A little bit about me…


Hi, I am Kerry Allen. I have over 18 years experience as a doula, childbirth educator, and prenatal yoga instructor. I have attended births in hospitals, homes, and birth centers. I have extensive experience in vaginal, caesarean, medicated, unmedicated, and VBAC births. My goal is for mothers and families to walk away from their birth feeling empowered. The essential question that I come back to in my birth practices is how is birth orgasmic for one woman, and yet devastating for another? This informs my continued education in best birthing practices for laboring moms and their families.

Over my 18 years of practice I have developed a strong set of comfort measures for moms in labor. I also have a strong skill set to help partners understand what is happening in labor and actively participate in the birth by loving and supporting the moms.

I have been serving families throughout Kitsap County and East Jefferson County, with birthing locations extending across the water to Seattle and south to Tacoma.

Background

My first experience of birth was in Africa as a peace Corps volunteer. A woman in my host family went into labor. She was walked 4 kilometers to the hospital surrounded by her sisters/friends, singing, loving, and massaging her. She had the baby and 3 hours later walked back to our village carrying her prize.

I was 22 and thought this is what birth looked like. I have discovered it is one way birth can look, but as every human is different so is every birth.

When I became pregnant with my first child, I realized I truly knew nothing about pregnancy, birth and beyond. So, I set about educating myself through reading, videos and questioning anyone who would answer my 101 questions. At the same time, I was teaching at a continuation high school and most of my students were pregnant or fathers. I was horrified by the misinformation they were receiving. Several of my students asked me to teach them classes on child birth. I was honored to go to the birth of one of my students and with that my passion for birth was ignited. It has become a guiding force in my life.

I worked for a year and a half to become a certified childbirth educator. 
During this time, my midwife asked me to shadow her as an apprentice, and that experience inspired me to want to become a Doula. So, I simultaneously completed my Doula training and began attending births, and have been doing so for over 18 years now.


I have practiced yoga for years and through all of my pregnancies and found it to be helpful. Thirteen years ago I had the opportunity to take a Whole Birth Prenatal Yoga class—It was so amazing and powerful I immediately took the training (I was 8 months pregnant) and added prenatal yoga to my professional birthing services—I have been teaching prenatal yoga ever since. It has informed and changed the way I teach and do doula work.



So… this is how I came to be where I am. One of the beautiful aspects of living on the planet is we are continually growing and changing. I am passionate about the work I do. It is fulfilling and challenging and rewarding. I am excited to see where the next 15 years take me. I wish you strength and joy on your journey too.