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Childbirth International Training is accredited with distinction as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.USA West (415) 992 5602
USA East (603) 676 7818
UK (020) 7193 0647
Australia (02) 8011 4177
Registered Office: 1 Raffles Place, #44-01A One Raffles Place Singapore 048616
Tania’s passion for birth began 26 years ago in a birth center in northern NSW in Australia, when she supported a dear friend as she birthed her son. Having had twins 12 months earlier, Tania was amazed at how different birth could be for different people but most importantly the options available to women at the time. Physically supporting a woman in labor just seemed like an intrinsic thing to do and sparked something deep within.
It wasn’t until 1999 whilst living in Singapore, Tania met up with Singapore’s first doula and founder of Childbirth International. Over the next year Tania was grateful to be under her mentorship as she pursued her goal of being able to offer doula support and childbirth education. This led Tania to be one of the first graduates of Childbirth International.
The next 20 years, Tania’s doula practice grew, and she was able to support hundreds of clients through childbirth education, pregnancy, labor and beyond. In addition to this, Tania has built and maintained great working relationships with hospitals and obstetricians in Singapore. Tania has also had the pleasure of featuring in a couple of local TV shows on birth in Singapore and has written articles for various parenting magazines. She was also invited to appearing alongside obstetricians on panels and give talks on birth in Singapore at public forums.
Tania was part of a committee of women who formed a registered society Doulas of Singapore and served as President from 2016-2019.
Recently Tania returned to CBI to reconnect with training but still can’t totally give up her Doula work so juggles the two whilst dividing her time between Malaysia and Singapore.
Mother to twins Britt & Jess who are 27 and Reilly who is 15, if Tania is not on her bike training or in the pool swimming and preparing for a triathlon, she can be seen relaxing with a lovely glass of red wine. Of course, it would be an ideal world if she could enjoy both together.
Childbirth International is a global organization committed to socially and environmentally sustainable practices by minimizing consumption of natural resources, supporting individuals in fostering healthy communities, and encouraging a maintainable work/life integration for administrative staff, trainers, students, and graduates through flexible employment and study arrangements.
Environmental
Childbirth International seeks to enhance the environmental systems that sustain life on earth and dispose of waste in a way that acknowledges the capacity of our planet. As an online organization, our carbon footprint is a minimal one, but we do still have some impact on the planet. This includes:
We use recycled paper within our printed manuals. We’ve partnered with our vendors to help minimize waste and reduce deforestation. Ordering is done in bulk inventory to mitigate waste and our distributor is fully integrated with a shipping agency to optimize shared driving arrangements.
Students may choose an environmentally conscious option for any of our courses. Our green option allows students to digitally access their course material and assignments through the online student portal. This option allows us to print the course textbooks as needed, without any waste. This also reduces the environmental impact of worldwide shipping.
All financial and administration processes are provided digitally. Childbirth International is committed to eliminating paper-based waste by providing all statements, invoices, receipts, and certificates electronically.
All staff are home-based, reducing greenhouse and gas emissions, water waste, and other consumables commonly associated with traveling to and from work.
Economic
Childbirth International aims to use human and natural resources wisely, to create goods and services that enhance people’s lives, encourage equitable livelihoods and recognize that we have finite natural resources. We aim to provide courses at an affordable cost for as many individuals as possible. We offer payment options for each of our courses. Payment plans spread the cost of tuition out over a reasonable number of months to enable students to engage in training as it suits their own goals.
We also offer discounts to existing students and graduates and discounts for students buying more than one course at a time. Returning student discounts encourage CBI members to continue to improve and expand on their knowledge and understanding of the birth profession, in turn providing maintainable care to the clients in their community. Multicourse discounts are available for students who are new to CBI and want to invest in multiple training opportunities to diversify the type of support they can offer to families and clients.
We model an ethical pay structure for trainers and administrative staff which includes a living wage for all. To encourage supported families and communities, we provide up to a one year maternity leave for all staff with a guaranteed position upon their return.
Childbirth International does not put limits on how our students structure their business or work model, including supporting for-profit, non-profit, volunteer, or community-based payment structures, as is sustainable and most appropriate to achieve balance in their own business goals.
Cultural
Childbirth International’s goals are to provide courses that provide a high standard of training so students can nourish and share attitudes and values that represent diverse worldviews, and seek to understand perspectives that are different from our own. We celebrate the contributions and diverse experiences of marginalized and indigenous individuals.
Our training introduces students to cultural competency and trauma-informed practices to foster respectful and compassionate environments in student groups as well as in graduates’ local communities. We have a public code of practice outlining ethical, professional, and compassionate standards for students and graduates. Members of CBI agree to the code of practice to ensure students and graduates are contributing in a positive and respectful way to their own communities and professional relationships. We also place a strong emphasis on culturally competent and client-focused support that engages awareness and sensitivity regarding how different cultures, communities, and individuals access resources and choices and make decisions.
CBI recognizes that in order for birth support to be sustainable and effective at a grassroots level, marginalized communities need to be able to connect with birth and breastfeeding support that reflects their culture and values. In order to facilitate and encourage these connections, Childbirth International offers flexible and accessible financing options for students. For those who are connected to and working directly with marginalized communities, Childbirth International offers scholarship opportunities. While this is currently in the initial stages, our intention is to expand these opportunities over the next 24 months.
Social
Childbirth International honors the diversity of social groups and generations, learning from and teaching each other, promoting social justice and community. We have a public code of practice outlining ethical, professional, and compassionate standards for students and graduates. Members of CBI agree to the code of practice to ensure students and graduates are contributing in a positive and respectful way to their own areas.
CBI advocates for safe, client-centered, and respectful care for parents and newborns. Through our training, CBI encourages students to become advocates for the needs of their unique communities, focusing on informed choice and consent, respectful care and treatment of clients, and appropriate access to information and resources.
Personal
Childbirth International recognizes the importance of mental and physical well-being of self and others, demonstrating kindness and compassion, and building individual and community resilience. Childbirth International’s administrative team is able to work remotely which facilitates a positive work/life integration. With the reduction in carbon footprint and without the stress of commuting, the administrative team is able to work around their personal lives and external commitments. CBI’s trainers are also able to work remotely with variable hours allowing them to integrate family, community interests, commitments, and continuing education, with their work.
With students and graduates, Childbirth International offers flexibility in training to support students in being who they need to be on a day-to-day basis. This offers the opportunity to balance work, family, education, and other commitments. In turn, this flexibility enables students to achieve well-being in their own lives through sustainable and balanced practices. Throughout our training, we offer tools and resources to support students and graduates in creating sustainable businesses that respect and reflect the values and beliefs of the individual. Students and graduates are encouraged to develop strategies to aid in handling stress and to seek out mentorship and support within their local communities.
Childbirth International encourages professionals to utilize client-centered practices that focus on respectful care and collaboration between professionals, clients, and their chosen support team. CBI promotes trauma-informed care and self-care as a means of preventing professional burnout and secondary or vicarious trauma that many professionals may experience.
One of the most common questions we are asked about CBI’s Breastfeeding Counselor course is the difference between a Breastfeeding Counselor and a Lactation Consultant. First a bit of an explanation on the different acronyms.
CBC=Certified Breastfeeding Counselor
BFC=Breastfeeding Counselor
CLC=Certified Lactation Counselor (or consultant depending on the organization)
LC=Lactation Counselor (or consultant)
CLE=Certified Lactation Educator
IBCLC=International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
Other breastfeeding specialists may be called a Breastfeeding Peer Supporter or a Lactation Specialist.
Part of the confusion comes from the differences between training and certification.
Training is the learning that you do in a course. The organization offering the training decides on the length of the course and the topics to be covered. Because there is no recognized standard for lactation specialist training, each course is very different. Training may also be “on the job” training like an apprenticeship.
Certification is a set of requirements used to determine when an individual has achieved a certain level of knowledge and skills. CBI offers both education in the knowledge and skills we believe are important in the role of a Breastfeeding Counselor and certification once all the requirements have been met.
An International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) is a recognition of education and experience. The IBCLC designation is awarded by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE). The IBLCE does not provide training of any kind. They review the experience and education of an individual to determine whether it meets their standards and run an exam to assess knowledge. The education or training taken must be through another organization, be specific to lactation, and at least 90 hours in length. Childbirth International’s Breastfeeding Certification program meets these requirements and can be used for the lactation education component determined by the IBLCE. The IBLCE does not recommend or review training programs.
A breastfeeding counselor is an individual who has taken a training program specializing in supporting breastfeeding parents. The course length varies from one program to the next. The CBI Breastfeeding Counselor course provides 130 hours of education and this can be used for the education requirement for IBCLC. Basically, a CBI breastfeeding counselor has the same number of hours of lactation specific education as an IBCLC. The education covers communication skills, counseling skills and knowledge of physiology in relation to lactation. In order to certify with CBI, you will:
The content of a breastfeeding course differs from one training organization to the next. Some courses will provide 90 hours or more, while others will provide 45 hours or less.
Generally, the fundamental differences between a breastfeeding counselor and a lactation consultant relate to their experience and the amount of health science education they have completed. In order to apply to become an IBCLC, an individual must have:
Both a CBI Certified Breastfeeding Counselor and an IBCLC can:
Neither a Breastfeeding Counselor or a Lactation Consultant can:
The fundamental differences between the two roles are the completion of health science courses and the number of hours that each have supported breastfeeding clients for.
Other lactation specialists may be educated in supporting uncomplicated breastfeeding relationships, such as offering education on healthy practices that support breastfeeding.
Preparing a treatment or care plan is a nursing task. If you have a separate qualification as a nurse, midwife or doctor, preparation of a treatment plan would fall under that scope of practice. You can work with a client to explore their options and support the client in making choices or developing a feeding plan. This is not the same as a treatment or care plan where an individual is providing treatment. This can be confusing. It is really about what information you are providing, and how you are providing it. For example, it would be within the scope of both a Breastfeeding Counselor or an IBCLC, to say:
You mentioned that you have some nipple pain. Also, I noticed that the baby has some white patches in its mouth and a little diaper rash. In some cases, these can be symptoms of thrush. You could go and see the doctor and ask them to take a look. If they diagnose thrush, they can explain the treatment options. You might want to ask them about medication for thrush, and also dietary changes that can be helpful in eliminating thrush. I can give you a list of doctors that are supportive and knowledgeable about breastfeeding if you like?
It would be inappropriate for either a Breastfeeding Counselor or an IBCLC to say:
The nipple pain and white patches in your baby’s mouth seem to be thrush. This could be treated with gentian violet and dietary changes where you eliminate sugar from your diet for a while.
That would depend on the requirements stipulated by the hospital themselves. There is no legal reason why a hospital might not employ a Breastfeeding Counselor who has not completed the IBCLC requirements. Both a Breastfeeding Counselor and an IBCLC could be part of the team within the hospital supporting breastfeeding parents. But neither of them would be medical professionals (unless they are medically trained in another role such as a nurse).
That depends on the organization they trained or are accredited by. CBI has its own standards that require a Breastfeeding Counselor trained with us to behave ethically. The IBLCE have a code of ethics they require all IBCLC’s to adhere to. Breastfeeding Counselors and IBCLCs do not have to adhere to medical ethics boards since they are not medical professionals. If they were employed by a hospital they may have ethical standards required of them by their employer.
If a member of the public, another Birth Professional, a health professional, or a member of Childbirth International, (hereinafter referred to as “the Complainant”) has a complaint against the conduct of a Childbirth International Birth Professional, this must be put in writing within 12 months of the event taking place, addressed to the Director of Childbirth International (hereinafter referred to as “Director”). Childbirth International employees and officers may also institute a grievance proceeding internally, without a complaint filed by an outside party. The email address to send complaints to is support@childbirthinternational.com.
Information Required
The Complainant must provide the following information:
We will not investigate hearsay, or complaints without any evidence. We require the name of the Complainant and will share this with the Birth Professional whom the complaint is made about. We will not investigate anonymous complaints.
Investigation
The complaint will be investigated by the disciplinary committee (hereinafter referred to as the “Committee”), during which time the Committee may request further supporting documentation and evidence. The student or certified Birth Professional will be contacted for their perspective. The student or certified Birth Professional will have the opportunity to respond to the Committee. The goal for Childbirth International in the case of a complaint is to encourage the Complainant and the Birth Professional to communicate and resolve the problem in a mutually beneficial way. If this is not possible, Childbirth International will review the complaint and, following a decision, may take action as set out below.
Disciplinary Action
Following the investigation, the Committee may take one of the following actions:
If a student or graduate is permanently withdrawn as a result of disciplinary action, no refunds will be due.
Your privacy is important to us. Read our privacy policy to learn more about what information we hold and what we do with it.
If you have shared your email address and other contact details with us, we believe that we have a responsibility to maintain your privacy and not use that information for anything other than what you’ve requested. We won’t provide your personal details to any other organization, under any circumstances. The details we store are strictly for our own use and won’t be made publicly available or sold to other groups. We will NEVER share your personal details with any third party unless we’re required to do so by law. If at any time we decide to change our privacy policy in a way that would affect your privacy, we’ll notify you and give you the opportunity to remove your name.
When you pay for your course you’ll be taken to a secure page to enter your credit card details. We don’t store these details. The payment is processed by either Stripe or PayPal and they don’t forward the credit card information to us. At no time do we ever have your credit card number.
When you become a student with Childbirth International you’ll provide your name and contact details, including a mailing address. We require this information so we can ship your student manuals to you. We guarantee that we’ll NEVER share your details with any third party, unless we’re required to do so for legal reasons. Your contact information won’t be sold, exchanged or made available in any way. We won’t provide our mailing list of students and graduates to ANY company or organization for payment, for exchange or for free, unless we’re required by law to do so. You have our absolute assurance that your private information will remain private.
We do store information on our servers about our students and those who have registered for our mailing lists. At any time you can remove your name from the mailing list yourself. Your contact details can only be accessed by our administration staff at Head Office. It can’t be accessed through our website. The information is stored on a database on our own server and can only be retrieved with passwords and secure web pages.
The student website does use cookies to store information about the site on your computer. A cookie is a small text file that is kept on your own computer. We will NEVER retrieve any information from your computer.
If you register for a training program you have two days to review the course program. If you decide the course is not for you, you can cancel within 48 hours of purchase and receive a full refund, less an administration fee.
You’ll have full access to all the course materials within a few minutes of registering so you can review them straight away. This allows you to take a look at the course and decide if it’s what you are looking for.
If you decide not to continue, you must contact us in writing before the two days are completed and request a refund. The amount you’ve paid will be refunded, less a $50 administration fee. The administration fee covers the cost of the fees we are charged for processing your initial payment, the cost of processing a refund and the administrative cost of manually reversing your order.
Birth Professional refers to the role of a Birth Doula, Childbirth Educator, Postpartum Doula or Lactation Counselor (Breastfeeding Counselor).
A Childbirth International Birth Professional:
A Childbirth International Birth Professional:
A Childbirth International Birth Professional:
A Childbirth International Birth Professional will respect copyright and intellectual property at all times, including as set out below.
All written work authored by Childbirth International or their agents is protected by copyright, including books, articles, study guides, online articles, websites, business forms, personal emails, posts to an Internet discussion forum, and any other written work, regardless of how formal it is, or whether it has been “published” in a recognized book or journal.
Distributing or reposting copyrighted material on paper or online without the express permission of the author or copyright holder is illegal and unethical. This includes acts such as posting an article from a medical journal on an Internet discussion forum, photocopying an article to include in a set of handouts for clients, or using another person’s page on “what is a doula/childbirth educator/breastfeeding counselor” or another person’s registration form on one’s own website without express permission.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the use of the written work of another without giving credit. Plagiarism is not acceptable in student assignments, handouts or other materials created for clients, websites and promotional materials, discussion in personal communications such as email or posting to discussion forums, or any other written work. Plagiarism includes such acts as quoting any material from another source without credit, or passing off someone else’s idea as one’s own where the original idea is identifiable and the originator known.
Adaptation
No written work is 100% original; all work builds on ideas from elsewhere. It is permissible to build on the ideas of others so long as the original work is credited where those ideas are still identifiable. Changing a few words to make a work or an idea appear slightly different from the original is not adequate. Work must be completely rewritten with significant transformation or new elements added, or else credit must be given, even if direct quotes are not used.
Training Materials
Childbirth International students and certified Birth Professionals may use CBI materials when working with clients. They may not train other Birth Professionals with CBI materials, provide workshops using CBI materials, or distribute the material to persons other than clients without the express written permission from Childbirth International.
Competition
If a student or graduate subsequently establishes a Birth Professional training program that is deemed by Childbirth International to be in direct competition to Childbirth International, access to the student website and any discussion forums or websites managed by Childbirth International will be terminated. If the Childbirth International training program has not been completed at the time the student establishes such a training program, the student will be terminated from the Childbirth International training program and will not be eligible for certification. In such cases, Childbirth International will not be liable for a refund of any training or membership fees.
Full Disclosure
At no time will a student claim to be graduated with Childbirth International unless they have received their Certificate. Graduates cannot claim to be graduated with Childbirth International unless they completed all the requirements of the course they are claiming certification in and have received their certificate.
A Childbirth International Birth Professional:
Discrimination Factors
Childbirth International (“CBI”) supports all its trainers, directors and other representatives (“representatives”) in being able to enjoy a work environment free from all forms of harassment and discrimination. The decisions made by CBI regarding recruitment, promotion, training, termination, and the assignment of a trainer to a student are made without discrimination on the basis of race, color, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, religion or belief system, age, body size or shape, pregnancy, sexual orientation, biological gender, gender identity, gender expression, gender reassignment, disability, political ideology, marital status, or genetic information (“discrimination factors”).
Discrimination or harassment from CBI representatives
All representatives of CBI are expected to carry out their duties without harassment or discrimination towards any other CBI representative, or towards any student or graduate. CBI representatives are encouraged to report harassing conduct before it becomes severe or pervasive. Any complaints related to harassment or discrimination will be treated seriously, and where the complaint is found to be valid, the CBI representative will be subject to disciplinary action. CBI representatives that make complaints of harassment or discrimination, or provide information related to such complaints, can be assured that:
Harassment or Discrimination towards CBI representatives
CBI will not tolerate any harassment of, or discrimination towards, its representatives. Requests from students to transfer to a new trainer because of discriminatory factors will not be considered under any circumstances. Complaints of discrimination or harassment will be reported to the Grievance Committee and investigated. In cases where the complaints are confirmed after investigation, appropriate corrective action will be taken towards the individual who has discriminated or harassed, which may include:
In order to make our courses affordable for as many people as possible, we offer payment plans for our full certification programs. This enables you to pay for your course over a five-month period. If you would like to choose this option, please ensure you have read, and understand, the information below that explains how the payments are made and the consequences of a payment defaulting.
Payment plans are set up by you through either Stripe or PayPal. Childbirth International does not have access to any of your bank or credit card details to make changes to your account.
All payment plans will be subjected to a $10.00 monthly administration fee per month per course. The monthly administration fee is included in the monthly payment.
Any account or credit card updates must be done through either a your Paypal account (if you chose Paypal) or through a student’s account at www.childbirthinternational.com by accessing “subscriptions” (if you chose Stripe).
Payment plans run the duration of 5 months. The first payment is withdrawn upon successful registration, with 4 equal payments due on the same day of each month until the balance is paid in full. These payments are automatically withdrawn from your chosen payment account each month. No action is required to initiate these.
Payment plans through PayPal are listed as one month periods. For example, if the first payment is submitted in September, the next payments will be listed as Oct-Nov, Nov-Dec, Dec-Jan, Jan-Feb, with the last payment due in January.
You may request a change to the recurring monthly payment date. Please contact Student Services at support@childbirthinternational.com to change the payment due date. This MUST be done at least 72 hours BEFORE the next payment is due. Once the date is changed all subsequent payments will be set at the new date. Payment dates CANNOT be changed after a payment attempt has been made.
You may pay your balance at any time at no additional cost. Please contact Student Services at support@childbirthinternational.com for instructions and a reference number. The monthly administration fees will be waived as an early payment discount.
If you selected printed manuals, they will be ordered and shipped after the payment plan is complete and your balance is paid in full. Printed manuals will not be shipped until the full balance has been paid. Should you wish to receive your printed manuals earlier, you are welcome to pay the balance at any time. Please contact Student Services at support@childbirthinternational.com for instructions.
If a monthly payment defaults, your account will be suspended and you will not have access to the online student portal until the payment has been made. Several automatic attempts will be made to secure payment through your chosen payment method. If these attempts are unsuccessful, you will need to restart the payment plan through by logging in to your account at www.childbirthinternational.com. If you are unable to restart a payment plan, a $50.00 late payment fee will be applied to your balance. Your student website account will be reinstated after confirmation of payment and the late payment fee.
Unsuccessful payment will result in your student website account being suspended and, as an inactive student, you will not have access to the online student portal, course content, or social media groups during this time. These will be reinstated when the outstanding amount and any late fees due have been paid.
If a payment is declined, this was something done by the bank or credit card company. Childbirth International does not have access to your banking information and unable to see why the payment was declined. This is an automated system between your account and your chosen payment method. Please contact your bank or credit card company for more information.
In the event of a failed monthly payment, you can create a new payment plan for the remaining balance. This new payment plan must not exceed the previous 5-month duration and will be subjected to the $50.00 late payment fee. Please contact Student Services at support@childbirthinternational.com for payment details and a reference number.
If your payment plan defaults, your account will be classified as inactive. If you return to your studies at a later date, you will be subjected to any course fee increases and will need to pay any price difference to reinstate your account. A suspended account will be subjected to any price increases after 30 days of a defaulted payment.
At the end of this module, you will be able to:
At the end of this module, you will be able to:
At the end of this module, you will be able to:
At the end of this module, you will be able to:
At the end of this module, you will be able to:
At the end of this module, you will be able to:
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
By the end of this module you will be able to:
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Unlike some of her colleagues, Sandy had absolutely no interest in pregnancy or birth until she had her own first baby. Then things changed. Lots of things! Sandy had worked in publishing until that time, but found that going through her own first pregnancy and birth opened up a whole new world for her. Sandy couldn’t get over this ‘new’ idea that there were many perspectives out there about pregnancy and birth, and she had the opportunity to decide what she wanted, along with her husband, instead of just expecting to be told how things would go. And so she left publishing behind, and trained as a birth doula and childbirth educator with Childbirth International.
Now, more than a decade later, Sandy is expanding her fascination with birth into graduate studies in health communication and public health. She’s particularly focused on decision-making in health care – and it all began, and continues, with CBI!
Sandy is one of our longest serving trainers (since 2004). In addition to her Childbirth International qualifications, Sandy has a Bachelor of Arts with honors, a Master of Arts, a Masters of Science, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Public Health.
Samantha’s first birth experience was when she attended her aunt’s birth in 1999. She felt so privileged to be invited, eager and excited to help her! She loved all the practical things she could do – rubbing her back, encouraging her and bringing her drinks. She didn’t realize at the time that women attended births professionally, or learn about what a doula was, until she became pregnant herself.
Samantha hired a student doula to attend her first birth and she helped Samantha to have a wonderful experience. Samantha discovered what a positive difference a doula could make firsthand, but didn’t consider becoming a doula herself until after her second baby was born, in 2012, and she had completed her Masters degree in anthropology. Samantha started training to become a birth doula with CBI in 2013 and was so impressed with the knowledge and wisdom within this online community.
During her time as a graduate student, Samantha also worked as a teaching assistant at her university. In 2015, she was thrilled to be selected to become a trainer for CBI! In this new role, she’s able to combine her teaching and doula skills. She feels blessed to have a job where she can do the things she loves best! Samantha has volunteered at a residence for young and homeless pregnant women and trained as a facilitator for Birth Trauma Ontario. In addition to her qualifications with CBI, Samantha has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and a Master of Arts in Public Issues & Anthropology.
Nikki first became interested (obsessed?) with pregnancy and birth when she had a miscarriage with her first pregnancy. She found the lack of informed choice, the poor communication, and the lack of support all just made the experience that much more difficult. She knew there had to be a better way.
When she returned to the UK, Nikki had her first baby in a beautiful waterbirth with midwives. This inspired her to then work with a newly established miscarriage support group, advocating for better care for women experiencing loss in pregnancy. Shortly afterwards, a friend talked her into training as a childbirth educator. Clients began to ask her to support them during their births and she discovered a whole new world. She was smitten!
Nikki later moved to Singapore with her family and established the first doula practice there. Working with doctors and nurses who’d never heard of a doula, she realized the importance of effective communication and reflective practice. Clients began asking her if they could train to do the job she did, and Childbirth International was born. Originally the courses were taught face-to-face. However, the Internet had just become available and Nikki could see that there were women across the world who wanted to become doulas and childbirth educators, but the training was out of their reach – for financial or geographic reasons. Being in the midst of studying for her Bachelor of Nursing Science degree by distance, Nikki realized that online training could open up opportunities to thousands of women.
Nikki is passionate about the importance of birth professionals learning how to communicate effectively with clients and using these skills to build relationships with their peers and caregivers. Having real skills to pass on to new families meant that they are able to make informed decisions that are right for them, long after we’ve been involved in their journey. Those working in this field need to have a strong support base to enable them to cope with the emotional nature of our work, and develop a network of other birth professionals who come from diverse backgrounds and cultures to give us a breadth of knowledge and perspectives.
Nikki’s vision for CBI has always been to provide a global network of highly qualified and passionate birth professionals who can truly make a difference in the lives of the families they work with. When not supporting our incredible, talented team, Nikki can be found relaxing with friends, enjoying a glass of red wine, or reading research for fun! After a lifetime of avoiding exercise, Nikki has recently started yoga and kickboxing as a way to manage too much good food and wine! With 26 years of experience in supporting women through pregnancy, birth, and parenting, Nikki is stretching her wings and is currently studying a Masters in Human Rights.
One of Maggie’s first vocations in the 1960’s was as a birth supporter and, despite life taking many different directions since then, she has remained passionate about women having a voice and advocating for themselves.
Maggie feels fortunate to have worked closely with CBI since its inception, and to witness the organization grow into the recognized leader it is today. An opportunity to travel has enabled her to experience a variety of cultures and to see firsthand, that as mothers we share the same aspirations for our births and our families.
Maggie has been an integral part of the growth of CBI – managing all administration tasks in our early days and with us since the beginning! Recently, Maggie and her husband settled in rural Tasmania where she continues to enjoy her work as a CBI trainer, supporting students who feel inspired and passionate about birth. In her free time Maggie loves to spend time in her organic garden and drumming on her djembe.
Maggie is a talented artist, photographer and author. In addition to her studio work, she has taught workshops and exhibited internationally. For a number of years she wrote articles for a Singapore parenting magazine and was a highly successful events organiser. Today, along with her husband, Maggie enjoys public speaking: inspiring audiences to step outside their comfort zone and follow their passion.
Leigh is the mother of two wonderful boys, with Honours Bachelor of Music degree and a passion for hospitality. After working many years in the hospitality industry, she found her new role as a mom reinforced her desire to make informed and clear decisions about nutrition, education, birth and life… with her family, and for her family.
Leigh has been working at CBI since early 2015 and has proven herself to be indispensable. Leigh handles all of our customer enquiries, orders every student’s manuals, manages all the payments and generally just keeps the whole organization running smoothly.
When asked what she truly loves about Childbirth International, Leigh says it is the dedication to communication and education to all of its students.
Kristie’s passion for all things birth took off when she began studying midwifery in her late teens. She married young and hasn’t stopped birthing babies of her own long enough to pick up that interest again! Kristie is the mother of 2 girls, and then 5 boys in a row. Each of her births profoundly affected how she mothers, as has her relationship with other strong moms. This is why she loves interacting with mothers during the delicate and defining seasons of pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and breastfeeding.
Though Kristie has supported families for many years, her studies with CBI gave her more confidence and grounding, providing the skills she was looking for to communicate compassionately and effectively.
In addition to her work as a CBI Trainer, Kristie offers doula support, classes, and in-home consultations in her local community. She is the Education Director at the Bastrop Pregnancy Resource Center, a local non-profit that offers free classes, counseling, referrals, and material provisions to mothers in need. Her life is very much centered around mothering and she thinks of her work as an extension of that – an opportunity to nurture, encourage, and learn alongside other women. Kristie has been a birth doula since 2008 and a postpartum doula since 2012.
Kelly wasn’t always interested in birth. She began her career as a certified teacher but quickly realized that teaching adults was more her speed. After taking leave from teaching elementary school to have her own children, everything changed!
Kelly became immersed in the world of parenting and bonding through breastfeeding. Her new passion for birth and breastfeeding redirected her teaching career on a very rewarding path: educating new parents about birth, breastfeeding and bonding with infants.
CBI played a pivotal role in Kelly’s changing career path. After completing the Childbirth Educator and Breastfeeding Counselor courses, she became a Trainer for CBI in 2011. In 2018, Kelly stepped into another role with CBI as the Curriculum Development Coordinator. In addition to her work with CBI, she is a Certified Health Coach, La Leche League Leader and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). Kelly also has a Bachelor of History, a Master of Education in literacy and teaching English as a second language, and a Master of Education in Elementary teaching from University of Cincinnati in Ohio, USA. She is currently teaching local classes and supporting new families with lactation services. Kelly has co-authored several peer-reviewed papers in the field of lactation and is currently working on several other research projects.
Kelly and her family move frequently, having lived in Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Arizona, and more! She and her husband have a passion for healthy living and thoroughly enjoy cooking, travel and biking.
Johanna lives with her wife in Southern Ontario. She was not always interested in pregnancy and birth, but started on the path to being a birth professional with grand plans to enter midwifery school. Preparing to apply to school really inspired her to look at other paths and options available, which is where she found Childbirth International.
“I’ve learned so much about the birth, obstetrics, and midwifery worlds since going down this path; I never expected to be where I am now!” Johanna believes that Childbirth International is remarkable in its focus on reflective practice and how students are encouraged to explore their biases in order to better support their clients. Johanna could not be more proud to be a trainer for CBI!
In addition to her qualifications with CBI, Johanna also has a Diploma in Animal Care and is a Certified Bereavement Doula. Johanna and her wife have recently become the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl.
Jeanne has been a trainer with CBI since 2006, making her one of our longest serving trainers. She is mother to 6 children and nanny to 9 beautiful grand babies. Thirty eight years ago, when she married a Minnesota farm boy, Jeanne was transplanted from ‘up North’ to Alabama, where she and her husband taught school for several years. They then began homeschooling their children – 27 years of learning for all of them.
Jeanne began providing support for her friends more than 20 years ago, before she knew what a doula was. She enjoys talking about birth and doulas at local seminars, lectures, and events and is currently introducing natural birth and doulas to obstetric residents from UAB.
Jeanne grows herbs, makes soap, and cares for her backyard chickens. Together with her daughter, she has set up a business called StolaSpa. “Who knows, I may be practicing to live off the grid someday. 🙂 ”
Jeanne hopes that the training experience of her students is all they want it to be and that their learning will go on forever.
Fran realised her calling to work with pregnant and birthing women after working with a wonderful independent midwife in Newcastle, UK. Not long afterwards she moved to Bangkok, Thailand with her husband and undertook her training with CBI. Training as a doula with CBI opened so many doors for Fran and she has loved becoming part of the community of birth workers in Bangkok, whilst still remaining connected to CBI birth workers worldwide!
Fran currently has her own birth doula practice and coordinates a bumps and babies support group for pregnant women and new mothers. Many of the families she works with are expats and they often find that maternity care in Thailand is very different from their home countries. Although they may initially feel overwhelmed, watching families exploring their options for birth and going on to advocate for themselves and their babies fills Fran with happiness.
When the opportunity to take the trainer program came up she knew she had to grab it with both hands! Fran is excited to be on this new path as a CBI trainer, playing a small, supporting role in the journeys of students as they move into birth work. Within her local community, Fran is the coordinator for the Bangkok Mothers and Babies International’s (BAMBI) Bumps and Babies Group and the New Moon Postpartum Support Group. BAMBI is a non-profit organisation which is part of the Childbirth and Breastfeeding Foundation of Thailand (CBFT). In addition to her Childbirth International qualifications, Fran has a Diploma in Health Science and is a certified HypnoBirthing practitioner.
Carmen has been in love with birth since she was very little. It started around the time her mother was pregnant with her little sister. “I was two years old and was walking around the house with dolls in my shirt pretending to be pregnant too. I didn’t stop there though; I even went so far as to hide in my room and ‘give birth’ to my babies. Ever since then I wanted to do something for birthing women.” When Carmen discovered doulas and the amazing work they do, she knew that it was what she was meant to do. She has since completed all four CBI certifications and offers Childbirth Education, Doula services, Postpartum services, Breastfeeding services, Mother Blessings, and Placenta Encapsulation to families in her area.
Carmen is the proud mommy of two beautiful boys and one adorable little cat. She has been married to her amazing husband since 2009. They live in the Metro Detroit area of Michigan and spend a lot of our time cheering on their local sports teams. Carmen loves reading, watching horror movies, sewing, crocheting, or doing pretty much any crafting, and spending as much time as possible with her family. She has volunteered for the Detroit Improving Birth rally, coordinated the Big Latch On for Southeast Michigan for three years, is a member of Metro Detroit Doulas, and founder of the Catholic Birth Network. In addition to her CBI qualifications Carmen has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing.
Billie is the mother of 7 wonderful children and a Nana to some adorable grandchildren. She began supporting birthing families in 1984. After a traumatic first birth, Billie found a group of women who shared their happy birthing and breastfeeding experiences with her. As they became friends, they taught each other about healthy pregnancies, positive births and newborn care, and helped take care of each other through the childbearing years whilst supporting each other through their homebirths. It was woman-to-woman and family-to-family support that made a difference. In some ways it was a return to traditional birth and in others it was the beginning of our modern doulas. It also ignited her deep passion for studying the science of birth and what makes it safe and joyous.
During those years, Billie homeschooled her children, became a La Leche League leader, served as a lay pastoral counsellor and supported hundreds of families. Several years ago, she thought it would be a smart business decision to become a certified birth and postpartum doula. When Billie looked at the many programs offered, she wasn’t sure any of them would teach her much that was new but she joined CBI because of the flexibility and training approach. She was so thrilled to be wrong!! CBI provided a comprehensive education with an emphasis on reflection along with an international community that added richness and depth. As an elder doula and childbirth educator in her community, she has seen how an education with CBI lays the foundation for being a more effective birth professional.
Billie continues to serve at homebirths, facilitate a peer-support group for mothers who’ve had a traumatic birth, and enjoy her growing family. In addition to her qualifications with Childbirth International, she has a Bachelor of Arts (Mathematics), was a La Leche League Leader for many years, founded the Kitchener Waterloo Doula Collective and is the Founder and Director of Birth Trauma Ontario. In Billie’s current role, she is really the engine behind CBI. She oversees all administration tasks, encourages our students and trainers, handles any problems that arise with aplomb, and holds the rest of us together.
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, USA, Bethany has had a lifetime love for the outdoors. Some of her favorite activities are camping and gardening, which she is often found doing with her 5 kids who are aged teenager to toddler. Bethany came to Childbirth International as a student, hoping to one day become a birth doula. As she began working her way through the 4 courses, a whole new world opened up and she quickly discovered that her greatest love was in working with postpartum and breastfeeding women.
Bethany loves joining women on their journeys into motherhood, helping to educate and support them to make their own choices, and watching them discover who they are as a parent. She has a background in parenting education where her philosophy is that learning happens in a relationship. She brings that relationship-focused learning style to CBI in her role as a trainer. Bethany really enjoys connecting with her students and creating space for them to branch out and explore what being a birth professional means to them. She’s proud to be a trainer with Childbirth International!
Bekah’s passion for birth support work began in 2009 after she had a daughter by cesarean. She began attending International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) meetings faithfully in that same year, finding inspiration and solace as she and the women there shared and supported each other. Over the next two years, a desire to support women in the childbearing journey steadily grew in her heart, and she began looking at training organizations. After her beautifully supported, midwife attended home birth after cesarean (HBAC) in 2011, she knew she wanted to work in birth support, and Childbirth International was perfect for her needs. She loved the multi-cultural perspective and high quality of the learning program. In early 2012 Bekah began attending births, completing certification as a birth and postpartum doula later that year. She’s part of a fantastic doula group, Birth Chattanooga, but gets to spend most of her time with her four children.
Bekah finds it a privilege to be part of the global, growing birth community! She has been a trainer with CBI since 2015 and is active in her community, serving as a leader of her local Doula Share. Bekah also has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications.
Adele is Italian and was always passionate about different languages and cultures. At 18 she travelled to the UK where she met a Korean boy who stole her heart, and they started a long-distance relationship while she completed her education as a conference interpreter and translator for English and Chinese. After graduation, Adele moved to China on a scholarship, and went on to spend several years working in marketing and administration for international companies.
While her work was demanding and exciting, Adele always felt it wasn’t meaningful, and wanted to start a family. She married her sweetheart and moved to South Korea; a few months later Adele became pregnant and, living in a town away from the cosmopolitan Korean capital, was faced with the harsh reality that health care in her area tended to be high-intervention. Adele found she had to fight for her right to have the birth she envisioned and probably wouldn’t have made it without extensively educating herself, as well as the invaluable support of a doula. She decided to pursue certification as a birth doula and childbirth educator, and chose CBI, as its focus on reflective practice resonated with her.
Ever since, Adele has been providing support to couples in Korea during such crucial and challenging times in their lives as pregnancy and birth, and believes she’s found her true calling. Adele began working as a trainer for CBI in 2015. In addition to her birth professional qualifications, Adele trained as a HypnoBirthing Practitioner and has a Master of Arts in Conference Interpreting. Adele also speaks Italian, English, and Mandarin and is a mother of two.
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