About
About Ali
From farm kid to artist to teacher to childbirth educator and birth doula. Life is such a journey!
My name is Ali (Alison, but please call me Ali), and I am originally from the central ND area. I grew up on a farm near Regan, ND and now live on a ranch near Wing, ND with my husband and our two young daughters.
I originally went to college for fine art, and then worked as an educator for seven years teaching elementary, high school, and college art. While I still love art and teaching art, especially at the college level, I realized I did not have the passion required to fully dive in to that field of work. I took a chance by choosing not to pursue a Master’s degree which was needed to continue teaching art at the college level. This allowed me to explore another interest that is near and dear to my heart, HypnoBirthing®.
For the birth of our first daughter, my husband and I took a childbirth class taught by our amazing doula. During that class I stumbled upon hypnobirthing techniques. I had no idea what it was, but it was described as guided relaxation leading to a calm, easy birth, which really sparked my interest. I mean, I didn’t have to scream and feel scared during labor? Sign me up! At that time, there were no hypnobirthing educators in our area, so I opted for a self-study program. And with that, we experienced a serene, easy, and unmedicated labor and birth. I knew right then I wanted hypnobirthing to remain a part of my life.
I returned to teaching art for one more year before I dove headfirst into the field of birthwork. Becoming certified to teach HypnoBirthing® The Mongan Method was a transformative life experience, much like birth of our daughter. I left the training knowing that I have found a passion and a field of work I can grow into. Soon after that, a birth doula training was offered in the Bismarck/Mandan area. My initial thought was that doula training would be a solid investment to better serve as a childbirth educator. After the first day of the training I knew I was not there just for the knowledge, I was there to become a birth doula.
After an amazing first year as a birth worker, we welcomed our second daughter into the world in the comfort of our home using HypnoBirthing® techniques and surrounded by a trusted birth team. Again, I experienced first-hand how beneficial the right support and birth preparation can be.
Birth is a transformative experience. This past year as a has taught me that all birthing families deserve support and that the way we welcome babies into this world matters. We are all in this together.