Our Doulas
Jessica Tovar
Jessica is the founder and heart of Moon & Stars Doulas, bringing nearly twenty years of experience supporting families through pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. She has devoted her career to empowering parents during one of life’s most transformative journeys. With a rare combination of expertise, empathy, and warmth, Jessica creates a space where families feel seen, supported, and confident at every stage of early parenthood.
Throughout her career, Jessica has guided countless families through pregnancy, birth, and the early weeks of parenthood. She approaches each family with respect, care, and a personalized plan that reflects their values, goals, and comfort. Her philosophy blends evidence-based practices with heartfelt guidance, helping parents feel informed, confident, and fully supported throughout their journey.
Jessica’s passion extends far beyond birth. She specializes in fourth-trimester care, offering hands-on newborn guidance, emotional support, and practical strategies to help parents navigate the often-overwhelming early weeks. She creates nurturing environments where families can rest, recover, and bond while building confidence and enjoying the joys of early parenthood.
Her experience with multiples and NICU babies has made her an exceptionally skilled doula. As a NICU parent herself, Jessica understands the intensity, challenges, and emotional journey families face during preterm or medically complex newborn care. She brings a diverse set of skills, deep empathy, and practical strategies to help families feel prepared, reassured, and capable during these critical early days.
Beyond her direct work with families, Jessica mentors every doula on the Moon & Stars team. She shares her knowledge, experience, and philosophy with each team member, ensuring that all families receive the highest level of personalized, compassionate care. Her mentorship fosters a culture of professionalism, empathy, and continual growth, strengthening the impact of Moon & Stars Doulas in the community.
A long-time Austin resident, Jessica has lived in the area on and off since 2004. She and her husband of nearly sixteen years share five daughters, ages 5, 9, 11, 18, and 20, giving her both personal insight and professional perspective on the joys and challenges of raising a family. Her own experiences as a parent inform her work and fuel her commitment to helping families thrive during life’s most intimate and transformative moments.
Jessica’s exceptional skill and dedication have been recognized on a local and national level. She has been a finalist for Best in Birth for Sleep Consultant three years in a row and for Postpartum Doula one year. These accolades highlight her profound impact on families and her leadership within the doula and perinatal care community.
In 2022, Jessica founded Moon & Stars Doulas to provide inclusive, high-quality care to families across the Austin area. She has built a community where parents feel supported, empowered, and celebrated at every stage of the perinatal journey. She often travels with both current and former postpartum clients, bringing her warmth, expertise, and unwavering dedication wherever families need her most.
Jessica’s Certifications and Specialized Training Include
Certified Birth Doula
Certified Postpartum Doula
Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant since 2014
Certified Placenta Specialist
Certified Childbirth Educator
VBAC Birth Training
Certified Breastfeeding Educator
Loss and Bereavement Doula Training
Trauma-Informed Perinatal Care
HIPAA Compliance for Doulas
Young Parent Support Specialist
Understanding Developmental Disabilities
Massage for the Laboring Woman
Professional Development in Perinatal Support
Fabiola Amaral
Fabiola is a certified Birth and Postpartum Doula whose passion for supporting families through one of life’s most transformative journeys is evident in everything she does. With a strong foundation in early childhood education and years of experience as a preschool teacher, she brings a unique combination of knowledge, patience, and nurturing presence to the families she serves. Her deep understanding of child development, paired with her calm and intuitive nature, allows her to guide parents with both practical strategies and heartfelt support, creating a space where families feel empowered, confident, and fully supported throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.
Fabiola understands that no two births or families are alike. She provides highly personalized, compassionate care for both vaginal and cesarean births, tailoring her support to honor each family’s values, preferences, and goals. She believes that well-informed, supported parents are empowered parents, and she works closely with each family to help create a birth experience that feels safe, positive, and deeply respectful. Fabiola’s steady presence and thoughtful guidance help parents navigate the profound emotional and physical transitions of birth with confidence and reassurance.
In the postpartum period, Fabiola specializes in overnight care, offering hands-on support that allows parents to rest, recover, and bond with their newborn. She assists with newborn routines, feeding, and recovery, providing both practical guidance and emotional reassurance. Families often describe her as a calming and grounding presence, someone who can anticipate their needs and create a structure that feels both supportive and flexible. Fabiola’s care allows parents to embrace the joys of early parenthood while minimizing stress and uncertainty, fostering confidence and peace of mind during a period that can often feel overwhelming.
As a devoted mother of two, Fabiola brings her own lived experience of the joys, challenges, and unpredictability of early parenthood into her work.
She connects with families on a deeply personal level, understanding the emotional highs and lows that accompany caring for a newborn. Her personal experience informs her intuition, empathy, and ability to provide meaningful guidance, making her support both practical and deeply nurturing. Since joining Moon & Stars Doulas in 2022, Fabiola has become a trusted and beloved guide for families across the Austin area, consistently demonstrating warmth, professionalism, and unwavering compassion.
Fabiola’s dedication extends beyond her hands-on support. She is committed to continued professional growth, ensuring that her practice remains current and grounded in evidence-based methods. Her experience with multiples and NICU babies equips her with the skills, understanding, and confidence necessary to support families facing complex or challenging early parenthood situations. Families consistently praise her ability to remain calm under pressure, her thoughtful guidance, and her talent for creating a nurturing, supportive environment that fosters both parent and infant well-being.
Fabiola’s impact is defined by her ability to blend expertise, empathy, and lived experience into every interaction. She is not only a doula but a guide, mentor, and advocate for families as they navigate the transformative journey of birth and early parenthood. Her calming presence, personalized approach, and dedication to each family ensure that parents feel empowered, supported, and fully equipped to embrace their new roles with confidence and joy.
Fabiola’s Certifications and Specialized Training Include
Certified Birth Doula
Certified Postpartum Doula
Certified Breastfeeding Educator
CPR and First Aid – Current
Food Handler Permit – Current
Experience with multiples and NICU babies
Misty Karafi
Misty is a devoted mother of four and a proud Mimi to one sweet little girl. Over the past 20 years, she has supported families in a variety of capacities, developing a deep understanding of the many challenges and joys that come with parenting. Her experience spans prenatal education, newborn care, breastfeeding support, and postpartum guidance, giving her a well-rounded perspective that allows her to meet each family’s unique needs.
As a postpartum doula, Misty’s true passion lies in helping families navigate the early weeks and months after birth. She provides practical, hands-on support while fostering emotional well-being for parents and caregivers. Misty has specialized knowledge in working with IVF families, understanding both the emotional and physical complexities involved, and she brings a gentle, informed approach to every family she supports.
She is highly skilled in breastfeeding support, helping parents establish successful feeding routines and navigate common challenges with confidence and care. Misty also has extensive experience guiding parents in attachment-style parenting, nurturing secure and loving bonds between caregivers and children. Her approach combines education, empathy, and practical tools, empowering families to feel confident in their parenting journey.
Misty’s support goes beyond baby care. She assists families in creating routines, managing household tasks, and establishing self-care practices so that parents can recover, rest, and thrive. She believes that the postpartum period is a critical time for parents to feel seen, supported, and valued, and she works tirelessly to ensure that families experience this care fully.
Known for her warmth, patience, and deep commitment, Misty meets each family exactly where they are, honoring their values, goals, and unique circumstances. Her holistic, individualized support has helped countless families transition into parenthood with confidence, calm, and connection.
With Misty by your side, families gain not only expert guidance but also a compassionate partner who celebrates every milestone, big or small, and ensures that parents and babies alike feel nurtured, empowered, and supported throughout their postpartum journey.
Misty's certifications and specialized training include:
Certified Postpartum Doula
Certified Breastfeeding Educator
CPR/First Aid Certified – Current
Food Handlers Certified – Current
Experience with NICU babies & multiples
Lindsey Walker
Lindsey brings over seventeen years of experience in the nanny and early childhood care industry to her work as a certified Birth and Postpartum Doula, offering families a rare combination of skill, intuition, and heartfelt support. Her extensive experience caring for children of all ages has given her a deep understanding of early childhood development, family dynamics, and the unique challenges that come with welcoming a new baby into the home. Lindsey has a natural ability to anticipate family needs, provide practical guidance, and create a calm, reassuring presence, helping parents feel supported, confident, and empowered during the often-overwhelming postpartum period.
She specializes in both daytime and overnight postpartum care, providing hands-on assistance, guidance, and reassurance that allow parents to rest, recover, and bond with their newborn. Lindsey supports families in establishing healthy routines for sleep, feeding, and recovery while offering practical strategies for breastfeeding, newborn care, and sibling integration. Her approach is grounded in evidence-based practices, infused with empathy, and tailored to meet the unique needs of each family. Parents consistently note her calm, patient, and adaptable presence, which makes even the most challenging nights feel manageable and creates a space where families can thrive.
After relocating to Austin in 2024 following her partner’s military retirement, Lindsey joined the Moon & Stars Doula team. Since then, she has become a trusted and valued member of the team, bringing her professionalism, experience, and warm demeanor to every family she supports. Lindsey is known for her ability to listen deeply, adapt to each household’s unique needs, and provide guidance that is both practical and nurturing. Her presence is steady and reassuring, offering parents the confidence and support they need to navigate the joys and challenges of early parenthood.
Lindsey’s impact extends beyond direct care. She brings the same care, dedication, and attentiveness she provides her clients into the team environment, contributing to a collaborative culture rooted in knowledge-sharing, mentorship, and mutual support. Her thoughtful approach, professionalism, and unwavering commitment make her an invaluable part of the Moon & Stars Doula team.
Outside of her doula work, Lindsey is a devoted dog mom to two beloved pups and is joyfully planning her wedding in 2026. Her warmth, patience, and dedication shine through in every part of her life, making her a trusted guide and source of support for the families she serves. Lindsey’s combination of professional expertise, hands-on experience, and genuine compassion ensures that every family she works with feels confident, supported, and cared for during life’s most transformative moments.
Lindsey’s Certifications and Specialized Training Include
Certified Birth Doula
Certified Postpartum Doula
Certified Breastfeeding Educator
CPR and First Aid Certified – Current
Food Handler Certified – Current
Experience with NICU babies and multiples
Kerstin Guarnaccia
Kerstin is a highly trained and deeply compassionate Birth Doula, Postpartum Doula, and Newborn Care Specialist who brings over a decade of personal and professional experience to the families she serves. As a mother of six children ranging from age 10 to 21, including a set of twins. Kerstin understands the realities, challenges, and extraordinary transitions that occur during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. Her personal journey through multiple pregnancies and newborn stages fuels her passion for guiding families through one of life’s most sacred and transformative seasons.
In addition to her doula and newborn care credentials, Kerstin also completed three years of midwifery education through the Midwife Training Center, including two years of hands-on apprenticeship. This advanced training gives her a strong foundation in normal birth, maternal recovery, newborn assessment, and evidence-based postpartum support. Her midwifery background allows her to confidently navigate the early weeks of parenthood while helping families recognize what is normal, what may need additional attention, and how to stay grounded through the transition.
As a Birth Doula, Kerstin’s presence is calm, grounding, and centered on the family’s choices. She believes that childbirth is not only a physical event but an emotional and spiritual one, and she works to ensure that her clients feel informed, supported, and empowered every step of the way. Her training in Hypno-Babies adds an additional layer of specialized support for families who choose hypnosis-based coping tools, offering comfort techniques and guided relaxation.
As a Postpartum Doula and Newborn Care Specialist, Kerstin is known for her warm, intuitive approach. She steps into the home ready to support not just the newborn, but the entire family system. Her care may include newborn feeding support, lactation guidance, establishing healthy sleep and feeding routines, soothing techniques, physical and emotional recovery support for the birthing parent, and practical household assistance to create a peaceful, balanced environment.
Families appreciate her ability to read the needs of a newborn while also tuning into the unique needs of each parent whether they need rest, reassurance, education, or simply a calm presence. She is adaptable and reliable, adjusting her care as babies grow and as family rhythms shift. Above all, Kerstin is committed to ensuring that families feel confident, cared for, and never alone in the early months of adjusting to life with a new baby.
Kerstin’s extensive personal background with newborns, combined with her professional training, equips her to support families in establishing stability, nurturing confidence, and creating joyful early memories. She knows how fleeting the newborn stage is and strives to help families embrace the sweetness of these first moments, moments that will be remembered long after the sleeplessness has passed.
With Kerstin by your side, you gain not only a skilled doula and newborn specialist, but a compassionate partner dedicated to making your postpartum experience as smooth, supported, and meaningful as possible.
Kerstin’s professional training is extensive and well-rounded. She is certified as a:
Newborn Care Specialist – Newborn Care Training Academy
Postpartum Doula – Newborn Care Training Academy
Birth Doula – Birth Arts International
Childbirth Educator – Birth Arts International
Early Loss & Bereavement Doula – StillBirthday
Lactation Counselor – International Doula Institute
Hypno-Babies Hypno-Doula – Hypno-Babies
CPR/First Aid Certified
Giselle Cook
Giselle’s work with babies began long before it became her profession. As the second oldest of four children and the daughter of a highly experienced doula, surrogate, and midwife in training, she grew up immersed in the rhythms of newborn care and postpartum support. From an early age, she observed and assisted with infant care, learning firsthand the importance of calm, responsive, and respectful support during the postpartum period. These early experiences instilled in her a deep understanding of the delicate balance of physical, emotional, and logistical needs that new families navigate, and fostered a lifelong passion for supporting parents and infants during this transformative time.
In addition to her early exposure, Giselle brings the perspective of her own postpartum journey, which has further deepened her understanding of the challenges families face after welcoming a new baby. Through her personal experiences, she has gained insight into the nuances of maternal recovery, the emotional adjustments that come with a newborn, and the importance of consistent, compassionate support. This combination of lived experience and professional training allows her to approach her work with empathy, confidence, and attentiveness, anticipating needs before they are even expressed and providing reassurance to parents navigating the complexities of early parenthood.
Giselle has over four years of hands-on experience providing overnight newborn care and postpartum doula support, working with families in a variety of settings, including first-time parents, multiples, and families with older siblings. She is highly knowledgeable in breastfeeding and bottle-feeding support, pumping guidance, newborn soothing techniques, and evidence-based safe sleep practices. Additionally, she offers gentle, developmentally appropriate sleep shaping for newborns and older infants, always tailoring her approach to align with the family’s routines, values, and goals. Giselle is also skilled in light household support directly related to newborn care, including meal preparation, laundry, and nursery organization, helping parents focus on bonding and recovery while maintaining a calm and orderly home environment.
Families often describe Giselle as calm, nurturing, and intuitive, with a steady presence that helps parents feel at ease and supported during even the most challenging nights and days. She takes a non-judgmental, collaborative approach to care, respecting each family’s values, routines, and parenting choices. Giselle understands that no two families are the same, and she works thoughtfully to adapt her support to meet the unique needs, preferences, and cultural considerations of each household. She is committed to creating an environment where parents feel empowered to make informed choices and confident in their abilities to care for their newborns.
Above all, Giselle is deeply committed to creating a safe, supportive environment where parents can rest, recover, and build confidence, and where babies are cared for with patience, consistency, and warmth. She values professionalism, discretion, and clear communication, and she approaches each assignment with integrity, compassion, and respect for the trust families place in her. Giselle continually pursues continuing education and stays current on evidence-based practices, ensuring her clients receive the most informed, up-to-date care possible. Her dedication, experience, and nurturing presence make her a reliable and valued partner for families navigating the postpartum journey.
alex Gingrass
Alexandra Gingrass is an extraordinary Certified Postpartum Doula and Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant whose work over the past 12 years has transformed the early parenthood experience for countless families. From the moment she steps into a home, Alexandra brings a rare combination of professionalism, warmth, and intuition that instantly puts parents at ease and creates an environment where both babies and caregivers can flourish.
Her approach to postpartum support goes far beyond traditional care. Alexandra provides hands-on overnight and daytime newborn care, tailored guidance for parents, and gentle, evidence-based sleep training for babies four months and older. She has an innate ability to recognize the unique needs of each family and to craft individualized support plans that empower parents with confidence, reassurance, and practical tools to navigate the often overwhelming first months of parenthood.
What sets Alexandra apart is her unwavering dedication to the emotional well-being of the families she serves. She understands that parenthood is as much about nurturing the caregivers as it is about caring for the child. Through her calm presence, empathetic listening, and thoughtful guidance, she creates spaces where parents can rest, recover, and bond deeply with their little ones. Her ability to instill confidence, reduce anxiety, and foster connection has made her an invaluable resource for families seeking support that is both expert and heartfelt.
Alexandra works closely with a select number of families at a time, ensuring that each receives highly personalized attention and care. She specializes in overnight postpartum support, helping parents achieve peaceful and restorative nights, daytime newborn and infant care that builds skills and routine, and custom sleep training programs designed to guide babies gently toward healthy sleep habits. Alexandra believes passionately that parental rest is not a luxury but a lifeline, and she approaches every family with the goal of cultivating balance, resilience, and well-being for the entire household.
Beyond her technical expertise, Alexandra is known for her genuine love for the work, her radiant patience, and her ability to transform the home environment into a calm, nurturing sanctuary. Families often remark on the sense of relief and reassurance she brings, as well as the lasting confidence they gain from her guidance. Her dedication, insight, and compassionate care have made her not only a trusted professional but a cherished part of the families she supports.
Alex's Certifications and Training:
Certified Postpartum Doula (CPD)
Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant
Infant CPR and First Aid Certified
Certified in Newborn Care
Lactation Support / Breastfeeding Basics Certification
Aliscia Tovar
Growing up as the second oldest of eight siblings, Aliscia knows firsthand the joys, surprises, and sometimes tricky emotions that come with welcoming a new family member. She remembers the excitement of waiting for a baby to arrive, the curiosity about how life would change, and the responsibility of helping guide her younger siblings through big transitions. These early experiences taught her the value of patience, reassurance, and gentle guidance, lessons she carries into her work as a sibling doula.
Aliscia has a deep appreciation for the important role siblings play during pregnancy, birth, and beyond. She is passionate about helping children feel included, understood, and empowered as they navigate the arrival of a new brother or sister. Her goal is to nurture strong, loving connections between siblings while honoring each child’s feelings and experiences, creating a sense of security and belonging that lasts long after the baby arrives.
As a sibling doula, Aliscia brings warmth, creativity, and a playful spirit to every family she works with. She provides compassionate guidance, education, and emotional support to brothers and sisters of all ages. She helps children explore their feelings, ask questions, and feel confident in their evolving role. She is excited to support your little one while you are in labor and recovering, offering a friendly and calming presence that reassures children and helps them feel safe, included, and valued during this special time.
Aliscia’s approach is hands-on and tailored to each child. She might read a story about becoming a big sibling, create a “welcome baby” craft together, or guide a child through practicing gentle ways to interact with their new brother or sister. She celebrates small victories, whether a shy toddler gently pats the baby’s arm or an older sibling shows pride in helping with a diaper change. Through these moments, children gain confidence, feel heard, and learn that their role in the family is meaningful and cherished.
For families, Aliscia is more than a doula. She is a partner, guide, and cheerleader who helps siblings feel celebrated, supported, and connected while giving parents peace of mind. Her rich family experience, gentle and playful approach, and genuine love for working with children make her an invaluable part of any growing family’s journey. With Aliscia by your side, siblings are not only prepared for a new arrival but are excited, proud, and ready to be an important part of this new chapter.
Aliscia's Specialized Training and Certifications:
Sibling Doula
Certified Postpartum Doula
CPR/First Aid Certified – Current
Twin experience