DONA-Approved Birth Doula Workshop

A birth doula is a person trained and experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after childbirth.  When a doula is present during and after childbirth, women report greater satisfaction with their birth experience, make more positive assessments of their babies, have fewer cesareans and requests for medical intervention, and less postpartum depression.  Studies have shown that babies born with doulas present tend to have shorter hospital stays with fewer admissions to special care nurseries, breastfeed more easily and have more affectionate mothers in the postpartum period.

For the 18 hour DONA-Approved Birth Workshop, we will be covering the following objectives:

• Introduction and interpretation of Penny Simkin’s research on the long-term significance of birth and Drs. Kennell and Klaus’ research on the effects of labor support and its relation to contemporary maternity care
• A description of the emotional needs of the laboring woman and hands-on techniques to meet those needs to enhance the birth experience
• Discussion of the unique needs of women during cesarean sections, VBAC or birth with abuse survivors
• Demonstration and hands-on applications of effective comfort measures and labor and birth positions
• Role-model and group role-play of workshop objectives
• Prenatal visits and postpartum concerns-including integration of the birth memory
• Ways to organize, promote and market a doula program or service
• Ideas to work with difficult variations of labor
• Breastfeeding and normal newborn appearances

After registering for a class, please download and fill out this form. You may also use this form to register without signing up for an account.