Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to common questions about CBI’s birth doula training, including course access, certification, support, payment options and what to expect as you begin your journey.
Catagories
Postpartum Doulas
A Birth Doula describes a person who provides information, emotional and physical support for a client during pregnancy, labor, and birth. At every birth you support, your role will be slightly different, depending on the needs of your client. For some, your role will be one of loving support and comfort. For another it will be assisting them to empower themselves and advocate for their own choices. For another client, it will be to provide information. Most people you work with will want a combination of different things from their doula.
Generally, you’ll perform the following, depending on what your client’s looking for: massage, relaxation, and other comfort measures, information on options available, some childbirth education, a listening ear, reassurance, and encouragement. You might also help a client to develop skills that enable them to communicate more effectively with their caregivers, understand research related to different interventions, and build their decision-making skills.
Postpartum Doulas
A postpartum or postnatal doula helps a client in caring for their baby and in running the household. You might be employed by families who have just welcomed their first baby or who are adding to their growing family. You might be employed to help with twins or even triplets. You might work with one family for several months or for just a few weeks to help ease their load. You might work overnight to enable the parents to get some much-needed rest or you might work during the daytimes.
Depending on what your client needs, you’ll support them in a number of ways. You can assist the new parent with lactation, help care for and play with older children, help them find ways to organize their home so it better suits their needs, prepare healthy snacks and family meals, provide an extra set of hands for the new baby so the client can rest and recover, help them with comforting or bathing the baby, or carrying out some household tasks like washing and light housekeeping. As you guide parents through those early days with their new baby, you’ll help them to find what works best for them and support them in finding their own parenting style.
Childbirth educators, or antenatal teachers, may run a variety of classes to suit the needs of their clients. You might offer childbirth classes for expecting parents, early pregnancy classes, pre-conception classes, classes specially designed for teens, siblings, partners, single parents or people planning a VBAC, a cesarean, an epidural or who might be experiencing a high-risk pregnancy. You can also teach parenting classes or lactation classes.
As a childbirth educator you can determine the format of the classes that work best for you and your clients while pursuing opportunities in your local area. Childbirth International will help you by providing curricula for teaching your classes while you also have the freedom to teach the content that best benefits your clients in the style and format that works for you. You’ll learn how to teach classes that are interactive and fun, focusing on adult teaching techniques throughout your training.
A lactation counselor helps clients who want to establish lactation or overcome lactation problems. A lactation counselor may also be referred to as a Breastfeeding Counselor or a Lactation Specialist. You may be working with a client in late pregnancy to teach them the basics and understand potential problems. You may be working with clients who are just getting started with their newborns and are experiencing difficulties or with those who have older babies or children.
As a lactation counselor, you are likely to encounter a range of challenges and difficulties that might include positioning problems, nipple or breast pain, thrush, engorgement, mastitis, or low supply or oversupply. You might be working with clients who want help with weaning, who are returning to work, whose baby is hospitalized or who would like to continue feeding through a pregnancy and after the new baby arrives.
There are large differences in how much birth professionals earn. It depends on where you live, the clients you are supporting, and the package of support that you provide. The following amounts are based on a birth and lactation professional working in a city in a developed country. Birth and lactation professionals living in remote areas or developing countries may have very different payment schedules.
As a general guideline a birth doula who provides two prenatal visits, support during labor and birth, and two postpartum visits could expect to earn between US$600 and US$1,200. If the clients you’re working with are of low income or experiencing financial difficulties, you might charge a lower rate or offer alternative forms of payment, such as reduced fees, sliding scale or barter of services.
Postpartum doulas generally charge an hourly rate of between $15-$45 an hour. If you’re working overnight with a family, or providing support for older siblings or twins, you might charge a higher fee.
Childbirth educators usually charge around $150-$750 for a full course. If you’re providing private classes, or specialist classes, you might be charging more.
A lactation counselor will typically charge per consultation which may range from $50-$100 per hour. If you’re providing long term support for a client you might offer a package fee for a fixed number of hours.
When you first start you might be concerned about how you’re going to find your clients. Formulating a plan of how you’re going to advertise and promote your business starts you off on the right foot. The Business of Birth module, included in all our certification courses, provides a thorough understanding of establishing and building a business. If you live in an area where people haven’t heard of doulas or childbirth classes, your first step is going to be to publicize the role and importance of a doula or childbirth educator within your own community. People might like the idea of having someone else to assist them during labor, but have no idea about how to find someone. It’s hard to explain, but clients seem to find you when the time is right, or when you’re ready to start taking them on. This seems odd, but somehow, the clients appear when you feel prepared enough to begin working with them. This has been the case for all our students to date, whether they’re living in New York City or an African town!
You are your own best advertisement. Tell everyone you meet what it is that you do. Remember that every person you meet could know someone who’s pregnant, or have a pregnant partner, daughter, sister or friend, or be planning a pregnancy themselves in the future. Focus on promoting the role of a doula, childbirth educator or lactation counselor. Most people you meet will never have heard of a doula or have thought about one for themselves. The first impression you make could be the difference between getting a client and not! In addition, your trainers are available on discussion forums for additional ideas that are unique to your situation.
Not at all! You can complete all your training through Childbirth International with your trainer’s support, using your written student manuals, and the student website. We believe you need time to absorb the amount of information and develop the skills you need to be really great at what you do.
Our written study guides walk you through the techniques available to help the clients you will work with. The discussion groups provide you with a peer support network to explore different issues related to your work, and provide you with support from other students, graduates, and trainers.
Your trainer will provide feedback on all the work you submit, supporting you no matter how long it takes to complete your course. Most of the hands-on skills that a birth and lactation professional learns are built over time and with experience. Every client you work with will have different needs and preferences. As part of a worldwide network of birth and postpartum doulas, childbirth educators, and lactation counselors, you’ll be able to access ideas, tips, and strategies for helping you in your work and in building your business.
When you first register as a student you’ll have access to all your course materials online, meaning you can be up and running within a few minutes. All your training materials are provided to you online through our unique learning system. At the time of enrolling, you can decide whether you want to work online (Go Green option), or have printed manuals as well. If you choose the printed manuals they are sent once your payments are all completed and become part of your professional library for future reference. Each study workbook contains information on the topic, together with activities for you to work through to grasp a deeper understanding of the topic.
During your training, you’ll work with clients in order to gain experience. You’ll use these experiences to develop and practice hands-on skills that you learn about in your study workbooks. The peer group support that you receive, and the strong trainer and mentor support, will reinforce your learning. You’ll be directed to online readings and videos that give you new ideas on ways that you can support clients through pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.
Within a few days of registering as a student, we’ll assign a trainer to you. Your trainer has direct experience with flexible learning and has developed many strategies for helping you learn the practical skills you need as a birth and lactation professional. They will be certified and experienced in the same field themselves and can guide you through your training. In addition to your student manuals, you’ll be given access to our student discussion forums, providing you with peer group support from other students across the world. We have students in 128 countries!
At the end of your training, on successful completion of all course requirements, you’ll be a certified birth and lactation professional and receive a certificate to recognize your hard work. There is no need to pay for membership or recertify with Childbirth International – your accreditation is for life!
We encourage you to continually learn new skills, develop your own understanding of issues related to pregnancy, birth, and parenting, and to keep up-to-date with research. You might choose to take advantage of our ongoing advanced training programs. Or, once you have established your business as a professional, you might like to expand your skills and services. For example, as a birth doula, you can train as a childbirth educator, a postpartum doula, or a lactation counselor. Our training is flexible enough to fit around your other commitments. All students and graduates receive a 15% discount on their future courses.
All the assignments and evaluations that you need to submit for certification are uploaded through our student website. These are automatically passed to your trainer who provides feedback and assesses your work. You can follow your progress through your course and see how much you’ve got left to complete. Your trainer can help you with suggestions for study and organization skills if you’re new to distance learning or find it difficult to stay on top of your training. There are no time limits for completing your course. You’ll continue to have access to the student website for as long as you’re a student, and once you’ve certified you’ll still be able to access all the materials online.
Don’t worry about having to have in-depth Internet knowledge or specialized computer skills in order to complete your course. Provided you’re able to send a basic email you’ll be fine. Our student website is very easy to use and you’re guided through the course every step of the way. If you choose the printed option when you enrol your student manuals will also be posted to you (once your final payment is made) so you don’t need to have access to the Internet all the time. The website has additional materials like online readings and videos, and with just a few clicks you can find everything you need.
You’ll always have online access to your course materials, but many students prefer working from a paper version of their course materials. Unless you choose the green option when you enrol, your course manuals will also be posted to you.
For the Birth Doula and Postpartum Doula courses, there are four manuals – Communication Skills, Physiology, Birth/Postpartum Doula Skills, and the Business of Birth module, comprising more than 750 pages of information. For the Childbirth Educator and Lactation Counselor courses there are four manuals – Communication Skills, Physiology, Counseling/Teaching Skills, and the Business of Birth module, comprising more than 1,000 pages of information.
When you first register for a course (if choosing the single payment option), we’ll ask for your delivery address and will calculate the shipping cost. If you choose to pay for your course in one payment, your manuals will be ordered once you register (allow about one week for delivery within the USA and Canada and 2-3 weeks for other countries). If you choose to pay by installments, you are on the Green option and have immediate access to the course materials online through the student website. If you would like paper manuals you can purchase these later. You will need to pay the additional cost for the printing and shipping of the manuals and your installments must be paid in full. You can choose to pay the balance of your account if you find that you prefer to work from paper manuals – contact our support team and they will send you a statement with the balance outstanding and the cost of the printing and shipping of the manuals. You can read our payment plan terms and conditions for more information.
We also offer a “Go Green” option for students who prefer to work online and not have the additional costs of printing and shipping.
You could complete this course without having full-time access to a computer and the Internet. One of our students completed their studies while traveling around the world on a yacht! You’ll need Internet access to submit course work and to view the online readings. If you’re paying by installments, you’ll need Internet access until your payments are completed and your printed course materials are sent to you. Some students use the local library for Internet access on an occasional basis whenever they need to submit work. Others go once a week and print off all the online readings for the section they’re covering that week. Some use a friend’s computer. You could also use a smartphone or tablet if it has word processing functionality, although it is more difficult to do a lot of reading from a smaller screen. You’ll need to have an email address in order to register and for us to generate a username and password to give you access to the student website. There is a mobile app that allows you to download the materials to your device and work offline.
If you choose the Go Green option when you enrol, you will have to have a computer to access all your course materials. Please note, the online course manuals cannot be printed off.
Not at all! You can access through a tablet or a smartphone. If you are using a smartphone, there is an online app which you can download from the student website once your course is purchased and activated. The smartphone app allows you to read course materials offline. You will need to be able to create your assignments from the provided templates (in Word format) – these can be downloaded to a laptop/computer or opened in Google docs, saved and then uploaded to the student website.
Postpartum Doulas
A Birth Doula describes a person who provides information, emotional and physical support for a client during pregnancy, labor, and birth. At every birth you support, your role will be slightly different, depending on the needs of your client. For some, your role will be one of loving support and comfort. For another it will be assisting them to empower themselves and advocate for their own choices. For another client, it will be to provide information. Most people you work with will want a combination of different things from their doula.
Generally, you’ll perform the following, depending on what your client’s looking for: massage, relaxation, and other comfort measures, information on options available, some childbirth education, a listening ear, reassurance, and encouragement. You might also help a client to develop skills that enable them to communicate more effectively with their caregivers, understand research related to different interventions, and build their decision-making skills.
Postpartum Doulas
A postpartum or postnatal doula helps a client in caring for their baby and in running the household. You might be employed by families who have just welcomed their first baby or who are adding to their growing family. You might be employed to help with twins or even triplets. You might work with one family for several months or for just a few weeks to help ease their load. You might work overnight to enable the parents to get some much-needed rest or you might work during the daytimes.
Depending on what your client needs, you’ll support them in a number of ways. You can assist the new parent with lactation, help care for and play with older children, help them find ways to organize their home so it better suits their needs, prepare healthy snacks and family meals, provide an extra set of hands for the new baby so the client can rest and recover, help them with comforting or bathing the baby, or carrying out some household tasks like washing and light housekeeping. As you guide parents through those early days with their new baby, you’ll help them to find what works best for them and support them in finding their own parenting style.
Childbirth educators, or antenatal teachers, may run a variety of classes to suit the needs of their clients. You might offer childbirth classes for expecting parents, early pregnancy classes, pre-conception classes, classes specially designed for teens, siblings, partners, single parents or people planning a VBAC, a cesarean, an epidural or who might be experiencing a high-risk pregnancy. You can also teach parenting classes or lactation classes.
As a childbirth educator you can determine the format of the classes that work best for you and your clients while pursuing opportunities in your local area. Childbirth International will help you by providing curricula for teaching your classes while you also have the freedom to teach the content that best benefits your clients in the style and format that works for you. You’ll learn how to teach classes that are interactive and fun, focusing on adult teaching techniques throughout your training.
A lactation counselor helps clients who want to establish lactation or overcome lactation problems. A lactation counselor may also be referred to as a Breastfeeding Counselor or a Lactation Specialist. You may be working with a client in late pregnancy to teach them the basics and understand potential problems. You may be working with clients who are just getting started with their newborns and are experiencing difficulties or with those who have older babies or children.
As a lactation counselor, you are likely to encounter a range of challenges and difficulties that might include positioning problems, nipple or breast pain, thrush, engorgement, mastitis, or low supply or oversupply. You might be working with clients who want help with weaning, who are returning to work, whose baby is hospitalized or who would like to continue feeding through a pregnancy and after the new baby arrives.
There are large differences in how much birth professionals earn. It depends on where you live, the clients you are supporting, and the package of support that you provide. The following amounts are based on a birth and lactation professional working in a city in a developed country. Birth and lactation professionals living in remote areas or developing countries may have very different payment schedules.
As a general guideline a birth doula who provides two prenatal visits, support during labor and birth, and two postpartum visits could expect to earn between US$600 and US$1,200. If the clients you’re working with are of low income or experiencing financial difficulties, you might charge a lower rate or offer alternative forms of payment, such as reduced fees, sliding scale or barter of services.
Postpartum doulas generally charge an hourly rate of between $15-$45 an hour. If you’re working overnight with a family, or providing support for older siblings or twins, you might charge a higher fee.
Childbirth educators usually charge around $150-$750 for a full course. If you’re providing private classes, or specialist classes, you might be charging more.
A lactation counselor will typically charge per consultation which may range from $50-$100 per hour. If you’re providing long term support for a client you might offer a package fee for a fixed number of hours.
When you first start you might be concerned about how you’re going to find your clients. Formulating a plan of how you’re going to advertise and promote your business starts you off on the right foot. The Business of Birth module, included in all our certification courses, provides a thorough understanding of establishing and building a business. If you live in an area where people haven’t heard of doulas or childbirth classes, your first step is going to be to publicize the role and importance of a doula or childbirth educator within your own community. People might like the idea of having someone else to assist them during labor, but have no idea about how to find someone. It’s hard to explain, but clients seem to find you when the time is right, or when you’re ready to start taking them on. This seems odd, but somehow, the clients appear when you feel prepared enough to begin working with them. This has been the case for all our students to date, whether they’re living in New York City or an African town!
You are your own best advertisement. Tell everyone you meet what it is that you do. Remember that every person you meet could know someone who’s pregnant, or have a pregnant partner, daughter, sister or friend, or be planning a pregnancy themselves in the future. Focus on promoting the role of a doula, childbirth educator or lactation counselor. Most people you meet will never have heard of a doula or have thought about one for themselves. The first impression you make could be the difference between getting a client and not! In addition, your trainers are available on discussion forums for additional ideas that are unique to your situation.
Not at all! You can complete all your training through Childbirth International with your trainer’s support, using your written student manuals, and the student website. We believe you need time to absorb the amount of information and develop the skills you need to be really great at what you do.
Our written study guides walk you through the techniques available to help the clients you will work with. The discussion groups provide you with a peer support network to explore different issues related to your work, and provide you with support from other students, graduates, and trainers.
Your trainer will provide feedback on all the work you submit, supporting you no matter how long it takes to complete your course. Most of the hands-on skills that a birth and lactation professional learns are built over time and with experience. Every client you work with will have different needs and preferences. As part of a worldwide network of birth and postpartum doulas, childbirth educators, and lactation counselors, you’ll be able to access ideas, tips, and strategies for helping you in your work and in building your business.
Postpartum Doulas
A Birth Doula describes a person who provides information, emotional and physical support for a client during pregnancy, labor, and birth. At every birth you support, your role will be slightly different, depending on the needs of your client. For some, your role will be one of loving support and comfort. For another it will be assisting them to empower themselves and advocate for their own choices. For another client, it will be to provide information. Most people you work with will want a combination of different things from their doula.
Generally, you’ll perform the following, depending on what your client’s looking for: massage, relaxation, and other comfort measures, information on options available, some childbirth education, a listening ear, reassurance, and encouragement. You might also help a client to develop skills that enable them to communicate more effectively with their caregivers, understand research related to different interventions, and build their decision-making skills.
Postpartum Doulas
A postpartum or postnatal doula helps a client in caring for their baby and in running the household. You might be employed by families who have just welcomed their first baby or who are adding to their growing family. You might be employed to help with twins or even triplets. You might work with one family for several months or for just a few weeks to help ease their load. You might work overnight to enable the parents to get some much-needed rest or you might work during the daytimes.
Depending on what your client needs, you’ll support them in a number of ways. You can assist the new parent with lactation, help care for and play with older children, help them find ways to organize their home so it better suits their needs, prepare healthy snacks and family meals, provide an extra set of hands for the new baby so the client can rest and recover, help them with comforting or bathing the baby, or carrying out some household tasks like washing and light housekeeping. As you guide parents through those early days with their new baby, you’ll help them to find what works best for them and support them in finding their own parenting style.
Childbirth educators, or antenatal teachers, may run a variety of classes to suit the needs of their clients. You might offer childbirth classes for expecting parents, early pregnancy classes, pre-conception classes, classes specially designed for teens, siblings, partners, single parents or people planning a VBAC, a cesarean, an epidural or who might be experiencing a high-risk pregnancy. You can also teach parenting classes or lactation classes.
As a childbirth educator you can determine the format of the classes that work best for you and your clients while pursuing opportunities in your local area. Childbirth International will help you by providing curricula for teaching your classes while you also have the freedom to teach the content that best benefits your clients in the style and format that works for you. You’ll learn how to teach classes that are interactive and fun, focusing on adult teaching techniques throughout your training.
A lactation counselor helps clients who want to establish lactation or overcome lactation problems. A lactation counselor may also be referred to as a Breastfeeding Counselor or a Lactation Specialist. You may be working with a client in late pregnancy to teach them the basics and understand potential problems. You may be working with clients who are just getting started with their newborns and are experiencing difficulties or with those who have older babies or children.
As a lactation counselor, you are likely to encounter a range of challenges and difficulties that might include positioning problems, nipple or breast pain, thrush, engorgement, mastitis, or low supply or oversupply. You might be working with clients who want help with weaning, who are returning to work, whose baby is hospitalized or who would like to continue feeding through a pregnancy and after the new baby arrives.
There are large differences in how much birth professionals earn. It depends on where you live, the clients you are supporting, and the package of support that you provide. The following amounts are based on a birth and lactation professional working in a city in a developed country. Birth and lactation professionals living in remote areas or developing countries may have very different payment schedules.
As a general guideline a birth doula who provides two prenatal visits, support during labor and birth, and two postpartum visits could expect to earn between US$600 and US$1,200. If the clients you’re working with are of low income or experiencing financial difficulties, you might charge a lower rate or offer alternative forms of payment, such as reduced fees, sliding scale or barter of services.
Postpartum doulas generally charge an hourly rate of between $15-$45 an hour. If you’re working overnight with a family, or providing support for older siblings or twins, you might charge a higher fee.
Childbirth educators usually charge around $150-$750 for a full course. If you’re providing private classes, or specialist classes, you might be charging more.
A lactation counselor will typically charge per consultation which may range from $50-$100 per hour. If you’re providing long term support for a client you might offer a package fee for a fixed number of hours.
When you first start you might be concerned about how you’re going to find your clients. Formulating a plan of how you’re going to advertise and promote your business starts you off on the right foot. The Business of Birth module, included in all our certification courses, provides a thorough understanding of establishing and building a business. If you live in an area where people haven’t heard of doulas or childbirth classes, your first step is going to be to publicize the role and importance of a doula or childbirth educator within your own community. People might like the idea of having someone else to assist them during labor, but have no idea about how to find someone. It’s hard to explain, but clients seem to find you when the time is right, or when you’re ready to start taking them on. This seems odd, but somehow, the clients appear when you feel prepared enough to begin working with them. This has been the case for all our students to date, whether they’re living in New York City or an African town!
You are your own best advertisement. Tell everyone you meet what it is that you do. Remember that every person you meet could know someone who’s pregnant, or have a pregnant partner, daughter, sister or friend, or be planning a pregnancy themselves in the future. Focus on promoting the role of a doula, childbirth educator or lactation counselor. Most people you meet will never have heard of a doula or have thought about one for themselves. The first impression you make could be the difference between getting a client and not! In addition, your trainers are available on discussion forums for additional ideas that are unique to your situation.
Not at all! You can complete all your training through Childbirth International with your trainer’s support, using your written student manuals, and the student website. We believe you need time to absorb the amount of information and develop the skills you need to be really great at what you do.
Our written study guides walk you through the techniques available to help the clients you will work with. The discussion groups provide you with a peer support network to explore different issues related to your work, and provide you with support from other students, graduates, and trainers.
Your trainer will provide feedback on all the work you submit, supporting you no matter how long it takes to complete your course. Most of the hands-on skills that a birth and lactation professional learns are built over time and with experience. Every client you work with will have different needs and preferences. As part of a worldwide network of birth and postpartum doulas, childbirth educators, and lactation counselors, you’ll be able to access ideas, tips, and strategies for helping you in your work and in building your business.
Postpartum Doulas
A Birth Doula describes a person who provides information, emotional and physical support for a client during pregnancy, labor, and birth. At every birth you support, your role will be slightly different, depending on the needs of your client. For some, your role will be one of loving support and comfort. For another it will be assisting them to empower themselves and advocate for their own choices. For another client, it will be to provide information. Most people you work with will want a combination of different things from their doula.
Generally, you’ll perform the following, depending on what your client’s looking for: massage, relaxation, and other comfort measures, information on options available, some childbirth education, a listening ear, reassurance, and encouragement. You might also help a client to develop skills that enable them to communicate more effectively with their caregivers, understand research related to different interventions, and build their decision-making skills.
Postpartum Doulas
A postpartum or postnatal doula helps a client in caring for their baby and in running the household. You might be employed by families who have just welcomed their first baby or who are adding to their growing family. You might be employed to help with twins or even triplets. You might work with one family for several months or for just a few weeks to help ease their load. You might work overnight to enable the parents to get some much-needed rest or you might work during the daytimes.
Depending on what your client needs, you’ll support them in a number of ways. You can assist the new parent with lactation, help care for and play with older children, help them find ways to organize their home so it better suits their needs, prepare healthy snacks and family meals, provide an extra set of hands for the new baby so the client can rest and recover, help them with comforting or bathing the baby, or carrying out some household tasks like washing and light housekeeping. As you guide parents through those early days with their new baby, you’ll help them to find what works best for them and support them in finding their own parenting style.
Childbirth educators, or antenatal teachers, may run a variety of classes to suit the needs of their clients. You might offer childbirth classes for expecting parents, early pregnancy classes, pre-conception classes, classes specially designed for teens, siblings, partners, single parents or people planning a VBAC, a cesarean, an epidural or who might be experiencing a high-risk pregnancy. You can also teach parenting classes or lactation classes.
As a childbirth educator you can determine the format of the classes that work best for you and your clients while pursuing opportunities in your local area. Childbirth International will help you by providing curricula for teaching your classes while you also have the freedom to teach the content that best benefits your clients in the style and format that works for you. You’ll learn how to teach classes that are interactive and fun, focusing on adult teaching techniques throughout your training.
A lactation counselor helps clients who want to establish lactation or overcome lactation problems. A lactation counselor may also be referred to as a Breastfeeding Counselor or a Lactation Specialist. You may be working with a client in late pregnancy to teach them the basics and understand potential problems. You may be working with clients who are just getting started with their newborns and are experiencing difficulties or with those who have older babies or children.
As a lactation counselor, you are likely to encounter a range of challenges and difficulties that might include positioning problems, nipple or breast pain, thrush, engorgement, mastitis, or low supply or oversupply. You might be working with clients who want help with weaning, who are returning to work, whose baby is hospitalized or who would like to continue feeding through a pregnancy and after the new baby arrives.
There are large differences in how much birth professionals earn. It depends on where you live, the clients you are supporting, and the package of support that you provide. The following amounts are based on a birth and lactation professional working in a city in a developed country. Birth and lactation professionals living in remote areas or developing countries may have very different payment schedules.
As a general guideline a birth doula who provides two prenatal visits, support during labor and birth, and two postpartum visits could expect to earn between US$600 and US$1,200. If the clients you’re working with are of low income or experiencing financial difficulties, you might charge a lower rate or offer alternative forms of payment, such as reduced fees, sliding scale or barter of services.
Postpartum doulas generally charge an hourly rate of between $15-$45 an hour. If you’re working overnight with a family, or providing support for older siblings or twins, you might charge a higher fee.
Childbirth educators usually charge around $150-$750 for a full course. If you’re providing private classes, or specialist classes, you might be charging more.
A lactation counselor will typically charge per consultation which may range from $50-$100 per hour. If you’re providing long term support for a client you might offer a package fee for a fixed number of hours.
When you first start you might be concerned about how you’re going to find your clients. Formulating a plan of how you’re going to advertise and promote your business starts you off on the right foot. The Business of Birth module, included in all our certification courses, provides a thorough understanding of establishing and building a business. If you live in an area where people haven’t heard of doulas or childbirth classes, your first step is going to be to publicize the role and importance of a doula or childbirth educator within your own community. People might like the idea of having someone else to assist them during labor, but have no idea about how to find someone. It’s hard to explain, but clients seem to find you when the time is right, or when you’re ready to start taking them on. This seems odd, but somehow, the clients appear when you feel prepared enough to begin working with them. This has been the case for all our students to date, whether they’re living in New York City or an African town!
You are your own best advertisement. Tell everyone you meet what it is that you do. Remember that every person you meet could know someone who’s pregnant, or have a pregnant partner, daughter, sister or friend, or be planning a pregnancy themselves in the future. Focus on promoting the role of a doula, childbirth educator or lactation counselor. Most people you meet will never have heard of a doula or have thought about one for themselves. The first impression you make could be the difference between getting a client and not! In addition, your trainers are available on discussion forums for additional ideas that are unique to your situation.
Not at all! You can complete all your training through Childbirth International with your trainer’s support, using your written student manuals, and the student website. We believe you need time to absorb the amount of information and develop the skills you need to be really great at what you do.
Our written study guides walk you through the techniques available to help the clients you will work with. The discussion groups provide you with a peer support network to explore different issues related to your work, and provide you with support from other students, graduates, and trainers.
Your trainer will provide feedback on all the work you submit, supporting you no matter how long it takes to complete your course. Most of the hands-on skills that a birth and lactation professional learns are built over time and with experience. Every client you work with will have different needs and preferences. As part of a worldwide network of birth and postpartum doulas, childbirth educators, and lactation counselors, you’ll be able to access ideas, tips, and strategies for helping you in your work and in building your business.
Postpartum Doulas
A Birth Doula describes a person who provides information, emotional and physical support for a client during pregnancy, labor, and birth. At every birth you support, your role will be slightly different, depending on the needs of your client. For some, your role will be one of loving support and comfort. For another it will be assisting them to empower themselves and advocate for their own choices. For another client, it will be to provide information. Most people you work with will want a combination of different things from their doula.
Generally, you’ll perform the following, depending on what your client’s looking for: massage, relaxation, and other comfort measures, information on options available, some childbirth education, a listening ear, reassurance, and encouragement. You might also help a client to develop skills that enable them to communicate more effectively with their caregivers, understand research related to different interventions, and build their decision-making skills.
Postpartum Doulas
A postpartum or postnatal doula helps a client in caring for their baby and in running the household. You might be employed by families who have just welcomed their first baby or who are adding to their growing family. You might be employed to help with twins or even triplets. You might work with one family for several months or for just a few weeks to help ease their load. You might work overnight to enable the parents to get some much-needed rest or you might work during the daytimes.
Depending on what your client needs, you’ll support them in a number of ways. You can assist the new parent with lactation, help care for and play with older children, help them find ways to organize their home so it better suits their needs, prepare healthy snacks and family meals, provide an extra set of hands for the new baby so the client can rest and recover, help them with comforting or bathing the baby, or carrying out some household tasks like washing and light housekeeping. As you guide parents through those early days with their new baby, you’ll help them to find what works best for them and support them in finding their own parenting style.
Childbirth educators, or antenatal teachers, may run a variety of classes to suit the needs of their clients. You might offer childbirth classes for expecting parents, early pregnancy classes, pre-conception classes, classes specially designed for teens, siblings, partners, single parents or people planning a VBAC, a cesarean, an epidural or who might be experiencing a high-risk pregnancy. You can also teach parenting classes or lactation classes.
As a childbirth educator you can determine the format of the classes that work best for you and your clients while pursuing opportunities in your local area. Childbirth International will help you by providing curricula for teaching your classes while you also have the freedom to teach the content that best benefits your clients in the style and format that works for you. You’ll learn how to teach classes that are interactive and fun, focusing on adult teaching techniques throughout your training.
A lactation counselor helps clients who want to establish lactation or overcome lactation problems. A lactation counselor may also be referred to as a Breastfeeding Counselor or a Lactation Specialist. You may be working with a client in late pregnancy to teach them the basics and understand potential problems. You may be working with clients who are just getting started with their newborns and are experiencing difficulties or with those who have older babies or children.
As a lactation counselor, you are likely to encounter a range of challenges and difficulties that might include positioning problems, nipple or breast pain, thrush, engorgement, mastitis, or low supply or oversupply. You might be working with clients who want help with weaning, who are returning to work, whose baby is hospitalized or who would like to continue feeding through a pregnancy and after the new baby arrives.
There are large differences in how much birth professionals earn. It depends on where you live, the clients you are supporting, and the package of support that you provide. The following amounts are based on a birth and lactation professional working in a city in a developed country. Birth and lactation professionals living in remote areas or developing countries may have very different payment schedules.
As a general guideline a birth doula who provides two prenatal visits, support during labor and birth, and two postpartum visits could expect to earn between US$600 and US$1,200. If the clients you’re working with are of low income or experiencing financial difficulties, you might charge a lower rate or offer alternative forms of payment, such as reduced fees, sliding scale or barter of services.
Postpartum doulas generally charge an hourly rate of between $15-$45 an hour. If you’re working overnight with a family, or providing support for older siblings or twins, you might charge a higher fee.
Childbirth educators usually charge around $150-$750 for a full course. If you’re providing private classes, or specialist classes, you might be charging more.
A lactation counselor will typically charge per consultation which may range from $50-$100 per hour. If you’re providing long term support for a client you might offer a package fee for a fixed number of hours.
When you first start you might be concerned about how you’re going to find your clients. Formulating a plan of how you’re going to advertise and promote your business starts you off on the right foot. The Business of Birth module, included in all our certification courses, provides a thorough understanding of establishing and building a business. If you live in an area where people haven’t heard of doulas or childbirth classes, your first step is going to be to publicize the role and importance of a doula or childbirth educator within your own community. People might like the idea of having someone else to assist them during labor, but have no idea about how to find someone. It’s hard to explain, but clients seem to find you when the time is right, or when you’re ready to start taking them on. This seems odd, but somehow, the clients appear when you feel prepared enough to begin working with them. This has been the case for all our students to date, whether they’re living in New York City or an African town!
You are your own best advertisement. Tell everyone you meet what it is that you do. Remember that every person you meet could know someone who’s pregnant, or have a pregnant partner, daughter, sister or friend, or be planning a pregnancy themselves in the future. Focus on promoting the role of a doula, childbirth educator or lactation counselor. Most people you meet will never have heard of a doula or have thought about one for themselves. The first impression you make could be the difference between getting a client and not! In addition, your trainers are available on discussion forums for additional ideas that are unique to your situation.
Not at all! You can complete all your training through Childbirth International with your trainer’s support, using your written student manuals, and the student website. We believe you need time to absorb the amount of information and develop the skills you need to be really great at what you do.
Our written study guides walk you through the techniques available to help the clients you will work with. The discussion groups provide you with a peer support network to explore different issues related to your work, and provide you with support from other students, graduates, and trainers.
Your trainer will provide feedback on all the work you submit, supporting you no matter how long it takes to complete your course. Most of the hands-on skills that a birth and lactation professional learns are built over time and with experience. Every client you work with will have different needs and preferences. As part of a worldwide network of birth and postpartum doulas, childbirth educators, and lactation counselors, you’ll be able to access ideas, tips, and strategies for helping you in your work and in building your business.