Today we’d like to introduce you to Kimberly Gorskie Garcia.
Hi Kimberly, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started when I was almost 18 years ago in France as a caregiver for older people in a retirement home. I worked there after deciding that I no longer wanted to study Art in college. I loved being a caregiver so much but at some point, I decided to go back to school and become a ” baby nurse”, a nurse pediatric assistant. I got my degree and worked in such different units, from NICU to Labor and Delivery, to pediatric oncology, and pediatric neurology, in a trauma unit with kids suffering from burn injuries… Well, I’ve done a couple of units in almost 11 years. Then I became a mom, and we decided with my husband and my two kids to move to Los Angeles this is when I became a doula. As my degree was not recognized in the US, I was looking at alternatives to still doing my job and found the perfect job: Birth Doula. I have been doing that job since almost three years now, and I love it
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As English is not my first language I had to focus more, it took me more time to finish my doula certification because of that and also because I was taking care of my kids while doing it. Trying to find a way to make this work with being on call, not having childcare support as my whole family is in France. It was hard at the beginning, but now we found our way.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a birth doula, I am your” bestie” during your pregnancy and during your birth. With a couple of pre-natal visit, we are getting to know each other more and more with the pregnant person and the partner or the support person and then I support them during the birth by providing physical support, emotional support and advocate for them so they can have the birth they want and deserve. What I am most proud of being able to give power and confidence to every pregnant person so they can say what they need and what they want during the birth of their kids or during the birth of the baby.
I believe in reproductive justice and I am constantly learning about my practice by that I mean that I will never judge anyone and believe that everyone needs support and I am inclusive with every pregnant person or family.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Being empathic would be a huge one, we are witness of so many things during birth but we have to remember that first, this is not an ego job and that we are doing this for our ‘client” and that they are the first we should care about and most important listen to.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kimberlygorskiegarcia.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberlybirthworker/?hl=en
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kimberly-gorskie-garcia-redondo-beach-8
