The GO Team
The GO Team
Sarah Hamilton
Golden Oak Practice Director
Birth & Postpartum Doula, Childbirth Educator
Sarah grew up in the Bay Area amongst a band of working-class artist-rabble rousers who instilled in her the primacy of the creative imagination, living life on one’s own terms, and that love and community make the world go ‘round. Those commandments well-seeded, she’s lived a bit of an unconventional, though heart-driven life--longtime wilderness/river guide; professional writer; longshoreman; small-scale farmer; social justice fundraiser; crazy-proud mother of two daughters.
And Doula. Though many hundreds of births in, Sarah feels the same passion, commitment, and joy in supporting birthing people and their loved ones as she did with the first. For her, there is no separation between birth work and her other passions; all are entwined and enrich the other. Sarah deeply believes in the rights of all birthing people to safe, respectful, unbiased, and equitable perinatal care.
Sarah, Ellie, and Gwen teamed up on their first births together many years ago, and Sarah has been an avid fan and supporter of Golden Oak since its inception. She is honored to serve as Practice Director. In that role, she wears numerous hats--from helping with the Community Education program to communications & marketing, practice operations and development, and whatever else she can do to support Ellie & Gwen as midwives. She is also the interim Project Director for the BirthRight Fund, the nonprofit project of Golden Oak, whose mission is to help eliminate racial and cultural inequity and discrimination in maternity care.
When not birthing or helping out at GO, she’s likely in some wild place or growing food or playing with her girls. Sarah can be reached at community@gomidwives.com
You can find out more about Sarah’s Doula and Childbirth Education practice here:
Allison Stanton
Golden Oak Office Manager
Birth Doula
Allison is born and raised Bay Area. She trained as a birth doula in 2010 and graduated from UC Berkeley’s Social Welfare and Gender Women Studies programs in 2011. She’s been called a 'baby whisperer' for as long as she can remember. Perhaps she inherited this proclivity to care for babies and calm new parents from her own mother, who delivered babies as a public health nurse in rural Philippines. But it was the empowering experience of the birth of her first son in 2010 that served as a catalyst into doula work. She currently provides birth doula services to clients across the East Bay. Allison strongly believes in the importance of the birth team and from the first time she attended a birth with Golden Oak, she wanted to work alongside Gwen and Ellie as often as possible. What a joy it is to see families step into parenthood surrounded by support!
As Golden Oak’s Office Manager, Allison is excited and proud to be part of a team of women who provide the best possible care to new families. Allison serves as our clients’ primary point of contact for welcoming new clients into the Golden Oak family; scheduling appointments; managing client invoicing and other paperwork; and generally supporting the smooth operation of the practice.
When she’s not birthing or in the office, she’s hanging with her two sons, indoor gardening, or walking Lake Merritt. Allison can be reached at: admin@gomidwives.com
You can find out more about Allison’s Doula practice here:
Alexis Harrington-Kihn, RN, MS, IBCLC
Alexis has been a Labor & Delivery nurse at Alta Bates for over 15 years and is a Certified Lactation Consultant. Her knowledge spans the spectrum of pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period. The initial newborn phase can be challenging as your body and mind adjust to the new role of parent. Alexis is committed to empowering families as they navigate this time, through compassionate, non-judgmental, informative care. Alexis joined the Golden Oak team in 2021 and will provide each family a home visit during the first few days home after their birth. She also leads the Golden Oak Postpartum Power Hour every Tuesday and she offers a regular Thursday Chat on "What to Expect at Alta Bates" in labor.
Alexis can be reached at alexis@gomidwives.com
You can learn more about Alexis’ Lactation Consultant practice here:
Amanda Kessner, Certified Nurse Midwife
In 2019, Amanda co-founded a private, home birth practice called East Bay Midwives. She has over a decade of experience working with mothers, newborns, and infants. Amanda first began attending births as a volunteer doula at San Francisco General Hospital, and has since been active with public health organizations including Homeless Prenatal Program and The Body Positive. She sits on the advisory board of the Global Pediatric Alliance and the Imeinu Jewish Birth Professional Collective. Amanda studied at the Midwives College of Utah, and completed the majority of her clinical training at the San Francisco Birth Center. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she loves to hike, pick wildflowers, and share a Shabbat meal with friends and family.
Amanda believes everyone deserves high quality midwifery care. She’s very excited to be joining the team at Golden Oak and feels privedged to serve GO’s clients!
Amanda can be reached at Amanda@gomidwives.com