Allisa Berberich
Birth Doula and Childbirth Educator
Serving Dallas, Richardson, Garland, Forney, Rockwall, Mesquite, Wylie
Even though I have always worked with young children and expecting mothers, I didn't know exactly what to expect during my first birth. I was the first of my family and friends to have a baby. I took all the classes, listened to podcasts, and read all the books, so I thought we didn't need any extra help. I ended up having a long and difficult labor. My son had a couple of complications but, thankfully, was healthy. It took me a few months to process my birth and heal from not having the birth I desired.
In between having my first and welcoming our second, I had the opportunity to be a support person to my sister through her labor and birth. Through these experiences, I knew I desired a different approach when we found out we were expecting our second, which led me to Little Lilacs! Having Katie as my doula taught me so much more about the pregnancy and birth journey, that even when my birth had to deter from my preferences, I still felt confident because of how educated I was to advocate for myself.
I couldn't shake the feeling of the amazing experience I had, and felt God nudge me towards birth work. With the encouragement of my family and close friends, I took the plunge! My previous career was offering parent education in social work and education fields. I have seen firsthand that to nurture children, we must also nurture the mother, and what better way to nurture a mother than from the beginning of her motherhood journey?
While I will attend a birth in any birthplace, I have a special interest in hospital births to help clients just as I was. In addition, I have a special place in my heart for single mothers and adore the opportunity to support many through the local pregnancy centers in my community.
When I'm not talking about birth and motherhood, I am probably wrangling my two precious kids (and our two dogs) with my husband in Forney, TX. I love baking, hiking, reading, watching feel-good TV, and going on walks. Dessert, coffee, and flowers make me happy.
Trainings
- BEST Certified Doula
Get to Know Allisa
What was your biggest take away from doula training?
One of the biggest things I took away from my doula training is that knowledge is power. There are so many techniques we can use to help the baby descend and make it easier for the mother to cope, no matter how or where she decides to birth. It's all about knowing what your body can do and knowing the choices available to you. I'm constantly amazed at how God created a woman's body to birth! We know the intricate details of the pelvis, nervous system, and hormones at play, and we use that to our advantage during birth.
Why should a client hire you?
I've always been a caretaker and a listener, and my greatest goal as a doula is for my clients to feel equipped, heard, and cared for. I also really love learning about my clients. The more I can learn about them, the more I can tailor my skillset as a birth worker to them and help them find strength and confidence.
What is the number one thing you use when supporting a family?
In varying forms, reassurance. Whether it is words of affirmation, a comfort technique, or just a calm and confident presence, I feel that most families I support need this the most.
Number one birth and postpartum book recommendation?
I love Nurture by Erica Chindi Cohen. She is a doula herself and covers so many things I love for my clients to know and understand in a simple way.
While this isn't necessarily a postpartum book, I also love Risen Motherhood. It is about seeing the Gospel in motherhood and really helps you focus on giving yourself grace over guilt in your role as a mother. (They have a great podcast too!)
Reviews for Allisa
From families Allisa has supported, via Google and Facebook.
"We had a great experience working with Allisa for the birth of our first child. We really appreciate her help beginning with a private birth education class, through labor and delivery, and through postpartum check ins. Her help at the hospital, in particular, was incredibly valuable. She made sure we had all the information we needed to make our birth plan, to stick to it during labor and delivery, she helped with labor positions and counterpressure to ease labor pains, and was an incredibly reassuring presence throughout the process. We are…"
"Just so incredibly thankful I had Allisa as my Doula. Allisa was so knowledgeable, supportive, and empowering during my pregnancy and birth. While I know it doesn’t happen for everyone, I was able to have the birth experience I envisioned and I credit much to that because of Allisa and her support. I wasn’t sure at the very beginning what type of birth experience I wanted, mostly because I wasn’t as knowledgeable. In talking to Allisa, she was able to better educate me and provide resources to help me make my decision to have an unmedicated bi…"
"Having Allisa as our doula was AMAZING! I could not have delivered my baby boy without her by my side. She was so informative and gave me all the tools to prepare my birth plan. From the moment we hired her I knew I was going to be able to make the choices for my body, and so I did. Although I had to be induced two weeks before, Allisa was so encouraging and made me feel like I was still going to be able to accomplish and follow my birth plan. I found my natural labor to be incredibly challenging, and I don’t think I was emotionally prepared fo…"
"I recently engaged Little Lilacs birth services to support me and my husband after my son was born. Working with Allisa Berberich was an incredible experience and I highly recommend her services! Allisa developed a personalized postpartum plan for me and my husband. Being first time parents we had so many questions and Allisa was right by our side providing us with the knowledge we needed and alleviated all our concerns and fears. Her support enabled us to care for our son with confidence and feel the joy of connecting with our son. We reall…"
"Allisa was my Little Lilacs doula and I’ll be forever grateful and thankful to have worked with her during my first pregnancy. Without her support and resources, I highly doubt I would’ve had my positive birth experience. She offered support and encouragement when I needed it most (towards the end of my pregnancy I was having challenges with my provider’s care), and during labor she was a true godsend. She helped me advocate for myself and introduced me to a whole world of birth I knew very little about. She has the sweetest spirit and I’d high…"