Get to Know me, Kristin, EmpowHER Doula
Hi there! My name is Kristin, I am 36 years old, and I am the woman behind EmpowHER Doula. I am a wife to my husband, Kris and a mother to a six year old boy, Sawyer. I am originally from New Jersey, USA and relocated to Australia in 2014. We moved to Tannum Sands, Central QLD at the start of 2021 where we currently reside.
My Calling
I started my journey as a Doula in 2021. I felt the calling that this is my purpose in life, to support women in their pregnancies, births, and postnatal period. It was just something I couldn't ignore and with the massive Maternal Health crisis in Australia, I couldn't think of a better time. Originally I was a Prep teacher in the US and then became a Kindy teacher in Australia, but I left my ten year Teaching Career for my calling to be a Doula. With the support of my husband, I left the teaching profession and eagerly began my studies to become a Doula. My qualification is through the Australian Doula College and I am a certified Full Spectrum Doula. I also have training in Ayurvedic Nutrition, Birth Trauma from PANDA, and am a voluntary Abortion Doula through Children by Choice.
My Purpose
I will try my absolute best to support you in achieving your most positive pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience. Whether you choose to birth in hospital or at home, I am here to provide you with the best possible support I am able. I will always fiercely serve the families I am so lucky to connect with. My true passion in life is the Doula life! I provide a wide range of offerings and am constantly expanding and upskilling. If you do not see something you are interested in, please ask me if I can accommodate your needs. I am so grateful to be welcomed into such a sacred space of all the families I service, and look forward to welcoming your family into my EmpowHER Doula family.
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My Service Area includes the Gladstone Region, Biloela, and Rockhampton. As of April 2025, I will no longer be servicing Bundaberg and Yeppoon.
My Birth Story
I often get asked this question by the families I care for, so I thought I'd add the brief version of my Sawyer birth story. On 23 January 2019, I was fortunate enough to birth a beautiful and healthy baby boy by an 'emergency' (I know now it was not a true emergency) Caesarean. However, our journey to Sawyer's arrival Earthside was everything but beautiful. I experienced Obstetric coercion, coerced induction at 38 weeks due to a 'big baby,' failed induction, augmentation of labour, and the cascade of interventions ultimately leading to an unplanned Caesarean. After my traumatic birth, I was left floundering with no-one offering any type of birth debrief or Postpartum care (even in hospital!!). Although now I can finally see it as a positive experience because it is what brought me to this amazing new path in life, it was not always that way. Through a substantial amount of emotional and mental work, I have been lucky enough to be able to heal. Those still suffering from Birth trauma, I see you, I hear you, and I am with you. Please reach out to me at any time.