Kelly Renn is a birth worker, activist, educator, and philanthropist.
My passion for reproductive rights began in college but I started on my path towards birth work in 2007 when I became the first full time hire for a former non-profit, Choices in Childbirth (CiC) in New York City. As the Program Manager at CiC I managed the day-to-day production of the NY, Philly and National versions of The Guide to a Healthy Birth, an annual free resource for expectant parents. In this role I also assisted in planning and hosting Monthly Meetings for Expectant Parents, a speaking series aimed at educating the public about pregnancy and birthing choices in NYC. Being immersed in NYC's birth scene inspired me to learn more and I completed my doula training in 2009 with WithWomanNYC, a DONA certified educator. I also furthered my knowledge by completing training in 2013 with the New York City Lamaze Childbirth Educator Program with the co-founders Judith Lothian and Allison Walsh.
I worked as a Labor Doula & Pregnancy Resource under the title Kelly Belly Birth from 2014-2016 first in NYC and then in Atlantic County, NJ assisting laboring women in various birth settings including home, birth centers, and hospitals. I taught a series of workshops on Comfort Measures in Birth and co-hosted a Birth Stories series with Oceanside Birth Works. During this time I furthered my study by attending Eat, Pray, Doula, an Advanced Skills Training at Bumi Sehat in Bali, Indonesia, hosted by CNN hero Ibu Robin Lim and Debra Pascali-Bonaro.
In 2016 I gave birth to my first daughter at home and put birth work on pause. During this time I continued a career in Early Childhood Education, completing graduate level coursework at Montclair State University to obtain my P-3 certification in NJ. I taught at Free To Be Early Learning Center at Stockton University until it closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic in June 2020.
The unexpected closure of Free To Be and the birth of my second daughter at home during lockdown spurred me to re-enter the birth/activist world, this time with a more inclusive lens. every.body.advocacy and the birth class series, every.body.birth is the result of a re-dedication to this work using a reproductive justice framework.
I am currently working toward childbirth educator certification with Birthing Advocacy Doula Training (BADT), a Black, queer owned training organization focused on inclusivity and anti-oppression.