My Story

Hi, I’m Kerstin April,

an ocean voyaging and land wandering holistic, independent birthkeeper serving women and their families during their journey to instinctual birth in home or hospital.

Over a decade spent living on the ocean in close connection with nature greatly shaped my perspective and taught me many life lessons I now see mirrored in birth- the subjectiveness of risk and safety, what leaning into my intuition feels like, the empowerment of practicing radical responsibility daily, trusting in a divine source, the importance of humility, and that doing the hard work to take your own path makes the rewards most satisfying. Confirming my own first pregnancy only days before setting sail on an open-ended voyage to the South Pacific meant I would immediately begin integrating those life lessons into my birth journey.

6 months and 5,000 miles later I sailed into Fiji.

Freebirthing on the boat with only my husband seemed a valid option, but I longed for another woman, experienced with birth, to witness my birthing journey as a presence of reassurance. The search for a wise woman proved more challenging than expected and it wasn’t until 38 weeks that my birth team finally coalesced. Having done the work within myself required for freebirth, and finding birth support in alignment with my desires, I felt confident and excited to birth my baby.

My first thought after returning to my body, high on oxytocin with my baby in my arms, was that if all women could birth their babies undisturbed and in their own true power into a peaceful environment, that the world would be a better place (and that I could definitely do that again!). In the weeks postpartum, my appetite for knowledge of all things pregnancy and birth never waned. Homebirth and freebirth stories had more meaning, and I devoured everything I could find about physiological birth.

I was mesmerized by my own experience and knowing how birth is meant to be.

"To change the world, we must first change the way the babies are being born."

— Michel Odent

When I found these words by French obstetrician Michel Odent, that so closely resembled my own first coherent thought after birthing my daughter, my brain and my body flushed warm with an intoxicating rush of oxytocin, and I felt instantly transported back to those first moments with my daughter earthside. In that moment I KNEW that I hadn’t only been preparing for my own birth experience, but that I was building an education in birth and a trust in women so that I may support women and their families during their own journey to birth.

My self-directed pregnancy and autonomous birth provided a foundation and lived experience to build knowledge upon. Similarly to sailing, birth is incredibly nuanced and humbling, and always filled with new lessons and ever-evolving perspective. I choose to educate myself independent from large, homogenizing organizations, and instead invest my time and money in expansive and dynamic relationships with wise women. I completed a year-long mentorship in Quantum Midwifery with Whapio and the Matrona Foundation, and still attend weekly study groups. I sought out an apprenticeship with a skilled and intuitive homebirth midwife near me on Maui. I make it a priority to attend every out-of-hospital skills and emergency training offered on Maui. And I always learn more from the women I witness and support.

If you are seeking sisterhood on your journey to birth I would love to connect with you. Schedule a free connection call so we can chat about your personal desires for your ideal birth.

Schedule a call

French Polynesia, ~18 weeks
Arriving in Fiji, ~21 weeks
“due” date in Fiji
“We did it!”