Today we’d like to introduce you to Krisha Crosley.
Hi Krisha, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have helped families with their littles most of my life starting with babysitting in my teens. My husband and I have reared 2 kids starting in our hometown of Austin, Texas over the last 23 years. My family moved to the DFW area in 2010. In 2013, I was helping a new family after a traumatic birth experience; the husband looked at me and said “you need to be a doula.” My response was ‘a what?’ Never heard of that term before. I bought my first doula book, read it, and never looked back. I found a local birth doula training to become certified. I have been a certified birth doula with DONA International for 9 years. In the last 5 years, I have moved my doula practice to home and birth center births only. I have also created my very own natural birth workshop to train expecting couples for their desired natural birth experience, Train for Birth.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The main struggle I have had was in my first 4 years of being a doula. Starting out, most of my clients birthed in a hospital. When I started doing home and birth center births, I realized they were so much calmer, less stressful, and intervention free. Hospital births were so rushed, pressure to hurry up and lots of interventions to have a baby. My clients were perfectly healthy yet were being treated like a sick person. This model of care did not match how I felt about how birthing a baby should be and what model of care I was witnessing out of hospital. 2017, I had that one birth that sent me to my car crying because of how inhumane and disrespected my client’s were being treated and they were perfectly healthy. That was the moment I decided hospital birthing environments are not for me. I moved my doula practice to home and birth center births only. This struggle has ceased to exist and has been a smooth road since. Natural birthing environments are where I thrive with my doula skill set.
My passion lies with first-time moms and women with a heart of an athlete who desire a home or birth center birthing experience.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am Serenity Life Doula, your natural birth doula, and natural birth trainer. I educate and train expecting parents on how to achieve their natural birth experience with my Train for Birth workshop. On social media and in the DFW area, I am known for my Train for Birth workshop and demonstration videos about how to condition the body and mind for a natural birth experience starting at 34 weeks in pregnancy.
When I moved my doula practice to a more natural birth-friendly environments, I was able to grow as a birth doula. I would observe how a mom’s body labors naturally. How she moves, how she sounds, how she works her baby down into, through, and out of her pelvis naturally. There is a labor pattern that is the same for laboring moms but the unknown is the time factor. I was able to use my degree in Biology and my collegiate athletic skill set to start training expecting parents on the innate birthing process. In the last 5 years, my vaginal birth success rate as a birth doula is 93%.
My Train for Birth workshop is created based on what women are doing naturally in labor. Trained for birth expecting parents know what to expect during natural birth, how to condition their body and mind for their birthing game day and how to use the skill set they learn when they step up to the starting line to run their birthing marathon.
My Train for Birth workshop has a training packet with a training program to practice, practice, practice, exercises, techniques and stretches starting at 34+ weeks. The program specifically conditions the body and mind for natural birth and builds confidence before stepping up to the birthing game day starting line.
2020, was one of the best things that could have happened for me. It pushed me way out of my comfort zone! It made me get up in front of a camera and train. I have always trained in person and still do. When training in-person option was taken away, expecting parents were left without education. THIS WAS NOT COOL!!! I started making videos on my social media platforms to educate. My videos started going viral! I started monthly virtual live Train for Birth workshops. This lead to expecting parents across the world training virtually with me. I was literally training people all across the world with my natural birth workshop! I look back on that year of turmoil and fear on our planet and I was able to touch lives on 6 of the 7 continents to help them chase their desired birthing experience goals with confidence. It was not easy. I pushed myself way out of my comfort zone. I didn’t do this for me. I did it for humanity. I am proud of myself for this.
What sets me apart from others…I feel I go above and beyond to help others. It’s my passion. Everyone deserves knowledge, love, respect, and help.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up I was very conservative and shy unless I was on volleyball court. I was a beast within 900 square feet. My athletic beast mode had 40 universities chasing me to play collegiate ball across the United States in the 90s. I played division I volleyball on a full athletic scholarship with many accolades. When I wasn’t on the court practicing and playing…gone fishing.
Contact Info:
- Website: krishacrosley.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/serenitylifedoula
- Facebook: facebook.com/serenitylifedoula
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCakKuUrlYZIWlvwjmN5nmBQ
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@serenitylifedoula
