HOW TO BECOME A BIRTH DOULA
Not everyone is suited to birth doula training. At Birth Right I have trained women from all walks of life, from chiropractors, stay at home Mum’s, naturopaths, actors, musicians, IT specialist, yoga practitioners, massage therapists, midwives and many ‘others’. How to become a Birth Doula is easy just check out our online/face to face training and get started on this wonderful path. But what qualities should you have to be a successful doula:
6 secret qualities to becoming a birth doula
1. Book a birth debrief for your own births essential! I have great success using hypnotherapy for birth debriefing.
2. Understand that this is not about you and how you gave birth
3. Know how to truly listen
4. Be confident with normal birthing
5. Believe and trust in a woman’s ability to birth without interference
6. Be Fearless
At Birth Right we offer two theory modules online, followed up by a face to face weekend workshop. You will be supported throughout this training, via phone and email. Our online modules will challenge your thinking, offering real life scenarios to walk you through face to face situations with pregnant women and their partners. Once these two online modules have been completed you will attend a face to face weekend workshop, which brings it all together in a very supportive environment. Birth Right is located in the beautiful Blue Mountains, in N.S.W., however if it is impossible to attend physically, we can organise skype sessions.
HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT BIRTH DOULA TRAINING FOR YOU
1. Shop around. Do your due diligence. This is exactly what I show pregnant women how to do.
2. Ask what is the qualifications and experience of the person running the training? At Birth Right you will be trained by me, with my almost 40 years experience with birthing. Our Birth Doula Training has a strong focus on making sure the trainee doula has a unique understanding of the hospital system and how to negotiate with staff, in a respectful manner.
3. What support and resources are offered whilst training?
4. Is the training online only? I recommend steering away from online only, which is why I have developed a combined online/face to face.
WHAT NEXT
What happens once you have graduated? Does the training place offer any support or ongoing inservice? How will you find clients? What if I find challenges that I don’t know how to manage? At Birth Right you have the opportunity to join the Birth Right doula mentoring team. This includes a profile on our website, where you will advertise what you are about and what areas you will work and travel to. Birth Right does all the admin with clients, agreements, negotiating the right doula and many other questions. This offers smooth sailing for the doula, without having to worry about all the necessary admin. You will be offered to join our private facebook group, where you will receive ongoing info and support from like-minded doulas. We also offer one birth debriefing/ inservice support day per year all face to face. This can also be done via skype.
WILL I BECOME A MILLIONAIRE AS A BIRTH DOULA?
NO! What value can be put on this service? It is beyond monetary. So if you are not going to get rich quick in this business, why would you choose to become a Birth Doula?
YOU SHOULD ONLY CHOOSE THIS TRAINING IF:
- you want unbelievable job satisfaction
- you want rewards that are truly immeasurable
- you enjoy working with young women and their partners
- you understand the importance of how a baby enters the world
- you want to be a part of the beginning of life
you want to make a difference to high medical intervention rates in Australia (research shows that having a Birth Doula reduces the need for intervention by up to 70%)
