Blog
We know doulas. As a leader in the doula field for over 25 years, DONA International is your trusted authority for evidence-based information and resources for the doula profession.
From families considering hiring a doula to the thousands of doulas worldwide who support them, so many people want to learn more about doulas. Here on the blog, we provide evidence-based information specifically for professional doulas and the families we serve. Doulas play a unique role in the lives of the families we support and need specialized resources to grow and thrive as professionals. Stay up to date and informed with the organization that put doulas on the map!
Lights, Camera, Action – Doulas Doulaing!
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE Where have I been the past two years? Under a rock? How did I just discover Romper's The Doula Diaries video series? Somehow, these short (typically less than ten minutes) vignettes profiling a doula as they...
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There’s an App for That! – Creative Solutions for Running Your Doula Business: Full Term Contraction Timer
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE It is time for another post in the occasional series called "There's an App for That!" This series allows me to share an app that helps us run our birth and postpartum businesses and make our lives easier....
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The Sweet Relief of Being Off Call
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE I have been a birth doula for 15 years. Like many of you, I jumped right in after training and soon found myself fairly busy. At my prime, I would regularly attend as many as 45 plus births a year for my own...
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DONA International Certifies Their 13,000th Doula!
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE There are many reasons that I am proud to be a DONA certified doula. DONA's history, the vision of the five founders, our organization's mission and vision, and the longevity and adaptability of the...
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Did Your Client Birth Prematurely? Nine Tips to Help You Help Them!
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE November is Prematurity Awareness Month. November 17 will be recognized around the globe as the fourth annual World Prematurity Day. More information on this day is available here. According to the March of...
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There’s an App for That! – Creative Solutions for Running Your Doula Business: MileIQ
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE Today I start a new occasional series called "There's an App for That!" From time to time, I will share an app that helps us to run our birth and postpartum businesses and make our lives easier. Today I tackle...
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Meet DONA International’s Newest Board Members & an Invitation for YOU!
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE Today is election day in the United States, where citizens go to the polls to vote on local and state level candidates and initiatives. This is a midterm election so there are no presidential elections this...
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A Pregnant Belly Makes the Best Halloween Costume!
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE Halloween is observed in the United States and other places around the world today. Now that my children are young adults, we seem to have lost the Halloween spirit and all the rituals and fun associated with...
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How a Doula Helps Clients to Receive Respectful Care
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE Research indicates that between one-quarter to one-third of birthing people describe their labor and birth experience as traumatic. Lived experiences or a traumatic previous birth experience may all contribute...
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Is Attending an Unassisted Birth within DONA International’s Scope of Practice?
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE Last week's Doula Me This! post asked birth doulas to consider what they would do if a contracted client shared that they were now planning an unassisted birth. Many doulas responded on social media and/or the...
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Series: Doula Me This #5 – Clients Are Planning an Unassisted Birth
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE Today is the fifth post in the occasional series, “Doula Me This!” Each post in the series provides a common scenario that a birth or postpartum (or both) doula may face. The “correct” answer (if there is one)...
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Expert Tips for a Smooth Recertification Process
By Uta Mattox, AdvCD(DONA), CD(DONA) Today's post is the third and final post in a short series focusing on tips from the experts on birth and postpartum certification and recertification. Today, longtime doula Uta Mattox, former Director of Certification and current...
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California Parents Speak Up About Doulas! Results from Listening to Mothers in California Survey
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, LCE 2018 Listening to Mothers in California survey results were released earlier this month and the information shared is immensely interesting. This is the first Listening to Mothers survey done on a state level...
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Meet The DONA 2019 Board Candidates and Get Ready to Vote!
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, LCE DONA International is the world's premier doula organization and relies on the person power and skills of many, many volunteers to keep it running effectively. Our organization is led by an all volunteer board...
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Launch Your Doula Career by Becoming Involved in Your Community! It’s a Win-Win Situation!
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, LCE Your birth or postpartum workshop has been completed and you are ready to dip your toe in your birth/postpartum community in order to make connections, find backups, locate clients and start to gain experience...
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Let’s Meet DONA International’s 2018 Advanced Doulas
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE This summer, DONA International awarded three doulas the credential of "Advanced Doula." This certification level was initiated in 2015, and the designation honors DONA certified birth and postpartum doulas who...
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The Black Infant Remembrance Memorial – A Valuable Resource for Your Families
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE You cannot live in the United States and be unaware of the health inequities that face Black families here in this country. Every single major news outlet has been covering this tragic situation with increasing...
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Research Review: Bearing witness: United States and Canadian maternity support workers’ observations of disrespectful care in childbirth
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE A new research paper, Bearing witness: United States and Canadian maternity support workers’ observations of disrespectful care in childbirth, was recently published in the journal Birth. Written by Christine...
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