was nervous about hiring Marlene late into my postpartum period. My baby was about 8 weeks old when we started with Marlene as our postpartum Doula. I am so glad I did though! It became apparent very quickly that she was a wonderful asset to our household. She is a Jill of all trades! She helped with laundry & food prep. She held my baby when I needed a shower, a nap, a moment, & some time to spend with my other children or while finishing projects that only I could do.She wore him in her ring sling & either spent her time helping around the house or keeping baby happy. Which was most helpful some days. My baby loved her too. She has such a kind & loving spirit about her. She is easy to to talk to & trustworthy. My only regret  is not hiring her sooner! Postpartum is such a vulnerable, exhausting, & raw experience. Having a knowledgeable, supportive, professional, & gentle,  "gatekeeper " to help you through the transition is a blessing! 

Nina Tekwani

7/13/2020

As a new Mom in the middle of a pandemic with zero family around, I have to say that Marlène was an absolute LIFESAVER in aiding me with caring for our new baby.

The best thing I did for my postpartum health and wellness was to reach out to her. She helped me feel confident and showed me tips and tricks to get our tough baby to enjoy bottle feeding and naps (among other things) so much more!

I will forever be grateful to her for really helping us get off on the right foot during a difficult period with our baby. I didn't call her until he was seven weeks old, and I realized it's never too late to ask for PP help.