Kerri Babish is a DONA-trained birth doula and postpartum doula whose passion for the field began with her own journey to motherhood. During a nearly decade-and-a-half career as a public middle school teacher, Kerri gave birth to two little girls. Her own pregnancies and labors led her on a personal learning journey into topics such as self-advocacy in birth settings, Hypnobirthing, and Spinning Babies. She was empowered by supportive birth teams to make confident choices, and came away from each birth feeling respected and cared for.
As more and more of Kerri’s friends gave birth, she realized that many of their stories did not mirror her own. Many felt they had not been listened to or communicated with properly. That decisions had been made that they did not fully understand. That they were disempowered, or even traumatized, by their birth experiences.
Kerri realized that her positive birth experiences had a lot to do with luck: the right nurse at the right time, the doctor who happened to know midwifery techniques. Her conviction that an empowering birth should not have to be a matter of luck is what ultimately led her into the birth world. Every labor she has attended has been a powerful and positive reminder to Kerri that birth work is truly where her heart is.
About a year after entering birth work, Kerri added postpartum doula support to her repertoire. She finds so much satisfaction in helping each family learn the skills needed to care for their newest members and supporting them in gaining confidence by recognizing their own competence as parents.
Her experiences in the classroom, the birthing room and the postpartum home have honed Kerri's calm and patient demeanor, a passion for making sure her clients feel understood and informed every step of the way, and an ability to think on her feet when plans change midstream. Her belief that every person deserves to feel heard, supported and safe in their reproductive journey has also led her to pursue continuing training in trauma-informed care, full-spectrum doula work, and inclusive childbirth education.