This is a sacred time, and you deserve support. 

​Bringing new life into this world is extraordinary, and I understand that there is a lot of new or unfamiliar territory that you may be discovering. During pregnancy, birth and postpartum, you deserve to feel empowered, informed and supported. I deeply care about your emotional, physical and mental wellness, and I value the journey that you are on. Using a holistic and thoughtful approach, I provide birth doula services, postpartum doula services, childbirth and lactation education, reiki treatments and Birth Story Medicine® sessions.

I am honored to help. 

Birth Doula Services

Birth doula services bring emotional and physical support, along with resources and birth preparation to an expecting family prenatally, during birth and shortly after.
Working with me looks like:
I am a constant presence during your pregnancy and birth, where our relationship grows so that I can understand and help you along the way. We go over questions together and I help you find answers. My role is also to remind you of the instinctual, amazing skills that exist within you. You get my help with positioning, acupressure, aromatherapy, etc. You also receive a colorful, detailed timeline of the events/moments during the birth, along with any photos that were taken.

Postpartum Doula Services

Postpartum doula services come with endless resources, support and guidance during the transition into parenthood from the first few weeks to a few months postpartum.
Working with me looks like:
A beautiful transition has happened, and you are finally home with your new little one. Now what? My role as a postpartum doula is to help you with this transition that is often overlooked. I offer tips and advice for newborn care, lactation and newborn feeding support, light household tidying, etc. It's important for you to take care of yourself, so I can watch your little one while you take a warm shower or while you finally take a well-deserved nap. I help fill the gaps in your "fourth trimester" and come with resources and recommendations.

Birth Story Medicine®

Birth Story Medicine®​ provides a safe space for a guided personal-growth process that will bring insight, resolution and healing to what may feel like a difficult birth experience.
Working with me looks like:
Is a birth story, perhaps your own or one you witnessed, not sitting well with you? Is this story difficult for you? Are you affected by this today and would like to find a shift in how it affects you? Birth Story Medicine® brings you a safe space to tell your story in a way you probably haven't told it before. You and I gather in a private space for a session, where we gently dive into your story. I bring a calm, empathetic ear, along with solution-focused dialogue that helps you find the shift you are seeking.​

Reiki

Reiki treatments promote balance during pregnancy, healing during postpartum and overall well-being for newborns.
Working with me looks like:
Are you seeking to include a more holistic approach in regards to methods that help with relaxation, balance and overall well-being? The intention I bring to my practice is to embrace, honor and celebrate the individual as a whole, including the mind, body and soul. I do my best to add to your pregnancy, birth and postpartum experience by complementing your health care professionals.

Lactation Education

Lactation education can help you and your baby get off to a great start. Private classes or home visits provide loads of support, information and recommendations.
Working with me looks like:
I believe you do have an innate ability to breastfeed your baby. Your instincts can often be very powerful and can provide you with a connection to your breastfeeding journey. Lactation education enhances those instincts, as I can help with either classes or home visits to support you. I provide resources and referrals along the way too!

Childbirth Education

Coming soon!
Holistic Birth & Beyond is located in New Hampshire and provides in-person services to those in NH or southern MA. Virtual and online services are also available to residents of New Hampshire and to anyone outside of the New Hampshire / Massachusetts area.

What is a doula?

A doula is a non-medical support person for a birthing person and their family while they are on their pregnancy, birth and/or postpartum journey. ​
Evidence on Doulas

Evidence on Doulas

Evidence on: Doulas by Rebecca Dekker, PhD, RN, APRN. Updated on August 16, 2017 Originally published on March 27, 2013.
"There have been 26 randomized trials that tested the effects of continuous labor support on more than 15,000 people giving birth. Overall, people who receive continuous support are more likely to have a normal vaginal birth and less likely to have pain medication, negative feelings about childbirth, and Cesareans. In addition, their labors are shorter and their babies are less likely to have complications at birth or be admitted to a NICU. In these studies, the best results occurred when the continuous support was provided by a trained doula—someone who was not a staff member at the hospital and not part of the birthing person’s social network." (Dekker 2017)

Other sources/articles:​Dekker, R., PhD, RN, APRN. (2018, March 30). Evidence on: Doulas. Retrieved from https://evidencebasedbirth.com/the-evidence-for-doulas/
Conceptual Model for Continuous Labor Support
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Dekker, R., PhD, RN, APRN. (2018, March 30). Evidence on: Doulas. Retrieved from https://evidencebasedbirth.com/the-evidence-for-doulas/
What Clients are Saying
"I don't think I really understood how much I really needed Allison's presence at my birth until I was well into the birthing process.  She was calm and steady and really kept pulling me back to my center.  I elected to have a birth without medication, and underestimated the amount of strength and courage this would require.  Having Allison there really bolstered me up and made this possible.  While my husband was there, ready to help, and a loving presence, I felt like Allison's female energy and skill at knowing/guessing what I needed was crucial to our success.  If you are looking for a doula that emanates a gentle and steady energy. Allison is the doula for you.  If we ever have another child, I would not hesitate to ask Allison to be our doula again. " -Amy
"Allison Doherty was our doula for our second child. Allison was simply amazing! She has great confidence in what she is doing and yet has a calm and peaceful manner about her both of which made me feel instantly comfortable with her and like her. My husband also felt the same way right away which is a feat as he often doesn’t care about such things. My husband is very quiet so I wasn’t wanting anyone to run him over with taking charge and making him the third wheel but yet I wanted and needed the doula support. Allison was the perfect fit! She met with us and me separately ahead of the birth on a number of occasions. We would go over my fears and concerns about the upcoming birth along with ideas she had to help me prepare and know to maybe use in labor. I never felt pressured or rushed or like I was inconveniencing her. I felt confident and ready for my birth. Allison was always there for me in person, by phone, text or email. On the big day she walked me through calling my provider and getting to the hospital where she greeted us and never left my side unless checking in with the hospital staff for me. She helped me with positions and positive thinking. She kept in touch with the staff as to my needs and helped me get answers I needed to make decisions. The hospital was very busy so Alison was my life line! She stayed with me getting me settled in our room, supporting through the first breastfeeding and even setting up my fragrance diffuser all before she went home. I wanted pictures and Allison got many awesome photos throughout the birth and the special first time we spent with our baby. She emailed me the photo link along with a birth timeline I love! She also followed up by text and email many times following the birth and came for a postpartum visit to see how we were doing. We got to discuss the birth and events of that special day. All in all Allison was amazing and such a wonderful doula I was so glad to have! Thank you so much Allison!" -Jessica
"She was our postpartum doula and took truly outstanding care of me and my twins. She primarily worked overnights, doing all baby care. She woke me to pump or nurse as requested. She kept me hydrated and I always felt much better after she was with us for a night. I trusted her 100% to care for my babies right away. She is warm, caring, conscientious, and an all around pleasure to welcome into our home during a stressful time." ​-Trisha
"Trisha was at the birth of our first son and we were so excited to have her at the birth of our second son. I honestly couldn't have imagined giving birth without her! My second son, however, decided to come two weeks early, and she wasn't going to be able to make our birth. While I was in active labor and ready to go to the hospital, Trisha was able to connect us with Allison and Allison was so willing and eager to unexpectedly attend our birth. We had never met Allison before, but from the second my husband called her, asking her to make the hike to MGH in Boston at 11:00 at night, I knew that she would be able to meet the high expectations we had. As soon as Allison arrived, she jumped right in to support and I immediately felt comfortable with her. Allison was calm, warm, and so kind. She was willing to do anything that I asked (food, water, ask the nurse a question, etc.) and was also able to provide things for me that I didn't think to ask of her (essential oils, braid my hair). Allison got wonderful photos and wrote up a super accurate and really great visual of our son's birth timeline, that we will forever keep. She was able to add in details of the birth that I forgot or just didn't even know happened!" ​​-Melissa
"During my son's hospital stay, Allison was wonderful. She always knew how to bring a smile to my face and alleviate my fears. She answered my questions or connected me with nurses and doctors who could help me. She was very loving with my son and showed genuine, heartfelt love for him and me. I am blessed to have had Allison's support during my son's time in the NICU." ​-Rachel
"Allison Doherty was such a blessing! I met her through Nini Bambini and my husband and I knew she 'was the one' we wanted. Initially, she was going to be my birth doula, however I ended up having a planned C-section due to my baby being breached. I was not happy about having a c-section, but baby’s health comes first! Allison was very supportive through the whole process and then became our postpartum doula. She is very warm and compassionate, and my baby took to her right away. Allison was very conscientious of my needs as well as my baby’s needs. She went above and beyond- even doing things without having to be asked- she would just look around and KNOW what needed to be done and then start doing it- sometimes even before I knew what she was doing! I felt very comfortable with Allison and I was able to nap to catch up on some much needed sleep while she watched my baby- a task that is not always easy for a new mother as it is hard to trust others with our precious little ones! But I trusted her that much! I knew my daughter was in good hands. I was so impressed by how she made it a point to understand what I needed, and how I ran my house, as well as my routines that I used with my daughter- then she seamlessly integrated this into her role when she came. Allison is so open and very easy to talk to. She really helped me start to navigate the postpartum world, making me feel like I was not going crazy! I highly recommend Allison as a doula!" ​- Heather