Birth Doula Certification
Birth doulas provide support to women during labor and the immediate postpartum period. They provide practical support and comfort measures, education and advocacy. A number of agencies certify qualified birth doulas.
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Education
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Most agencies that certify birth doulas require attendance at a training workshop. Some offer home training with books and DVDs instead.
Attending Classes
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The Organization of Labor Assistants for Birth Options and Resources requires doulas to attend a series of childbirth preparation classes. The Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association requires doulas to attend both childbirth preparation classes and breastfeeding classes.
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Attending Births
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Doulas must attend a number of births in order to become certified. To receive certification with Childbirth International, doulas only need to attend two births. To receive certification with Doulas of North America, doulas must attend three births. Most agencies require doulas to submit evaluations of their work from mothers they supported or doctors or midwives with whom they worked.
Certification Exam
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All agencies that certify doulas require doulas to pass an exam in order to become certified. Exams can usually be done from a distance, by mail or Internet.
Value of Certification
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No state or federal regulations exist requiring birth doulas to become certified. However, certified doulas must meet some minimum standards, so expectant mothers have some assurance their doulas are qualified. Requirements for certification vary widely from agency to agency, though, so expectant mothers should ask questions to determine just what kind of qualifications their certified doulas possess.
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References
- Photo Credit pregnant #6 image by Adam Borkowski from Fotolia.com
