Caitlyn joined the nest through our advocate training program but has professional experience as a birth doula through her company Labor to Love, LLC. Between her experience as a birth worker and personal experience with perinatal loss, she hopes to support families in the nest and the healthcare system in normalizing loss and the grief process behind it.
Despite recently relocating to South Carolina, she is committed to working with Three Little Birds to bridge the gap between healthcare and humanity when it comes to supporting mothers experiencing the loss of their baby as well as families welcoming babies after loss through our Pregnancy After Loss Mentorship Program. This includes free childbirth education and finding discounts to offset financial expenses so families can focus on welcoming the newest little love!
GET TO KNOW MAMABIRD CAITLYN!
Tell us about yourself and your profession.
I am a certified birth and bereavement doula, certified childbirth photographer and childbirth educator.
Tell us about your family building journey.
My first loss was at 9 weeks gestation. I had a sub chronic hemorrhage that detached the placenta. I never knew if they were a boy or girl. But I had already fallen in love with this much wanted baby. It just so happened that as I was losing my pregnancy, I was working at a maternity fair as a doula and it was a commitment I could not back out of. I was not expecting to pass my baby while at this fair, but when I did, it just so happens that Three Little Birds was there to comfort me. They supplied resources and support to help me through my loss in the moment, as it was happening.
How did completing Three Little Bird's bereavement training make you a better professional/advocate?
Having the formal training and hearing about the experiences of other advocates helped me solidify my roll as a bereavement doula and validated my feelings about the process of loss and what can be done to support others.
How did your village support you through loss?
I did not receive much support aside from my husband. It isn’t a subject that is talked about around the dinner table. My husband was my rock. He felt the loss as much as I did and knew the grief that I was feeling. Three Little Birds set me up with an advocate to share my feeling and experiences with. This helped tremendously!
Which Three Little Birds services or events are your favorite?
The Wave of Light is my absolute favorite event. Seeing so many amazing families come together to celebrate and remember. It’s a wonderful community gathering of love and loss.
What does healing look like for you? What has surprised you about the journey?
Being a mom prior to my loss, it surprised me how much it hurt to lose a baby. I thought I would be ok since I already have a child, but it was just as difficult. It was frustrating since I KNEW my body could carry a healthy pregnancy and I blamed myself more than I should have. The healing process took a lot of acceptance and self love to remind myself that it was not my fault and it was ok to be sad even though I still had a living child.
How do you support Three Little Birds?
Since moving to South Carolina, my volunteer work has moved to a more remote position. I help with the Pregnancy After Loss community in supplying free childbirth education, connecting with companies to provide product samples and continue to work on social media promotions and written works.
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