The Doula Difference - Kristin R's Story

What actually is a doula—and why do so many parents say they’d never give birth without one again?

This week I’m joined by Kristin from Gold Coast Doulas, who’s on a mission to transform the way we support birthing individuals from conception through the chaos of early parenting. Kristin shares how her own birth experiences sparked a passion for advocacy and led her to create the kind of business she wishes existed when she became a mom.

We dive into the misunderstood role of doulas, bust myths around who they serve (hint: it's not just for home births), and explore how emotional and physical support can completely change the postpartum game. From navigating insurance coverage to trusting your gut in a system full of managed care, this conversation is packed with insights for anyone navigating pregnancy, birth, or the foggy fourth trimester.

Whether you’re expecting, postpartum, or simply passionate about maternal health—this episode is your permission slip to seek support, ask questions, and reclaim your power.

Takeaways

• Kristen's journey into doula work was influenced by her own birth experiences.
• Gold Coast Doulas offers comprehensive support from conception to age five.
• Doulas provide non-medical support and advocacy during pregnancy and postpartum.
• The role of a doula is often misunderstood, with many believing they only assist with home births.
• Judgment-free support is crucial for empowering birthing individuals.
• Doulas help clients navigate their birth experiences and make informed decisions.
• Collaboration with healthcare providers is essential for effective doula support.
• Every birthing person deserves access to doula care and support.

Sound Bites

• "I fell in love with advocating for women."
• "I created the business that I wish existed."
• "I felt alone even with a nurse midwife."
• "There is a lot of managed patient care."
• "There is a doula for everyone."
• Todayas can impact prenatal health and support."
• "I would never do it without a doula."
• "Moms get things done."
• "Trust that little nagging feeling or your gut."
• "Everybody should look into doulas."

Transcript

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Chelsea Myers (00:44)
Welcome to Quiet Connection, a podcast dedicated to ending the stigma around postpartum mental health. I'm Chelsea. Today we're diving into the transformative power of doula support with Kristen from Gold Coast Doulas. From her own birth experiences to building a full spectrum support service for families.

Kristin shares how doulas advocate, educate, and empower birthing individuals every step of the way. Whether you're new to the concept of doulas or already a believer, this conversation is here to inform, inspire, and remind you, you don't have to do this alone. Here's Kristin.

Chelsea Myers (01:28)
Hello, today I'm here with Kristen. Kristen, how are you?

Kristin Revere (01:33)
I am doing well, Chelsea. A little tired from a flight last night, but doing well.

Chelsea Myers (01:38)
Yeah, I'm glad. I'm glad that you're doing well. I'm sorry about your flight delays. You're, you're certainly doing a lot better on a lot less sleep than I am. So I will give you that. I'm really excited to have you here, Kristen. I could go down the list of things that I admire about you, but I think my listeners would appreciate it more if you would sort of introduce yourself and also

who you were before you became a parent.

Kristin Revere (02:11)
Ooh, so where to begin, Chelsea? At the core, who I am is all about empowering women. From the start of time, I've been a girls girl and, you know, lifted up my friends and I helped really, when I was in college, create events and connecting opportunities.

Chelsea Myers (02:15)
You

Kristin Revere (02:40)
was in a sorority and held breast cancer awareness events and fundraisers and really fell in love with just who we are as a core. I've never really, I wasn't sure if I would be a parent. I wasn't one who loved holding babies and imagining being a homemaker. I was very career focused and I ended up having kids later in life.

did everything from advertising sales to political fundraising and political communications. And when I was pregnant with my daughter later in life, I was advanced maternal age and I was working on the governor's race. Yeah, so was high risk status and really had no idea how challenging it was to.

Chelsea Myers (03:25)
hate that term.

Kristin Revere (03:35)
build a dream birth and baby team until I was in the thick of it myself. And being that I had kids later in life, many of my friends went through it much earlier than me. They had kids in elementary school, high school, and so their advice was outdated. So I started searching on some of the pregnancy sites, like Baby Center.

Chelsea Myers (04:01)
Mmm.

Kristin Revere (04:01)
and really asked friends, then I found that their OBs had retired or the childbirth class they took didn't exist. I didn't know about doulas with my first pregnancy, ended up switching providers when I felt like I wasn't being fully heard and found a nurse midwifery group.

And there I learned more about my options with out of hospital classes, took Lamaze, and my husband had some hesitation with some of my choices because he had been married before and ⁓ they ended up having some trauma and emergency cesarean. And so for me to want an unmedicated birth.

was a bit outside of his comfort level. And so, yeah, it really changed me, the whole process of becoming a mother, not just once, but twice. And I fell in love with advocating for women in that way. With all the choices we make, all the judgment we face about our decisions and how we birth.

how we feed our babies, how we parent our babies. So after I was pregnant with my son, I had been doing some breastfeeding advocacy work, helped create a rally in my community and brought in political leaders I knew. And I met doulas at that rally. So when I was pregnant, my first call was to the doulas that I met and they gave me so many resources and options.

because I'd had preeclampsia with my daughter. She was in NICU for multiple days due to glucose issues. So I struggled with feeding and I didn't want the same thing to happen with my second pregnancy. So my doulas gave me so many resources. I saw a functional medicine doctor, making sure that my health was where it needed to be. And...

swam almost daily and did what I could to keep my blood pressure down. So I had my dream birth with a few minor complications and decided to get into childbirth education as more of a hobby, just to give families options. So I went to a training in Virginia with my family when my son was four months old.

And yeah, and then had been promoting the classes before the training and started teaching right after that. And it's very common with childbirth educators. My students wanted me to be their doula. And again, I knew politics, knew ad sales. That wasn't something that I was comfortable with. And I decided that I might just get trained because I'm one of those people that

Chelsea Myers (06:43)
Wow.

You

Kristin Revere (07:11)
likes all of the education and training. So I figured it wouldn't hurt. Went to a training in Florida because back at that time, I'd been in doula over 12 years. There weren't a lot of training options in Michigan. You often had to travel unless you went through one particular organization. And I really got immersed in supporting women without judgment and being that non-medical.

and supporting the partner equally. And so I took a couple of my students on as clients, joined a collective, and with the first birth, all of my fears that happened, sort of, you know, I was faced with some of those and I loved it. And it isn't an easy job being on call and all of the uncertain unknowns in the birth doula role.

but it has been so fulfilling and supporting families. feel like especially the after birth care that we do as postpartum doulas and newborn care specialists changes lives and makes families feel like they aren't alone. And in this country, it's like you have your baby and just go for it and don't ask for help because you're weak if you do, but I feel like...

Even though I love being a birth doula and feel that role, I have so much reverence for it, but that postnatal time is crucial in so many ways.

Chelsea Myers (08:53)
Mm hmm. Yeah, that was so much like, but so listeners, as you can tell, this is a doula episode. This is and we are. We love a doula. We love a doula. You not only did you go through your own, like birthing experiences that had their own kind of trauma tied to them.

Like you said, you kind of like faced your fears, saw an interest, felt a pull and followed that. And now you are the owner and founder of Gold Coast Doulas it, you are, you're doing the thing, which is amazing.

you made some pretty big career shifts and changes to go to going from sales and politics into the whole birth realm. Like it's a, I want to say like that's a huge, a huge short,

a huge difference, but birth can be political. And especially right now, especially right now. So some of the things that I loved that you highlighted, as you so beautifully told us about the story to where you are, the journey to where you are now is doulas do so much more than just attend a birth.

Kristin Revere (10:01)
Yes.

Chelsea Myers (10:20)
they're there for the birthing person, they are there for the partner and the postpartum care, the postpartum doulas are so crucial and so many people don't know what a doula is, what, how to find a doula, what do, are doulas covered under my insurance? Like there's, there's so, so many questions and the answers vary depending on where you are. So

Could you sort of talk to us a little bit about Gold Coast doulas and what you are able to provide in your home state in Michigan?

Kristin Revere (11:03)
Yes. So I created the business that I wish existed for me in my own pregnancies. So we are full service, non-medical support from conception through with sleep consulting up to age five. But really we focus on the first critical year and have everything from classes, both virtual and in person.

to lactation consultants, birth doulas, postpartum doulas, overnight doulas, as well as newborn care specialists, sleep consultants, baby registry consultants, the whole, you know, pretty much everything but placenta encapsulation. We don't offer that.

Chelsea Myers (11:49)
Yes. Yeah, that that's still one thing. I don't think we've covered that on the podcast, ⁓ but yeah, so you really do cover from from, I won't say from start to finish, because I don't think we're ever really finished once we're parents. But you're really there for the critical times advocating for families.

Kristin Revere (12:05)
No.

Absolutely, and working together with their care team of choice. Now, many doulas have a niche and they may specialize in home births or a VBAC vaginal birth after cesarean, or really focus on unmedicated hospital births. But we support our families where they're at. So no matter where they birth, but they have to have

a provider, we don't attend unassisted births, some doulas do. And you know, how they choose, so if they want an epidural right away, you can still have a doula, you have to find the right doula. And we also support planned surgical births. So we are there to guide them through pregnancy, through labor and delivery, immediately after the birth. And then we also provide a follow-up visit.

Chelsea Myers (12:42)
Mm-hmm.

Kristin Revere (13:06)
within two weeks of when they deliver, because that six week visit is too long to get help. So we are there to give resources to process the birth, to help with feeding if there are questions, and answer some newborn questions, and then again, give those appropriate referrals, because I want to stress many times that we are non-medical.

Chelsea Myers (13:11)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah, I think so we've talked about this on the podcast before we've talked to a couple of doulas and what I love too in speaking with doulas from all over the country is that like you said, everyone sort of has their little like niche like everyone has what they feel like pulled to and drawn to and I love that you are offering such a diverse

range of doula care. But yes, a lot of people are get confused between doulas and midwives and they are not the same thing. Nope, no. ⁓ But both are so crucial, I feel like. ⁓ I don't I typically don't like put my own opinions into things. But if I have one opinion that I'm gonna

Kristin Revere (14:08)
Not at all.

Chelsea Myers (14:25)
stress on Quiet Connection is I really strongly feel that every birthing person should have access to doula care and the option of midwifery care as well. ⁓ Both can be game changing.

So again, referencing back to you to your birth story, your initial birth story with your first that didn't quite go according to plan. When you stepped into the birth education and doula realm, what do you think were some things that were important to you that you provided that were that was not provided to you in that experience?

Kristin Revere (15:09)
I felt like with my first birth, I was induced for preeclampsia, I on bed rest for multiple weeks, that the hospital was so busy and a lot of decisions needed to be made that I felt alone even with a nurse midwife. She had other patients, she was barely in my room for the induction. No fault of her own, but when people deliver, you need to be with a delivering patient. And the nurse was in and out.

Chelsea Myers (15:31)
Mm.

Kristin Revere (15:38)
And so I felt like it wasn't what I expected in my Lamaze class, in how my labor would go. I never expected an induction. kept hearing that I had the perfect pregnancy up until, you know, it got closer to my due date around that 36, 37 week mark. I kept getting more and more signs. And so being a planner, I thought I could read all the books.

Chelsea Myers (15:53)
Mmm.

Kristin Revere (16:06)
watch all the documentaries like the business of being born, take a breastfeeding class, Lamaze class, and that my birth would go exactly the way I planned it. And I would have this glorious skin to skin time and room in with my baby, but that's not what happened.

Chelsea Myers (16:10)
Yes.

Mm Yeah. And that's kind of why we're here, right? Like we do all picture and envision this beautiful birth experience, because that's what we're told about. That's what we hear about. But these other experiences are happening, and they're happening, and they're common. And it's okay. It's okay to talk about it. So

when you think about your doula work now and when you started like birth education, ⁓ what were the things that are most important to you or were most important to you that you felt like you needed during that time.

Kristin Revere (17:08)
Yes, so parents not feeling like they're alone, like they have options that if things are not an emergency, we can slow it down and talk through the risks and benefits and alternatives. So you feel like birth isn't happening to you, like you are making informed decisions even if your birth doesn't go according to plan.

I've always been very intuitive. So as a birth doula specifically, I'm also a postpartum doula. I go into the birth without any judgment. I don't keep a scorecard anymore like I did as a new doula. I don't feel like I failed if my client gets an epidural when they said they wanted to avoid any pain medication. I'm there to, as like a vessel of support.

and I will go along with whatever their plan is, but my goal is to support them, to hear them. I'm great with physical support. Duelists also provide position changes, information if labor stalls, give some tips if baby needs to turn, if their posterior transverse, and hip squeezes, counter pressure.

And whether a client has an unmedicated birth or an epidural, I do as much physical work with an epidural client as I do with an unmedicated. And then I love working as a team with nurses, midwives, OBs, and if a friend or mother is in the room and the partner certainly, and to find what everyone wants their ideal role to be.

So some partners are more of the hand holder and I will encourage them, give them tips. So the connection and memory that a couple has is not of the doula did everything. It's what the partner did and their role because partners often are hesitant not only by the financial investment of a doula, but also that a doula might replace them. My husband felt the same thing when I hired doulas.

Chelsea Myers (19:24)
Mmm.

Kristin Revere (19:27)
He's like, I didn't do a good enough job with the first. felt like, you know, but I wanted, like women have always been supporting women, you know, around the world, across time. It has been our role. Like doulas were a profession much more recently, but we've always supported women in our communities through labor and early parenting. And so I wanted.

that type of non-medical support at my birth. And so of choices, I feel it's important to be there, consistent presence in the birthing space that a doula provides and that calmness that we can bring to any scenario is so needed.

Chelsea Myers (20:17)
Yeah, yeah. The overarching word, like umbrella word that I often use for doulas is just advocate and advocacy. And I wish I truly do wish that I had known about doulas at all when I had my two children and my youngest is only two. So even two years ago, I had never heard of it. I joke actually. ⁓

The only thing I'd known about doulas was from the TV show Gilmore Girls. ⁓ Yes. And they named their baby doula because they had a doula. And that's, yeah, that's all I knew. That's all I knew about it. And I'm like, okay. Well, that's just like, so it's for people who are like you said, like people who are having unassisted births and like I just, had no idea. I had no scope of, of

Kristin Revere (20:51)
Yes!

Yes, I'd love that.

Chelsea Myers (21:16)
knowledge in that area at all. But now, I wish I would have known because what birth doulas and postpartum doulas do is really advocate. You are the advocate when in some of the most vulnerable and life changing moments in a person's life, you're there to make sure that their needs and their wants are being respected and heard. And that's so powerful. That's so powerful.

Kristin Revere (21:43)
Absolutely.

And it's the work we do prenatally. they are, our clients are asking questions during pregnancy to their provider. We can give them information and resources. So the doula isn't the one necessarily advocating, but the client is learning how to advocate for themselves. Ask the right question. The partner is feeling.

Like they are informed whether they took a childbirth class or not, even from the prenatal visits with the doula. And again, like I love the word advocate, but sometimes doulas can get into the activist space or they have their idea of how birth or parenting should be. And so I sometimes step back a little bit with the advocate.

Chelsea Myers (22:27)
Mmm.

Kristin Revere (22:40)
because some doulas take it to a different level and it's like ⁓ against authority or the hospital system and I find that I've made more progress working within the system and being collaborative than fighting the system and I feel like there's a place for everything but in someone's birth space I am going to be collaborative and help them

Chelsea Myers (22:59)
Mm-hmm.

Kristin Revere (23:10)
make informed decisions, but I don't have an agenda going into a birth.

Chelsea Myers (23:16)
I love that. I love that distinction. ⁓ And I think you're right. I think it's so important collaboration with the team, while also ensuring that your your birthing person is feeling heard and feeling right, like you said before, like, it's not that the that the act of birth is happening to them. They are an active participant in their birthing experience.

Kristin Revere (23:44)
Yes, and some people

don't want to be and that's their choice. They want to be a patient and follow along and whatever happens, they usually don't hire a doula, but.

Chelsea Myers (23:47)
Yeah!

Right.

Yeah. Yeah. I also, one of the things that I really, really like about how you approach doula work and ⁓ just the birth realm in general is the judgment free support. And like you said, ⁓ again, not all doulas are created equal and it's about finding the right doula.

But going in without an agenda of your own and going in without judgment or a preconceived idea of how you think the birth should go is so validating and so important to the person who is giving birth. Because we think of birth as such a clinical experience. Like you said, some people really don't wanna be, they wanna be the patient, they don't wanna be

They want to be told what to do and go in and have their baby and that's the end. But ⁓ I think a lot of us are really yearning for what you were yearning for that first time around that skin to skin, that golden hour that, okay, I'm going to be unmedicated and it's going to be beautiful. And ⁓ it may not always be that way, but going in without judgment and without an agenda is probably one of the

greatest gifts you can give to the people that you're working with. There wasn't really a question in there. That was just the...

Kristin Revere (25:28)
No, I appreciate

that. And it's so true. mean, there is a lot of managed patient care. so going in without a set, this has to happen at this time and just being open. And even in the postnatal recovery time, every day with the same client can be different. Their needs might be different. And every client has

different reasons for their choices. If they choose to exclusively pump, it's not belief that breastfeeding is say, ⁓ a better way to connect and more efficient. And if they want to pump or formula feed, then I'm going to give them resources and support and make sure that...

they are feeling empowered in their choices and if they want information, I will give it. And so again, like some doulas are focused on breast is best and at all costs and they're going to be focused on that. But I believe in choices and also giving, you know, education on, you know, supporting those choices or maybe reconsidering some.

And so if they want to talk about different feeding options and if they're a formula feeding mom and feeling judged in those mom groups, getting them support with other formula feeding moms, for example.

Chelsea Myers (27:04)
Yeah, I love that you're creating connections, which is all that's what we're all about. So I love that so much.

So we get we have we've talked a lot already in our short time together about how how important it is to sort of find a doula that

is in alignment with your needs and beliefs and how they can support you best. what do you think is most misunderstood about what a doula does or how a doula can serve a new family?

Kristin Revere (27:40)
Yeah, so Chelsea, as you mentioned earlier, that confusion of the role of a doula and a midwife and that doulas are only for home births or unmedicated births would be a misconception when doulas are depicted in the media, in a movie or TV show, they're often the crunchy, flowy, like long skirt, Birkenstock. I mean, I'm a suit wearing, I'm very...

Chelsea Myers (28:07)
You

Kristin Revere (28:08)
mainstream and there are doulas who use crystals and are very earthy but that's not all of us. has the profession has changed and there is a doula for everyone.

Chelsea Myers (28:13)
Mm-hmm.

Mm hmm. Yeah, I love that you mentioned that. Right? Because that's exactly the doula that I was picturing when I was right, like when I was younger, I was like, Oh, yeah, it's just the like, flowing, we're gonna have incense burning. And I have incense burning right now. But that doesn't mean necessarily that every doula is going to look or or practice that way. And there is a doula for everyone. On that

sort of in that same vein, what do you think are the barriers to people accessing doulas or finding doulas?

Kristin Revere (29:00)
So obviously some communities don't have many doula options. If they are in a rural area, there may only be a couple and they could be booked. the support, you know, there are virtual doulas. That's something that I offer. I'm also a certified birth coach, so I can help people in communities that don't have access to a doula. So I would certainly recommend to your listeners who are either early in pregnancy or, you know,

Chelsea Myers (29:10)
Mm-hmm.

Kristin Revere (29:29)
planning their first or next pregnancy to hire early and get that connection going similar to what I did with my second pregnancy of having doulas as a resource when I needed to find a prenatal yoga class or I was looking at making sure that I wasn't depleted from breastfeeding my daughter with my second pregnancy. And so going to a functional medicine or a dietitian.

Chelsea Myers (29:34)
Mm-hmm.

Kristin Revere (29:59)
and knowing all of those options. And yeah, so it just hiring early and knowing how to search for a doula. Obviously you can type in doula near me on Google. That's one way to do it and find someone with a website or who is on a site like doulamatch.

Chelsea Myers (30:16)
Right?

Kristin Revere (30:25)
would be one way to type in a zip code and you can find birth and postpartum doulas through DoulaMatch there's on there are a few other online apps or sources to find doulas. And then if you have a friend who's worked with a doula, you know, getting that recommendation, we often get referrals from past clients or friends and then physicians or midwives.

Chelsea Myers (30:25)
I'd never even heard of that.

Kristin Revere (30:51)
Midwives especially know doulas in the community so you can ask around. Every personality is different. Some people do the research online and others trust a personal recommendation.

Chelsea Myers (31:05)
Yeah, yeah. And it's, ⁓ it's important to to note that like every state is different as well too. ⁓ So, and I'd like, we won't get into it because it could be a whole other podcast, but like, some insurances will cover doula care, some insurances will not some states will some it's so access to doula care is challenging and complicated, but it doesn't mean

that you shouldn't look into it. If it's not for you, it's not for you. But like you said, there are resources and there are ways to find doulas around you or near you. ⁓ yes, let's touch on it then. Yeah, I was gonna take it in a different direction. But yes, I love it. Let's talk about it, please.

Kristin Revere (31:45)
If you have a minute, I'd love to touch on that,

So talking about resources, for both birth and postpartum doulas, you mentioned insurance. At this time, general insurance doesn't cover birth or postpartum, but there are a lot of self-funded employer benefits that cover both types of doulas or one type. And some of the bigger options would be carrot fertility.

Chelsea Myers (32:20)
Yes.

Kristin Revere (32:20)
So

they cover up to six weeks from birth with day and overnight postpartum support and birth doula support. It's an excellent benefit. I'm a big fan of Progeny and their birth and postpartum doula benefit plan. There is ⁓ Maven as an option. There are military benefits for birth doulas, Tricare for example, and then ⁓

Some Christian healthcare sharing programs cover part of the cost of a birth doula or if the doula is newer, it may be the full fee. And then health savings and flex spending have covered birth and postpartum doulas with most plans for the last several years. And you mentioned Medicaid for birth doulas and postpartum visits, not the act of caring for baby, but

the visits and giving support and options in many states, Michigan being one of them. And so finding a doula who is Medicaid covered for your particular insurance. My agency does not accept Medicaid for birth doulas. It's just our core focus is that overnight newborn care. And for me to focus on billing and pivot.

Chelsea Myers (33:44)
Mm-hmm.

Kristin Revere (33:44)
I'm not

making the impact that I want to, and I am so thankful for all of the doulas in Michigan that are providing that much needed support because women are still dying in childbirth and doulas can impact that prenatal health and the support they get during labor. So I'm a big fan of Medicaid coverage and I do feel like as it expands around the U.S.

that the next step would certainly be general insurance covering at least the birth doula role

Chelsea Myers (34:18)
Yeah, I'm actually very glad that you wanted to talk about it because again, like I had mentioned earlier, like birth is political and insurance, unfortunately, is political and let's hope that Medicaid remains and that we can expand our access to dual care.

Because like you said, it does make a huge difference on birth outcomes for the birthing person and for baby. I don't have the statistic right off the top of my head, but I do know that support from, it doesn't matter who the support is from, support from a doula or support from family or support from friends in the perinatal and postpartum period significantly reduces the risk of

birth trauma or PMADS or all of these things. like, like we've been talking about, doulas are there for support. So the work that you're doing does save lives. So I am glad that you wanted to talk about it because now listeners can, they know, like we've, we've talked about carrot, but there are other others that you mentioned that I hadn't heard of. So I appreciate that. I really, really do.

Kristin Revere (35:46)
And hopefully in a year from now when listeners find this episode, there are many more options beyond that. But one thing that I am a big fan of as a baby registry consultant is people registering for services like a postpartum doula, a breastfeeding class, a sleep consultant, even other services like a housekeeping service. If you're stressed by

Chelsea Myers (35:52)
Yeah.

Yessss

Yes.

Kristin Revere (36:14)
your house not being ready for visitors and you know a lot of family and friends are coming by, then maybe that's the best thing. Or meal delivery service. You don't need all the onesies, all the things, gathering dust that your baby's not gonna need until they're crawling or walking. so thinking about being very intentional with your registry.

Chelsea Myers (36:32)
Yes!

Kristin Revere (36:42)
with your baby shower and even I've had companies gift doula support as the big shower gift. so knowing that the more support they have, the more rest an employee has, the more likely they're going to get back to work and be productive and stay in that job. So whether the employer is offering doula benefits or they're throwing a shower,

Chelsea Myers (36:51)
Wow.

Kristin Revere (37:12)
and gifting postpartum doula support, they are impacting their company as a whole by having a well-rested, well-supported employee returning to work.

Chelsea Myers (37:27)
Yes. Yeah. I love that. wish, I mean, in an ideal world, this would just be what we do, right? Like we would just be caring for our moms and our birthing people. and, but I love that you're, you're being real about it and you're giving real resources and real tips because this is where we're at. And yeah, like there was absolutely nothing on my registry about like, I would have loved to have had.

a meal train sort of thing or a house cleaner or I'd still love to have a house cleaner. But that's yeah. It's just a constant cycle. But these are real tips that that expecting parents can use and I and I so appreciate that. bringing it back a little bit and sort of talking about your experiences.

Kristin Revere (38:02)
Same, I would love it.

Chelsea Myers (38:23)
in your first birth experience and then your second birth experience with a doula, after you had your first, you said like it was really, really challenging, obviously, because you didn't get that time, you didn't get that skin to skin, you didn't get that rooming in. How did that sort of affect your vision of motherhood as your first time entering it?

Kristin Revere (38:47)
It was different than what my friends had experienced, what I learned in class, the childbirth videos I saw. And I have to say I'm very fortunate. I had as close to my birth plan with an induction as you could. So I did not have any pain management. I basically had a cervical ripener and a membrane sweep. And I was fortunate that once I got my daughter to turn, that she

Chelsea Myers (39:02)
Mm-hmm.

Kristin Revere (39:17)
was able to get born without any intervention. There was constant concern about the decals during my labor. And she ended up having the cord wrapped around her arm after delivery. But when I was pushing, my midwife had mentioned that she had called for a cesarean and that it was a very close situation.

Chelsea Myers (39:44)
Mm-hmm.

Kristin Revere (39:44)
And

then we found out that the cord was wrapped around her arm, which was causing some of the issues. So I avoided that recovery from a surgical birth that I would have had. And, you know, it was difficult enough going back and forth from the NICU, but I didn't have the healing on top of it that many moms, especially with preeclampsia, do. And so, but still I felt like I wanted

Chelsea Myers (40:07)
Mm-hmm.

Kristin Revere (40:13)
a different experience and knew that we wanted to have another child. And my midwife had suggested I wait a year and then try. And even with breastfeeding my daughter, I was able to get pregnant very easily. So I'm thankful for that. And that time around was different because I planned even more.

Chelsea Myers (40:40)
Yeah.

Kristin Revere (40:41)
took

Lamaze class all over again and did hired all of the experts in my dream team. But still I with a fully unmedicated laboring on my own at 40 plus two days. So over my due date, everything I wanted to experience, I hemorrhaged after, you know, delivery and my son had a tongue tie. So feeding was painful.

Chelsea Myers (40:56)
Mmm.

Kristin Revere (41:10)
but I didn't have a NICU stay. He was very healthy and I experienced a truly intervention-free labor other than obviously when I hemorrhaged and needing support there.

Chelsea Myers (41:23)
Mm hmm.

Yeah. And you said you said the second time around you did have a doula. Yeah. Yeah. And in what ways were you noticing that impacting your experience?

Kristin Revere (41:29)
Yes, I had two doulas, ⁓

they were like best friends throughout my pregnancy. I could text them and we had prenatal visits. I felt like I was truly supported. And even with my midwife group, I had longer prenatal visits. I felt connected to all of the midwives in the practice. And being that I had preeclampsia before, the OBs were closely monitoring my situation. But yeah, it was a...

Chelsea Myers (41:42)
Yes.

Kristin Revere (42:08)
unique experience to have them guide in a way with not only resources, but I would say friendship. And I am there as that cheerleader and support in however my client wants me to be there for them. And I, for my dualists, I wanted them to cheer me on and I wanted my husband to be a very,

integral part in the labor process and that support. But my birth was so quick. Like my doulas barely got to my house and they're like, you need to go to the hospital. And I was in triage longer than my room. My water broke when I got to the room and the midwives had left the practice. So I had OBs with me actually the last month of my pregnancy. And so it was middle of the day on Halloween and my OB ran in, but the resident was going to

Chelsea Myers (42:44)
Ha

Kristin Revere (43:05)
catch my son because it was so quick. Like no one expected it to be that quick. was a seven in triage and like had my baby in a matter of minutes. So, and I think that's part of like, again, I hemorrhaged after delivery, but ⁓ yeah, it was a, to have them there for that skin to skin time and help with breastfeeding.

Chelsea Myers (43:17)
my gosh.

Kristin Revere (43:33)
and to have their support even though they weren't with me. Like I can sometimes be with a client, especially with an induction for days. It was a quick birth. They barely did hip squeezes on me, but I still, especially in pregnancy, valued that support. And if I had another child, I would never, even if I never became a doula, would never do it without.

Chelsea Myers (43:42)
Mm-hmm.

Yeah, that is a common sentiment. ⁓ Which is, I truly, truly wish for every parent and new birthing person that they have Doula support. I wish I had had Doula support. I honestly, truly believe that Doulas and midwives could change all of these

awful, scary statistics that we see that are real. They're scary, but they're real about infant and maternal mortality in the US. And I'm not saying that doulas and midwives can wave a magic wand and make it all go away. But I think that the work that you are doing and that midwifery care ⁓ does is so much more

Kristin Revere (44:25)
They are real.

Chelsea Myers (44:49)
focused on whole wellness, mental and physical wellness for mom and baby. I just think that it can make all the difference in the world if we had more access. ⁓ This is an interesting question that just kind of popped into my head, but

Kristin Revere (44:57)
Right.

Chelsea Myers (45:10)
What do you do you see any similarities in the work that you were doing, like you said, in politics and with politicians and the work that you're doing as a doula? Any like overlapping skill areas?

Kristin Revere (45:25)
Yes, so I was very passionate about getting women to feel confident, to run for office without being asked, and to raise the money that they need to win. And so again, that I woke up every morning with that drive of women need to be in places of power.

Chelsea Myers (45:42)
Mm-hmm.

Kristin Revere (45:53)
and women have unique experiences and now as a mother, believe that moms get things done. We see a problem and we solve it and we need more moms in office, not just women.

Chelsea Myers (46:00)
Yes

Yes,

I, I 100 % agree with you. ⁓ Moms get things done. I think becoming a mother wakes something up in you and you can it's like you're seeing through different lenses. So yeah, moms get things done.

Kristin Revere (46:22)
Absolutely. And

now I'm in that perimenopause state. And so I feel like a different kind of fire in my belly. It's, yeah, it's crazy, but like the motherhood combined with aging fiercely. Yeah. So I love it.

Chelsea Myers (46:26)
Yeah.

Mm hmm. I love

it. Well, you've always been it sounds like you've always been about empowerment for women like from the get go. You not only for yourself, but you want to see other women succeed. You want to see other women feel their power. And that's, that's amazing. That's your superpower. You are helping women see their superpowers. So I just Yeah.

I think that that's such a beautiful thing and I love that you're doing that in the birth realm and the postpartum realm and just life in general. We need people like that.

Kristin Revere (47:20)
Thanks,

I feel like in retirement, it's a long way away. But my plan is to get into more policy advocacy and I'm involved in multiple groups, including March of Dimes and very involved in statewide coalitions for infant and maternal health. But I would like to be able to do some advocacy when I'm in my...

Chelsea Myers (47:23)
Hahaha!

Mm-hmm.

Kristin Revere (47:49)
retirement phase because I'm more workaholic. I don't think I'll ever retire.

Chelsea Myers (47:54)
I feel that I feel that I always feel like I need to be. feel like it's I mean, activism, I guess, is the word that comes to mind. But like, always needing to be advocating and and being involved in some sort of activism for the things that we feel strongly about. And yeah, I think what you're doing is incredible. To bring us sort of full circle.

Kristin Revere (48:14)
Yes.

Chelsea Myers (48:24)
I think, ugh, so listeners, always ask one of two questions and it's getting to the point, it's getting harder and harder to pick the question. It used to be like, okay, I'll get, cause I save it to the end so that I can get to know you. And it's getting harder and harder because I want to know all the things. But ⁓ I think since you did such a beautiful job telling us,

what a doula is, what a doula does, what you can do to help yourself prepare. Rather than asking my question of like, what message do you hope people take away? I think what I'll ask you is, if you could go back in time, it's that time machine question, you can't tell yourself anything about where you're going to be today or how you got here. But you can instill something within yourself.

to carry you through and to give you that power that you need, what do you think you would instill within yourself?

Kristin Revere (49:32)
to trust that little nagging feeling or your gut. And I have found, again, as I age, that if I listen to my instinct or that little voice, I can't go wrong. And I tell my clients that no one knows their body or their baby the way they do. And we are set instinctually to be mothers. And it is up to us to advocate for ourselves.

So I, in my life, even as a planner, am trusting my gut more and things are going better than asking others for advice or researching is, again, trusting my instincts at an earlier age rather than going with the flow.

Chelsea Myers (50:24)
Yeah, that kind of answers both of my questions. That's kind of cool. You would instill that within yourself and you want that for others. So I love that. That's awesome. ⁓ Well, Kristen, thank you so, so, so much. I've loved chatting with you. I always love chatting about Doula care and ⁓ it's the one thing we always say we don't promote or endorse or anything like businesses or coaching or anything like that, but I...

Kristin Revere (50:38)
Thank you, Chelsea.

Chelsea Myers (50:54)
That is like my hill that I will that I that I will stand on is doulas. Everybody should look into doulas because even if it's not for you, just look into it because it very well could be. So yeah, thank you for for sharing some of your time with us sharing your story with us and for the work that you're doing.

Kristin Revere (51:16)
Thank you. And I appreciate your podcast, all the advocacy and work you're doing. again, to support women especially is so important in these times and to know that we're not alone.

Chelsea Myers (51:31)
A huge thank you to Kristen for sharing her wisdom, her story, through Gold Coast Dulas. The resources, support, and advocacy she's providing are truly changing lives, and we're so grateful to have her voice in this space. If today's episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who might need it. And be sure to check the show notes to learn more about all of Kristen's resources.

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