AMITY KRAMER
Certified Gottman Bringing Baby Home Educator, Birthing From Within Mentor, and Birth and Postpartum Doula Serving families in Seattle & Shoreline, WA,
I saw the need for a different kind of birthing class.
After training as a birth doula in 2008, I realized that all new parents encounter muck.
Classes needed to be intuitive and custom to the needs of each family.
The muck (that we all experience) looks different for every family, but what I noticed as I worked with families is that if relationships are strong, a family will get through the muck and still actually like each other.
I also saw first hand that kids thrive when parents thrive.
When people are supported in pregnancy and birth it sets the bonding and parenting up for a good start.
Our world is getting SO busy and I believe that our classes offer Puget Sound families the chance they need to slow down and be reminded, and some times learn how to savor the good, roll with the bad, and cope with the ugly.
Amity means friendship— and that could not be more appropriate.
How did my mother know?? I did grow up to be a good friend who steps up when people need support. I get this trait from my mother who’s best self can come out in chaotic situations.
I see myself as a first responder for strong emotions. I am able to stay grounded while talking about hard topics. I also know that heavy emotions pass, and that once they do, there is joy and wisdom to be harvested. A big part of my work is providing space for people to see the goodness that is all around them, sometimes even right next to the hardship.
I believe that being a birth doula and teaching childbirth and parenting classes is the best job in the universe.
I love facilitating groups and working one-on-one with people.
It is a privilege to witness the transformation that happens when people spend time looking deeply into what they desire. The clients I meet with are ready to do the hard work that is needed to understand themselves, to birth babies, to raise the citizens of tomorrow, and build communities that support equality and justice for all.
Q & A With Veteran Birth Doula--Amity Kramer
Q. WHEN DID YOU ANSWER YOUR CALLING?
On my first date with my now husband, I excitedly told him that I wanted to change careers because I "wanted to help people." At that time I didn’t even know what a doula was! Three years later I had birthed my first baby and soon after enrolled in my first doula training and the rest is history.
Q. WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE YOU WORKED AS A BIRTH DOULA + CHILDBIRTH EDUCATOR?
Before finding my true calling as a doula and mentor I studied interior design in the Bay Area and never really felt too connected to the work. Finishing and paying for that degree was one of the biggest learning experiences of my life.
During my studies I worked at a hip grocery store, and loved it, so I stayed on after school. I helped to manage the store and thrived helping customers, building relationships with employees, being physical at work, and working my tail off during the intense chaos that retail work provides.
Q. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO OUTSIDE OF DOULA WORK?
I like to go camping with my kids, grow food, blow bubbles, play frisbee, and spend time with friends. I also enjoy tending to my pets: 7 chickens, 3 koi fish, and a dog named Lu. I live in Shoreline with my husband and three (growing up too fast) kids Elena, Calvin, and Penelope.
Q. WHAT IS THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU HAVE DONE IN YOUR DOULA CAREER?
A really interesting thing about my job is that I am part of these incredibly intense moments and have formed bonds with care providers that I would otherwise never have a chance to meet or interact with. When I see that person again months or years later there is a look that is exchanged between us. We each remember.
"Amity was a gentle, knowledgeable and caring facilitator."
- Joshua, first time dad
" birth for me didn't go as planned, but I not for a single moment think about the epidural or the pressure I felt to push my son out. I looked at my son and everything else just vanished. I felt like I had accomplished something big because of the support I had from my husband and Amity."
-Anum, birthing parent
TRAININGS AND WORKSHOPS
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:
PUBLISHED WRITING:
