Meet Keely Semler

Today we’d like to introduce you to Keely Semler.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Keely. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I grew up outside Chicago in a small home with my mom and my older brother who had a rare terminal illness. Caregiving has always been a part of my life as my mom was very busy trying to provide for us.

After college, I started working for a nonprofit where I worked overseas in developing countries fitting families with hearing aids. It was one of the most amazing things to witness someone hear for the first time. The problem was that I was exposed to corruption on the inside of this organization, and I knew I needed to resign.

I would like to think that my work as a doula chose me. I knew I wanted to help people, especially women and children, in some capacity; I just didn’t know what that would look like. One day I was talking to a family member and expressing how unhappy I was working an administrative job at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. I was asked if I would ever consider being a doula. My immediate response was “no way!” I spoke before I ever really understood what a doula actually provides.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I felt very lost in my path to becoming a doula but my ethics and personal values have always been my compass. I never had an example of what it looks like to build a successful business from the ground up, so I kept finding myself in positions that seemed secure from an outsider’s perspective, but actually were toxic working environments.

Eventually, I went back to graduate school to study public health/ child and maternal health with a focus on how stress and trauma affects health outcomes. This is where I started to understand how birth truly impacts both mother and baby for the rest of their lives.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a birth and postpartum doula, midwife assistant, childbirth educator and practice healing arts such as reiki, breathwork and sound healing.

A doula is a grounded, loving presence who provides non-medical emotional and physical support before, during and after labor. I educate clients through providing information such as clinical research and tools to make empowered decisions around birth. A doula also uses physical support during the labor process, such as back pressure, massage and movement.

There are many reasons why having a doula is important. Some stats include:

28% decreased risk of a Cesarean
12% increased likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth
14% decreased risk of newborns being admitted to NICU

However, the truth is there are extreme disparities in our country in how people give birth. Maternal and infant mortality rates are alarmingly high and are disproportionately affecting black women. And now with the outbreak of Covid-19, people are seeing the consequences of racial inequality in the medical system. As a white woman I have to check my privilege all the time. I do not want to be causing harm. I want to be accessible to anyone who wants to work with me which is why I offer affordable rates and partner with organizations that work with at risk women. Sometimes I am not the right fit. In that case, I have to humble myself and refer a client to someone with whom they will feel more comfortable.

I’m not sure what the future holds for our medical system, but I do know that people will continue to give birth. I want to be a part of the movement of helping to shift people’s perspective: birth does not need to be a medical procedure. Yes, there are some who must give birth in the hospital due to existing medical conditions. Hospitals prepare people to be a good patient and that is not enough to ensure that families will have a positive, nontraumatic birth experience. Ultimately, I just want people to go into their birth prepared with the knowledge they need to make the right choices.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
It is a proud moment whenever a client is able to lead the way in her birth experience. This means she expresses what she wants to her care provider. In turn, the care provider- whether it is a doctor or midwife- is receptive and patient and communicates in a respectful way. When a client looks at me with a baby in her arms and says “I felt so supported through this”, that is a really good day.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lightandgroundhealing.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @lightandground

Image Credit:
Anastasiia Ostapovich (@anastasiiaphotography), Matt Bockal (m_bockal).

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