Why Train with Doula Ireland ?

Do you love all things pregnancy and birth related?

Doula Ireland began providing the first Doula Services to Irish women in 2005. I began my Doula 'journey' a while before then when I gve birth to my son Jack with the support of wonderful staff, a wonderful husband and a wonderful Doula six years ago. I have been very fortunate to train with Childbirth International, Dr. Michel Odent and with Penny Simkin (the ‘mother’ of doulas). I have also trained with Nurturing Birth as a Post Natal doula and my journey has now taken me into Midwifery training. My experience as a doula has definitely been an advantage in my Midwifery training.

Over the last 6 years I have also certified as a Lactation Educator become a regular contributor to Infant and Baby Magazine, Modern Mum and currently volunteer as Mumstown.ie's resident positive birth advisor. I am also delighted to be very involved in several volunteer groups with maternity care provicers working towards improving maternity services in Ireland.

Each Doula training I've taken offers something different but I've found DONA International really embraces the essence of what a Doula is and the doula 'spirit' of unconditional support. It was this reason that I chose become a trainer with DONA International.

With several thousand members worldwide I'm proud to have an opportunity to teach the gold standard of Doula training representing DONA International in Ireland. Naturally the focus of the training is on working as a doula within Irish maternity care, I believe it's important that the Doula has a clear understanding of the unique maternity care offerings that their clients will be faced with here in Ireland.

The DONA philosophy is simple but profound – “how will she remember this”? If all you do as a Doula is keep this at the forefront of your own mind and 'Doula' from the heart instead of the head then you can’t go wrong.

What do I mean when I talk about ‘Doulaing from the heart’? It means meeting the mother where she is, accepting that her birth preferences may not be the same as yours and supporting this woman – eye to eye, breath to breath and heart to heart. When you Doula from the heart you don’t speak for the mother but you help her find her voice. Being a Dona trained Doula is about serving and supporting the mother in this magical time. When you serve a woman in labour you take on her values as your own. Even as an experienced Doula I found the DONA training inspirational. It brings us back to the core of ‘doulaing’ – supporting and serving the mother in a home or hospital environment.  

During the workshop we will explore the following

Emotional Support
Encouragement, reassurance, continuous physical presence

Informational Support
Assistance to families in gathering information about the course of their labour and their options, explanations, non-medical advice

Physical Support
Comfort measures, positioning, massage, breathing, relaxation and other non-pharmacological pain relief options

Advocacy
Helping the mother find her voice and help her be heard

Partner Support
Role modeling, encouragement and reassurance

Building positive and lasting relationships with midwives and other hospital staff.

After the training you will come away with the confidence to support a mother in a hospital or home birth, be able to support a mother physically and emotionally with an epidural, you will be able to identify the causes of challenging labours and determine which comfort measures work best for different kinds of labours... and much much more. 

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you’d like to talk more about the upcoming workshops. I'm very excited to be part of this revival of an old tradition in Ireland of lay women supporting women in labour.

In the Doula spirit !

Tracy

Doula Ireland offers Birth Doula training, based on the DONA International curriculum and ethics. DONA sets the bar for doula education and professional development. It indicates to families that a doula has achieved a high level of training and professionalism.

DONA International has the highest certification standards for doulas worldwide.

Achieving certification is a process that requires a commitment. Before beginning the certification process, we recommend that you learn about what it means to be a Doula Ireland doula by browsing the website, reading the position papers, Standards of Practice, Code of Ethics, and other DONA International literature you will find on the DONA website. Find Doula Ireland certified doulas in your area and talk with them about their experiences as a doula or join in a discussion on our Irish Doula discussion list to understand what being a certified doula is really like.

When you become a certified birth doula with Doula Ireland, you gain a respected credential. DONA certification means that you have met a high international standard, ensuring expectant parents and their medical team that you will adhere to the highest standards of conduct and ethics. It means you are trained to support a woman emotionally, as well as to help the mother determine the services and information that she needs during labour and childbirth.

Students who successfully complete all requirements will be certified with DONA International.

****Important *****

Please familiarize yourself with the certification requirements, specifically of the requirement of observing a series of antenatal classes before you can attend the certification workshop - click here Please contact me if you are having difficulty finding an antenatal class to observe.

Doula Ireland Doula Training Workshop Agenda

Day I

Registration

Introductions 

Introduction to Labour Support and the role of the Doula

Break

Prenatal Contact between Doula and Client

Basics of Labour

Lunch

Scope of Practice and code of ethics

Emotional support in labour 

Break

Physical support in labour

Day II

Review of Saturday

Working in Irish hospitals - creating a positive expectancy for staff and clients

What is the ideal birth? (Discussion of birth experiences (as doulas) and values clarification 

Challenging labours 
Through case presentations and group discussion, participants will apply their knowledge and skills to hypothetical clinical/emotional challenges.  Physical support of a mum with an epidural.

Cesarean birth and VBAC 
Video of a cesarean, a description of the unique emotional needs of the woman, her partner and her baby, and the Doula’s role.

Taking care of yourself after a challenging birth  - the role of self reflection.

The doulas role in observation of the newborn and in assisting the client in early breastfeeding and troubleshooting common problems.

Postpartum contact between Doula and client

Being self employed in Ireland - registering your business and marketing skills

Practical skills for supporting a GentleBirth family.

All materials are provided at the workshop - lunch and snacks included both days.

Photos from the 2007 Irish DONA Training Workshop

Ina May Gaskin - Dublin 2006

Dr. Michel Odent in Dublin 2005