Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristie Graybill.
Hi Kristie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I began my professional life as a public school teacher, but everything changed in 2018 after the birth of my first two children. My own birth experiences were deeply transformative—not because everything went according to plan, but because I felt genuinely heard, respected, and supported. The people around me honored my choices, and that made all the difference.
That experience planted a seed in me. I realized I wanted to offer other parents the same sense of strength, clarity, and support that had meant so much to me.
Now, as a childbirth educator and professional birthworker, my goal is not just to inform—but to empower. I bring a dynamic, learner-centered approach to my classes and sessions, helping families truly internalize the knowledge they need to make confident, informed decisions. It’s about more than facts—it’s about transformation.
Drawing on my background in education, I’ve found so much joy in guiding families through one of life’s most meaningful transitions. It’s a privilege to support people in stepping into parenthood with clarity, connection, and confidence.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
After leaving my career in public education, I found myself in a strange in-between space. I loved being at home with my babies—I was deeply grateful for that time. But I also felt a restlessness, a pull toward something that was just for me. Not necessarily a full-time job or a big career leap, but something that would allow me to feel like me again. Something that could help me find a sense of balance between being present with my family and still engaging my mind, my heart, and my skills in a meaningful way.
At that point, I was still navigating the emotional intensity of postpartum life. I was running on little sleep, adjusting to a whole new rhythm, and we were getting by on a significantly reduced income. It was a humbling season—and not an easy one.
That’s when I came across an opportunity to train in placenta encapsulation. Honestly, it felt like a light turned on inside me. The work was deeply connected to birth and postpartum—something I had become incredibly passionate about after my own birth experiences—and it was also something I could realistically fit into our life. I could do the work primarily from home and schedule appointments around my husband’s availability. It felt aligned. Flexible. Soul-filling. And it was the first step in what would become a full transformation of my career path.
That initial step into the birth world gave me a renewed sense of purpose. I was learning, connecting, growing—and I felt like I was building something that mattered both to me and to the families I was beginning to serve.
In January 2020, we welcomed our third baby. It was a peaceful home birth, and just a few weeks later, the world shut down. Like so many others, I found myself in uncharted territory: three young kids at home, a part-time job, trying to stay afloat while navigating the waves of postpartum anxiety—and now, a global pandemic on top of it all. It was, without question, one of the hardest years of my life.
But it was also a year that shaped me.
I learned what it means to show up for myself and my family even when things feel impossibly heavy. I learned how to rest when I needed to, and how to ask for help (still a work in progress). And most of all, I learned that resilience doesn’t mean pushing through—it means honoring your limits while staying connected to your purpose.
That year deepened my commitment to this work. It taught me that birthwork isn’t just about supporting others—it’s about being rooted in your own humanity, your own story, and offering that presence to others in their most tender moments.
Now, as a professional birthworker and childbirth educator, I carry all of these experiences with me into the work I do. My background in education helps me meet families where they are and create dynamic, inclusive, learner-centered experiences. My experiences as a parent help me connect on a human level—because I’ve been there, too.
This work is not just my job—it’s my current calling. It’s the path that found me when I didn’t know who I was becoming. And now, it’s the way I help others feel seen, supported, and empowered in their own journey into parenthood.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I specialize in guiding parents on their path to feeling informed, supported, and empowered—especially in the sacred window of pregnancy. I truly believe that with the right tools, knowledge, and community, families can move through birth and into parenthood with confidence and clarity, even when the path feels uncertain.
One of the ways I offer this support is through group childbirth education classes at The Womb Room, a beautiful perinatal wellness studio located in Hampden, Baltimore. I’ve partnered with Odile Penet, a deeply skilled and well-seasoned birthworker, to design and lead a thoughtfully curated education program for expecting families.
Our approach goes beyond just the mechanics of labor and delivery. Together, we’ve built a curriculum rooted in three core pillars: voice, power, and support.
**Voice: Helping families tap into their inner knowing and speak up for their needs.
**Power: Understanding the choices available and owning them fully.
**Support: Building a village before baby arrives—because no one should do this alone.
We know that birth and parenting can feel overwhelming. The fear is real, and so is the weight of the unknown. But here’s what we’ve witnessed time and again: fear softens in the presence of knowledge. When families are given evidence-based information, when their questions are welcomed, and when their decisions are respected, something powerful happens—confidence begins to take root. And that confidence doesn’t end at birth—it carries them through the ever-evolving journey of parenthood.
Placenta Encapsulation Services
I also offer in-home placenta encapsulation services, a deeply meaningful practice that supports the early postpartum experience. The postpartum period can be a time of emotional highs, physical depletion, and huge hormonal shifts. The placenta—often dismissed or overlooked—holds nutrients and hormones that may help ease this transition and restore balance in those first intense weeks after birth.
My encapsulation process includes:
–A two-part sanitation and dehydration method
–Safe, respectful handling in the comfort of your own home
–Custom placenta capsule preparation
–Optional placenta prints as a keepsake—an artful way to honor the space where your baby once lived and grew
For many families, this service is not just about physical recovery. It’s about recognizing the placenta as a sacred part of the pregnancy journey, and giving it the care and reverence it deserves.
Whether I’m teaching a class, sitting with a new parent in postpartum, or quietly preparing placenta capsules in someone’s kitchen, my mission remains the same: to create spaces where parents feel respected, prepared, and connected. You deserve support. You deserve to feel powerful in your choices. And you don’t have to do this alone.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
It felt like a pretty big risk to resign from my career as a public school educator.
At the time, I had recently completed my Master’s in Education, and I was thriving in the classroom. I felt confident in my role as a 5th grade Language Arts teacher, and I deeply loved the students I worked alongside each day. Teaching wasn’t just a job—it was a calling. In fact, it was the entire reason I had uprooted my life and moved across the country from Louisiana to Baltimore: to teach in city schools and make a meaningful difference.
So walking away from that felt huge. Risky. Emotional.
And honestly? It didn’t come easily.
I was stepping away from a role I had worked hard to build—professionally, personally, and financially. My husband and I both understood the weight of that decision. Choosing to stay home with our children would come with sacrifices: less income, less structure, and, for me, a big question mark about who I was beyond the classroom. I had poured so much of myself into education. What would it mean to let go of that identity?
But at the same time, something in me knew this was the right next step. Becoming a parent had shifted something fundamental in me. I knew my presence was needed at home in those early years. I also knew that—even though I was stepping back from teaching in a traditional sense—I wasn’t done being an educator. I just didn’t yet know how that would look.
What followed wasn’t some big, clear career pivot. It was small. Slow. Quiet, even. It looked like trying things on. Listening for what sparked joy. Following my curiosity. Step by step, I started finding a new rhythm.
And one of those steps came when I was offered the chance to train in placenta encapsulation. At first glance, it seemed completely unrelated to my previous work. But it spoke to something deep within me: a desire to honor birth, support postpartum families, and stay connected to meaningful, hands-on work. It also fit practically into my life as a parent—I could schedule clients around my family’s needs, work from home, and ease into this new identity on my own terms.
That training planted a new seed. From there, I found myself slowly drawn into the world of birthwork—birth education, postpartum care, and more. Each small opportunity illuminated the next. And the further I leaned into this path, the more I saw how my background in education wasn’t something I had left behind—it was something I was bringing with me in a new, more aligned form.
Looking back now, I see that none of it was wasted. Every lesson from the classroom—the creativity, the adaptability, the deep respect for each learner’s experience—comes with me into my work with expecting and new parents. And every step I took, no matter how uncertain at the time, led me to the heart of this work: supporting families through transformation with information, compassion, and connection.
I fully believe that when we take a leap into the unknown—especially one that feels aligned with our values and intuition—a path will begin to reveal itself. Maybe not all at once. Maybe not in the way we expect. But the next small step will come. And the one after that. And eventually, you look up and realize: you’ve built something real.
This is that something for me.
Pricing:
- Education Classes: $395 (travel fee dependent)
- Placenta Services: approx. $350 (mileage dependent)
- Doula Services: approx. $1600
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/birthworks_baltimore?igsh=ZHRvenZrZmRreG9n&utm_source=qr
- Other: birthworksbaltimore@gmail.com
