🌿 Inclusive Full-Spectrum Doula Training — 45 Hours
(Online + Live Weekends)
Become a BirthPro Full-Spectrum Doula — serving families from pregnancy through postpartum with confidence, compassion, and skill. This training is offered as a full-spectrum program, with options to complete birth-only or postpartum-only certification pathways through a single live weekend plus independent coursework.
Families are seeking skilled, compassionate doulas — and with growing demand nationwide, this comprehensive program prepares you to support families through pregnancy, birth, postpartum healing, feeding, newborn care, loss, high-risk situations, and community resource navigation.
Designed for doulas seeking a culturally humble, trauma-aware foundation, this training meets multi-state competency expectations and prepares participants for Medicaid and HSA reimbursement pathways, where available by state and payer.
Tuition & Pathway Options
Full-Spectrum Doula Training — $850
March 28/29, 9-4pm ET April 4, 9-5:30pm ET
Includes birth and postpartum pathways, two live virtual weekends, and all self-paced modules.
Birth Doula Pathway — $550
March 28/29, 9-4pm ET
Live virtual weekend + required birth-specific self-study modules.
Postpartum Doula Pathway — $550
April 4, 9-5:30pm ET
Live virtual weekend + required postpartum self-study modules.
Certification Fees: There are no additional certification or processing fees paid to BirthPro.
(Scholarships and payment plans available.)
Become a BirthPro Full Spectrum Doula
or choose a Birth-only or Postpartum-only pathway
🌸 Why Now Is the Time
There has never been a greater need for skilled, full-spectrum doulas.
Families are seeking inclusive support, healthcare systems are opening pathways for trained providers, and states across the country are expanding doula coverage.
If you’re ready to gain the skills, credibility, and grounding to serve your community across birth, postpartum, or both, this program is for you.
BirthPro’s Full-Spectrum Doula Training prepares you to:
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Serve with culturally humble, trauma-aware care
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Support pregnancy, birth, postpartum healing, and newborn transitions
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Navigate systems like WIC, Medicaid, home visiting programs
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Build a sustainable doula practice rooted in equity and community
Led by Lorie Michaels, CD(DONA), LCCE, CLC, BRMPro+, PMH-C
EBB Instructor • BRM/BRB Instructor • Spinning Babies Childbirth Educator
With 20+ years of experience supporting hundreds of families and training the next generation of birth workers, Lorie brings deep expertise across birth, postpartum, physiology, emotional wellness, perinatal mental health, and reproductive justice.
Her approach blends evidence-based practice with inclusive, culturally humble care — so you feel confident, prepared, and supported from day one.
Birth work is not learned in isolation. Alongside instruction led by Lorie Michaels, this training features guest faculty whose voices reflect the diversity, depth, and real-world wisdom of today’s doula community.
BirthPro Guest Faculty | Community-Rooted, Equity-Centered Doula Educators
Guest faculty participation varies by training cohort and pathway.
🌼 What You’ll Learn
Full-Spectrum doulas complete all sections below. Birth-only and Postpartum-only pathways complete the relevant sections, plus shared core modules.
Pregnancy & Birth Support
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Understand pregnancy physiology, stages of labor, and coping strategies
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Offer hands-on comfort measures and positioning tools
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Support high-risk, medically complex, VBAC, breech, and unexpected scenarios
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Navigate trauma, PMADs, grounding techniques, and emotional safety
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Apply reproductive justice principles in all birth spaces
Postpartum & Newborn Care
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Support newborn feeding, soothing, and normal adjustment
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Guide families through postpartum healing and recovery
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Understand infant behavior, sleep basics, and feeding cues
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Provide household, partner, and practical support within doula scope
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Recognize warning signs and make appropriate referrals
Full-Spectrum Competencies
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Support loss, abortion, and difficult outcomes with compassion
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Hold space across diverse cultural traditions, including Indigenous and LGBTQ+ communities
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Apply anti-racism principles to everyday practice
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Understand the doula’s role within community systems
Professional Practice
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Build a sustainable doula business rooted in equity and clarity
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Navigate contracts, policies, boundaries, and scope
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Document care ethically and confidently
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Prepare for Medicaid and insurance-based reimbursement programs
🌈 Your Training Journey at a Glance
Live Training Weekends (Virtual)
Full-Spectrum doulas attend both weekends. Birth-only and Postpartum-only doulas attend the relevant weekend.
Interactive sessions covering pregnancy, birth support, comfort measures, advocacy, trauma-informed care, cultural safety, postpartum healing, and practical newborn care.
Self-Paced Learning Modules
Core learning modules completed on your own time::
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Lactation basics
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PMAD recognition & support
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Feeding + newborn care
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Household/practical postpartum skills
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Reproductive justice foundations
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Cultural humility across full-spectrum care
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Scope of practice + documentation
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Menstrual health foundations (not tested, but included for holistic education)
Ongoing Support
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Optional weekly coaching calls
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Access to a private BirthPro community
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Continuing education opportunities
Training structure and required components vary slightly by pathway.
🌿 More Than a Certification — This Is Your Launchpad
BirthPro’s training supports doulas who want to go beyond textbook learning and step confidently into real-world, community-based practice.
Alongside your certification, you’ll receive:
Offerings may vary slightly by training pathway
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Weekly live coaching
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Evidence-based pregnancy, birth, and postpartum strategies
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Real-world advocacy tools & system navigation know-how
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Emotional wellness tools (EFT integration)
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A supportive community of fellow birth workers
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Practical business foundations to help you thrive
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Ongoing invitations to deepen your skills
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A BirthPro Full-Spectrum Doula Badge for your website + socials
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A MassHealth Doula Competency Attestation Letter (where applicable)
Special Offer for BirthPro Doulas
BirthPro graduates are eligible for a discounted Evidence Based Birth® Professional Membership, supporting continued learning, advocacy, and access to evidence-based resources for families.
Standard EBB Pro membership is $69/month.
BirthPro graduates may enroll for $29/month for the first year (a $480 savings).
Graduates leave feeling confident, prepared, and supported.
Certification Requirements (Full-Spectrum Pathway)
To earn your BirthPro Full Spectrum Doula Certification, you’ll need to:
✅ Complete all course modules and quizzes within 6 months of your start date
✅ Provide hands-on support for 3 birth experiences and 2 postpartum families (volunteer or paid; birth and postpartum support may occur with the same family)
✅ Complete "Black Brilliance: A Culturally Responsive Anti-Racism Doula Training" module within 6 months of your start date (included in enrollment)
✅ Hold a current Infant/Child CPR certification
✅ Submit a short reflection for each family supported (guidelines provided)
Advanced Standing & Equivalency
BirthPro recognizes that many experienced perinatal professionals arrive at doula work through adjacent pathways and community-based practice. In these cases, certification may be granted through demonstrated competency, documented experience, and mentor evaluation, in alignment with BirthPro values of equity, integrity, and scope-appropriate care.
Birth-only and Postpartum-only certifications follow the same structure, with requirements specific to their scope of practice.
👉 See Birth Doula Training or Postpartum Doula Training for pathway-specific details.
Upon Completion, You’ll Receive:
🎓 A BirthPro Certificate of Completion (45-hour training)
🎬 Listing on our BirthPro Doula Directory
🏅 A digital BirthPro Certification Badge (pathway-specific)
📄 A Doula Competency Attestation Letter (where applicable)
📚 Evidence Based Birth® professional membership discount
State recognition and reimbursement pathways vary.
📍 Where BirthPro Full-Spectrum Doula Certification Applies 🌿 Green — BirthPro Training Meets State Criteria In these states, BirthPro’s Full-Spectrum Doula Training meets or exceeds the currently published training requirements for doula recognition and/or Medicaid participation pathways. Graduates may be eligible to pursue state-specific registration or reimbursement using their BirthPro certification and required documentation. 🪻 Purple — No State-Specific Doula Training Criteria These states do not currently have formal, state-defined training or certification requirements for doulas. BirthPro certification may be used for professional preparation, private practice, employer requirements, or future state pathways as they develop. 🌺 Pink — Additional State Requirements Apply These states have established state-specific doula certification, approval, or registry processes. BirthPro training provides a strong educational foundation, but graduates may need to complete additional steps (such as state registration, approved credentials, or partnerships) to meet local requirements. State policies and Medicaid pathways evolve. BirthPro actively monitors changes and supports graduates in navigating additional requirements when applicable.
Requirements vary by state. This map shows where BirthPro training meets current state criteria or where no formal doula credential is required.
Questions about your state or pathway?
Reach out — we’re happy to help you map next steps.
Who this may not be the right fit for
BirthPro trainings are grounded in birth equity, full-spectrum care, and inclusive, community-centered practice. If you are unwilling to support LGBTQ+ families, affirm abortion as part of reproductive care, or engage in reflection around personal and systemic bias (including racism, transphobia, and cultural appropriation), this training may not be the right fit.
We welcome participants who come with openness, humility, and a commitment to learning in community.
Who this is for:
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New or aspiring doulas ready to begin or formalize their practice.
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Parents, caregivers, or helpers seeking professional-level birth and postpartum training.
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Anyone seeking inclusive, evidence-based, trauma-informed doula education.
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People who learn best with live support, mentorship, and community.
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Doulas seeking full-spectrum, birth-only, or postpartum-focused training within an inclusive, evidence-based framework.
Already trained? → Check out our Mentoring page
Ready to begin your doula journey?
Join a professional learning community rooted in mentorship, peer support, and continuing education.
Led by Lorie Michaels, CD(DONA), LCCE, CLC — with 20+ years of experience mentoring doulas in trauma-informed, inclusive care.