About Alison
Alison has always loved babies and been interested in supporting mothers through the birth journey, but it wasn’t until she had a baby of her own and experienced the wonder and beauty of pregnancy, birth and new life in such a personal way that she decided to pursue training which would help her to support other mothers through their pregnancy, birth and postpartum journeys.
Alison firmly believes that for most women a natural physiological birth is not only possible, but achievable, empowering and mind-blowing. She also knows that a physiological birth is not always possible, but she is absolutely convinced that having the time and support you need to consider what your options are and make your own informed decisions can lead to a very positive birth experience, regardless of what path the birth takes.
Every woman is unique, and every birth experience is unique. Alison’s goal as a childbirth educator and doula is to support women and their partners through their fantastic journey to becoming parents.
What is a doula?
A birth doula is there to support the mother physically and emotionally every step of the way, getting to know her during the pregnancy and discussing her birth goals. When it comes to the birth, the doula is there to remind her that she is ready for this and she can do it. Yes, those moments of self-doubt can come, and having someone there who believes in you makes all the difference! A doula can suggest comfort measures and implement them or support the partner to implement them, and so much more. She is not a medical figure, nor does she make any decisions for the family, but she helps them to maintain their desired approach and makes space for them to live those unforgettable moments to the fullest.
A postpartum doula supports the mother in those critical first weeks while mum and baby are getting to know each other and nobody is getting much sleep! Having a postpartum doula means having someone there to help you YOUR way. The range of ways I can support you are basically defined by what your needs are at the time. The newborn phase can be quite challenging, and my goal is to give you the support you need to help you to enjoy it, whether that be by providing emotional support, doing a load of laundry (or more!), cooking, cleaning, playing with your toddler, or whatever else.
Childbirth education and perinatal care qualifications and training:
Certified GentleBirth Childbirth Educator (2024)
Birth & Postpartum Doula, Australian Doula College (completing pracs, due for certification April 2025)
Natural Breastfeeeding Program with Dr Theresa Nesbitt, MD & Nancy Mohrbacher, IBCLC, FILCA (2024)
Other relevant training:
First Aid Certificate with CPR (valid to Nov 2025)
NSW Working with Children Check (valid to Oct 2028)
Area Serviced
Alison is located on the Tilligerry Peninsula in Port Stephens. Her goal is to provide GentleBirth childbirth education workshops at central locations through the Hunter region to make them accessible to as many families as possible.
As a doula, while she can go anywhere in the Hunter region, when it comes to doula services she thinks the closer you live to your doula the better! As a guideline, she suggests trying to find a doula within a maximum of half to one hour’s drive of where you live or will give birth. With this in mind, she focuses on supporting women in Port Stephens and northern Newcastle.
Who can we help?
While available to everyone, Alison feels particularly called to support women from non-English-speaking backgrounds. She studied languages and linguistics at university. University exchange in Italy led to a 2020 COVID lockdown love story and marriage, and in 2021 she found herself facing pregnancy and birth in a foreign country. Blessed with a supportive birth team and plenty of time to learn and prepare beforehand, the birth was a totally amazing experience. She feels these experiences help her to have a greater empathy for the experience of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) women who find themselves preparing to give birth in an unfamiliar culture or environment, and she would love to be able to support them to have a positive birth experience despite the challenges they face.
Alison speaks fluent English and Italian, and has also done studies in Mandarin, Spanish and German.
The significance of wattle
Why does wattle feature in our logo? Wattle is the national flower of Australia, but also holds a special significance for Alison in relation to birth. She was living in Italy when she gave birth to her first child, a baby girl. Baby was due on 8 March, International Women’s Day, though arrived some days earlier. In Italy the wattle flower is associated with International Women’s Day, and on 8 March people will take bouquets of wattle to the special women in their lives.
On 8 March Alison’s husband brought home some wattle for her and their new daughter (see photo, with Alison and baby snuggling on the lounge in the background!). For Alison, this was not just a loving gesture, but also a reminder that women all around the world were experiencing pregnancy, birth, and caring for a newborn along with her. It can be easy to feel isolated by pregnancy and birth, but we need to remember that we are not alone: there are countless other women around the world who are sharing the same experience!
