Training Topics

Becoming the Best Version of Yourself:

We will lay the foundation for your training by first looking inward. We will guide you through a number of exercises to help you identify your beliefs and fears. We will then explore where those beliefs and fears may have originated, along with practical strategies to begin re-framing them, so that you will have confidence in your abilities as a labor/birth doula!

What do you believe about yourself and your ability to be a labor/birth doula?
What are your fears and, what, if anything, might be holding you back from reaching your full professional potential (either as a doula or professional in a complementary field)?
If you have previously given birth or you have particular expectations about birth, how might those experiences and expectations potentially affect your interactions with your clients?

Doulas in the U.S. and Deciding the Right Path for You:

Because there are so many different options in the U.S. today for becoming a doula, we know if can be both confusing and overwhelming! We will explore the different paths to become a doula and the pros/cons of each, discuss the topic of doula certification, along with giving you tools to help you decide which path is right for you!

We will also discuss different doula business models (solo/backup partnership, collective/full partnership, agency, in-house) and choosing the right one for you.

The Psychology of Labor/Birth:

The most powerful tools you can have as a doula are all rooted in understanding how the brain works during labor and birth! You will learn why the brain is the most important part of the entire labor/birth process and how you, as a doula, can support the process of labor/birth by focusing on the factors that have the most impact on the brain: encouraging emotional & mental preparation during pregnancy, the importance of childbirth education, the many components that make up “the labor environment,” how even seemingly minor factors in the environment affect the brain during labor, how to help your clients create the best labor environment for their needs, and more!

The Holy Trinity of Physical Comfort Measures During Labor/Birth:

Doulas are often known for their ability to give a great backrub during labor (which you’ll learn more about later in the training). However, backrub or not, there are key factors that are vital to the labor/birth process:

Relaxation
Intake of Food/Drink
Positioning

We will discuss why each of these factors are considered a true comfort measure during birth, have a significant impact on the birth process, and lead to healthier births with fewer complications. We will then teach specific ways that you, as a doula or professional in a complementary field, can integrate tools into your work to focus on the holy trinity of comfort measures.

Understanding Obstetrical Interventions:

Rather than just talking at you about a giant list of possible medical interventions used during labor/birth, we will approach this topic in an interactive way! You will come away with a broad understanding of not only what these interventions are, but also the process of Informed Consent/Informed Decision-Making, Patient Rights, risks and benefits, alternatives, how to help your clients navigate situations where they are feeling pressured to use interventions, and how to minimize the risks of the interventions if they are chosen by your clients or they become medically necessary. Even if you already have a good understanding of labor/birth interventions, our approach during the training will greatly enhance your knowledge and equip you with more tools!

Communication — A Vital Skill for the Doula:

It’s common for aspiring or new doulas to be afraid of “saying the wrong thing” to their clients. Additionally, it’s also common for aspiring or new doulas to feel intimidated by the thought of communicating with healthcare providers and other medical staff during their client’s labor/birth. If you are feeling either or both of these fears, you are not alone! In this training segment, we will equip you with skills to confidently communicate. You will learn about:

Skills for active listening and thoughtfully responding
How to navigate more complex conversations with your clients
Finding balance in educating your clients on all their options, while supporting their decisions
Navigating challenging dynamics between the client and their family members
Building rapport with medical staff
Diplomatic communication with medical staff to build respect for the client and their wishes

But most importantly, we will take that all that information and apply it to real-life scenarios by implementing communication strategies. This will include of number of different role-play exercises where you will have the opportunity with us, and in small groups, to put the communication skills into practice.

Birth Environments:

Hospital, Birth Center, and Home — What does the role of a doula look like in each of these environments and how can you support your clients in having a healthy, positive birth within their chosen birth location? We will discuss what assumptions client may have about each of these locations and how you can support a client in confidently choosing the best birth location for their unique needs and circumstances.

Hands-on Comfort Measures:

Being a labor/birth doula is so much more than just giving back-rubs during labor! Early in our training, you will learn about all the other doula skills that are far more important, and have a bigger impact, than a back-rub! However, hands-on skills for physical comfort can be very helpful skill, of many, that you can employ as a doula. We will teach you a variety of techniques for physical comfort during pregnancy and labor, along with when and how to employ the techniques, and how to teach labor partners skills to better support the client.

Essential Oils for Pregnancy, Birth, & Postpartum:

Have you heard about essential oils and are curious about how they can be integrated into your professional work with clients during the childbearing years? Or maybe you have some experience using essential oils, but are eager to learn more specifics and further add to your toolbox for supporting your clients?

You will learn how essential oils can be used to:

Ease many common ailments during pregnancy
Support and provide comfort during the labor/birth process by:
- Facilitating calm & relaxation
- Reducing feelings of anxiousness
- Reduce sensations of pain
- Reduce feelings of nausea
- Boosting energy
- Support the perineal tissues during the second stage of labor
- And more
Aid in physical & emotional recovery during the postpartum stage

We will also educate you on the important topics of oil quality, factors to consider when carefully using essential oils, along with the general basics of essential oils. Plus, included in the cost of your training, you’ll receive 3 commonly-used and versatile oils to begin using personally and professionally after this session.

Newborn Feeding Support as a Labor/Birth Doula:

As a labor/birth doula, you can have a significant impact of the short-term and long-term breastfeeding rates of your clients, if they are intending to breastfeed. You will learn from our Certified Lactation Counselor how to help your clients prepare prenatally for feeding success, how to help establish breastfeeding immediately after birth, what you can do if there are complications with feeding after birth, knowing when to connect your clients with lactation professionals, information about combo feeding, proper formula preparation, upright bottlefeeding, general screening questions for recommending referral support, and much more.

Real Life as a Doula:

Building a professional reputation for yourself in your community,
What goes into setting your doula fees,
The unique lifestyle of being a doula,
Being on-call,
Childcare,
Importance of self-care,
and more.

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