All around the country there are men and women who care about changing the perception of adoption! They're not all birth mothers, adoptive parents or adoptees. They're people just like Kelsi. Kelsi has a unique heart and passion to serve women. Find out why Kelsi cares...
My name is Kelsi. I am a doula in the Westchester/NYC area, and will be moving to Washington D.C. in a few months! Throughout my life, I have been fortunate to know and love many women who have given birth, and many who have adopted. As a teenager, I attended the births of several of my friends who were also teenagers. In the small town that I am from, in Tennessee, there isn't a lot of support or information for adoption, so none of the girls I knew went with that option, but witnessing their journeys through pregnancy and birth inspired and changed me. That's how I became fascinated by the process of birth, and knew I wanted to always support and hold space for women who are going through that process.
In college, I met my husband, as well as many close friends, who are adopted. I was inspired by the love of their adoptive families and birth parents. My mother-in-law actually works at a pregnancy counseling center, and I have been fortunate to have her as a friend and example of what it looks like to love and serve all kinds of mothers, myself included.
My journey as a doula started when, this past year, I was pregnant with my first child and wanted the support of the doula. I was admittedly overwhelmed by the cost and process of finding one, but I did end up having a doula at my birth, and she was amazing. Her presence, I believe, really guided the positive and empowering nature of my birth experience. It was my doula, Joyce, who inspired me to pursue my lifelong passion for supporting birthing mothers by becoming a doula myself.
When I was pursuing my path as a doula, I thought very hard about what the goal of my "business" would be. I decided very quickly that one of my major goals would be to serve women who wouldn't normally be able to afford a doula, or who would never even think to look for one - women like my friends in high school.
Since then, I've had this idea that I would love to work with women who know they are going to place their babies for adoption. I believe it is such an amazing, brave decision, though I know that some women often can't afford the services of a doula. I am incredibly inspired by the work of BraveLove! Funny story - I actually found Brave Love because I was trying to decide on a name for my doula business/website, and the name “BraveLove” was one of my ideas. I googled it to see if it was taken, and it brought me straight to BraveLove's website. I ended up spending probably an hour just browsing the site, going through the mission and looking at the resources.
For the past week, I haven’t been able to get the work of the people at BraveLove out of my mind, and I don’t think that’s any coincidence. I’m so thankful that my endless brainstorming for the perfect business name led me to this organization, and I look forward to the opportunity to serve with and through them.
