A Little About us
Who We Are
Collective Care + Village
We are a collective of reproductive health and wellness practitioners providing holistic care and support to women, femmes, mamas, birthing persons and families.
We understand firsthand what our minds and bodies endure to create and sustain new life.
We understand the power behind centering Black/African and Indigenous traditions in holistic wellness and care during each phase of our reproductive health, pregnancy, birthing and postpartum experiences.
We also understand the significance of being surrounded by a nurturing village that supports us as we bloom.
We provide services on a free to sliding scale basis as we know the diverse financial abilities of our communities. Our care is for everyone wanting support from us, with an emphasis on ensuring Black, Latine and Indigenous communities are centered.
Our Story
The Bloom Collective formed in December 2018 when we, a group of Black women birth keepers, were presented with an opportunity to practice in our own physical location in East Baltimore. Committed to doing meaningful work in reproductive justice for up to 18 years, we decided to collaboratively build a communal safe space for aspiring, expecting, and new mamas and birthing persons centered around love and care.
Through our work, we aspire to simply be what we and our loved ones needed during our/their own pregnancy and postpartum journeys. We are proud to walk with you and be part of the village that helps you navigate through one of the most sacred moments of your life.
We believe that when we are nurtured into our fullness, our children, families, and communities Bloom.
Lindsay King, CD
Birth Doula & Operations Manager
Lindsay King (she/her) is a doula, and placenta encapsulation specialist. Lindsay was born and raised in the Park Heights community in Baltimore City, and is dedicated to providing holistic services to community. Lindsay is dedicated to combatting the racial disparities in health care for black women giving birth. She earned her early education within the Baltimore City public school system, including Dunbar High School, followed B.S. in Business Administration from Morgan State University.After years in retail management, technology support and mentorship, she returned to the work she is most passionate about, perinatal healthcare. In 2021, she decided to pursue doula training, followed by creation of her company, Love In Labor. Today, she is continuing to service the community, both on an individual basis, and collectively with a network of birth workers, midwives and practitioners dedicated to maternal health and reproductive rights and justice.
Amber Gillian, LCPC, LPC, PMH-C
Perinatal Mental Health Therapist
Amber Gillian (she/her) is a Certified Perinatal Mental Health Therapist, educator, and supervisor whose work challenges systemic inequities in maternal and reproductive healthcare. With a Master’s in Counseling Psychology from the University of Baltimore and over a decade of clinical and community-based experience, Amber is dedicated to ensuring that every woman, particularly those from marginalized communities, has access to the care, respect, and autonomy they deserve.
At Bloom Collective, Amber serves the community by facilitating support groups that provide space for collective healing, educating clients and clinicians on dismantling barriers to care, and mentoring perinatal therapists to deliver culturally responsive, transformative care. Her holistic approach centers the voices of families, amplifying their agency and honoring the fullness of their lived experiences. Amber’s work is more than therapy, she views counseling as a call to action. In addition to her community work, Amber is engaged in groundbreaking clinical research at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she explores innovative treatments for PTSD, opioid use disorder, chronic pain, and postpartum depression, contributing to the evolution of mental health care. She is a fierce advocate for reproductive justice, maternal equity, and trauma-informed care, pursuing a future where every parent has the knowledge, resources, and power to navigate their reproductive health journey with dignity and strength.
Harmony Onyinyechi Madu
Community Engagament Intern
Harmony O. Madu (she/her) is passionate about maternal health equity and the life-long success of Black families & individuals across the diaspora. Harmony is from Abingdon, Maryland and is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health Studies from Johns Hopkins University. Harmony has served as a Patient Advocate at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, embarked on health equity research at the Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Center for Diversity in Public Health, and is a currently training to become a Certified Breastfeeding Specialist in the Bloom Lactation Cohort. In her role as an intern, Harmony hopes to continuously expand her knowledge and skillset in maternal health and reproductive justice to be able to diligently serve and advocate for her communities.
Tanay Lynn Harris, CBS, CPE, PD
Perinatal Educator, Director & Co-Founder
Tanay (she/her) is a Certified Lactation Specialist, Certified Perinatal Educator and a Postnatal Doula. She is a community centered researcher and ethnographer focused on Black maternal health, breastfeeding medicine, transnational reproduction, abolition and human rights. Tanay has worked with various national and international human rights and racial justice institutions over the past 18 years, including the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
Tanay is a trusted advisor and strategist to countless social impact organizations. She is an Advisory Board member of CLLCTIVLY, Board Co-Chair with Restoring Our Own Through Transformation (ROOTT), has been a Partner with the Black Mamas Matter Alliance since 2017, and is currently the co-chair of the Maryland Maternal Health Improvement Task Force alongside Dr. Donna Neale, MD.
Her work through the years has deepened her commitment to the otherwise possibilities, coined by Dr. Ashon Crawley, that building the world we need and deserve is an everyday practice and she attempts to embody in her work as a birth worker, educator and reproductive health practitioner.
In addition, she is a co-editor of a maternal health equity toolkit for Maryland Hospitals that was developed through the Maryland Maternal Health Innovation Program (MDMOM). She also helps facilitate the community of learning to support birthing hospitals to implement the maternal health equity toolkit. Tanay provides consultation to organizations and institutions that want to advance perinatal and obstetric health equity and reproductive justice. Tanay is a graduate of Africana Studies at Temple University and the School for Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania. Tanay is co-teaching a course with Dr. Lisa E. Wright at Johns Hopkins University for the Spring 2025 semester, entitled, “Transnational Birthing Justice: Ghana,” which follows their co-educator classes together entitled “Reintroduction to Writing: Reproductive Justice in Baltimore” for the Spring & Fall 2024 semesters.
Lauren Arrington, DNP, CNM, FACNM
Advisory Board Member & Childbirth Educator
As a midwife with a background in Africana Studies and history, Dr. Lauren Arrington is interested in applying tactics that emerge from social justice movements to achieve equity in perinatal care. She is an assistant professor in the Doctorate of Nursing Practice Program at Georgetown University School of Nursing, a practicing midwife in Maryland, and previously served as a maternal health advisor for Jhpiego, where she provided technical support for global health projects in Southern, West, and East Africa. She is the co-editor of a maternal health equity toolkit for Maryland Hospitals that was developed through the Maryland Maternal Health Innovation Program (MDMOM). She is also co-leading a community of learning to support Maryland birthing hospitals as they implement the maternal health equity toolkit. She serves on the Board of Commissioners for the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME) and is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health. Her work leading a hospital-based quality improvement initiative to reduce peripartum racial and ethnic disparities was recognized with an award from the Alliance on Innovation and Maternal Health.
Norma Vasquez, CLC, CBS, CD
Lactation Specialist and Perinatal Educator
Norma Vazquez (she/her/ella) is a Certified Lactation Counselor and Certified Birth & Postpartum Doula with 20 years of experience in public health. She currently offers virtual lactation support and education, expanding her reach to families in need beyond her local community. Norma is deeply committed to supporting birthing persons, particularly through her role as the Founder of Mama La Lechera, the business she created after witnessing firsthand the racial disparities that BIPOC individuals face in breastfeeding.
Understanding the systemic barriers that impact breastfeeding initiation and duration rates, Norma launched Mama La Lechera to provide accessible, equitable, and compassionate support to mamas and birthing persons, regardless of their ability to pay. Her work embodies a commitment to fostering education, representation, and belonging, empowering families in her community and beyond.
Norma’s dedication has not gone unnoticed as she was honored by YWCA Lancaster as a community leader at the 2021 Women of Achievement Awards. Her impactful work continues to make a lasting difference.
Stéphanie Etienne, CNM, MPH
Community Midwife, Childbirth Educator & Co-Founder
Stephanie Etienne is passionate about midwifery as a tool for reproductive justice and empowerment. She has been working to bring holistic care to women and families for over 10 years. She holds a BA in Spanish and Latin American Studies from Yale University. She received a Master of Public Health degree in health behavior and health education from UNC Chapel Hill. She received her nursing and midwifery degrees from Columbia University. She was a drug policy reform advocate and doula prior to becoming a midwife. She has worked as a nurse-midwife in both public institutions and private practice settings. As the proud daughter of Haitian immigrants Ms. Etienne is committed to improving healthcare access in Haiti through education and training. She lives in Baltimore MD with her husband and three children. She is the Board President for the Foundation for the Advancement of Haitian Midwives and serves on the Board of Directors for the National Association to Advance Black Birth