Ailsa O’Neill-Dunne
Ailsa (she/her) is a Certified Postpartum Doula through the Perinatal Professionals Association and a graduate of New Horizons Training Network. She also holds the distinction of being the first official graduate of Vermont Doula Company’s Vermont Doula Residency Program, through which she completed an extended period of hands-on training, mentorship, and experience supporting families during the postpartum period.
Since joining Vermont Doula Company, Ailsa has become an experienced member of our postpartum team, providing both daytime and overnight support to families with newborns. Families consistently value her kind, thoughtful approach to care and the calm, compassionate presence she brings into their homes. She believes first and foremost in providing high-quality, family-centered care and supporting each family in a way that respects their individual needs, preferences, and experiences.
A lifelong member of the Burlington community, Ailsa is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Public Health at the University of Vermont. She first discovered her love for perinatal work through UVMMC’s Volunteer Labor Doula Program, where she gained experience supporting families during labor and birth. Her work at UVMMC has also included volunteering in the newborn nursery as a Baby Cuddler and supporting families during the early postpartum period on the Mother-Baby Unit.
Ailsa deeply values the unique role doulas play in helping families navigate the unknowns and intensity of the perinatal period while fostering calm, confidence, comfort, and autonomy. She cherishes the meaningful connections she builds with families and continues to be amazed by how even the tiniest newborns arrive with their own unique personalities.
Outside of doula work, Ailsa enjoys a good laugh, thought-provoking books, relatable Instagram reels, slightly scary movies, and time with her family. She also adores her wonderfully quirky pets, Hugo and Timmy. Ailsa finds joy in being outdoors in all kinds of weather, and if you’ve ever spotted someone biking through Burlington in a purple coat during snow or pouring rain, it may very well have been her.