Testimonials
We LOVE our clients and their families, and the feeling is usually mutual!
We are happy to provide referrals if you'd like to speak personally to former or current postpartum doula clients; just ask during our Meet & Greet and we'll connect you. In the meantime, here's what people are saying about us:
"MET US WHERE WE WERE AT"
"I was so appreciative of Wonderful Welcome's support, especially in the early days when we really didn't know what we were doing and I was feeling overwhelmed. You met us where we were at, and had a nice way of making suggestions without over-loading us with information. I really appreciated that you weren't overbearing, but presented information in a way that felt constructive. And you're good at building trust! We also appreciated your flexibility and availability in the first two months."
-Anonymous (2024)
"WE GENUINELY COULDN'T IMAGINE WORKING WITH ANYONE ELSE"
"Working with Jen was such a wonderful blessing as my husband and I welcomed our daughter last year. Her knowledge of newborn care, respectful support through the postpartum phase and beyond and her generous spirit shone through with every visit or late night message as we adjusted to our new lives as parents.
We are so grateful for everything Jen did for us! From her support through the early stages of breastfeeding, to getting familiar with baby wearing, installing our car seat to the pure physical demands of caring for a newborn. Even when we couldn’t meet in person for a little while because our family got sick, Jen was still so helpful - checking in on us over the phone and even dropping off homemade soup, pickles and groceries. We genuinely couldn’t imagine working with anyone else for postpartum doula services!"
-Katie P. (2023-2024)
"INCREDIBLY KNOWLEDGEABLE, CARING, AND UNDERSTANDING"
"Jen is incredibly knowledgeable, caring, and understanding of the pressures of new parenthood. We were comforted by her presence at a very vulnerable time. She went above and beyond at every session to make our lives easier. Her guidance was so valuable and appreciated. All three of us were well taken care of!"
-Catie D. (2024)
"I FELT IMMEDIATELY AT EASE"
"We had a wonderful experience with Jen. She was very knowledgeable about things I had questions about as they came up, or had a contact or recommendation should I need answers outside of her expertise (i.e., lip tie.) She was extremely flexible when our situation changed. I felt immediately at ease when she arrived to care for our precious newborn."
-Anonymous (2024)
"PRACTICAL, NONJUDGEMENTAL SUPPORT"
"I loved Jen's help! She was so knowledgable about so many things (cloth diapers; baby wearing; breastfeeding; car seats; sibling rivalry; sleep) and offered practical, nonjudgemental support. "
-Julia R. (2024)
"ONE OF THE BEST DECISIONS"
"Hiring Jen as my postpartum doula was one of the best decisions I made! As a first time mom it was incredibly helpful to have Jen come over and wear my baby while I ate, showered, nap or just took a break. She was able to provide invaluable advice that would often make so many other things click. Because she has worked with a wide variety of clients she is knowledgeable on different approaches that could help or issues that could arise. I so appreciated that I could text any time and didn't need to wait for our next visit. My husband and I agree her services were more helpful than any class or article could be!"
-Hillary R. (2023)
"A FANTASTIC RESOURCE"
"Jen was a fantastic resource and extra set of hands when our son was born. In the first visit, she helped me with better positioning and latching during a feed, then held our baby (and did our dishes) while we got some sleep. Over the next three months she was really flexible and easy to work with -- on some visits she provided a lot of education and support (how does the ring sling work? Why is this child leaking out of his diapers when we have put them on correctly? Why has he stopped pooping?), and on one particularly excellent afternoon she took my son for a long walk and I got to have lunch, by myself, at a restaurant where no one was crying."
-Emily J. (2023)
"DON'T KNOW HOW WE WOULD'VE DONE IT WITHOUT HER"
My experience with Jen was wonderful; she was a lifesaver, especially in those very first days and weeks. It was so reassuring to be able to contact her as questions arose, and to be able to trust her with baby J so I could get some rest/get some things done around the house. I don't know how we would've done it without her.
-Johanna H. (2023)
"I 1000% RECOMMEND WONDERFUL WELCOME"
Jen's advice started the moment we reached out from the hospital with a 6.5 lb baby: "she'll be swimming in newborn clothes!" And she was SO right! Jen brought a big bag of clean, quality preemie clothes and swaddles with her on her first visit and it was a total lifesaver. This alone made our experience with Wonderful Welcome worth it. She also brought tasty treats (that my husband and I fought over) and a gift bag of postpartum product samples – all of which I used. Even though we saw several lactation consultants, Jen's breastfeeding support at home was invaluable: tips on caring for my severe nipple pain, how often to feed the baby, how to pump, whether my flanges were the right size (they weren't), storing breast milk, cleaning pump parts, and so much more.
Of course Jen's help around the house was so very appreciated too! Making granola for us so we had fast, easy, and healthy breakfasts, sterilizing bottle/pump parts, washing dishes... We also really appreciated learning how to babywear using a cloth wrap, which is not at all instinctive and is quite uncomfortable if done incorrectly. I'm sure I'm leaving something out because those early weeks are quite a blur, but I 1000% recommend Wonderful Welcome and we feel incredibly lucky to have had Jen with us!
-Lydia A. (2023)
"THOUGHTFUL AND HELPFUL"
Jen was so thoughtful and helpful from the first moment she entered our home. My spouse and I felt 100% confident handing over our newborn to her so that we could spend one on one time with our toddler, which was a huge help in our transition to a family of 4. Jen also was a huge help with breastfeeding and baby wearing, and generally increased our confidence with newborn care in those crucial and intimidating first weeks. We can’t thank Jen enough!
-Sara M. (2023)
"REALISTIC AND CUSTOMIZED"
I found the breastfeeding guidance especially helpful. I am thankful that Jen kindly pushed me to try breastfeeding without the nipple shield and that she encouraged a lactation consultant. On my own, I would have been too tired to reach out as quickly and I think accessing this resource in a timely manner really did set us up for success. It was also extremely helpful to plan out feedings, especially in the early days of doctor appointments and schedules. She was also a great partner and a comfort to me when trying different feeding positions and techniques. Jen's comfort level with baby swag and paraphernalia was also hugely helpful. Getting our house and items set up and being available to ask questions (multiple times when we couldn't keep info in our head) made it all go much smoother than us trying to read the instructions while sleep deprived. Jen really cared about our baby's and family's wellbeing and her guidance and help was realistic and customized to our own situation and needs.
-Anonymous (2023)
"REST AND RECHARGE"
We absolutely loved working with Jen! As first time parents we were pretty worried about coming home with a baby, and having no clue what do with her, especially when Lily arrived to the world as a tiny 5 pounds 1 ounce baby :)
Working with Jen helped us to get to know Lily, understand what she needed and be reassured that everything was on track. During the nights that Jen took care of Lily we were able to rest and recharge, knowing that Lily was in safe hands with someone who really cared about her and was invested in making sure she grows and develops well. Jen was excited with us seeing Lily growing and transforming into a smiling happy little baby. We were so happy working with Jen that instead the original 4 weeks we planned to work with her, we ended up working with her for 3 months, until Lily started sleeping through the night.
Jen also provided us recommendations which are so useful to use, including teaching us how to use the Moby (which we did not think we will ever figure out but Lily absolutely loves), and multiple other resources she shared.
And last but not least- our dog Bernie, was absolutely in love with Jen, and whenever she came, he got an extra bit of loving, which he definitely needed considering he just lost his single baby status in the house!
-Henia D. (2022)
"OUR SON WAS SO CALM AND RELAXED"
We hired Jen to help us survive first months with our son. We don’t have family in the area, and after 2 months of taking care of him nonstop, we desperately needed a breather. Jen stayed with L for few hours while we enjoyed some time out. It was very easy to leave our newborn with her! It was immediately obvious that she knew what she was doing. And after few hours with Jen, our son was so calm and relaxed, probably one of very few ways newborn can tell they’ve had a wonderful time. We highly recommend Wonderful Welcome!
-Masha M. (2022)
"ABOVE AND BEYOND"
We first met Jen during (virtual) cloth diapering class she taught. It was clear by the end of the class that she was someone who knew A LOT about babies, but perhaps more importantly had calm and practical approach to sharing her wisdom. As first time parents-to-be who felt like we knew nothing about babies, we wanted someone just like Jen in our corner to help us transition smoothly into parenthood. We got lucky a few weeks later when we ran into Jen (this time in person) at our carseat safety check and found out that she had just started her own Doula business—Wonderful Welcome. We hired her immediately.
Our daughter was born a few weeks later. While the birth and recovery were relatively unremarkable, there was still so much to figure out when we got home from the hospital. Our daughter was having trouble latching and we were still trying to figure out how half the baby gear we had purchased even worked. But it turned out we did not have to worry, from the very first days of our daughter’s life Jen became an invaluable resource and support system for our family. Whether we needed help figuring out how the endlessly long piece of fabric sitting limp on the floor could transform into a safe and cozy baby carrier, or cleaning the kitchen and sorting laundry so that our home remained sane and sanitary during those early crazy weeks of parenthood, Jen seemed to have it all covered. Jen helped us trouble-shoot breastfeeding challenges, breast pumps and bottle feeding, cloth diaper laundry and so much more. One of the things we liked most about working with Jen was her evidence-based approach combined with extensive practical experience that enabled her to weed through the mounds of information and provide us with advice that would work for the individual needs of our family and our baby. When we had a question, we got a thorough response, with the evidence to support that response, and practical caveats to ensure that we understood how the standard advice might apply to our family. From the early days of swaddling, baby wearing, and bottles to the transition to solid foods at six months Jen was in our corner helping us not only navigate but thrive as new parents. And our daughter loved cuddling and playing with Jen while we got a few precious hours of uninterrupted sleep.
It goes without saying that Jen is extremely professional, knowledgeable, and organized. She also goes above and beyond to help her clients when the complexities of new parenthood and the complexities of real life collide. When our daughter was 4 months old, we undertook a logistically complicated move to distant lands. We were so fortunate that Jen was able to support us in that move by literally moving with us and caring for our daughter while we dealt with movers, unpacked boxes and looked for a nanny.
Now, more than a year later, we send Jen regular updates and photos and still reach out to Jen with the occasional question when our daughter has thrown us a new curve ball that we are struggling to navigate. As we reflect back on our first year as parents, hiring Jen was one of the best decisions we made.
-Alicia H. (2021-2022)
"ALLEVIATING EVERY CONCERN"
I was so unsure of whether I wanted or needed a post-partum doula at first. After learning all about Wonderful Welcome with Jen, I immediately felt excited and confident I would have such excellent support post-partum. My husband and I felt it was important to have a non-family sounding board and we definitely found that with Jen. While I had a relatively easy post-partum course, Jen was invaluable, coming to our home and answering my every question and alleviating every concern I had about my recovery and my newborn. She helped optimize positions for breastfeeding and assisted with cloth diapering. I think the best part of seeing Jen every time was how reassuring she was with how we were doing as parents! She definitely made first few months so much easier and we are so thankful for her help!
-Maggie S. (2021-2022)
"OUR GO-TO PERSON"
Having Jen's support during the first weeks of our son's life was really critical as a first time parent. She was our go-to-person with any questions we had and she was always able to not only give advice from experience, but also provide recommendations on readings and different approaches to consider. She was very caring and kind with our son and we felt comfortable leaving him in her care for a few hours when we needed to take a nap or go for a date.
-Laura B. (2021-2022)
"A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN HELPING OUR FAMILY"
We had a great experience with Wonderful Welcome. Jen provided postpartum doula services during the weeks following our child's birth. Jen was available to answer questions and had a significant role in helping our family during the first few weeks with our son, especially because we did not have any extended family in the area. She was great with our son and it was helpful for me to have someone supportive around (plus her homemade jam is amazing!)
-Ashton C. (2021)
"PURE MAGIC"
We had a fantastic experience with Jen, whom we worked with for a period of about two and a half months after the birth of our baby (our first) until we moved away from the area. Jen supported our family in multiple ways. She has a calming presence and she was pure magic with our baby, who was happy to sleep on her doula all day. This gave us parents much needed time off to rest or do other things. Jen also assisted with light household chores and errands, and - most helpfully - taught us practical childcare skills in real time. She knows everything there is to know about cloth diapers, she taught my partner and I how to use a variety of baby carriers, and she happily chatted with me about my many, many questions on lactation, sleep, and all other concerns that come up with a newborn. She was reliable and communicative about her schedule. She took COVID precautions very seriously. She liked receiving baby updates in between visits and was very responsive to our questions via text. The experience did not feel transactional, but like a relationship that we were building, and in fact we have stayed friends with Jen since moving away.
We were very happy with Wonderful Welcome and strongly recommend it. The service is aptly named!
-Alex R. (2021)
Ready for Wonderful Welcome to support your family? Get in touch today!