Gold Coast Doulas push diaper access, maternal health awareness

Gold Coast Doulas is celebrating its first decade by rallying the community to help end diaper need, as its annual drive supporting Nestlings Diaper Bank of West Michigan and the Great Start Parent Coalition of Kent County wraps up Wednesday. 

The effort is part of the National Diaper Bank Network’s push to aid more than 5.2 million U.S. children under age 3 in low-income families.

Founder Kristin Revere says giving back is central to Gold Coast’s mission. 

“One in two U.S. families with young children struggles to afford diapers, and no government programs currently provide them,” she says, noting the rate has jumped from one in three in recent years. Research shows nearly half of parents delay changing diapers and a third report reusing them to stretch supplies. 

This year’s goal is 20,000 diapers for families in Kent, Ottawa and Allegan counties. The drive welcomes donations of opened or unopened disposable diaper packages, gently used or new cloth diapers and supplies, and unopened wipes. 

Nestlings Diaper Bank has distributed more than 3 million diapers since 2011, including nearly 400,000 in 2024. It works with 31 partner agencies to get diapers to families in need.

Gold Coast Doulas’ decade of drives demonstrates a model other communities can replicate: combining local partnerships, expanding doula care, and focusing charitable giving on the most basic needs.

Drop-off Locations

Zeeland
• Howard Miller Library, 14 S. Church St.
• Lake Michigan Credit Union, 8630 E. Main St.

Holland
• Brann’s, 12234 James St.
• The Insurance Group, 593 Heritage Court
• Holland Pediatric Associates, 926 Washington Ave., Building C
• Harbor Health & Massage, 444 Washington Ave.
• Lake Michigan Credit Union, 677 E. 8th St.
• Lake Michigan Credit Union, 3494 West Shore Drive.

Greater Grand Rapids
• Baby Beloved, E. 233 Fulton St. (box in hallway of the Masonic Temple)
• Rise Wellness Chiropractic PLC, 1005 Lake Drive SE
• Hopscotch Children’s Store, 909 Cherry St. SE
• Mind Body Baby Collective, 2422 Burton St. SE

Advent Physical Therapy
Cherry Street: 245 Cherry St. SE, Suite 102
Byron Center: 2373 64th St. SW, Suite 2100
East Paris: 4085 Burton St., Suite 100
Hudsonville: 3686 32nd St., Suite 400
Jenison: 1915 Georgetown Center Drive, Suite 102
Standale: 1175 Wilson Ave. NW, Suite B
Zeeland: 9479 Riley St., Suite 210
Rivertown/Grandville: 3380 44th St. SW
Caledonia: 10047 Crossroads Court, Suite 150

Mindful Counseling GR
985 Parchment Drive SE
3351 Claystone St. SE, Suite G32
0-113 Lake Michigan Drive NW

Other Locations
• Fit4Mom Grand Rapids – donations accepted at classes
• Gold Coast Doulas, 1430 Robinson Road. SE, Suite 204, Grand Rapids (donations accepted at classes or left outside the office door)

Supporters may also give through Nestlings’ Amazon Wishlist or PayPal.

We caught up with Kristin Revere to talk about her advocacy for mothers and babies. 

Rapid Growth: Over the past decade, public understanding of what doulas do has expanded. How have you seen attitudes toward doula care evolve in West Michigan, and how has that shift influenced Gold Coast Doulas’ mission?

Kristin Revere: Our focus has stayed the same over the last 10 years: to support families without judgment from conception through the first year. We did away with services our clients weren’t asking for, like infant massage, and added sleep consulting. With baby registry gifting, employer-funded benefits covering doulas, and increased awareness about birth and postpartum doulas, we’ve expanded our team and coverage area. We’re currently hiring more birth and postpartum doulas to meet demand.

RG: With more families seeking doula support today than when you started, how has rising demand shaped your annual diaper drive and the way you engage the community?

KR: As a Certified B Corporation (a for-profit corporation certified for its social impact), giving back to the community is central to our mission. We focus our financial contributions and time on causes serving low-income women and children. Since we began the diaper drive, the need has only grown with rising costs and inflation.

RG: Your work blends hands-on care for new parents with advocacy for diaper access. How do you think the growing acceptance of doulas helps highlight broader issues like diaper need and maternal health equity?

KR: One in two U.S. families with young children struggles to afford diapers, and no government programs currently provide them. By advocating for families and partnering with organizations such as the March of Dimes and the Preeclampsia Foundation, we help shine a light on maternal health inequities and the basic needs of families. 

RG: Looking back to when you launched Gold Coast Doulas, what moments stand out as turning points for the profession’s visibility and your growth as a Certified B Corporation?

KR: A major turning point came when we worked with Pioneer Construction to add doulas to their employer-funded benefits plan before fertility benefits like Carrot, Progyny, and Maven existed. We were recognized nationally for that work.

RG: As doula care becomes more mainstream and essential, what’s your vision for the next 10 years, both for supporting families through birth and for expanding initiatives like the diaper drive?

KR: My vision is to grow beyond West Michigan with our expansion to Northern and Southwest Michigan, our 2024 book launch, and more speaking opportunities. I recently became a doula trainer for the MEGI High Risk Doula Certification program and feel called to make an impact beyond mentoring the doulas in my own agency.