Erika Lam

10/7/2024

Irene…where do we begin! TLDR: a beautiful experience that made me feel so at ease and empowered.

We contacted Irene as we were entering our third trimester with our second baby. Our first baby was born at the beginning months of COVID’s first lockdown (June 2020), so I knew that for our second (and probably last) baby, we wanted access to all of the resources and all of the help. We found Irene through a mutual friend and after the first in person meeting, realized we had so many more mutual connections in the dmv area, so many babies and mamas had been in her care. We knew immediately that she was going to be our perfect birth partner.

All throughout those last trimester weeks, Irene was super present over email and text, answering all the questions and keeping up (virtually) with all the OB appointments. When it came down to our birth story, she rushed to our side and was exactly what I needed in the room…and thanks to her and her coaching, I had an (unplanned) unmedicated and swift delivery with a surprisingly fast postpartum recovery time. This was by far my most unexpected and exciting birth story and I’m so grateful and blessed to have had Irene play such an integral role, by my side the entire time. Our family is eternally grateful - we couldn’t recommend enough!

Cal

9/3/2024

Irene was an amazing help both leading up to and during labor. Her experience and caring presence helped keep us calm and confident throughout and I’m glad we made the choice to have her by our side!

Mary

8/24/2024

Irene is amazing! She is compassionate about her work and listens and intuits the needs of you and your birth partner.
She helped to communicate my wishes to the doctors and nurses—who loved her by the way! She is very knowledgeable and helped me to find comfortable positions during labor and delivery, being by my side encouraging me every step of the way. She also helped to capture moments on camera so my husband could be more present with me and baby. I highly recommend her; you won’t be disappointed!

Grace Marinenko

7/29/2024

We are so grateful to have found Irene and to have her support through the recent birth of our son. As first time parents, we utilized her childbirth and breastfeeding education classes and her birth doula and postpartum doula support. The resources and classes were excellent and instilled a ton of confidence and her support throughout my pregnancy, especially in the final weeks before birth, provided such reassurance.
Due to exigent circumstances (and no fault of her own) she was unable to attend our birth but provided us with an absolutely incredible backup doula and we had a great birth experience. Irene is professional, endlessly kind and supportive, and so knowledgeable. For those without a lot of family support close by, I highly recommend having some type of postpartum doula support identified in case unforeseen challenges arise with things like breastfeeding. We will absolutely be seeking her support again for the birth of our next child!

Lois

6/22/2024

My husband and I were very satisfied with Irene’s birth doula services and highly recommend her. From the beginning, it was clear that Irene was knowledgeable, practical, and empathetic, and that she has your family’s best interest at heart. Irene communicates effectively and efficiently across different channels (email, text, phone, in-person).

Irene’s guidance on how we could prepare in the weeks leading to labor and delivery benefitted us. When it came time for my epidural-free labor and delivery, Irene provided reprieve for my support people, and was a constant calming presence amidst the frenetic environment of the delivery room.  Lastly, Irene’s postpartum visit was much appreciated, as she answered any remaining questions we had, which helped us as new parents. Kindled Life Doula Services are worth the investment!

Ariel Addy

6/18/2024

Irene was our doula for our first birth experience which ended up being a long and arduous process. She kept us calm and focused and helped empower us when we had to make some difficult decisions. As a medical provider myself I was very picky about who I wanted to have on my birth team. From our first conversation I knew that Irene was knowledgeable and the right choice for us. During labor Irene spent extra time making sure we were okay and also empowered my husband to use the Bradley method skills he learned during birth prep classes and self study. She also followed up postpartum which really helped ensure my mental health was in a good place. I am forever grateful to Irene for being an anchor in a stressful time for us which really helped us see the silver lining as we welcomed our daughter into the world. I would highly suggest Irene’s doula services to anyone considering an unmedicated birth (or any birth path honestly!) and look forward to having her as a part of our birth team for our future children.

Ken

6/9/2024

As an Asian, I’m 100% confident to recommend Irene. She is very professional and passionate for the job, and took care of the baby really well. Highly recommended! -Ken

Joseph Lynch

5/23/2024

My wife and I had the most wonderful experience with Irene for the birth of our first child. Starting from the background information and resources she provided, through the birth itself, and during postpartum - Irene was always helpful, knowledgeable, skilled, kind, and supportive. We would highly recommend her to anyone seeking Doula services in the area!

She helped coach us through early labor, helping us keep my wife as comfortable as possible and helping make the call to go to the hospital. Then, when it got intense at the hospital, Irene was there with the masterful massages and birthing techniques that dramatically improved second stage labor. I was certainly out of my depth - which my wife definitely pointed out - but luckily Irene was there and was quite capable of helping her. Furthermore, she was an invaluable resource communicating with the hospital staff since she knew what to ask, how to ask it, and when to ask the right questions.

Simply put, Irene made our birthing experience significantly better by helping keep us calm with her knowledge and expertise, applying her knowledge when it mattered most, and supporting us after the birth with a lovely postpartum check-in where she gave some parting advice and tips.

If you have need of a Doula, we can't recommend Irene highly enough.

Ruth Gracias

4/25/2024

We've had Irene support us for both our babies birth, and we are SO incredibly grateful for her! Irene met with us sometime during the 2nd/early 3rd trimester for a time to get to know one another better, and to further review expectations of the pregnancy the closer we enter to the 3rd trimester. I think what I find most helpful after this meeting are the resources Irene sends us home with. She provides a list of prenatal PT, and places that offer prenatal massags and acupuncture. So, the closer I got to the final week's, it was soooo nice to call up any of these places knowing they are vetted and trustworthy. Irene also provides us with a list of "to-dos" After reaching 35 weeks in preparation for birth!! What I appreciate even more is the accessibility we had via text, email or phone call during the final days/hours leading up to when we had to go to the hospital to deliver. Irene wants to know the play by play of contractions and is ready to offer emotional and practical support to get you through the "waiting" game aka whenever baby decides to come. We love Irene and she is truly a God sent! Her care is tender and gentle.

Camila Bready

9/1/2023

I can’t say enough amazing things about Irene! She was such a blessing to have next to me. It was my first time having a baby, and I loved her calm and loving energy. She would always tell me what’s coming next and that kept my anxiety at bay. Irene’s presence is priceless, I was always skeptical about having a doula and couldn’t justify the price. But after my experience with her now I understand how worth it it was to have her next to me ????