Betsy Appel

After leaving her job in software several years ago to pursue doula work full time, Betsy went through HypnoBirthing training with Marie Mongan, the founder of HypnoBirthing. She became a certified HypnoBirthing teacher in 2003 and has been teaching classes and helping couples have easier, more comfortable births every since.

Betsy is a DONA certified birth doula, and shares the tricks of the trade with couples to help partners support the laboring mother, and to help the couple have the best possible birth experience in bay area hospitals, birth centers, or at home. She has been practicing Zen meditation for twenty years, and teaches a simple meditation practice that she has found has huge benefits to her clients in labor and parenting. A certified prenatal yoga instructor, Betsy also shares poses that help prepare women for labor, as well as poses to use during labor to make labor faster and more comfortable.

For more information on Betsy, please visit her web site at www.berkeleydoula.com.

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Maya Missakian

Maya Missakian, breastfeeding instructor, has been teaching at Birthways for 2 years. She is a breastfeeding counselor with La Leche League and has over 6 years of personal breastfeeding experience. She is currently working towards a degree in nursing (the other kind!) and will sit for the board exams next year to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. She is passionate about breastfeeding and providing information and support to all breastfeeding families.

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Kim Lyons

Kim is a certified massage therapist trained at the Esalen Institute in their advanced studies program. She also has certification in CranioSacral therapy through the Upledger Institute and additional training in other modalities. She holds a Masters in Early Childhood Development/ Education and focuses much of her practice on pediatrics and pre and post natal care. In addition, she is a doula, a yoga instructor for children with special needs and has lead play and infant massage groups in the Bay Area for over 10 years. You can find more information at her website: www.movingfromwithin.com.

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Tisa Ocean Bowser

After attending the births of my siblings as well as that of my niece I felt compelled to go further into the birth field. I began with training to be a Birth Doula and became certified thru DONA. I loved being a part of each birth. I continued to attended births through pregnancy with my son. Once he was born, I found I was not able to give enough to each couple while still fulfilling the needs of my baby. I decided to put my childbirth educator training to use. I had trained with Pam England author and creator of Birthing from Within. This style teaches women to birth in awareness and to embrace their birth experience. I have found that I enjoy teaching as much as attending parents at their birth. It gives me a chance to share my experience and knowledge. I'm currently serving on the board of directors for Birthways as Treasurer as well as teaching childbirth classes and of course being a mom.

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Rebecca Husband

About seven years ago, I began my doula training. I took two trainings, trying to gain as much knowledge as I could about birth. Soon after that, I started going to births and working as a birth doula. Over three years, I went to over 50 births. I also started training to become a childbirth educator and I became a certified massage therapist and a certified infant massage instructor. I taught classes at California Pacific Medical Center and I specialized in pre and post natal massage at the Women's Health Resource Center. I also started to prepare to become a mom and switched to postpartum doula work in search of a more sane schedule. In March 2004, I gave birth to a wonderful baby boy and have been enjoying motherhood immensely. Shortly after that, I became a certified childbirth educator with the International Childbirth Education Association. For the past, five years I have been on the BirthWays board, serving as president for the past three years.

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Cecilia Lindsay

I had heard about HypnoBirthing and it seemed only natural to me to go within to have a magical birthing experience. When I became pregnant I decided to take HypnoBirthing as my childbirth education class. Both of my daughters' births were joyful, my midwife was amazed at the ease with which I gave birth. I was so excited by my experiences that I wanted to become a HypnoBirthing instructor to share it with others. I have really enjoyed teaching parents as much as I thought I would. I love it when the people I have worked with call me after their births to tell me about their experiences.

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Constance Williams

Constance Williams comes to her role as a birth and post partum doula and teacher from a rich tapestry of life experience. She attended her first home birth in 1969 in San Francisco which inspired her own natural hospital birth in 1975 and then a home birth in 1977. Her profound appreciation for those experiences and love for her daughters and their many friends are the impetus and inspiration for what she considers her calling.

As a birth assistant for more than 300 women since 1997 when she attended the first of many doula, midwifery and lactation trainings, her focus is in helping the mother and father to achieve a fear free labor and birth for the benefit of the baby. As a student of midwifery, her two year apprenticeship at the Birth Home in Pleasanton under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Bleecker and Midwife, Beah Haber added to her store of valuable skills, experience and insights which inform her work.

Constance also works at night with families of newborn twins and triplets assisting in breastfeeding and newborn care as well as mother's post partum recovery.

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Eleanor Lew

Eleanor Lew works with couples and individuals in her private practice in Berkeley. She has a Master's degree in Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University. Coming from a perspective that we heal in relationship and that healing is an integration of mind, body and spirit, she specializes in compassionate communication that helps clients discover joy, passion, love, meaning and purpose in life.

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Yo Hutchinson

Information forthcoming!

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Michelle Edgar

Information forthcoming!

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Earth C. Lande

Earth passionately believes that childbirth can be an empowering and wonderful time for mother and the entire family. As a doula, educator, activist, and mother it is her desire that every mother and baby have a safe and sacred birth. It is a profound pleasure for her to witness the transformation a woman goes through to become a mother for the first time or even the fourth.

Earth has a B.A. degree in child development , which emphasized prenatal and infant development. Earth is the founder and director of The Natural Birth Institute, a birth wellness and education organization. She has co-facilitated doula trainings with master midwife Elizabeth Davis. She became a certified doula through Heart and Hands, a 60 hour plus midwifery training intensive. Earth has been featured in "Midwifery Today Magazine" and has spoken at Life West Chiropractic College and Palmer Chiropractic College on the global state of childbirth. She is an active member of the Sistahs of the Good Birth and a former Birthways board member. Earth has earned her place as a birth-giver by birthing two beautiful daughters at home.

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