Kerry Reynolds
I understand that what creates a positive birth experience for one family may look completely different for another. I strive to be a thoughtful listener and trusted guide, helping each family explore its options and pursue its own unique birth vision. There is more than one way to welcome a baby, and I believe that with compassionate, informed support, birth can be an empowering journey into parenthood.
I completed my first birth doula training in January 2009 and have provided full-time birth support for more than 15 years. With more than 850 births attended, I am one of the most experienced birth doulas in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area—and one of the few DMV natives who was born and raised here.
I am honored to support all families as they prepare to welcome their babies. My goal is to ensure that every family feels safe, heard, respected, and welcome. I draw upon my extensive training and experience to provide emotional reassurance, physical comfort, advocacy support, and evidence-based information so families can make informed decisions throughout pregnancy and birth.
How Doula Work Found Me
In my heart, I believe doula work found me at exactly the right time. In December 2007, while working as an executive assistant in property management and commercial real estate, I met an expectant mother while vacationing in Bermuda. We immediately connected and spent much of the trip together. As we waited for the same flight home to Virginia on New Year’s Day, she looked at me and said, “You should be a doula.”
I had to Google the word.
Six months later, I had the honor of attending her birth. It was complicated and filled with unexpected turns, but as I drove home the following day, I knew I had found my calling. I immediately began exploring how to transition from my first career into supporting families through pregnancy and birth.
Soon afterward, I learned I was expecting my second daughter—10 years after the birth of my first. Training as a doula while preparing to give birth again was an incredible gift. My own doula supported my partner and me as a team through a long, challenging birth that included 20 hours of back labor. That experience taught me about my own strength, the value of compassionate support, and the importance of releasing judgment and expectations. It also helped shape the doula I wanted to become.
Training and Areas of Experience
I am a DONA Certified Birth Doula and a certified HelloBirth® Hypnobirthing Childbirth Educator. I have also completed advanced training in:
- Spinning Babies positions for pregnancy and labor
- Acupressure techniques for pregnancy and birth
- TENS therapy for labor
- Lamaze childbirth preparation
- Hypnobabies birth preparation
I have extensive experience supporting high-risk pregnancies, vaginal births after cesarean (VBAC), IVF pregnancies, twin pregnancies, medicated and unmedicated births, inductions, cesarean births, and LGBTQIA+ families. I approach every birth without judgment and adapt my support to each family’s individual needs, values, and circumstances.
Beyond Birth Work
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance has allowed me to sustain the unpredictable and demanding nature of 24/7 on-call birth work for more than a decade. I am the mother of two wonderful daughters and the proud “Kiki” to two grandsons. Supporting my oldest daughter during both of her births was an extraordinary honor and one of the greatest gifts of my life.
Outside of birth work, I love spending time with family and friends, driving my Jeep Wrangler with the top down, planting flowers for pollinators, singing karaoke, paddleboarding with my best friend, and relaxing at a favorite winery or brewery with my partner, Jon.
I also serve as Co-Owner and Lead Placenta Specialist at The Placenta Company.
I believe deeply that, with the right support, every family can feel empowered by its experience. I am dedicated to helping families navigate pregnancy, birth, and the transition into parenthood with confidence.