Innate Postpartum Care Practitioner
Serving NYC & the Hudson Valley | Virtual and In-Person Appointments Available | Booking

LITTLE DARLING DOULA

Doula & Perinatal Services

nourishing your inner body, your mind, & your outer body

Welcome to Little Darling Doula!

Welcome to Little Darling Doula! I’m Darlene Martinez, and I’m here to offer you postpartum care that goes beyond the basics, founded on three core principles of nourishment: nourishing the inner body, mind, and outer body.

For the inner body, I believe deeply in the power of food as medicine. Unsure of where to begin feeding yourself with all the changes in your routine? I offer meal delivery and in-home meal prep to make nourishing meals easy, satisfying, and truly supportive of your healing journey. Every meal is thoughtfully crafted to energize and sustain you, leaving you feeling grounded and revitalized.

Nourishing the mind is equally essential. Postpartum is a time of profound transformation, and I am here to hold space for your processing, offering a non-judgmental, safe environment. Whether through Havening techniques, processing sessions, or the sacred ceremony of "closing of the bones," I’ll help you find peace, closure, and emotional grounding in this new chapter.

Lastly, we focus on nourishing the outer body. Relaxing physical touch, castor oil packs, soothing sitz baths, and other personalized care options help restore and relax you. Every part of my care is designed to ensure birthing individuals feel cherished, supported, and truly cared for.

I am here to help you thrive, not just survive, by offering individualized, compassionate support.

My Specialities

Meet Darlene

Darlene Martinez, founder of Little Darling Doula, brings over 20 years of intuitive, creative care to her work. Her journey began as a hairstylist, where she built long-standing connections with clients and quickly recognized the unmet need for compassionate, in-home postpartum support. A simple home haircut for a new mom once became a profound moment of relief—giving her client the chance to shower, cry, and feel truly seen. This pivotal experience inspired Darlene’s transition to holistic postpartum care, leading her to pursue training in postnatal recovery, newborn education, and wellness coaching. Thus, Little Darling Doula was born.

Today, Darlene’s postpartum care practice offers a unique blend of nourishment for the body, mind, and spirit. As a certified wellness coach with an Innate Traditions certification, her services include carefully curated meal planning and in-home meal prep to support the specific nutritional needs of new parents. She combines this with hands-on holistic practices, such as Havening techniques for emotional processing, the sacred “closing of the bones” ceremony, relaxing physical touch, castor oil packs, and sitz baths for physical recovery.

In addition to her comprehensive postpartum offerings, Darlene’s love for hairstyling remains a part of her services. Her at-home haircuts can be added to any visit, providing an extra touch of self-care and renewal.

My Values

Personalized Nourishment & Support

Every person’s postpartum journey is unique, and Little Darling Doula is committed to providing customized care that meets individual needs for nourishment, both physically and emotionally. From tailored meal plans to thoughtful in-home rituals, support is intentionally designed to nurture and restore each birthing person.

Empathetic Listening & Non-Judgment

Creating a safe, compassionate space where clients feel heard without judgment is central to Little Darling Doula’s approach. I offer an open ear, welcoming all experiences, emotions, and perspectives to help clients feel truly supported and valued during this transformative time.

Commitment to Individualized Care

Little Darling Doula values the uniqueness of each postpartum journey, tailoring support to meet the specific needs, preferences, and cultural values of each individual. This commitment to individualized care ensures that every person receives attention and nurturing that honors their identity and personal path, empowering them to navigate postpartum in a way that they feel truly connected to.

Testimonials

  • Tammi & Kian, Mt. Kisco, NY

    As much as I was resistant to any help all along, I have to say that I am finding Darlene was the biggest blessings of this year aside from our baby. Darlene is a post birth Doula, who is so much more than just that title. She really integrated as a part of our little family during her time with us and we felt so lucky to have her. She cooked amazing meals for us, tended to every need we had, taught me everything about successful breast-feeding, and pumping, organized our entire nursery and clothing, helped me figure out what were the essential newborn items, helped heal my body through body work and remedies, sent detailed emails with all the pertinent information we had talked about during the day, and was a beautiful, listening ear to help ease all my new mommy worries.

  • MJ & Grant, Greenpoint,BK

    Part of the chaos and fog of early parenthood is not knowing exactly what is next or what would feel most useful and supportive, so it’s valuable to have someone like Darlene who is more than responsive, more than willing to follow your direction. Darlene takes initiative. She understood what we wanted before we knew we wanted it. She was superb. She brought a calming presence but also got so much done every time she visited. We cannot recommend her highly enough.

  • Giovanna & Tradelle, Newburgh, NY

    Darlene brought such a sense of ease and relief to this second postpartum experience for our family. She was always so warm and kind to our older child (who is 3) at every session, included the whole family’s preferences/wants/needs every step of the way, and was so intentional with each tool for my healing (from ingredient-specific meals to herbal teas, sitz baths and other body treatments). Compared to my first postpartum period, I felt so much better, so much more quickly this time around. Every meal she made for us was delicious, nourishing, and well-received by the whole family, which made life much easier to manage. I felt cared for during and in between our sessions, and would encourage any mom-to-be (whether it’s the first time or fifth) to work with Darlene.

Here to help you thrive, not just survive.