About Me

Welcome! My name is Kelli Brus and I am a doula in Des Moines, Iowa. I am also a mom of two wonderful girls and have been married to my husband since 2007. My passions are education and birth, which lend themselves perfectly to doula work. We live in Urbandale and I love the amazing birth community and resources Des Moines has to offer. In addition to doula work, I also work with struggling readers at Des Moines Public Schools and offer private 1:1 sessions with students. If I'm not working, you'll probably find me hiking, reading, baking, or working on a house project.

After the birth of my first child, I learned a great deal about myself, the culture of birth, and was drawn to helping new and expecting parents know their options for birth and postpartum. After my second birth experience, which was attended by an amazing doula, I knew this was the type of work I wanted to do and I decided to make my dream of becoming a doula a reality. To date, I have supported over 160 families during their pregnancy, birth, and postpartum period over the last 7 years. I've attended births in all of the Des Moines hospitals, as well as hospitals in Ames and Iowa City. I've also supported many families while they give birth at home with a certified nurse midwife (CNM). A bit more about my training and experience:

Birth Doula, trained and certified with Doulas of North America (DONA) since 2016
Advanced VBAC Doula, certified through The VBAC Link since 2020 (currently the first and only in Iowa!)
Stillbirthday Birth & Bereavement Doula (SBD) since 2018
Longtime member of the Central Iowa Doula Association
Experience in Hypnobirthing, Hypnobabies, and Bradley Methods of childbirth
Experience in unmedicated births, medicated births, vaginal birth after cesarean, cesarean births, home births, and twins
Attended and completed the 2019 Spinning Babies workshop in Des Moines, as well as Ann Gilligan's training on fetal positioning in 2021
Completed the class "Breastfeeding / Chestfeeding for Doulas" by San Diego Breastfeeding Center in 2022
Master of Arts in Education (MAE) from University of Northern Iowa

As a doula with no agenda whatsoever, I will learn about what is important to you and your partner, help you plan for your upcoming birth, and provide unconditional support during pregnancy and postpartum. I look forward to chatting with you and discussing how I can support you in planning and preparing for one of the most amazing experiences of your life....the birth of your baby!

If you have questions about services or what I currently offer, please go to the "contact" page and send me a message. I would love to set up a time to chat!