Becoming A Doula

A doula is a trained woman who provides physical, emotional and informational support to families during pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period.

How does one become a doula? A first step is to read books about birth and doula work. Some titles to start with are:

• The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin
• The Doula Book by Marshall Klaus
• The Doula Advantage by Rachel Gurevich

If you are still thinking of becoming a doula, you would then look into the different doula training organizations. Some of these are:

• www.cappa.net
• www.birthworks.org
• www.dona.org
• www.birtharts.org/ 
• www.tolabor.org

Talk to other doulas in your community or here at the Mothering "Birth Professionals" forum. Other birth professionals are great resources for your questions about doula-ing and birth work.