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!
Book Review – Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy by Angela Garbes
By Susan Young, CD/PCD(DONA), LMT, ICCE I love reading new books on pregnancy, labor, postpartum and parenting from authors with a unique perspective. Like a Mother (Harper Wave, 2018) is a great book that adds a valuable voice to those on the doula’s bookshelf. This...
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Pro Tips for Submitting an Amazing Postpartum Certification Packet
By Tracy McPhillips, CCE(GS), LCCE, PCD/PDT(DONA) Today's post is written by my friend and colleague Tracy McPhillips. Tracy is a postpartum doula and a DONA Approved Postpartum Doula Trainer. Additionally, Tracy reviews and approves postpartum doula certification...
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Do You Have 30 Seconds to Quickly and Easily Speak Up about Maternal Mortality?
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE It has been just about two weeks since the amazing DONA international Summit 2018 wrapped up and the DONA International virtual conference is up and running for the 90-day viewing period. Many of our speakers...
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World Breastfeeding Week 2018 – Doulas Play a Key Role
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE August 1 - 7, 2018 is World Breastfeeding Week and doulas are on the front lines of helping families get breastfeeding off to a good start. Every year, World Breastfeeding Week has a specific theme, and the...
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It Was Big! In-Person DONA Summit 2018 Wrap Up
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE I have just returned from the in-person DONA Summit 2018 and have been thinking and thinking (and thinking) about this Summit follow up post and what I exactly wanted to say. I have so many emotions and...
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Secrets to Summit Success – Tips for Making the Most Out of a DONA Conference
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE The DONA International 2018 Summit is T minus less than 24 hours 'til the start and doulas and other birth professionals are arriving in Fort Lauderdale, Florida from all around the world. The line up of...
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Five Tips for Enjoying Your Summer While Being an On-Call Doula
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE Here I sit in the real summer heat of Seattle. In general, Seattle has beautiful summers consisting of blue skies, a lot of sun, no humidity, long periods of daylight and no bugs. Temps run in the mid-70s and...
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What Do We Want? Doulas! When Do We Want Them? Now!
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE A Blueprint for Advancing High-Value Maternity Care Through Physiologic Childbearing, authored by 17 leading maternity experts and released on June 28, 2018, by the National Partnership for Women &...
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A 4th of July Birth to Remember
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE Being a doula often requires us to miss fun events or holidays with family and friends. This week, in the USA, we celebrated the 4th of July (United States Independence Day, the country is 244 years old in...
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6 Pro Tips to Make Your Birth Doula Certification Packet Shine!
By Jenn Fontaine, LCCE, FACCE, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), PCD(DONA) CLC, CHBE, WSGB Instructor Today's post is written by my friend and colleague Jenn Fontaine. Jenn is a birth doula certification packet reviewer extraordinaire. Jenn has reviewed and certified over 450...
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New International Doula Editor Announced! Meet Adriana Lozada
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE DONA International shared earlier this week that Adriana Lozada, AdvCD(DONA), CSC, CEMC, CBP, was named as the new editor for the International Doula, DONA International's well-respected quarterly magazine....
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But What About the Postpartum Doula? ACOG’s New Recommendations for Postpartum Care
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) released an updated committee opinion last month titled Optimizing Postpartum Care. This opinion was endorsed and supported by fellow...
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A Book Review for Father’s Day: Man Vs. Baby by Matt Coyne
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE With Father's Day right around the corner in the United States (this Sunday, June 17th) I thought I would share a book review of a recent nonfiction book I just finished reading. Man Vs. Baby by Matt...
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Series: What Say You? – What Does “Natural” Birth Mean to You?
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE I have a question and maybe you can help me out? When I started working as a doula and a childbirth educator almost 15 years ago, I had a lot of terms to learn. In my doula training, I learned it was important...
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Happy 80th Birthday to DONA Founder Penny Simkin
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE Today, May 31st is Penny Simkin's 80th birthday. I am confident that you join me in being so glad that she was born on this day in 1938. Penny is one of the five founders of DONA International and an icon in...
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Meet DONA Summit Keynote Speakers – A Simply Amazing Lineup!
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE The 2018 DONA International Summit (the annual conference) is just shy of eight weeks away and the keynote lineup has been announced and it is simply spectacular. This year there are options for both in-person...
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A Review of the Film “Tully” Through the Eyes of a Postpartum Doula
Reviewed by Krista Maltais, AdvPCD/PDT(DONA) Please note: This review may contain movie spoilers and/or plot points. *While the subject matter involves a night nanny and not a postpartum doula, we are aware that people in many circles unknowingly equate the two roles....
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Doulas’ Children Share What They Think Doulas Do
By Sharon Muza, BS, CD(DONA), BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE In honor of Mother's Day, which is being celebrated today in the United States, I asked doulas to ask their children "what does a doula do?" The kids' answers are very funny, but also, often remarkably...
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