Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Williams.
Hi Kimberly, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I have been enamored with pregnancy since I was a little girl. One of my earliest childhood memories was stuffing my gown with a baby doll and pushing her out. My Barbies were always pregnant too. At the age of ten mom became pregnant with my little brother, and this sparked my passion for birth even further.
I was hired at a busy Ob/Gyn’s office at the age of eighteen. I worked there until went to college and obtained my nursing degree. I remember distinctly my preceptor asking me where I wanted to work after graduation, when I said, “labor and delivery” she sneered and said, ” no one is hired in labor and delivery right out of nursing school.” Little did she know my path had already been laid. While I was still in nursing school I worked in a little fudge shop in Bell Buckle, TN. One day when I was working a lady and her husband walked in. We began to chat and she asked me where I was going to school. I explained to her I was in nursing school and wanted to be a labor and delivery nurse. She was the director of nursing in labor and delivery at the very hospital I wanted to work at! That same weekend I was eating dinner at a Japanese Hibachi where they seated me with a group of strangers, one of them, Wrenn was a labor and delivery nurse at the same hospital! I told her my story, and she put in a good word for me with the director the following day, and I was hired as a delivery technician. After graduation, I transitioned into a nursing role and worked in labor and delivery for eleven years. At 41 I birthed our last baby and took some time off to enjoy him and our three other children.
My passion has always been to give expecting mamas a beautiful birth experience. Last year I considered going back into labor and delivery, but I felt I wanted to make a bigger and more lasting impact on pregnant women and their families. This is when Growing Your Nest Birth Doula Services was born. My heart is to meet women where they are no matter what their birth preferences are and serve them in a way that makes them feel cherished. Pregnancy is such a demanding time in a woman’s life; albeit beautiful, it demands her body, her emotions, her energy, her time, and a giving of herself unlike any other time in her life.
Having worked in labor and delivery and now working as a doula I have seen a great need to bridge the gap between medical and holistic-minded providers. For many years doulas were not given the credit they deserve. Studies show that having a doula as a member of the birth team decreases the overall cesarean rate by 50%, the length of labor by 25%, the use of oxytocin by 40%, and the request for an epidural by 60%. I have taken over 20 years of experience and created a doula training course. I want to equip women who are passionate about birth to provide well-rounded compassionate care to birthing women.
This season of my life has been one of the most rewarding. Providing in-home private childbirth classes, birth/postpartum doula services, professional mentorship, and doula training has given me opportunities to pour into the lives of people who are desiring to change their perception of birth. For so long birth has been viewed and treated as a medical event, and many women are wanting a more natural physiological birth. Other women who are still wanting or needing an induction of labor can still benefit from having a doula present for their birth as well.
The word “doula” comes from ancient Greek, meaning “a woman who serves”. My goal is to serve birthing women in a way that makes them look back on their birth with joy.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest struggle is finding the work/life balance. I have four children and I am currently homeschooling three of them. Finding the time to grow my business, while taking care of my family has been the greatest challenge.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a registered nurse currently working as a birth and postpartum doula. I teach private in-home childbirth, postpartum, and newborn care classes. I provide professional mentorship and have a doula training workshop coming up on February 18-19th. I am most proud of my clients. I have served the strongest most amazing women.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
The business aspect is hard to navigate when first starting out. Hire someone who specializes in small business start to help with the details of running a small business.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.growingyournest.com
- Instagram: @growing_your_nest_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/growingyournest/
Image Credits
Wrenn Rising and Amy Haring
