Welcome!
Accessibility, accountability, and completing an online course
Orientation to the Course (2:37)
The Classroom (2:29)
How to Get Support
Are you a journaler?
Stay Informed
Replay links
What is a doula?
Action Item: What does a doula do (and not do)?
The Role of the Doula (10:23)
Action Item: Comparing the Roles at a Birth
The Doula-Doctor Relationship
Benefits of a Doula and How You Can Spread the Word (12:53)
Action Item: Your Doula Spiel
A Historical View of Childbirth (22:39)
Birth By the Numbers
Action Item: Your Reflections
Extra Credit: Who do you want to support?
How systemic racism and systems of oppression affect birth outcomes (6:52)
A Brief History of White Privilege, Racism and Oppression in America (4:26)
Kim Anderson's Story (4:15)
Understanding Privilege (5:08)
Gender, Sexuality, and More
Action Item: Your Beliefs, Privilege and Power
Knowledge Check: Ask Yourself About Culture, Race & Privilege in Maternity Care
Prenatal Care in Pregnancy (8:24)
Prenatal Testing Guide
Question Guide for Clients
Medical Abbreviations Used in Perinatal Care
Knowledge Check: Ask Yourself About Prenatal Care
Check out the FAQ below, or email me.
As long as you want! This is a self-paced course.
How does FOREVER sound? If in 10 years or so I decide to close up shop, you’ll be notified to download everything so you still have access for the rest of your life!
Yes, you can pay in full when you enroll, or pay in three monthly payments.
You'll sign in to your account and click on this course. Then, all the modules will be listed. You can go through them in order, or jump ahead to a module you are particularly interested in or need right away. (Though much of the information builds on itself, so I recommend you at least go through the first modules first.)
Each module includes an estimated read or watch time. The curriculum is based on a 42-hour course that I used to teach in person, but now you get to take your time with it and you may enjoy it at a much more leisurely pace. If you can plan for 10 hours a week, you should complete all the modules and Action Items in 2 months.
Anyone who wants to be a birth doula, or who wants to learn some really cool stuff about birth. Whether you want to help friends and family members in labor, you aspire to be a professional doula, or you are on the path to becoming a labor & delivery nurse, midwife, or obstetrician, this course will provide an essential foundation for understanding the normal physiology of birth, the physical and emotional terrain of labor, how to provide exquisite support to a laboring person, and life-changing communication skills.
Yes and No. I do not offer certification. But this course is approved by the State of Washington to become a state-certified birth doula. In general, certification is not required to work as a doula, and it's an additional expense that many want to avoid. If you decide you want to get certified, you can pursue certification through Washington State or a doula certification organization. Some offer certification for experienced doulas; others require you to start from scratch. I will recommend a few certifying organizations for those who are interested in that path.
The best place to find your first clients is through word of mouth. So tell EVERYone you know that you are starting a doula training. Even if none of your friends are having babies, your cousin or co-worker or neighbor or friend knows someone who is pregnant. Ask them to pass your name along (or better yet, get some cool business cards made to hand out). You can also use social media to spread the word that you are ready for births. Put flyers up announcing your new service, create a website, offer a free info session about doulas in your community. There are soooo many ways to get the word out, and we’ll cover them all in Becoming a Birth Doula .
Most doulas are self-employed; they do various forms of marketing to find their own clients, and they run their own business. There are some organizations that contract with, or hire, doulas to serve their clients. And there are a very few hospitals that hire doulas on staff. You might also be interested in a doula agency that does all the marketing and finding clients for you (or starting an agency if you like that part of the job). Some hospitals also have volunteer doula programs that allow you to sign up for a ‘shift’ to provide labor support to whoever is in labor at that time. There are many options, and you’ll learn all about them in Becoming a Birth Doula .
