Doula training onlineBecome a doula, at your own pace.

1. 1Labor, stage by stage4

   Scope of Work: Services Rendered (DONA Birth Doula Standards of Practice)

   1. Phases of labor: early, active and transition Lesson 1 · free
   2. Stages of labor, plainly
   3. Comfort through touch and breath
   4. Positions that ease labor

   2Support through birth3

   Scope of Work: Services Rendered (DONA Birth Doula Standards of Practice)

   1. Words that calm in labor
   2. Supporting the birth partner
   3. When birth turns medical
2. 3The doula’s role3

   Practice Parameters and Referrals (DONA Birth Doula Standards of Practice)

   1. What doulas do, and don’t
   2. Working with nurses and midwives
   3. Referrals beyond your scope
3. 4Advocacy and informed choice3

   Advocacy (DONA Birth Doula Standards of Practice)

   1. Supporting informed choices
   2. Advocacy without taking over
   3. When you witness mistreatment
4. 5Pregnancy and planning3

   Childbirth and lactation education (DONA birth doula certification)

   1. Prenatal visits that build trust
   2. Writing birth preferences together
   3. Childbirth basics clients ask about
5. 6Feeding and newborn care3

   Scope of Work: Services Rendered (DONA Postpartum Doula Standards of Practice)

   1. Feeding plans before baby arrives
   2. Feeding support: breast and bottle
   3. Newborn care to teach

   7Postpartum recovery at home4

   Scope of Work: Services Rendered (DONA Postpartum Doula Standards of Practice)

   1. Postpartum recovery in the first weeks
   2. Rest and sleep for parents
   3. Spotting postpartum depression early
   4. Siblings, partners and family adjustment
6. 8End-of-life doula basics3

   Technical Knowledge (NEDA EOLD Core Competencies)

   1. What is a death doula?
   2. Hospice, palliative care and you
   3. Signs that death is near

   9Vigil, legacy and grief3

   Technical Knowledge (NEDA EOLD Core Competencies)

   1. Sitting vigil
   2. Legacy work and life review
   3. Grief support after a death
7. 10Talking with families4

   Communications and Interpersonal Skills (NEDA EOLD Core Competencies)

   1. Active listening that helps
   2. Families in conflict
   3. Advance directives and POLST forms
   4. Working with the care team
8. 11Ethics and boundaries3

   Values and Ethics (NEDA EOLD Core Competencies)

   1. Boundaries that protect everyone
   2. Cultural humility with every family
   3. Recognizing elder abuse
9. 12Building your practice6

   Professionalism (NEDA) · Continuity of Care (DONA)

   1. Contracts, fees and backup
   2. Privacy and HIPAA basics
   3. Getting paid, including Medicaid
   4. Caring for yourself, avoiding burnout
   5. Doula certification, explained
   6. Your first client

Built on DONA International Birth and Postpartum Doula Standards of Practice, with NEDA End-of-Life Doula Core Competencies · DONA standards revised 9/2025; NEDA study guide outline (current)