My husband and I felt very fortunate to have Marlee and Megan on our team leading up to our birth and post partum. We had a lot of questions and fears, and Riverbend helped us avoid feelings of overwhelm when it came to researching and making decisions about it. They are extremely informed about options for birthing people, and always had some kind of suggestion or insight into the process. Our birth itself was also made easier by having people who have been through this before to consult through early labor and who understood the way our hospital worked. Post partum, Marlee's kind and nonjudgmental guidance during some difficulties with feeding were particularly invaluable. She was able to help me pump comfortably and effectively, and also helped me get to a better place mentally about that process. Marlee is also great at finding pain points in the fog of newborn parenting and helping make things a little easier, even when it may not have occurred to you that there is anything to be done! Thank you Riverbend Birth for your immense compassion and insight as we brought our baby into the world! read more

These ladies are fantastic! My wife and I could not be happier with all the support and advice we received from Megan and Marlee. We opted to take all four of the classes they offer and we are so glad we did! Each class was the perfect mix of reflection, information, and time for questions. They stay up to date with new researchers in various fields and had tons of invaluable information and insight. This was our first pregnancy and birth, so we had tons of questions. It was so nice to talk out our hopes and fears with them, I definitely felt more at ease after the classes. At our birth, we ended up working with both Megan and marlee (my labor was a bit long). After the birth, I was struggling with breastfeeding. Marlee was able to provide excellent advice and help us stick with it! Both of them are amazing and have wonderful tools and bedside manner. All the tips and tricks they recommend really do work! If you are looking for kind, open minded, knowledgeable, and passionate doulas, look no further! read more

Megan and Marlee were my doulas for my first birth, in January 2018. I wasn't exceptionally nervous for my birth but I really wanted a doula present to provide support for me and my husband. I met with a few other doulas before settling on them. The idea of having two doulas who we'd get to know prior to my birth, who could tag team the event should it turn out in a long drawn out affair, appealed to me. They also aren't judgmental about what kind of birth you want. Some doulas are biased toward unmedicated birth and if you go any other route they aren't really open to it. Megan and Marlee are not like that at all. They really listen to what YOU want, and work to help you achieve that. They don't have an agenda. We got a package that included pre birth sessions, the labor support, and post birth support. The pre-birth sessions were helpful to get my husband and I on the same page about what to expect. My birth experience was really intense- I ended up having to be induced, and then couldn't get an epidural because my platelets were mysteriously low, AND I had back labor. So I was in excruciating awful pain that never stopped. Megan was there for the first chunk of my labor when I was in a bad place mentally. She really helped me work through the pain and soldier through it. I was induced around 1am and had Megan come in around 3am. She stayed until 1pmish and Marlee came in to help around 10am and stayed until about 6pm. The baby was born at 3pm. They both had so many tricks up their sleeves of different things to try to help me cope with the pain. They were also so helpful for my husband because he understandably was upset seeing me suffer so much and not being able to help. Because Megan and Marlee were there, he was able to step out of the room for breathers and to eat meals. Once my water broke and the back labor kicked in and it was clear how painful it would be, he got very overwhelmed and didn't know what to do. It was really great having Megan and Marlee there to suggest different things he could do to help me. Marlee came to my home post birth and helped me with breastfeeding, which was really helpful as well. I peppered them with a bazillion questions the first few weeks after birth and they always gave me great information. I will be calling them the minute I get pregnant again to lock them down for my next birth. TLDR: HIRE THEM. They are worth every penny. read more

Megan and Marlee are such a blessing. I really can't imagine what I would have done without them during my most recent pregnancy and birth of my second child. They are so compassionate, knowledgeable, caring, funny, just all around amazing. My first delivery was a very traumatic experience and since my husband is out of town I decided to hire a Doula. Wow I can't believe how lucky I was to find these lovely ladies. It's not just one Doula it's two! They have soooooo many bits of advice and tricks up their sleeves it's not even funny. Although my second delivery did not turn out *exactly* as planned (my own body failed me for a vbac) I really had a wonderful experience with them from start to finish. I feel that going into labor and laboring with them really made me feel 1000 times better post partum, despite the circumstances of my own labor. I am also so relieved to have post partum support. I love love love love Megan and Marlee. Just hire them you will not be disappointed. These ladies are top notch. Are you trying for an unmediated birth? Hire them. I did try for unmedicated and I labored for several hours in so much pain but was able to get through with their help. Holy crap so painful! Lol. Are you going to be medicated? Hire them. Are you going to have a c section? Hire them for the awesome prenatal and post partum support! They don't judge at all that's what's so awesome about them. Your birth experience is your own and every birth is different. On a side note my OBGYN who doesn't even really like Doulas told me days after delivery that she really really liked Megan and Marlee and if anyone asked her for a Doula she would be recommending them. I can't agree more. They are just great!!! I'm so glad I hired them and I will be hiring them again if/when we decide to have another baby in the next few years. read more

Megan and Marlee are my birth doula dream team! I had a 3-day labor and was losing my mind as the pain started to become unbearable. Megan and Marlee were there to support me and provide guidance to me and my husband. Marlee was with me most of the time and she really was so supportive. She somehow managed to give me a little bit of courage whenever I felt like I couldn't go on handling the pain anymore. Megan and Marlee are both extremely caring and thoughtful, they went above and beyond to make sure I was as comfortable as I can be. I would recommend them to any soon-to-be mamas! read more

Megan and Marlee were great- with busy schedules my husband and I found it difficult to find time to attend birth classes that fit our schedule and necessitated 5-12 week commitments. M and M come to your house, on your schedule-super convenient. I found them a good balance between the two birth class extremes-Western medical model and all-natural approaches that view epidurals or c-section births as a fail. They provided great evidence-based information and ways to mitigate the decisions you need to make during labor (we chose not to have doulas at the birth and only did 2 classes-decision making and basics). Highly recommend for convenience, a good balance of philosophies and they are gracious, kind and informative. read more

Megan and Marlee at the best. From the first moment you speak with them, regardless of what you're going through, you will feel so loved and supported. It's truly a gift to have support like this available to families in Orange County. I asked Marlee for lactation support when my baby was 4 days old and it was the best decision! As a new mom there are so many questions around breastfeeding-- even if things are seemingly going well -- and to have the such loving energy come into my home put me at ease immediately. Marlee gave me tips, answered all my questions, and validated my breastfeeding journey. I cannot express the sense of relief I felt after her visit, not to mention all the practical tools and resources they gave me. I was also able to reach out anytime things popped up in the future. I can't more highly recommend these two amazing women read more

I absolutely love working with this team. Both Marlee and Megan are super knowledgeable and passionate about working with families at all stages of pregnancy. If you are looking for doula services during your pregnancy and post pregnancy or childbirth classes - I highly recommend you consider using this amazing team! read more

When all of my mom friends urged us to work with a doula for the pregnancy and birth of our first baby, I could never have imagined the support -- technical and emotional -- that we would find with Megan and Marlee. I ended up having quite a difficult labor experience, finding out upon being admitted to the hospital that, in addition to begin a week overdue, having had 12 hours of painful prodromal labor 2 days before, and the baby's head pushing against my spine, that I also had the flu. The extra pain produced by the fever, back labor and high doses of pitocin became unbearable and I am not sure we could have made it through without Marlee's incredible coaching. The physical pianof that portion of the labor however, was nothing at all in comparison with the emotional anguish of being told that, because I was still feverish, I would have to be separated from my baby for an undetermined amount of time after birth. This separation was accompanied by a utter lack of compassion and incompetency by the hospital mother-baby unit staff. Again, if were not for Marlee's beautiful emotional support and advocacy for me, my husband, and my baby, the separation would have been that much more painful and most likely more prolonged. Her support was so unconditional that shortly after going home after my long birth, she turned around and came right back (it was here birthday by the way) to teach me how to manually express colostrum to get to my newborn and help us advocate to nurses simply were going to give him formula without my permission (and who continued to commit a cacophony of errors about which I would have to write an essay-length piece to get into the details). As any first time parents knows there is nothing more frightening than those first few days out of the hospital (and I imagine far beyond that, but we haven't gotten there yet), when you return home to suddenly find yourself responsible for a delicate human life. Marlee and Megan have been uncompromising in their willingness to answer all our questions, big and small, at all hours of the day -- about everything from breastfeeding to safe sleeping to postpartum depression. At our first postnatal visit Marlee spent two hours with us going over the details of various breastfeeding techniques, car seat safety, and so much more. We created a WhatsApp group with me, my husband, Marlee, and Megan through which they have made themselves available day and night to answer all our questions with zero judgment, only evidence-based answers, and a degree of patience and compassion to which I can only aspire. They keep telling me to not apologize for bombarding them with question after question, but I keep doing it because I can't find a sufficient way to show to them just how grateful I am that they have become part of this equal parts terrifying and beautiful experience. The comfort their support has afforded us in these anxiety-ridden days is simply invaluable. My husband and I are both PhD students and make very little money. Honestly, working with a doula was an expense that was somewhat out of our budget but we went forward with it because of the insistence of my friends with children. We interviewed several doulas, but the second Marlee and Megan left our house after our introductory meeting my husband and I didn't even have to say a word to communicate to each other that we knew they were the ones. We sent them an email the following day, and did what we could to cut our baby budget elsewhere and we were no worse the wear. We will never regret passing over the $800 stroller for a second-hand one, but we would have deeply regretted not having Megan and Marlee in our lives. Working with them has simply been the best thing we could have done for ourselves and our baby, and in a time of such insecurity and doubt it is one decision of which we are entirely sure. We will forever be grateful to Megan and Marlee for making the birth of our son the most wonderful experience of our lives. read more

Riverbend Birth - Lactation Services Near Me

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My husband and I just welcomed our first child two months ago in August of 2017. Being fairly new to the area and on the opposite coast from our family and support network, we hired Megan and Marlee to assist us throughout our birthing experience and also postpartum. These ladies were an absolute Godsend. They are incredibly knowledgeable, fully supported us and the birth plan we chose, helped us to make informed decisions, and comforted us every step of the way. They are incredibly approachable, warm, and exactly what we needed! They also were great at connecting us to other resources in the area. We could not have made it through these last few months without them. read more

I reached out to Hero Birth Services to help safely and securely install my daughters Car Seat. Marlee met me at my location and spent a good amount of time teaching and showing me how to get a proper install. Every car seat and car is different and I'm glad i had a professional help for the safety of my daughter. We were previously using the seat belt and with Marlee's help discovered that the latch system was the best way to install in my car. I wish i did this sooner. read more

My daughter and granddaughter called to say they were coming for a visit. I have a car seat but wasn't sure how to install it. I called Hero Birth Services and they were able to come to my home on short notice and properly install my car seat. I am so grateful to them. They were prompt, professional and just plain wonderful. read more

We had heard wonderful things about doulas and were really excited to find two wonderful doulas in Megan and Marlee. However, we completely underestimated just how wonderful and transformative working with them would be. From deep knowledge about labor, birth, and postpartum, to exceptional emotional and compassionate support, to patient listening and brainstorming, to non-judgmental support however you want to birth and live your life, (the list goes on!) Megan and Marlee are a dream. My spouse and I truly don't want to imagine what it would have been like without them! We only have positive things to say about working with Marlee and Megan, and we had this experience during the Coronavirus Pandemic. Their virtual support during the birth of our child and postpartum was and continues to be beyond our wildest expectations. Thank you so much, Megan and Marlee. We are so thankful that you are on this journey with us. read more

We quite literally cannot say enough wonderful things about Megan and Marlee. My husband and I had never really considered hiring a doula (let alone two!) but when the pandemic started and I was five months pregnant with my first baby, no family nearby, some concerning (but ultimately benign) prenatal test results, and all in-person support groups and classes suddenly cancelled, we started to think we might like some extra support on this journey. I am so glad we decided to pare down our baby shopping list considerably (shout-out to the $80 Ikea crib!) and reallocate our baby budget to hiring these two kind and brilliant women. I cannot recommend highly enough that anyone on the fence about hiring them do the same. I really valued their prenatal check-ins and wealth of knowledge about the choices we would need to make and the research surrounding them, and I was so glad to be able to call them when my water broke before labor started to work through my options about when to go in to the hospital -- especially as I was due during what ended up being the first peak of the pandemic here in Orange County and very much did not want to spend any more time in the hospital than necessary. They kept in touch with us throughout that day, even stopping by our front porch, masked and 12 feet away, to talk to us through the open window about what to expect and when to leave the house. My labor was short and pretty easy (pitocin notwithstanding) but I also am certain it felt that way because we -- and especially my husband -- were so well prepared and supported by the two of them before and during the process. I didn't end up having an epidural, but they had made so, so clear that they would support me in any choice I made regarding medication that this did not feel like the fraught decision I know it can be. Had things gone differently or taken longer, I know they would have been there (via phone/Zoom) to help us work through it. While their prenatal and labor support was fabulous, it was during our first weeks home with our daughter that M&M's support was absolutely essential to our surviving and thriving. Our daughter was jaundiced, very sleepy, and not pooping, and the pediatrician we saw for her first check-up told us to immediately start a grueling regimen of formula, breastfeeding, and pumping every two hours around the clock. After two days of nearly losing our minds with this schedule and trying to get our poor exhausted daughter to rouse for a feed an hour after she'd just been put through the breast + bottle ringer, Marlee put us in touch with a lovely lactation consultant colleague who had us back to exclusively breastfeeding within a couple days. Along the way, Marlee and Megan repeatedly encouraged us to trust our (wobbly but sound!) new parent instincts and answered dozens (maybe more .... probably more ... I'm horrified to go back and look ...) of texts and calls with the patience and calm that were in somewhat short supply in our house. Over the next couple weeks, it became clear that our daughter -- while a charmingly cheerful baby -- is not A Good Sleeper, and Marlee once more made herself exceptionally available to our calls and texts. She never once pushed us to do any form of developmentally inappropriate sleep training, was understanding of our preference not to bed-share with a tiny baby (but would have been equally supportive of us choosing to do so safely), and offered us concrete suggestions that may or may not have helped her sleep a little better on the margin, but were likely more valuable to us as two tired, sleep-deprived parents, trying to balance working from home and caring for a newborn, with no outside support (thanks, pandemic, please wear a mask). Our baby is four months old and while we haven't sent a frantic text to Marlee in months, she has still made herself exceptionally available to us and other new parents by hosting a monthly Zoom new parent support group. I'm out of characters, but let me conclude by saying M&M are gifts to their community and we could not be more grateful to them. read more

We LOVED working with Megan & Marlee! We took their classes and they were our doulas. My husband was super supportive through everything and he was onboard for us to get a doula, but I think he didn't exactly know what it all entailed. I just knew we would need the extra support during the pregnancy and labor/delivery. Pros: - You get TWO people who love birth, babies and this world - They respond to questions within the same day (usually less than 4 hours) - Always respond with really detailed answered and explanations - Really great at explaining things so anyone (especially someone who hasn't been pregnant before) to understand - Their classes are hands on and helpful to just think/talk through the different aspects of pregnancy, labor & postpartum - Contract and payment is all online and easy - It was awesome to have someone to talk through about different decisions before labor and DURING labor (when you're not always able to think through things) - They give both sides of an issue, idea, process to help you make the best decision for you - Meetings were casual, informative and really easy/comfortable chatting with them - Even though just 1 person comes to the labor, I was comfortable with both Megan & Marlee that it didn't matter who came to the labor/delivery - no judgements on whatever you decide to do Cons: - really can't think of anything (and I usually can...) It was great to have two awesome ladies on your side to help you think of things and figure out what is best for you, your family and situation. Just super supportive and so great to work with! read more

Marlee and Megan were so amazing to work with! From our first consultation I knew they would be a great fit! We hired Marlee as a postpartum doula and our only regret is that we didn't hire her for the birth too. She was AMAZING and so much help! As a new mommy I was so overwhelmed and each visit Marlee brought such a calming presence and helped me with everything I needed from nursing support to caring for myself after childbirth to how to better care for my daughter. After each visit I felt so relieved and grateful for all the amazing help and advice she provided. I'm so thankful she was there to help us at such a pivotal time in our lives. Thank you Marlee and Megan!! read more