Angelique Millette

Angelique Millette (PhDc, MFTt, PCD/CD [DONA]) is a parent coach, sleep consultant, infant/toddler sleep and postpartum mood disorder researcher, lactation educator, DONA-certified birth and postpartum doula, and infant-child therapist intern who has worked with families across the Bay Area, the United States and Europe for the past 15 years. She specializes in infant/child development and how parents can meet their own sleep needs while helping their young ones meet theirs. Angelique does not follow one specific sleep program, but rather helps families by taking into account family schedule, infant/toddler/child development, temperament, and parenting philosophy, all while keeping an eye on sleep deprivation, parental overwhelm, depression and anxiety. Angelique’s doctoral research addresses the correlation between infant sleep locations/methods, maternal postpartum depression/anxiety, and maternal attachment. Angelique teaches sleep workshops at Day One in San Francisco, The Parents Center in San Rafael, BirthWays in Berkeley, and professional conferences across the country.

Visit www.angeliquemillette.com for more information.

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Anna Griffin

Anna Griffin is an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) with more than 20 years experience teaching CPR and First Aid to schools, businesses and healthcare professionals. Instructor certified by the American Heart Association, she has taught at Alta Bates Medical Center for many years, and is currently Training Center Faculty at Washington Hospital in Fremont. She is committed to teaching classes that are fun, engaging and low stress.

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Carrie Flemming, M.A.

Carrie Flemming is a birth advocate and visual artist with experience supporting families in community as a birthing doula, counselor, health worker, group facilitator & nanny. She is a Certified HypnoBirthing Practitioner, and holds master’s degrees in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University and Women’s Spirituality & Social Change from New College of California. Carrie’s support is compassionate, open, creative and from the heart, and she hopes to inspire people to access their innate power, potential and creativity.

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Constance Williams

Constance Williams comes to her role as a birth and postpartum 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 postpartum recovery.

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Dana McMahan

Dana McMahan has been working with La Leche League since May of 2002. After their extensive training period Dana started the Berkeley La Leche League group that meets at BirthWays. She also fields helping calls and meets with moms and families. She is the mother of 9 year old identical twin boys. She is currently studying for the IBCLC exam to be held this summer.

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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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Gina Hassan, Ph.D.

Gina Hassan, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist and mother of two, who focuses on working with women around pregnancy and early motherhood. She has a private practice in Berkeley, CA and runs mindfulness groups with new,( and not so new), moms. She has over 20 years experience as a psychotherapist and has been specializing in working around issues related to pregnancy and the postpartum transition for over a decade. She has trained as a mindfulness teacher and integrates mindfulness practices into her work with new and expecting parents. She has written and taught in the field of perinatal psychology and is a founding member of Perinatal Psychotherapy Services. She has been on the board of BirthWays for over 2 years.

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Jason Nery

Jason has provided health education to youth, adults and in-service training to medical personnel for over 10 years. He is currently a Mental Health Counselor / Disaster Preparedness Liaison for the County of San Mateo as well as an Instructor for the American Red Cross. As a former preschool teacher and current nursing student, Jason has a passion for empowering parents to help children reach their highest potential.

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Kathy Woo

Kathy Woo is a Certified Hypnotherapist, Birth & Postpartum Doula and HypnoBirthing® Practitioner/Childbirth Educator. She holds a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology and has been a counselor and case manager in a variety of mental health facilities. She is interested in Buddhism, yoga, shamanism pottery and energy medicine. Kathy focuses on assisting mothers create a clear connection to their inner wisdom and power by cultivating trust, compassion and loving kindness towards themselves and others. www.kathywoo.com

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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 web site: www.tumetime.com.

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Laura Gardner, MA

Laura Gardner has a Graduate Degree in Counseling and works holistically with individuals, couples, and teens struggling with various issues including relationship problems, depression, anxiety, compulsions, body image distortions, infertility, extramarital affairs, and more. She has experience running a women's group; working with rape & sexual assault survivors; and working with teens diverted from the juvenile justice system. She works in North Berkeley and can be reached at 510.594.4300 or laura@holisticgardner.com. For more info, visit www.holisticgardner.com.

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Liz Creditor

I am a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator. My path towards becoming a childbirth instructor began with the birth of my first daughter by cesarean section after 4 hours of pushing back in 2002. After the birth of my son in 2005, a vbac, and with the encouragement of my husband and doula, I began training to become a childbirth educator.

I also hold a Masters Degree in Infant and Parent Development from Bank Street College of Education in NYC and worked with infants and toddlers for a few years before becoming a mommy. In addition to teaching at Birthways,I also teach private vbac classes.

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Molly Brannigan, MA, ICCE, IBCLC

Molly Brannigan, MA, ICCE, IBCLC has been working with expectant parents, babies and new mothers since 2004. She provides non-judgmental, inclusive Childbirth Education that encompasses a variety of techniques and strategies, and supports parents in preparing for a meaningful and personal birth experience. She hopes that over the course of her class, parents will develop confidence in themselves, discover the path that is right for them and build community with other families.

In her Breastfeeding class, Molly employs her training in infant and child nutrition and her experience as a Board-Certified Lactation Consultant to provide families the support and information they need to develop a successful, easy, and satisfying breastfeeding relationship with their babies.

The more time she spends with mothers and babies, the more Molly is struck by the capabilities of newborn babies, the depth of mothers' intuitive knowledge of their babies, and the intensity of the relationships that babies and parents create together. Molly is the mother of three children.

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Nickie Tilsner

Nickie Tilsner is a Certified Doula, Doula Trainer, and Childbirth Educator with over ten years experience in the birthing community. She began her training ten years ago with a midwifery apprenticeship in a free-standing birth center in San Francisco. Throughout the last decade she has worked as a Labor and Postpartum Doula having attended births in all settings. She has also worked as an outreach worker, HIV test counselor and crisis counselor, as well as founding a doula training program and teaching integrated methods childbirth preparation courses to expectant mamas and couples. Nickie is the proud mother of Violette, who was born in 2007.

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Paula Santi

Paula Santi has been active in the birth community since 2001. She is a practicing birth and postpartum doula, an La Leche League Leader, and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. (Say that three times fast!) She lives in Walnut Creek with her husband and sons, Mario age 11, and Vincent, age 10.

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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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Sabrina Easterling, MPH, IBCLC, ICCE

Sabrina began working with breastfeeding families following more than a decade of experience in public health, perinatal health, and reproductive health training. Passionate about supporting women as they learn about their bodies, their babies, and breastfeeding, she dedicates much of her time helping lead MilkSupport.com and the Lactation Services program for BirthWays, where she facilitates the new Breastfeeding Café & Clinic and serves as a lactation consultant. Additionally, she works at UCSF as a perinatal educator and at California Pacific Medial Center as both a prenatal lactation educator and providing in-hospital lactation support in the days after the baby is born. Sabrina holds a Master's degree in Public Health from Boston University, specializing in Maternal and Child Health, is a graduate of the UC San Diego Lactation Consultant program. To learn more, find Sabrina at www.milksupport.com.

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Shiela VanDerveer, CPM LM

I began my initial midwifery training in 1999 and completed my clinical and academic training in Taos, New Mexico through the Northern New Mexico Midwifery Center and the National College of Midwifery in 2005. Since this time I have been in private practice both in Northern New Mexico and in the Bay Area of California. Please check out my website at www.comadresmidwifery.com to learn more about my practice.

As part of my commitment to establishing global access to midwifery care, I began a small nonprofit in 2004, called the Gatekeepers Fund. The fund is dedicated to "Giving Childbirth Back to Women" by helping to provide midwives (including students) in areas of need and raising awareness of this global need through artistic educational campaigns. Please check out www.gatekeepersfund.org to learn more about our mission.

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Stacia Biltekoff, CMT, CD

Stacia Biltekoff has been serving families in the East Bay since 1991 with a background in early childhood development, social work and massage therapy. In 1998 she became nationally certified in massage with a specialty in injury treatment and prenatal massage. In 2001, shortly after giving birth, a few friends invited her to provide labor support for them and a doula was born. She hopes that with unconditional support, informed consent and non-judgmental guidance, the mother has an empowered birthing experience no matter the outcome. She also aims to support partners so that labor can give the couple an opportunity to strengthen their bond on their journey toward parenthood. Stacia has been on the board of Birthways since 2006 and has served as both referral line coordinator and publications co coordinator. She is committed to providing unconditional support to pregnant, laboring, and postpartum women and their families through her work as a Birth and postpartum doula, childbirth educator, support group facilitator and most importantly, mama.

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Stacy Stoddard, MA

Stacy Stoddard is an experienced Marriage and Family Therapist Intern with a practice in North Berkeley. Stacy works with individuals and couples, and specializes in pregnancy and new parenthood issues. Stacy holds dual masters degrees from Yale University and John F Kennedy University, and she works in a warm, relational, and down to earth way. Stacy can be contacted at 510.496.2733 or www.newparenttherapy.com.

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Suzanne Harkless

Suzanne Harkless is a Certified Instructor for the Baby Signs® Program. She teaches sign language to help families discover the joys of signing with their babies, and the enhanced communication which results. She offers an introductory Parent Workshop for BirthWays and teaches Baby Signs play classes at preschools and community centers in the East Bay.

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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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Willow Lune

Willow Lune, CMQ is a mama, healer, and spiritual seeker. She is dedicated to bringing about joy, laughter, empowerment, and healing on your parenting journey. Willow's relationships with friends, family, and with herself, have dramatically improved since she discovered NVC. Her son was "Diaper Free" from birth. For more information, visit her web site at www.seaofqi.org

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