Birth Paths Background

The Birth Paths curriculum was written by Abigail Marcaccio, PhD Psychologist and Allison Spooner, RI Birth Network President, HypnoBirthing Childbirth Educator and Certified Hypnotist.

Birth Paths was created when it was recognized that couples would be better served with a “navigational guide” and supportive tools to achieve their birth experience and prevent their birth from becoming a procedure.  The demand was evident for a curriculum that applied to every type of birth - medical, planned, and natural.  It was also important to address unexpected changes during and after birth and how to work within new parameters.  Childbirth education classes were being quoted as being a black or white category - specialized classes were offered to those who wanted a natural birth; medical or planned births were designed by a doctor with little or no involvement of the mother or partner.  It was time to meet a broader need for couples and allow them to invest in their birth, and in their baby’s experience. 

Abigail Mansfield Marcaccio, PhD, has two sons, both of whom were birthed naturally. Childbirth was a transformative experience for Abigail. She wants to share the power and beauty of a fully empowered birth experience, and to help expectant families to fully understand their options regarding birth, and to make choices that best support their needs and circumstances.

Abigail holds a PhD in clinical psychology. She has experience working in medical settings, and has used relaxation and guided visualization in her work. She brought a background in behavior medicine, relaxation training, and emotion regulation to bear on the development of the Birth Paths childbirth education program.

Allison Spooner, CE, BCH has been the President of RIBN, a Certified Hypnotist for the past two years, and a HypnoBirthing Practitioner for the past 4 years in RI.  It took the birth of her son five years ago to prompt her to become an educator with the intent to provide mothers and partners with tools and information to realize the full potential for their birth.

Allison realized that HypnoBirthing was a very supporting method, but restricted when it came to unexpected changes in birth.  Once she began working with RIBN, and hearing from a larger audience, it became much more evident that there was a broader scope of mothers and partners who wanted a better birth experience.  She became a Certified Hypnotist to help couples alleviate fear and anxiety surrounding birth, and to work with high-risk mothers.  With all these factors, Birth Paths was underway.