The road to becoming a birth worker - a step-by-step guide to a new career
|
START HERE Take this brief quiz to test your knowledge about maternity care. Try to answer the questions without looking them up to get a good idea of how much you'll be learning. |
|
Watch this video of The Classroom Edition of Business of Being Born, an abbreviated version of a documentary about the maternity care system in the United States. Warning - if you've never seen this film before, some of what you are about to learn might be very surprising. |
|
|
Regardless of your previous knowledge or experience, read a great evidence-based book on childbirth. We recommend Giving Birth with Confidence, the Official Lamaze Guide. It's so important for parents and birth workers to have access to empowering, evidence-based information. Most often this information is not what is marketed to the general public, and your future clients will need you to direct them to these resources. You may also like Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. |
|
If you like what you've learned so far, it's time to start planning out your new career!
What do you envision as your future career? A birth doula? A postpartum doula? A childbirth educator? All of the above? We recommend all of the above! What are the benefits of becoming a doula? What are the benefits of becoming a childbirth educator? Where do you want to begin? The choice is up to you! You can begin either program first. Doula School is a semester-long, online training program. The Lamaze Seminar is a three-day weekend training. Both allow you to begin your new career as soon as you feel ready! |
|
|
Tell your family and friends about your decision. Ask for their support in your new career.
They will need to understand your need for some quiet study time, and to be patient while you take that first big step into something new. Family and friends may want to show their support by contributing to your training, travel expenses, or by purchasing something from your wish list (see below). Our payment plan allows your supporters the ability to pay for some (or all!) of your training. The gift of a new career is an investment into your future. There's no better gift to give (or receive). |
|
Once you've made your choice, it's time to register for your training. Early registration ensures your spot at the best possible price. Lamaze Seminars Find a seminar that best fits your schedule and travel plans, and register as soon as possible. Each seminar is limited to 15 people, so its important to save your spot. Doula School Online training begins on February 1, June 1, or September 1 each year. Doula School lasts approximately 16 weeks. Each class is limited to 10 students. Early registration is important. Remember: Payments made toward your training are a wonderful way for family and friends to show support for your new adventure! |
|
|
Make a wish list.
Items on your wish list make excellent gifts from supportive friends and family! A model pelvis A fetal doll A rebozo A book from the required reading list The Lamaze Learning Guide Birth Ball or CUB Anatomy models Craft supplies for creating your own teaching items Business items (computer, software, business cards) More! |
|
Begin reading.
We recommend you start your reading list with Giving Birth with Confidence: The Official Lamaze Guide. Once complete, start working your way through this list. It's not necessary to complete this entire reading list before your training, but the more reading you do ahead of time, the more you will be able to participate in discussions during your training. |
|
|
Attend your training If you are attending a Lamaze Childbirth Educator Seminar, you'll likely need to travel. Make your travel arrangements (transportation and hotel). Often times, seminar participants are interested in hotel room sharing with other students. Seminar participants will be able to email other students to make those arrangements. It's a great way to save money AND meet your future colleagues! A Lamaze Seminar is life changing. No matter how much (or how little) you know coming into the seminar, you will leave forever changed. Your passion for this work will be ignited. The doors to a new career will open. 100% of our seminar participants agree. If you are attending Doula School, you are about to embark on a 16 week semester of learning. You will virtually meet students from all over the world. You will need to set aside time where you can focus on your studies. The assignments and online portion are set up so that you can work at your own pace, at any time of day, any day of the week. All assignments are useful for your future doula practice. Throughout the semester, we meet online as a group for a live class. |
|
Begin as soon as you're ready!
Upon completion of the Lamaze Seminar, you'll have everything you need to start teaching childbirth education right away! While you're not certified, and you cannot use the Lamaze name during this time, you can still begin teaching childbirth classes! If you have the urge to provide labor support or postpartum care, Doula School will help you step right into that role! You will have a good amount of knowledge under your belt shortly after the start of the semester that you can begin taking clients whenever you feel comfortable. |
|
And then you realize...
This little "career change" you started has grown beyond what you could imagine. In addition to teaching childbirth classes or attending births, you might also find yourself teaching nursing students at the college level, holding appointments with the members of congress asking to support bills that increase access to better maternal healthcare, participating in university-led research, being published in a peer-reviewed journal, or speaking at major international conferences.
Or, traveling from Puerto Rico to Hawaii (and everywhere in between) to train other childbirth educators.
This little "career change" you started has grown beyond what you could imagine. In addition to teaching childbirth classes or attending births, you might also find yourself teaching nursing students at the college level, holding appointments with the members of congress asking to support bills that increase access to better maternal healthcare, participating in university-led research, being published in a peer-reviewed journal, or speaking at major international conferences.
Or, traveling from Puerto Rico to Hawaii (and everywhere in between) to train other childbirth educators.
|
|
|
|
|
Lastly....
Be thankful and pay it forward.