Postpartum Doula - Certification Requirements

With Childbirth International you can get started right away and complete your training with complete flexibility and convenience. You DO NOT have to attend a workshop. There is no additional charge for certification and no requirement for membership or recertification. Certification as a Childbirth International Postpartum Doula is for life! Once you have successfully completed all the requirements you will be eligible to apply for certification as a Postpartum Doula with Childbirth International.

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 course is made up of three modules - Communication, Postpartum Physiology and Postpartum Doula Skills. As each module is completed you simply submit an on-line evaluation form.  

To gain experience and put some of your new found knowledge into practice, you will support two women who have recently had a baby. They may have given birth themselves, or have newly adopted a baby. After working with the family, you will write to your trainer and tell her what you learned through this experience. This may be the value of some of the skills you used, the experience of working with the family and caregivers, or simply becoming more experienced in exploring different parenting styles! You do not need to provide an evaluation from the mother or her caregivers. If the mother has had twins (or more!) it will count as one postpartum experience for the purposes of your training. These two postpartum experiences can take place any time after you begin your training.

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 postpartum experiences, or an experience of being parented that was significant to you if you have never had a baby. A pass grade is necessary to be eligible for certification.

The second assignment is an open book test of multiple choice questions on different aspects of pregnancy, labor, birth and the early postpartum period. You can use any reference materials, including your student manuals, to research and find the answers to the quiz. A pass grade must be accomplished for each test to be eligible for certification.