You’ve got questions about becoming a doula? We’ve got answers for you!
- How much does it cost to become a doula?
- Does New Beginnings Doula Training offer certification?
- Why should I get certified as a doula?
- Why does the course contain so much medical information?
- How long does it take to complete the course requirements?
- Is this certification course recognized by DONA?
- Will I receive a certificate at the end of this course?
- Is New Beginnings Doula Training recognized in Australia?
- Is New Beginnings Doula Training valid where I live?
- Do I need to have a high school diploma or GED to take this course? Is there a minimum age requirement?
- Does your program include postpartum doula training?
- I just signed up for the course, but didn’t receive any additional information. What do I do?
- How many births do I need to attend to complete the my training?
- Is your training compatible with other certification programs?
- Do I have to find my own births or does your program help us to find expectant mothers?
1. How much does it cost to become a doula?
New Beginnings offers one (1) simple fee for certification: USD $25/month until your complete your training. Average length for certification is 9 to 12 months. There is no minimum or maximum amount of time that you take to complete the training.
The only additional cost for New Beginnings Doula Training are the three required books sold separately. The approximate cost for all three books is USD $45, depending on location. Get full details »
2. Does New Beginnings Doula Training offer certification?
Yes, you will be certified through New Beginnings Doula Training. However, because doulas are not medically trained personnel, certification is not required to work as a doula. Anyone can work as a doula regardless of whether or not they have been certified to do so. That said, a certification course like New Beginnings offers the assurance that you have received a solid education for both you and your clients. Full Explanation »
3. Why should I get certified as a doula?
There is a lot you can learn on your own by just attending births, and this is acceptable for many people who are going into doula work. These experiences can offer you information and insight into how to be a doula. However, as in any field of study, knowledge is power. New Beginnings is for those who want to delve a little deeper and understand a little bit more completely the hows and whys of labor and the work doulas do. Additional Reasons Why to Certify »
4. Why does the course contain so much medical information?
“Taking a step back, as I discuss with Rachel the purpose of the New Beginnings Doula Training course, she has concluded that it is ultimately to provide the complete support and care that a doula provides to as many women as possible. Notice the difference. She’s not wanting to training as many doulas as possible; she’s wanting to train doulas to serve as many expectant mothers as possible. Given that mission and focus, it is inevitable that a doula would need to be versed and trained on how to function within a medical environment.” Full explanation.
5. How long does it take to complete the course requirements?
Based on past student performances, we estimate that all course work and practice take between 150 – 200 hours. Ideally, the course is set up so that it can be completed in 6 to 9 month time frame, but considering that two certification births are required to finish, it often takes closer to a year. That said, there is no minimum time requirement. Students with a background in nursing or other birth-related professions will find that they are able to complete their training is less time. We have had students effectively complete the course in under 12 weeks. Course Requirements and Process »
6. Is this certification course recognized by DONA?
No, New Beginnings Doula Training is an independent training organization. DONA certification is not necessary to work as a doula. As mentioned in the first FAQ above, because doulas are not medically trained personnel, certification is not mandatory (except in the state of Minnesota) to work as a doula. New Beginnings, like DONA, offers a training course and a certification process to acknowledge those who have taken the time to train as a doula.
Full Explanation »
7. Will I receive a certificate at the end of this course?
Yes, upon course completion, you will receive a digital certificate of completion in both PDF and PNG formats. The PDF version is print quality. In additional to receiving these digital files, you will also have a web page posted specifically for your certification which will serve the dual purpose of validating your credentials and advertising your services as a doula. We have discontinued the mailing of printed certificates in favor of the digital version, which allows us to provide our students with an extra layer of validation. View Current Listing of Certified Doulas »
8. Is New Beginnings Doula Training recognized in Australia?
Yes, New Beginnings Doula Training is a valid doula certification program throughout the world. Because of the non-medical nature of doula support in the birthing process, governments in general do not have a certification standard to practice as a doula.
The Australian government does have a standard in place which allows vocational training organizations to demonstrate the validity of its training through the Cert IV standard. Currently, only one doula training organization in Australia holds the Cert IV recognition. There are no laws in place that require training through that one organization (which can be financially and logistically impractical for many women because of the costs and in-person nature of the training).
For more information, please also consider the link on the question below for the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
9. Is New Beginnings Doula Training valid where I live?
New Beginnings Doula Training is located in the state of Missouri in the United States. Our service is exclusively an online service that is available anywhere where an Internet connection is available. That state of Minnesota is the only state government that has laws regulating doula training. Australia also has a training standard for doulas, but doesn’t prevent training through other organizations that are not compliant with the standard. New Beginnings does not seek outside endorsement or validation of our our training services, as such we are able to keep our prices competitively lower. For more information on the discussion surrounding government standards for doula certification, please consider the U.S. National Library of Medicine article on the topic.
10. Do I need to have a high school diploma or GED to take this course? Is there a minimum age requirement?
No, there are no educational prerequisites for enrolling in our certification program. Whether you are still in high school or never completed your high school education (or the GED equivalent,) you are welcome to register for our training program. Please note that our program is a reading-intensive program including college-level, research-based medical papers. As such, the program may or may not be suited to your particular style of learning.
11. Does your program include postpartum doula training?
No, our current training program is focused on birth doula certification.
12. I just signed up for the course, but didn’t receive any additional information. What do I do?
After you have completed the payment process through PayPal, you should receive a confirmation email with an additional link to complete the registration process. Unfortunately, that email sometimes doesn’t reach its final destination. This happens to probably about 10% of our new students for reasons unknown to us or that are beyond our control.
You should receive a follow up email after completing your payment with PayPal to the email address that was connected to the PayPal account used to pay for the program. So if you used your partner’s or family member’s PayPal account, the email was probably sent to them. Some students no longer have access to the email address associated with their PayPal account. If you don’t receive the follow up email, or don’t have access to the account where it was sent, then feel free to send us a note. We can easily regenerate the link after we have validated your registration.
One exception to this is if you have paid with an eCheck through PayPal. eChecks typically take 3 – 5 businesses days to clear the bank and for funds to become available to PayPal. Your registration cannot be completed until funds have cleared through PayPal. If funds have been transferred, and you are still waiting to register, then please drop us a note to let us know.
13. How many births do I need to attend to complete the my training?
New Beginnings Doula Training requires that you attend two (2) births during the training process. Because specific skills are being taught and practiced, previously attended births usually do not qualify for the requirement.
14. Is your training compatible with other certification programs?
Typically not. Because our curriculum is heavily research-based, we find that the unique assignments and exercises performed while training with New Beginnings vary enough from other training programs to not be considered compatible.
15. Do I have to find my own births or does your program help to find expectant mothers?
Yes and Yes. While we don’t have established connections with birth professionals in most communities (to do so would be logistically impossible), we do prepare our students to establish those connections where they live. Our emphasis on community and working yourself into the established birthing community where you live is a primary aim of our program. To that end, we do tend to give a little more attention to the medical aspects of birth, so that our doulas feel confident and comfortable working along side other members of the birth team.
We also encourage community outreach through our assignments. These community assignments help you to also develop relationships with prospective clients.
