Blog / Doula Resources
Doulas need support too! We’re here for you with information, research, news and more to help you stay up to date and inspired with articles written just for doulas.
Looking for support to grow your practice? Our Doula Business collection of articles has you covered!
Midwives Make A Difference!
It’s National Midwifery Week this week and the American College of Nurse-Midwives has launched a week long campaign to show how #MidwivesMakeADifference. Doulas and midwives both believe that birth is normal and that women should make informed decisions about their...
Do Epidurals Reduce the Risk of Postpartum Depression?
The August edition of the journal Anesthesia & Analgesia has an editorial and a research article on a study conducted in China by Dr. Ting Ding and other researchers discussing a possible link between epidurals and lowered risk of postpartum depression. Given the...
Paternal Postpartum Depression
Did you catch the first word in the title? Yes, that’s paternal, as in dads. We don’t often see the words paternal and postpartum together, and you may not have heard the term “paternal postpartum depression” before at all. Postpartum depression is a topic that we...
Medicaid Now Covering Birth Doulas in Oregon
Doulas who have been registered on the Traditional Healthcare Worker Registry can now have their services reimbursed by Medicaid. The registration process requires both an application and background check. This is a huge development for bringing doula services to...
Ode to Alternative Contact Hours – Audio, Video & Online Options
Just like self-study via books or articles provides valuable learning, audio and online education can expand knowledge and enhance skills. The fourth post in The DONA Doula Chronicles series on Alternative Contact Hour options for recertification focuses on recorded...
Ode to Alternative Contact Hours – Teaching & Sharing
Doulas by nature are teachers. We educate our clients and, often, our communities too. These Alternative Contact Hour options for recertification capture the opportunities we have to learn and share about the role and benefits of doulas as well as topics relevant to...
Ode to Alternative Contact Hours – Reading, Writing, & Research
We all know that continuing education is important to maintain and enhance our skills so that we can provide more effective support for families. The truth is, most doulas are constantly engaged in continuing education; it’s making sure to capture all that activity at...
Continuing Education for Recertification
There is no doubt that doulas lead very busy lives. Our schedules are made more hectic by the nature of what we do – waiting for babies who are not known to abide by anyone’s calendar. Finding time and opportunities to get the continuing education we need to stay up...
DONA International Press Release: Doulas Celebrate Recognition as Key Factor in Reducing Cesarean Rates
The doula world danced when the updated Obstetric Care Consensus: Safe Prevention of the Primary Cesarean Delivery was released in February by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM). Doulas...
Doulas for Doulas!
As birth and postpartum support professionals, we provide comfort, calm and help to new mothers and their families day and night in all types of weather and circumstances. But who supports us? DONA International is the doula for doulas providing support as we learn,...
Inspiration from Ina May Gaskin
As we celebrate doulas this month, let’s not forget that the work we do is HARD! Every now and again, we need a little inspiration. How about a 74-year-old world renowned midwife giving a TEDxTalk on minimizing fear of birth? Ina May Gaskin, founder and director of...
Help! I need somebody. Help, not just anybody!
Sometimes a doula needs a little help and not just from anyone, but someone with specific knowledge about our role or professional development. In our work, we know the value of having a trusted source of information. So that you can get the help you need, here is a...
Consumer Reports Grades Hospitals on C-Section Rates
Consumer Reports, yes the same organization that rates cars and appliances, has issued a new report evaluating hospitals across the country on their cesarean birth rates. “What Hospitals Don’t Want You to Know About C-sections” is based on the surgical birth rates at...
Study Finds Longer Second Stage With Epidurals
A study recently published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology measured the second phase of labor (complete dilation until birth of the baby) for 42,268 women, comparing the length of this stage for those having an epidural to those who did not. The purpose of...
Updated Hospital Discharge Protocol for Breastfeeding Mothers
The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, an international physician organization committed “to the promotion, protection and support of breastfeeding,” has released their updated clinical protocol for the discharge of breastfeeding mother-baby pairs. An update to the...
Petition: Universal Mental Health Screening for Every Pregnant and Postpartum Woman
Walker Karraa, PhD, a well-known speaker and advocate on the issue of perinatal mental health has created a petition on WhiteHouse.gov asking that every pregnant and postpartum woman receive a mental health screening. Walker writes for Lamaze International and spent...
ACOG & SMFM statement: One of the most effective tools to reduce the cesarean rate: doulas!
Yes, dear doulas, you read that correctly. Yesterday the guidelines for the care of women during pregnancy and birth were revised heavily to address the growing rate of surgical birth for first time mothers in the United States. In those new guidelines, doulas were...