Kiarra Galvez of Honolulu, Hawai’i on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Kiarra Galvez and have shared our conversation below.

Good morning Kiarra, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What do you think is misunderstood about your business? 
I think one big misconception surrounding doulas and birth work is the idea that doulas are only useful for the act of birth itself when in reality, a doula is not simply a “birth specialist”, but rather a “women’s specialist”. The education and support of a doula reaches from fertility and trying to conceive as well as trying to avoid pregnancy, getting a handle of our personal nutrition and health, and keeping our bodies in homeostasis at all phases of our cycle.
I’ve recently realized how many women do not know about the menstrual cycle, women’s fertility, or even how we truly conceive and sustain conception. We have been led to believe that women are in constant danger of getting pregnant and that we, as women, can not possibly handle the phases of pregnancy or the throws of labor without assistance.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Kiarra Galvez and I am a certified holistic birth keeper, spiritual doula, placenta specialist and lactation consultant. I founded Baby Moon Birthing in February 2019 in Colorado, after experiencing my own traumatic birth. That experience opened my eyes to the disparities and deep-rooted biases that too many women of color face in birth spaces. I made it my mission to help change the narrative – to be a voice, a guide, and a safe space for mothers who deserve better.
According to MBRACE-UK 2018, Black women are five times more likely to suffer complications or die to due childbirth, followed by Hispanic and Native American women – and those numbers continue to rise each year. These disparities are largely attributed to systemic inequalities, unconscious bias, and the lack of fully informed consent in maternal healthcare. My work seeks to address these challenges by creating a space where education, advocacy, and intuitive awareness intersect.
In my work, I guide families to reconnect with their intuition – that inner knowing that is often silenced in modern maternity care. Together, we learn the rhythms of your unique body and family, creating balance and empowerment from within. I support women through every stage of their reproductive journey – from fertility and pregnancy to postpartum healing. My holistic approach integrates evidence-based care with traditional wisdom, focusing on nutrition, movement, sleep, and lifestyle alignment to help the body reach and maintain optimal balance. Each client relationship is grounded in empowerment, encouraging mothers to trust their bodies and make informed decisions that honor both their physical and emotional well-being.
Whether serving families in the mountains of Colorado or now along the beaches of Hawai’i, my mission as a doula remains unwavering: to center the mother. I strive to revive the essence of the “village” our grandmothers once spoke of – one that not only nurtures the child but also uplifts and fortifies the mother. My role extends beyond birth support; it is about ensuring that every woman I serve feels confident, informed, and fully supported in every aspect of her journey into motherhood.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before the world told me who I was, I was already a caretaker – a nurturer guided by instinct and heart. Being the first daughter, granddaughter, and niece, I learned early what it meant to hold space for others. I was the one in the kitchen beside my grandmother, hands deep in masa as we made tamales before Christmas, listening to her stories and soaking in her quiet wisdom. I was the cousin who babysat without being asked, the friend who stood up for others when voices trembled, and later, the student who helped organize peaceful protests in college because silence never felt like an option.
Even then, I didn’t have the words for it, but I felt it deeply – the pull to protect, to comfort, to guide. It was never something I was taught; it was something I knew. That intuition, that motherly nature, has always lived inside of me. It’s the same energy I bring into every birth space and every client relationship today – an understanding that nurturing doesn’t always mean fixing, and protecting doesn’t always mean shielding. Sometimes it is simply standing beside someone as they rediscover their own strength.
Before the world gave me a title or a role, I was already walking in my purpose – the quiet, steadfast presence that helps others feel seen, safe, and whole.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
Before giving birth to my first daughter, I had very little medical experience and, like many first-time mothers, I trusted that if I followed directions, everything would go as planned. I envisioned a hands-off, natural birth with a midwife – something peaceful and empowering. My pregnancy was mostly smooth, and even when our plans shifted to a hospital birth, I was reassured it would still be “hands-off”. I had no reason to expect otherwise.
But when I went into labor, everything changed. By the time I arrived at the hospital, I was already 8 1/2 centimeters dilated and ready to push. Instead of supporting my body’s natural rhythm, a nurse physically held my knees together and told me I could not give birth until the doctor arrived – an hour later. My body went into shock. What followed was a cascade of complications: a stalled labor, a severe cervical lip, an emergency c-section, and a botched epidural that caused a spial fluid leak and days of debilitating pain. Despite my suffering, I was dismissed and told it was “normal”. It wasn’t until my husband called on my behalf that anyone took my pain seriously.
That experience changed everything for me. It took nearly losing my life to see how broken parts of the system are – especially for Black women. I began researching everything I could: birth trauma, cervical lips, emergency c-sections, racial disparities in maternal health, and ways to support women through safer, more empowered births. i realized how much trauma could be prevented – how many lives could be saved – with education, representation, and continuous compassionate support.
That was the moment I stopped hiding my pain and started using it as power. My story became the reason I became a doula – to stand beside women so they never have to feel invisible in their own birth stories, and to help them trust the wisdom of their bodies again.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
One truth that not everyone agrees with me on is that we already know our bodies better than anyone else – even better than a textbook ever could. In my work as a doula, I see every day how deeply intuitive the body is, especially during pregnancy and postpartum. Our bodies communicate what they need – through sensations, emotions, rhythms, and instincts – but we’ve been conditioned to silence that inner voice in favor of external authority. While science and medicine are invaluable, they’re meant to guide and support us, not replace the wisdom we already hold within.
I believe that reconnecting with our intuition isn’t just a personal journey – it’s essential to improving care in the medical field. When we teach women to trust their instincts, to speak up when something feels off, or to rest when the body asks for it, we create better outcomes and stronger connections between providers and patients. Intuition isn’t the opposite of science; it’s the missing piece that brings compassion and humanity back to care. The more we honor both – knowledge and knowing – the more we empower people to take part in their own healing.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
In birth and postpartum work, most of what I do happens quietly – in those tender hours when no one is watching. As a doula, giving my best has never been about praise or recognition; it’s about presence. It’s about showing up fully for a mother who’s learning to trust her body again, for a family adjusting to their new rhythms, or for someone who just needs to feel seen in the middle of all the change. I give my best because these moments matter. They may not always come with applause, but they hold the kind of impact that lasts far beyond the newborn stage.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://babymoonbirthing.godaddysites.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/kikisunderthesun
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/babymooncolorado