Providence Mission Hospital is proud to collaborate with the Midwives of Mission Heritage OB-GYN to offer comprehensive care for women, from preconception and family planning to prenatal care, delivery, postpartum care and well-woman care. These highly trained certified nurse midwives (CNMs) are licensed through the Board of Registered Nursing and certified through the American Midwifery Certification Board. Most also hold master’s degrees in nurse midwifery and women’s health.
Christina A. Gabel, CNM
Christina has been serving women and their families in the birthing field for over 17 years. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Humboldt State University. After having her two daughters in a birth center with a midwife, she realized that she wanted to pursue a career in midwifery. She received her Master of Science in Nursing at California State University, Fullerton. She has gained a variety of experience throughout the years from hospital births, home births, birth center birth and high risk obstetrics. In her spare time she enjoys being outdoors, gardening and spending time with her husband and six children.
She has gained a variety of experience through hospital births, home births, birth center births and high risk obstetrics. In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors, gardening and spending time with her husband and six children.
Allison A. Molinski, CNM
Allison holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in nurse-midwifery from Columbia University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in international development from UC Berkeley. It was Allison’s involvement in women’s rights activism at Berkeley, combined with her experiences at a public health clinic in Indonesia, that shaped her vision of becoming a midwife. Allison has served women in the Orange County/Long Beach area since 2012.
As a certified nurse midwife, Allison takes care of pregnant and non-pregnant women, and takes a holistic approach to well-woman care, pregnancy, and childbirth. Birth is her passion, and she strives to educate women on their options and to facilitate whatever kind of birth experience a woman may choose.
When not baby-catching or providing other kinds of midwifery care, Allison enjoys travelling domestically and internationally, camping, sailing, and enjoying the sunshine with her husband Geoff.
Diane K. Upton, CNM
Diane Upton is a certified nurse midwife with over 30 years of experience as a labor and delivery nurse at St. Joseph Hospital Orange. She was the clinical coordinator in labor and delivery for over 20 years. Diane completed midwifery school at Frontier Nursing University in Tennessee.
She has two master’s degrees, one in midwifery and one in nursing education. Diane also has certifications in inpatient obstetrics and neonatal resuscitation and advanced cardiac life support. Diane’s philosophy of care is partnering with women to meet their needs and providing the best possible care for every stage of their pregnancy. She feels that good communication between midwife and patient is important, and that the more the patient knows about her own pregnancy, the better the outcome for both mom and baby.
Julie M. Vivalda, CNM
Julie is an expert guide and an advocate for the families she works with, providing options for a safe and satisfying pregnancy, birth, and beyond. Julie enjoys helping birthing people in their transition to parenthood, with its emotional and physical complexity. She hopes she can be someone others can count on through the joyous moments and the difficult times.
In her free time, Julie loves swimming in the ocean, gardening, and making pottery.
