What Certifications or licenses do doulas need? None! I see post all the time about how to find a good doula and what certification should they have. Doulas are not a regulated profession. They don’t need any professional license or education. They fall under the same category as tutors, childbirth educators, energy workers etc. While there are not any state required licenses or trainings most doulas do take a training and usually continue them throughout their careers. For Me, I love to learn and find it important to have lots of resources for my clients.
I thought I would share the training and certifications I have done as a doula.
2004 The American Academy of Husband Coached Childbirth (The Bradley method). This training certified me as a childbirth educator and Bradley method doula. AAHCD Taught Bradley method classes for 10 years.
2012 Attended my 1st birth as a doula with one of my Bradley Method clients.
2013 Salt Lake Prenatal massage advanced prenatal massage training included doula information as well.
2015 DONA doula training officially, started attending births as a doula.
2016 Spinning babies Workshop.
2016 Perinatal professionals workshop.
2017 Stillbirthday doula certification. SPD
2018 Bengkung style of Belly Binding training.
2020 Miracle Midwifery midwife assistant training.
2021 Evidenced Based Birth Pro member 27 CU hours.
2021 Birth Boot Camp postpartum doula certification. BBCPPD
2015, 2018, 2019, 2021 Utah doula association conferences.
2022 Advanced Birth Learning advanced doula training.
2022 Birth Boot Camp Doula certification. BBCD
2022 Birth Boot Camp conference.
2022 Reborn Pelvic health course.
2022 Doulaversity TENS training.
2023 Spinning babies workshop refresher course.
2023 Prenatal insights breastfeeding for doulas certification . CBSD
2023 VBAClink doula certification. CVD (TVL)
2024 Spinning Babies Aware Practitioner certification. SpBAP
I’m sure I will continue to take many more trainings in the future.
Every doula is different and many doulas have more training and certifications then me and others have only their 1st doula training under their belt. Finding the right doula for you is about how comfortable you feel around them, how educated they are for your needs, and how experienced they are in the birth world. Experience might be how many births they have done or how many different types of births they have done. Some of the original studies for doulas looked at simply having a nurturing motherly figure in the room. The birthing mothers during these studies felt better with their births, coped with labor better, and had better outcomes.
So whoever you choose for your birth either with lots of training or just starting out (everyone needs to start somewhere). Having a supportive, reliable, non-judgmental, listening ear to help you through birth is the most important part of hiring a doula.