Birth Doula Training

24+ HOURS LIVE TRAINING

Support parents through pregnancy, birth and into postpartum

Have you ever considered a career in birth work and thought to yourself

“Where do I even begin?”

If you’ve been in the same career for a while, it can feel daunting to consider doing something new. But then you see others who are starting new journeys, launching a side hustle, and finding something they are passionate about.

And you’re wondering how to make that a reality for you. How do you find a job that is both emotionally and spiritually fulfilling while also giving you financial stability.

You’re thinking – I don’t have the time. I’d love to try something new but where would I even start. How long would it take? How much would it cost? What’s the process?

You can do it, too. Just imagine…

You can turn your passion into a career as a birth professional.

If you’re feeling called to birth work you probably realize families need more support through this journey. You’re right about that!

Research shows that when a birth doula is present, births are shorter, less complicated, have fewer interventions and birthing people and babies are healthier and families more satisfied with their experience.

Do you have what it takes to become a doula?

Do you have what
it takes to become a doula?

For generations the norm has been to work in a 9 to 5 job. Or a set schedule where you “live for the weekends” and get your fulfillment outside of your career.

Well… things have changed.

Everyone is different and this old paradigm of work-life doesn’t work for all of us. We come across so many students who are looking for something different, where they can make a difference in their community.

Whether you are 21 or 61, birth work can become a part of your life. Supporting new parents through pregnancy, birth, and into postpartum is something that you can start at any stage of life – from any career you might have today. We’ve taught lawyers, doctors, nurses, stay at home parents, marketing professionals, receptionists, and even neuro-scientists. Yup. No joke. The key is having a kind heart and a passion for helping people. We help you with the rest.

Real Talk:

What is a doula anyway?

While the modern day doula profession can be traced back only about 35-40 years, the profession is of course as old as time. In most historical accounts people in labour were always surrounded by caring neighbours, friends, sisters and mothers. While one person would have been the midwife, the rest were there for support. By the time we were having babies of our own we would have attended many births. This experience helped us feel more confident about our experience.

It’s no surprise that people today are often nervous about their upcoming experience. They’ve seen dramatized TV shows and movies that depict birth as anything but its reality.

“If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use one”

Dr. John Kennell, co-founder of DONA International

Doulas provide 5 elements of care to support families through whatever twists and turns their journey may take. Emotional support to hold space, Physical support to provide comfort and help reduce pain, Informational support to provide the right info at the right time. Doulas are also there to support partners and other labour support members and help families advocate for themselves.

If you’re feeling called to birth work you probably realize families need more support through this journey.

Train with a
recognized organization

Train with a recognized organization

You may be wondering how you’ll choose which doula training to attend when you’ve found dozens out there! When I first became a doula 20 years ago there were 4 training organizations that I could find. There are now over 200!

It can be challenging to know which one will be right for you. You want to take the best training available at the best price possible.

How can you choose? Here are some things to consider:
– How long has the organization been in operation?
– Who owns it?
– Is it being run by one person or a board of directors/advisors?
– How recognized is it in your area?
– What are your priorities (topics, cost, location, trainer, etc).

Here at Doula School we provide a DONA International approved training. DONA was the first doula training organization and is the most recognized around the world. It’s an International training organization with members in over 50 countries. We think you’ll be in good hands with us but we’re always happy to chat with you and answer any questions to ensure we’re the right fit for you.

– Stefanie Antunes

FOUNDER

Our Doula Training Framework

Whether you’re looking to expand your skills, make a career change or expand your business, we’ve packaged our trainings to provide actionable steps to succeed as a birth worker.

Meet Zoe Elkington

Milk & Blossom

If you are serious about having a meaningful doula career, start here.

From the moment Stefanie spoke I caught the doula bug – she is passionate and professional in equal measure. Not only did her teaching set me up for success, she remains an excellent mentor and someone I hope to continue working with; I loved my training so much I completed two additional courses. 5 months since my initial class, I now take care of my very own clients full time while pursuing certification and several passion projects in the field.

Meet Helena

Milk & Blossom

I left feeling ready to take on Birth World!

I’ve been a doula now for over 10 years, so when I took my training with Stefanie (WAY back then) it was an incredible experience. Now imagine, 10 years later and 1000’s of attendees later…imagine the type of trainer Stefanie is now. The maturity, the passion and the knowledge that comes along with learning right along side of you. Stefanie is the real deal – she gets it. You want to be a doula? Train with someone that will inspire you, not just teach you. Give Doula School a call.

LIMITED SEATS REMAINING

“Is birth work even right for me?”

Ahh, we get this question a lot!

what’s it like to work as a doula?

Working as a doula has a lot of ups and downs, like any career. But here are some of the things you might want to consider as you’re deciding if this is the right path for you:

Questions to ask yourself:

Do you love to support birthing people and families in their OWN choices and decisions?
How much money do you want/need to make from being a doula?
Can you handle working on-call?
Do you work well with others and can you see yourself working alongside a variety of other medical professionals?
What is your motivation for wanting to become a doula?
What are your long-term plans in the field?

How much money can I make working as a doula?

Like anything in life, the amount of effort you put out is the amount of benefit you’ll get in return. We’ve seen doulas make anywhere from $0 (those who want only to work as volunteers) to $80,000 a year.

Following your passion

Working as a doula can be the most amazing experience and is such an honour to be a part of. If you are thinking this is the right path for you then we encourage you to come to our workshop!

If you feel passionate about helping birthing people and families then this could be your next dream job!

I became a doula because I wanted my life to have an impact on the world. Feeling burnt out at my “regular” job and needing something I truly cared about.

When I first started as a doula I was a mother of young children and juggling a lot of responsibilities. I wasn’t sure how it was all going to work out. I wanted to support new parents and do something I was passionate about, but I also needed a steady income.

Over the years I saw a need for doulas to connect and mentor one another. A place where a doula starting out could learn the skills they needed to not only BECOME a doula but also GROW a successful business.

That’s when the light went on.

That’s when I created a doula agency. Something that didn’t exist in my province. But I knew I wanted to support BOTH parents AND doulas. My work experience now includes running two agencies, a hospital doula program and this wonderful training organization called Doula School.

Now, years later, I’m so incredibly amazed at the progress we’ve made. Having served over 4000 families through our agencies, over 1200 Doula School alumni all across the world, we’re helping more families and communities than I could have ever imagined. And most importantly, we’re helping create strong, dedicated, and capable doulas that have the tools they need to be successful.

Start Here

Step-By-Step Doula Training

Our Birth Doula Training combines what you need to know to get started as a doula, plus all the tips and advice I’ve learned in 20 years as a birth worker

In our Birth Doula training we’ll walk you through the ways in which a doula supports new parents. You will learn all about pregnancy changes, the stages of labour, the importance of emotional support, developing good listening and communication skills, hands-on comfort measures, how to help people through challenging situations, the spiritual aspects of birth and becoming a parent, and SO MUCH more!

You might feel like this is a lot right now. A new career, a side hustle, learning about birth. Should I have gotten trained years ago? Is this something I can manage? That’s ok. Any new endeavor will have challenges, that’s why our team at Doula School is here to help.

If you have a willingness to learn and a passion for birth, you can be an amazing doula

Inside our Birth Doula Training we’ll provide solutions for you to not only support new parents, but also practice balance and self-care for yourself as a doula. There is the old saying that you can’t pour from an empty cup, so we give advice on how to balance your new life in a way that is sustainable.

Are you ready to take the first step on your journey as a birth worker? Ready to support new parents in your community? Ready to find something that you can truly put your heart and soul into? Ready to change the paradigm of BIRTH?

LIMITED SEATS REMAINING

Number of

Alumni at Doula School

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Here’s what Doula School’s students have to say:

I have attended a number of Doula School’s courses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, both in person and virtually. It has been an awesome privilege to be able to learn from Stefanie. She is an incredible facilitator — a wealth of knowledge from years of experience and truly emanates passion for this important work, you cannot help but feel inspired. I continue to seek out continuing education opportunities through Doula School because I know that the content is up-to-date and will be presented thoughtfully in an accessible way. Through the Birth Doula Workshop and Business School for Doulas, I have gained valuable and practical insight with the tools to go forth and DOULA.

As a member of Doula School you can:

Let’s take a look at what you’ll learn

Pregnancy Changes

Learn about conception and the pregnancy journey
Learn about normal pregnancy changes and how we can help people experiencing challenges and discomforts
Learn about the hormones of pregnancy, birth, and early postpartum

Prenatal Support

Get a deep dive on the BEST ways to support families prenatally
Explore a variety of activities to use in your prenatal visits with families
Learn the MOST effective way to do a consultation with a client to get hired
Review communication tools and strategies to make the most of your interactions with families and care providers

Labour and birth

Learn about the signs of labour and stages of labour
Explore the role of the doula and how we support people through the journey
Delve into the 5 elements of care: emotional, physical, informational, partner support, advocacy
Practice hands-on skills to use in birth to help increase comfort and decrease pain

Medications and Interventions

Learn about the various medications families will have access to in labour and birth, their benefits and trade-offs
Learn about the most common challenging situations and how to handle them as a doula
Explore the reasons for cesareans and how to support families through these experiences

Postpartum Support

Learn about normal newborn characteristics
Learn about newborn feeding and how to support families
Learn about perinatal health disorders

Certification

Explore the option of certification
Review all the steps to complete certification

Doula Business

Discuss how to get your first clients
Learn how to get started in your practice
Review the various options for how you can work as a doula

Diversity and inclusion

Review the history of birth
Learn about the history of labour support
Explore various issues affecting under-resourced families and how you can help
Learn about working with families from different cultures, religions, backgrounds and how you can level-up your support
Explore your own biases and knowledge gaps

DONA
certification

DONA International is the world’s first, largest and leading doula certifying organization. Founded in 1992, DONA professionalized the role of the doula. Since then, they have certified more than 12,000 DONA International doulas in more than 50 countries!
DONA International’s primary function is to provide excellent doula education and certification to a diverse population of doulas world-wide. DONA International promotes the highest quality perinatal support for birthing families by setting the standard for doula education and training, and by advocating the research-based benefits of doula care.

Payment Plan

OPTIONS AVAILABLE

$549 +HST

DONA approved birth doula training
Childbirth Education requirement (included)
Virtual classes conducted in live time with an intimate h setting
You will leave the training as a doula, and can begin working as a doula immediately
Community support
Guidance on additional certifications
May include the Breastfeeding course

Pay in Full

1 PAYMENT OF

$549 +HST

DONA approved birth doula training
Childbirth Education requirement (included)
Virtual classes conducted in live time with an intimate h setting
You will leave the training as a doula, and can begin working as a doula immediately
Community support
Guidance on additional certifications
May include the Breastfeeding course