Years of doula
experience:
24
150
Number of in-person courses facilitated:
Doula journeys started in-person:
1229
Doula Course UK | Birth & Postnatal Doula Support
Become a Birth and Postnatal Doula
If you're thinking about becoming a doula, you're probably looking for more than a qualification. You're looking for an education that prepares you for the realities of supporting women and families through pregnancy, birth and the early weeks with a new baby.
The BirthBliss Doula Academy has been training birth and postnatal doulas since 2012. Founded by Kicki Hansard, who has worked as a doula since 2002 and has been teaching doulas since 2005, Kicki has trained more than 1,500 doulas across the UK and beyond.
Our courses combine current evidence, reflective practice and the experience gained from supporting hundreds of families over more than two decades. Alongside the practical aspects of doula work, you'll explore communication, professional boundaries, informed decision making, physiology, trauma awareness, infant feeding, postnatal support and the emotional transition into parenthood.
Whether you choose our four day in person course or our self paced online programme, you'll be encouraged to think critically, reflect on your own practice and develop the confidence to support families in a way that is compassionate, ethical and centred on their individual needs.
Students who complete the full BirthBliss training, including the pre and post course reflective modules, receive a Diploma in Birth and Postnatal Doula Support. Many graduates then choose to continue into our optional BirthBliss Certification Programme, working alongside an experienced Doula Coach as they gain practical experience.
The Academy's training is independently accredited by FEDANT, the Federation of Antenatal Educators. Doula work is not a regulated profession in the UK, although independent accreditation provides external recognition of the quality and educational standards of a training programme.
Kicki is the author of The Secrets of Birth and has contributed to the development of doula education and professional standards in the UK for over twenty years. Her teaching draws on extensive practical experience together with academic study in psychology, counselling and the social sciences. Kicki also contributed to The Roar Behind the Silence and her most recent book, published in 2020, is a guide for healthcare professionals supporting survivors of sexual abuse through pregnancy and childbirth.
After training, Siobhan Smith leads the BirthBliss Certification Programme as Head of Certification. Siobhan has supported families as a professional doula since 2011 and also supports newly qualified doulas as they develop confidence, reflective practice and professional judgement. She is also an Expert by Experience at the University of Hertfordshire.
Choosing a doula course is an important decision. We encourage you to explore different training providers, ask questions and find the approach that feels right for you. Our aim is to provide an education that prepares you not only to begin working as a doula, but to continue growing throughout your career. To give every student the opportunity to contribute, ask questions and receive individual support, our in-person courses are intentionally kept small, with a maximum of eight participants.
If you'd like to study from home, you can also explore our self paced online doula course.
If becoming a doula feels like the right next step for you,
we'd love to welcome you to The BirthBliss Doula Academy.
Core Components of Our Doula Course
PERSONAL GROWTH
Empathy with others and with yourself is probably the most important principle of doula work. Doulas provide emotional, practical, and informative support to families during the childbearing year. Empathy is at the heart of everything.
As a doula, you are not there to rescue or to make decisions for anyone else. The ability to remain non-judgemental and to stay in the moment depends on your understanding of your own life and birth experiences. In addition to learning about the physical and emotional aspects of birth and the postnatal period, this doula training course also teaches you about the options available during childbirth and as a parent.
In this course, you will start your journey of self-discovery, personal responsibility and transformation. Being a doula is exactly that, being rather than doing.
You will learn how to provide trauma-informed care by rephrasing the question What is wrong with that person? to What happened to that person?
ANTENATAL, BIRTH AND POSTNATAL DOULA
The beginning of your doula journey provides you with a strong foundation on which to build your career. This course will provide you with important knowledge and information along with practical skills for supporting women and families before, during and after childbirth.
You will be shown how to provide authentic support for others. A key objective of The BirthBliss Academy is to ensure that all aspiring doulas remain authentic and understand their role as doulas well.
Every doula has their personality and interests. You will learn about what kind of doula you are!
CHILDBIRTH AND PARENTING EDUCATION
Your role as a doula combines a calling with a career and you will be able to support new parents in preparing for birth as well as offering them guidance in the postpartum period as a doula.
You will leave the course with a wealth of information that you can pass on to your clients. We will provide you with ongoing support as soon as you leave the course.
Should you choose to do your certification with us, we are here to hold your hand from the very beginning until you become an Certified Doula.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
It is essential that you have an understanding of entrepreneurship since you will be setting up and running your own business as a doula.
The BirthBliss Doula Academy offers you the training you need to run your own business as a working doula, as well as on-going support that is included in the fee.
You having a successful career is important to us.
Still exploring? These pages may help
Choosing doula training is a personal decision and it helps to look at the detail in your own time.
If you would like to see exactly what the four days cover, our full course curriculum walks through antenatal, birth and postnatal modules, along with the reflective work that sits alongside the in-person training.
Prefer to learn at your own pace? Our online doula course follows the same BirthBliss approach, flexible, supported and designed for real life.
When you are ready to book, upcoming course dates and venues are listed across the UK. Not sure yet? You are welcome to book a free taster session first, no pressure, just a chance to get a feel for how we teach.
After training, many doulas continue with our Certification Programme. If you are wondering what that involves, certification FAQs answer the practical questions, costs, timelines and how coaching works.
If approval and membership are on your mind, you may find this article useful: Do you need a Doula UK approved course?