1.

Verify that you are a current member of DONA International. Join now.

2.

Read five books from the required reading list and the DONA International Birth Doula Position Paper.

3.

Complete one of the following:
A. Training in Childbirth Education or Midwifery
B. Work experience in Labor and Delivery as a Registered Nurse
C. Observation of a Childbirth Preparation series (not as an expectant parent)

4.

Purchase a birth doula certification packet.

5.

Find, register and attend a DONA International-approved workshop of 16 hours or more for birth doulas.

6.

Provide doula service to a minimum of three clients after taking the training course. The births documented must meet the following criteria:

• They occur after you attend a DONA International-approved workshop of 16 hours or more. Labor support must begin before or at the onset of the active phase of labor. For certification purposes, active labor will be considered 4 centimeters.
• The three births combined must have the doula present for a minimum of 15 hours total.
• Your presence as the birth doula must be continuous.
• You must remain for the birth of the baby to provide immediate postpartum support.
• Every vaginal exam must be documented on the Birth Record Sheet’s Labor Progression Chart.
• Cesarean births may account for only one of the three required birth experiences.

7.

Document each of the three births for which you provide labor support with:
A. DONA International Birth Record Sheet
B. A 500-700 word account of each birth
C. Client Confidentiality Release Form

8.

Provide good evaluations of your doula services from at least three clients, three primary care providers and three nurses or midwives.

9.

Read and sign the DONA International Code of Ethics and the DONA International Standards of Practice.

10.

Complete the Basic Knowledge Self-Assessment Tool

11.

Read and sign the DONA International Code of Ethics and the DONA International Standards of Practice.