Alison has decades of experience working with mothers, new parents and babies. She has provided doula support to sixteen families during birth and the childbearing year, and has provided birth doula support during eleven births.The first birth that she attended was when her own sister was born at home. Alison has had an interest in [...]

Amber is a DONA International certified labor support doula. She had the privilege of studying under the very inspiring Debra Pascali-Bonaro (director of Orgasmic Birth and Organic Birth), and learned all about breastfeeding from Sara Chana Silverstein. She has also been trained in the practices of Hypnobirthing. She is registered to work with the Inwood House in NYC to [...]

Giving birth to her first child inspired Anat to become a doula. That 56-hour labor, at home with a midwife and doula, made her realize how important birth support really is. Over the past four years, Anat has immersed herself in natural childbirth and child rearing. One of her inspirations is her own mother, a [...]

**Anne offers doula care to clients in Manhattan only ** Anne’s interest in helping women in pregnancy and birth comes from her own extensive personal experience as a mother of four. During her first pregnancy she took no fewer than three (!) childbirth classes (including a Bradley Method class taught by BirthFocus’ founder, Ilana Stein). [...]

Carmen Siragna has always felt the desire to serve others, be they people or animals, and has worked to improve and safeguard lives since her teenage years. Through teaching Kundalini Yoga, Carmen has continued her dedication to serving humanity, by spreading awareness of the power of the evolutionary energy and creative potential in mankind. Ever [...]

Catherine aims to bring with her a sense of comfort, calm and encouragement to every woman she has the pleasure of supporting throughout pregnancy and childbirth. Coming from a big and loving family in Buffalo, NY she understands the importance of having a nurturing support system during a time of need and what a positive [...]

After a long and prosperous journey in the health care industry, working in oncology and cancer research, Edna has decided to make her life about new beginnings. She felt she needed to move forward and focus instead on the positivity of creating new life for women and families. Edna has completed the DONA International birth training, postpartum training, [...]

Esdras Santana is an indigenous woman from the Dominican Republic. She is married and has two children, a boy and a girl.  Esdras does volunteer work as a doula and is a healthcare advocate for pregnant women having problems with insurance coverage. She has dedicated her time to helping women and their families have a [...]

Being the youngest of four girls, Fanny was always around women. The influences of her sisters and mother gave her a strong sense of feminine identity. In high school, she put together a group that addressed issues around sexual health and reproductive rights awareness. The success that the club received allowed her to go onto [...]

Gillian is a Childbirth Educator living and working in the New York birth community, and mothering in Inwood. (“Upstate Manhattan” as it were.) Currently a DONA trained Birth and Postpartum Doula, she sees birth education and support as the gateways to the best possible beginning for children and families. In 2010 Gillian trained with DONA [...]

Whether working as a nanny and teacher, organizing for grassroots political change, or facilitating poetry workshops for incarcerated women, the guiding force in Jillian’s life has been her belief in the amazing feats women can achieve when given adequate information and loving support. This is especially true of the ability of women to give birth. [...]

Julia Mannes will help you feel confident and comfortable during your birth, and help your family get off to a good start.  She is a professional doula certified by DONA International and offers down-to-earth counseling, education, and bodywork for pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood. Julia is also a vinyasa yoga instructor specializing in prenatal and parent-baby yoga. She is skilled in acupressure, massage, photography, babycare, and bringing [...]

Kat Raynor – Inspired by the power of having a natural birth with her two children, Kat trained with Celeste Rachel and is currently pursuing her Dona-Certification to share her insight with other women. She grew up in the loving and cheerful chaos of a large, close-knit Irish-American family in Brooklyn. In and out of [...]

Katharine has been working as a Doula in New York City and Brooklyn since 2008. A certified Kripalu Yoga, The Khalsa Way Pregnancy, and Baby & Me Yoga (Post-Partum) instructor, Katharine most recently taught classes at Realbirth, where she also coordinated Childbirth Education, Breastfeeding, and Newborn Care classes for clients. In addition, Katharine completed the [...]

Keiko Niccolini has recently returned to her home city of New York after spending 15 years in Northern California running some of the country’s most prestigious wineries. As a mother of two, she knows what a pinnacle experience childbirth is. Keiko is happiest when she is in the service of others. As a doula, she [...]

In addition to being the Director of Doula Services for BirthFocus, Martina is also a birth doula, a postpartum doula, and a certified lactation counselor.  Before finding birth work, Martina supported women and their families as a women’s crisis counselor, creating a calm and safe space and helping women stay comfortable and in control.  She [...]

Myla Flores is a DONA certified birth doula who began attending births as a homebirth midwife’s assistant in 2007. She received her DONA professional doula training in 2010, and has since become richly experienced in many settings beyond local homebirths – birth center births, hospital births, and births in other countries. Serving more than 35 [...]

As a mother of two, Rachel understands what a delicate and powerful transformation childbirth is. When her best friend became pregnant she wanted to be there at the birth to support her, and so began her journey as a doula. Rachel is at her best when looking out for people and seeing them through challenging [...]

Sara has had a passion for birth and babies for as long as she can remember. She always knew her calling was to “birth” babies, her own and others. She attended her first birth in 1993 and it confirmed to her, this is what she was made to do. After personally dealing with infertility and [...]

Sarah is grateful to be part of the Birth Focus community acting as both a birth doula and the coordinator of In Motion, a branch of Birth Focus that connects pregnant teenagers with doulas. Born and raised in New York City, Sarah has been passionate about female embodiment for as long as she can remember. [...]

Stephanie brings a calming and encouraging presence to all births. She has passionately served mother and baby in a wide variety of births ranging from hospital births to home water births. The breadth of her experience equips her with a unique combination of comfort and strength. Stephanie is a certified birth doula through DONA International.  [...]

Yiska Obadia is a licensed acupuncturist, massage therapist & birth doula working in NYC with 16 years of collective experience. Passionate about both supporting & empowering her clients, Yiska has a unique integrated approach to treatment & birth care. She also leads journeydance workshops & transformational retreats that support people in having the self-expression, leadership, [...]