What's Different About
Birthing From Within's
Doula Training?
"Everything! There is no comparison." That's the answer
often given by doulas who have taken both our training and another. Although Birthing From
Within
offers a three-day doula training (like many others), the content and
philosophy are worlds apart. In a nutshell, here's what is different:
Before learning how to support the
parents, a BFW Doula is guided to examine what is motivating her to do this
work. Some doulas might want every woman to experience the power she felt in birth; others want to protect
mothers from unnecessary intervention or prevent outcomes that they feel are
disempowering.
- BFW
Doulas learn a self-discovery process to clear their story after every birth.
If a doula takes credit for the
outcome of a birth, pride will cloud her compassion. If she blames herself for
the outcome, she will believe herself to be powerless; this drives many doulas
to advocate against interventions or to stop attending births (especially
hospital births) altogether. BFW Doulas begin their training by taking an
inventory of their birth stories and beliefs, and then learn a self-help
process they can use after every birth to examine what they are telling
themselves about their role as a doula and about birth.
- BFW
Doulas learn how to conduct lively and meaningful prenatal and postpartum interviews.
The prenatal interview is more than getting hired and filling out a
questionnaire and birth plan. First, BFW Doulas learn how to listen deeply to
what parents are saying while listening within to what they are feeling or
telling themselves. Then they learn a new language that includes
solution-focused questions (instead of problem-focused or outcome-focused questions),
metaphor, and creative teaching. To enrich their postpartum interactions, they
learn a new way to listen to a birth story, and how to help parents find new
meaning when the birth was difficult.
- BFW
Doulas learn traditional and unique ways to support parents during labor and
postpartum.
This training spends little time on simple things doulas can
learn on their own, like how to use the birth ball or aromatherapy. Emphasis is
on learning how to teach pain-coping practices prenatally or in the crisis of
labor, how to speak the language of Laborland, and how to help parents get
information and make decisions. Doulas are most impacted by learning how their
conscious awareness of the Masculine-Feminine energies of birth influences how
birth unfolds for mother, father/partner and the doula herself.
- BFW
Doulas receive ongoing training and support after
their Workshop.
A three-day workshop, however exciting and inspired, can
only be an introduction to the work that lies ahead. When a doula chooses to
join our unique and in-depth certification program and begins her work, she needs
ongoing emotional support and more advanced training. BFW Doulas are invited to
participate in monthly Conference Calls with her peers, led by an experienced
BFW Doula and Advisor. She also has access to the online discussion board where
doulas and mentors from around the world meet.
People ask us why they should take our training if they are
already certified or trained through another organization. What does an
experienced doula get out of it? Very
simply: we recognize the challenges of working in birth in our culture, and we
address them head-on. We provide dozens of new ideas for working with pregnant
women and their partners and can radically change how you work as a doula. We
bring hope and love back into doula work. We hope you will join us at one of
our upcoming trainings.
