Ep. 43 - Reimagining Baby Showers to Create Supportive Villages for Birthing Women with Kaitlin McGreyes

Kaitlin McGreyes is the founder of BeHerVillage, a gift registry for parents to find and fund the care they need as they welcome their babies. She began her career as a birth doula in 2014, providing support to hundreds of families through their parenthood journeys. Kaitlin has since founded a doula team, mentored aspiring doulas, and advocated for the rights of birthing people. She is also dedicated to helping birth workers enter the retail baby gift industry.

Welcome Kaitlin

In this episode:

Kaitlin McGreyes shares her journey to creating BeHerVillage , a gift registry for parents to find and fund the care they need as they welcome their babies.
Kaitlin shares her birth experiences, including a traumatic standard American maternal care experience, a transformative second birth, and a powerful home birth
Kaitlin discusses the benefits and misconceptions surrounding home birth, including the ability to access higher level care and hospital interventions potentially leading to emergencies
Kaitlin advocates for self-advocacy and refusing to be a backseat participant in medical appointments and during birth
BeHerVillage baby registry is highlighted as a way to provide actual support and care as gifts instead of just retail items

Key Takeaways:

Kaitlin had a traumatic first birth experience but transformed into an empowered person after her second birth
Kaitlin advocates for mother’s power and transformation rather than the mode of delivery
Kaitlin shares about various birth choices, refused to be a backseat participant and had a successful natural birth
Home births are not necessarily unsafe and can provide access to higher-level care and interventions