Madeline and James’s beautiful daughter, Gabriella, was born on December 30 with a unique distinction: She is the first baby to be born with the nurturing support of Mission Hospital’s new Nurse Midwife Program and the program’s first midwife, Allison Molinski, CNM.

Allison and board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Kenneth James have been in a collaborative practice for more than a year. Allison earned her RN and MA in nurse midwifery at Columbia University in New York. After completing her degrees, Allison returned to her hometown of San Clemente and began working in freestanding and hospital-based maternity centers.

“I met Allison when my husband and I had just decided to get pregnant with our fourth child,” says Madeline. “I really appreciate how she and Dr. James coordinated my care throughout the pregnancy. Allison is amazing — she’s very smart, decisive, confident and nurturing. That is the perfect combination for me.”

“Allison was deeply in-touch with how I was feeling during labor. She followed every medical protocol, but it was a far less clinical experience than my previous deliveries.”

“Midwifery is all about creating an empowering birth experience, as defined by the mother and father,” shares Allison. “Sometimes that means that mothers want an epidural or medication to ease pain during labor, and I honor those decisions. It’s all about the preferences of the mother and her partner.”