| Spa Wellness Articles :: Program Descriptions & Career Overviews :: Doula Studies • Doula Training Programs |
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| Doula Studies • Doula Training Programs |
| by Robyn Tellefsen |
A doula is a trained professional who provides emotional, informational, and physical (nonmedical) support to women throughout labor, birth, and postpartum. A doula acts as an advocate for the birthing woman when interacting with other health professionals on the birth team, ensuring that she understands the benefits, risks, and alternatives for all tests and procedures. A professional with birth Doula training mothers the mother, taking care of her emotional needs throughout childbirth. One with postpartum doula training continues that emotional support and guidance, helping the mother and partner make a smooth transition into their new family.
What You'll Learn
When you train to become a doula, you'll learn about the labor support needs of women during the second stage of labor, including pushing techniques for natural and medicated births; breathing techniques and maternal positioning; medication/epidural use in doula-supported births; emotional needs of women in difficult or complicated labor; the doula's role during cesarean birth and vaginal births after cesarean; the doula's role in the immediate postpartum; and the importance of doula certification and networking. You'll also have the opportunity to practice your skills by providing labor support to various women throughout your doula training program.
Degree Types
Doula certification courses are generally available through independent Midwifery schools. Some midwifery programs require doula training as a prerequisite to becoming a midwife.
Career Paths
With doula training and certification, you can become a doula or continue on to become a certified midwife. Other health care professionals working with childbearing women may find doula training helpful as well.
Job Outlook
According to Staffing Solutions @ Mothers' Aides, a backup childcare provider in the Washington metro area, the average salary range for a doula is $15 to $25 per hour or $250 to $400-plus per day. DONA International, a premier doula association, currently lists more than 6,000 birth and postpartum doula members worldwide.
Licensing and Accreditation Information
There is currently no accrediting agency for doulas, but those who aspire to midwifery may choose to pursue a program that's been accredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (http://www.midwife.org), which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Doulas are not subject to state licensure but may attain certification by a variety of national and international organizations, such as Childbirth International (http://www.childbirthinternational.com), DONA International (http://www.dona.org), International Childbirth Education Association (http://www.icea.org), and more.
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