Changing lives, one birth at a time.
Have you considered becoming a birth doula? Are you looking for a career where you can support families one-on-one in their pregnancy, labor, and postpartum journey? Becoming a birth doula allows you to be deeply rooted with a laboring person in the most vulnerable time in their lives. The work of a birth doula requires grit, tenacity, empathy, and a willingness to support them in their decisions.
A birth doula supports a laboring person by providing evidence-based information to guide them through their pregnancy and birth, engages and listens to them to honor their desires and assure that they feel heard in the decision-making process, attends the birth to provide hands-on physical comfort measures such as position changes or massage, and advocates for them.
The training is sponsored by 4 Moms 2 Be and facilitated by DONA certified birth doula trainer.
How to prepare for the training:
- Read the requirements from DONA International
- Take an approved 12-hour childbirth education class (must be taken as a non-pregnant person, not required to take prior to training but it is helpful.
- Become familiar with the following:
- Anatomy of the reproductive system and breasts
- Physiology of pregnancy, birth, postpartum and breastfeeding
- Definitions of medical terms regarding labor
- Common procedures and tests used during normal birth, their risks and
- The New Stages of Labor as outlined by ACOG
- Narcotic pain medication, administration, and effects
- Epidural pain medication, administration, and effects
- The cesarean procedure
- Normal newborn appearance and procedures
- Basic relaxation techniques, breathing patterns and other comfort measures for labor
- Benefits of breastfeeding
- Read The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin (Required reading, please bring this book with you to the training)
Dates, Location, and Fees
Virtual Training
Friday, February 21 - Sunday, February 23, 2020
Saturday, October 10, 2020 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday, October 11, 2020 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
$525/per person - Special Virtual price
Chapel Hill In-Person Training
Lamaze Childbirth Seminar for Doulas
Friday, October 9, 2020 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
$75/per person
Breastfeeding for Doulas
Friday, October 9, 2020 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.
$75/per person
Note: The Lamaze and breastfeeding courses are only for those registered for the doula training. The confirmation letter contains the registration links.