The dona.com website says this is part of the certification process:

Complete one of the following: 1. Training in childbirth education or midwifery 2. Nurses with work experience in Labor and Delivery

I'm wondering where I can get this kind of training. Specifically, where I can find the sort of training described in #1, and what exactly #2 is referring to. Thanks very much!

-- Laura Segel (lauras@atg.com), May 11, 1999

Answers

Hi, in respones to your question, the step you referred to also includes (I beileve) : or attend a childbirth education class as an observer, ( not as the pregnant mother or the coach) You can email Dona to double check , (I have hosted a Dona doula training , so I am fairly sure about this) , I also help in training new doulas in my area) you may be able to find a doula in your area to work with for some expierence. If not you can volunteer at a hospital or a program for women who cant afford to pay such as the local health department or healthy start, or some thing similar to get some births for expierence. You can contact local childbirth educators for help with offering service to families as well . Good Luck!! Cindi Howard Castle

-- Cindi Howard Castle (doulaworks@bellsouth.net), May 13, 1999.

I agree fully with the previous post- you can go to a CB class not as a mother-to-be and fill this requirement. This is what I did. They just want to be sure that you have basic knowledge of labor and birth. DONA also offers another weekend class at Seattle Midwifery School that covers the basics that I attended before going on to the training. It was wonderful and not at all too simplistic. Of course, I think anywhere you can sit and talk about birth for days on end is always wonderful...!!!

Kirsten

-- Kirsten Gerrish (kirsten@doula.net), May 17, 1999.