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Professional Training Programs

• Programs for Professionals
• DONA-Approved Birth Doula Workshops
• DONA-Approved Postpartum Doula Workshops
• Introduction to Childbirth for Doulas
• Professional Education in Breastfeeding & Lactation
• Supporting Mothers in the Early Weeks Postpartum
• Rebozos, Palpation, Belly Mapping, & More!
• Clinical Prenatal Skills
• Small Business Development
• CPR & First Aid classes
• Alternative Therapies for the Childbearing Year
• Lending Library
• Continuing Education Credits (CEs)
• How to Register

How to Become a Doula

• First Steps
• Certification

Resources

• 2007 Guide to Postpartum Depression Resources (PDF)
• Herbal Recipes for the Childbearing Year
• Ten Steps of the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (PDF)
• Evidence Basis for the Ten Steps of Mother-Friendly Care
• Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding
• What Every Pregnant Woman Should Know

DONA-Approved Birth Doula Workshops

With Patty Brennan & Kate Stroud

“I would recommend this course with three thumbs up (if possible). Amazing, powerful, intense! Wow!” — Class Participant

“Becoming a doula has literally changed my life. I’ve learned so much over the past year and I know I will be a much better physician because of my involvement with the Center. Thank you for introducing me to more holistic ways of caring for women and their families. Your work has touched the lives of so many families.” — Class Participant

2008 Schedule & Fees

Saturday & Sunday, 8:30am–6pm, November 8 & 9 (ERD 10/17) in Ann Arbor, MI

2009 Schedule to be announced soon!

Fee $375; $340 if paid in full and postmarked by the Early Registration Date (ERD) listed

A limited number of scholarships for this training are available through the Doulas Care Program.

15.5 Nursing CEs approved (add $15 to fee for CE processing)

Are you interested in a career working with moms and babies? Experience the honor of being present at the moment of birth. This training teaches you the skills necessary to provide emotional, physical, and informational support to expectant mothers and their families. 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 (see pre-requisites below). This comprehensive workshop fulfills one step towards professional Birth Doula Certification through DONA International. Click here for more information on the DONA certification requirements and associated fees. Topics covered include:

• The doula professional’s scope of practice and ethical standards
• The doula’s role during pregnancy — building rapport, meeting educational needs, setting boundaries, and creating the client/doula contract for services
• Emotional support in labor and meeting the mother’s needs
• Pain theory, comfort measures, and pain relief techniques
• Positioning for labor and birth
• Labor support strategies for normal and challenging births
• Cesarean birth and vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC)
• Essential communication and mediation/advocacy skills for doulas
• The doula’s role with the newborn and initiation of breastfeeding
• The birth doula’s role postpartum
• The DONA International certification process
• And more!

Pre-requisites for DONA Birth Doula Training

Choose ONE of the following options:

1. Your best option is to take our Introduction to Childbirth for Doulas class offered on the Friday immediately preceding the doula training weekend. By taking this class, you fulfill not only the pre-requisite, but also a DONA certification requirement for birth doulas. Please note that in order for this training to count towards DONA certification, it must be taken PRIOR TO the Birth Doula Training. In other words, if you take the three-day training that includes the Intro course, you will have fulfilled steps #1 and #4 in the DONA certification process. You are not required to take the Intro course, but you are required to fulfill one of the three options listed here prior to the training.
2. Observe a series of Childbirth Preparation Classes for expectant parents. The class must be a minimum of 12 hours in length to fulfill this requirement. It is possible to fulfill a certification requirement here as well, provided that the class meets DONA requirements.
3. Read one book from each of the following four categories from the DONA Reading List. These books are available for you to borrow from the Center’s Lending Library or available for purchase through the DONA Boutique. By reading these books, you are also on your way to fulfilling DONA’s Birth Doula certification requirements.
   1. At least one of the following:
      • The Doula Book, Klaus, Klaus, & Kennell
      • The Birth Partner: Everything You Need to Know to Help a Woman through Childbirth, 2nd Edition, Simkin
   2. At least one of the following:
      • The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth, revised, Kitzinger
      • Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn: The Complete Guide, revised, Simkin, Whalley, & Keppler
      • The Mother of All Pregnancy Books, Douglas
   3. At least one of the following:
      • Gentle Birth Choices, Harper
      • Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, Gaskin
      • The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth, Goer
   4. At least one of the following:
      • The Breastfeeding Answer Book, 3rd Edition, La Leche League International
      • The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers, Newman
      • The Nursing Mother’s Companion, 4th Edition, Huggins & Lawrence

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