You DO NOT have to attend a workshop. There is no additional charge for certification and no requirement for membership or recertification. Certification with Childbirth International is for life!

You will receive a comprehensive set of study guides which build up to form an impressive reference library that you can refer to again and again. Each study guide contains a variety of reading material, learning activities and exercises which you complete in your own time. The courses are made up of a number of modules - Communication, Physiology, Birth Doula Skills, Postpartum Doula Skills, Teaching Skills or Counseling Skills. As each module is completed you simply submit an on-line evaluation form. You will receive individual feedback from your trainer. 

To gain experience and put some of your new found knowledge into practice, you will support two women through labor in the Birth Doula course. After the birth, you will write to your trainer and tell her what you learned at the birth. This may be the value of some of the skills you used, the experience of working with the family and caregivers, or simply describing the heady euphoria of being at a birth! You do not need to provide an evaluation from the doctor, midwife or nurses caring for the mother. You can use the birth as part of your certification requirements even if the mother has a cesarean or births so quickly that you do not make it to her birth. These two births can take place any time after you begin your training. As a Postpartum Doula you will support two women through the postnatal period and provide similar evaluations. As an Childbirth Educator you will provide 6 hours of prenatal classes and then reflect on what you have learned from these. As a Breastfeeding Counselor you will provide a total of 30 hours of support to breastfeeding mothers.

To broaden your knowledge and become exposed to different viewpoints, you will read books that are relevant to your work. You can choose any books you like from the extensive reading list.

In the Birth Doula course you will look at the options are available to your clients for antenatal classes, you will complete a brief survey on antenatal classes in your community. Postpartum Doulas will do a survey on postnatal services available in the community. Childbirth Educators will look at birthing options available and Breastfeeding Counselors will compile a list of resources for breastfeeding mothers.

During the course of your training you will complete the assignments at your own pace. The first, a communication assignment, is a written account of one of your own births, or an event in your life that was significant to you if you have never had a baby. The second assignment is an open book test of multiple choice questions on different aspects of your course materials. You can use any resources, including your student manuals, to answer the questions in the quiz. Childbirth Educators will also prepare a teaching plan and answer a series of questions about teaching antenatal classes. Breastfeeding Counselors will prepare a course outline for a 2 hour breastfeeding class and answer a series of questions on breastfeeding problems they may encounter in their work.

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"Having such experienced doulas to discuss all sorts of birth topics was great! I now feel confident & prepared to perform my tasks as a labor doula because of this course. Thanks to you all!" Jeanne, Alabama

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