Doula Training and Education

Becoming a Doula

If you are interested in a career working with moms and babies becoming a Doula may be of interest to you.  Traditionally, in all cultures, women have been supporting and mothering other women at the time of birth. More recently, in the 1980-1990s the importance of social support provided by Doulas for childbearing women has been documented in medical research.  Even with the traditional valuing of women supporting other women during childbirth, contemporary researchers have continued to investigate what effect having a Doula has on health and psychological outcomes for mothers, their babies and their families. Fourteen clinical research studies have demonstrated the positive effects of having Doula support by noting that women with Doulas have fewer cesarean births, use less pain medication and have fewer epidurals, they initiate breastfeeding and breastfeed longer and feel more positive about their infants compared to women who do not have Doulas.  A summary of  the research evidence about the role of Doulas can be found on the DONA International website (www.dona.org)

DONA International is the oldest professional organization in the US representing Doulas.  They offer the premier certification program for women who want to become trained as Doulas. You do not need to be a mother yourself, nor have a medical background to become a doula—just a passion for birth and the desire to be in a support role for other moms.   Doula certification is an effort to professionalize and standardize the traditional role of the female support person in childbirth.  DONA International has prerequisites, a course requirement and then documented education and experience that are necessary to become officially recognized as a DONA certified Doula.  Once you are certified, they also have standards and ethics for the role of Doulas in maternity care.  (http://www.dona.org/develop/certification.php). 

The requirements for certification (pre-requisit reading, Basic Childbirth and Breastfeeding Courses and a DONA approved Doula Training Course) are all required prior to working with Doulas Care.   All of the Doulas Care Doulas have taken a DONA approved Doula training to be a Birth Doula and/or a Post Partum Doula.  Once these requirements are completed, you can apply to become a Doulas Care Volunteer Doula.  You do not have to have had prior experience as a Doula and you can use the experience you will gain with Doulas Care as part of the process of meeting the certification requirements for DONA International.  Certification as a Doula through DONA International is often a first step to then being able to become self-employed in independent doula practice, charging a fee for service to clients who hire you or request your services. 

Many different women become Doulas for different reasons.   Some who become Doulas are women who already work with Childbearing women in other programs or roles such as social workers, nurses, massage therapists or community health outreach workers or pubic health providers.  Being a Doula allows them to also work with women during the most intimate exerience of childbirth and may bridge the support they already provide to this population outside of the event of birth.   Other potential doulas are those community-based women who are recognized as the “go-to” person in their family, church, or social circle, attending to their sisters or volunteering their time to be of service to others.  In addition, about one-third of women who become Doulas later go on to become involved in future careers in nursing, midwifery, medicine, social work, or public health.  Having experience and training as a Doula is viewed very positively as an added strenght for admission to health professional schools.

The Doulas Care Program endorses DONA approved trainings.  Locally they are offered at the Center for the Childbearing Year (www.center4cby.com).  There is information on their website about the timing and options for DONA approved Birth and Post Partum Doula courses. 

There is also information about scholarships offered by Doulas Care both in conjunction with the Center for the Childbearing Year and our own sponsored DONA approved trainings.  Please see the Volunteer Information Tab for more information about our scholarship program.  We also have educational resources help you prepare for DONA certification as you volunteer with Doulas Care to gain experience.

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