Education | Inspiration | Support
Your BirthBliss Doula Qualification: Training and Professional Standards
The BirthBliss Doula Academy provides birth and postnatal doula training in the UK through in-person courses and a self-paced online programme. Our training leads to the BirthBliss Diploma in Birth and Postnatal Doula Support, with an optional certification programme for graduates who wish to continue developing through experience with families.
When you choose a doula course, you may be thinking beyond the learning itself. Will you feel prepared to begin? What will your qualification mean? How will you explain your training to families who are considering working with you?
Your BirthBliss qualification gives you a clear way to describe the education you have completed. Behind it are an established training organisation, an independently accredited course, required learning and reflective work and opportunities for further professional development.
This page explains those foundations so you can make an informed choice about your training. Families can also use it to understand what it means when a doula says she trained with BirthBliss.
An established doula training organisation
I’m Kicki Hansard, founder of The BirthBliss Doula Academy. I became a doula in 2002, began facilitating doula training in 2005 and founded BirthBliss in 2012.
Over the years, I have trained more than 1,500 birth and postnatal doulas. I am the author of The Secrets of Birth and Supporting Survivors of Sexual Abuse Through Pregnancy and Childbirth. My own education includes a BSc Open Degree and a qualification in Education and Training.
I have trained with Penny Simkin and Phyllis Klaus, whose work has influenced generations of doulas and maternity professionals. They also wrote the forewords to my book Supporting Survivors of Sexual Abuse Through Pregnancy and Childbirth.
My wider learning has included opportunities to learn directly from Sheila Kitzinger, Michel Odent and Ina May Gaskin. These experiences have informed my understanding of birth, communication and the care we offer families.
I also helped develop the Doula UK core curriculum used within its Approved Course Provider scheme. Several people who now run doula training organisations began their own doula careers on courses I facilitated. Seeing former participants become colleagues and educators has been a rewarding part of teaching over the years.
Supporting families has shaped the way I teach. We spend time considering the situations doulas encounter, the responsibilities they carry and how to offer care while respecting another person’s decisions.
Independently accredited doula education
The BirthBliss Diploma in Birth & Postnatal Doula Support is accredited by FEDANT.
You can check the course on FEDANT’s published register under The BirthBliss Doula Academy Ltd, with Education Provider/Course Number 1012423/237.
FEDANT explains that its accreditation reviews the course structure, educational content, assessment arrangements and relevant safety requirements against its standards.
This accreditation applies to the named course. Graduates wishing to join FEDANT’s National Register apply separately.
Check our course accreditation with FEDANT
Understanding course accreditation and membership approval
When choosing doula training, you may come across both “accredited” and “approved” courses. These descriptions can refer to different processes, so it is helpful to ask who has reviewed the course, what they considered and what their recognition means.
A membership organisation may approve courses against its own requirements and offer graduates a route into its membership or mentoring programme. That approval relates to the organisation’s particular scheme.
Independent course accreditation involves an external body reviewing the education provided against its standards. For the BirthBliss diploma, FEDANT describes reviewing course structure, educational content, assessment arrangements and relevant safety requirements.
Our diploma’s accreditation relates to the course itself. You can check the named qualification and its accreditation number on FEDANT’s register. Joining a professional membership organisation remains a separate decision.
When comparing courses, we encourage you to look at the requirements behind each description. You are welcome to ask us about our curriculum, diploma requirements and independent accreditation before deciding.
What our birth and postnatal doula course covers
Our course brings birth and postnatal doula education together. Our doulas learn about pregnancy and birth physiology, labour support, comfort measures, postnatal recovery, newborn care and infant feeding.
The curriculum also covers communication, trauma awareness, supporting survivors of sexual abuse, pregnancy and baby loss and professional boundaries. Our doulas explore practical business matters, including contracts, insurance, fees, backup arrangements and finding clients.
Throughout the teaching, we consider how knowledge is used when supporting someone whose circumstances, wishes or experiences may be different from our own.
Requirements for the BirthBliss diploma
The Diploma in Birth and Postnatal Doula Support is awarded by The BirthBliss Doula Academy after successful completion of the training and required reflective work.
To receive your diploma, you complete:
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The birth and postnatal doula course.
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The required pre-course modules.
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The post-course reflective work.
The reflective work gives you an opportunity to consider what you have learnt and how it relates to your understanding of the doula role.
Both our in-person and self-paced online routes lead to the BirthBliss diploma. They follow the same curriculum, with different ways of participating in the learning. In-person groups have a maximum of eight participants. The online course contains 147 lessons, with video and written teaching, practical learning and reflection.
Beginning your work as a BirthBliss doula
After completing your diploma, you can introduce yourself as a BirthBliss-trained birth and postnatal doula. You can explain what you studied, the work you completed and the professional boundaries that guide your support.
Your qualification stands in its own right as a record of your BirthBliss education. Further professional memberships are a personal choice, depending on the services and community you find useful.
You can share this page with prospective clients and link to it from your website alongside your BirthBliss graduate logo. It gives families somewhere to check the training behind your qualification.
As you begin working, you will also develop your own experience, gather feedback and continue learning. Your training provides a foundation for working as a doula and gives you something specific to discuss when families ask about your preparation.
Professional boundaries when working as a doula
A doula provides emotional, practical and informational support. Our teaching prepares our doulas to work within that role, alongside midwives, doctors and other professionals.
Our doulas explore how to:
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Respect consent, privacy and confidentiality.
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Support each woman’s decisions without imposing their own preferences.
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Communicate respectfully with families and other professionals.
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Recognise the limits of their role and knowledge.
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Signpost families to appropriate professional or specialist support.
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Consider contracts, insurance and backup arrangements before taking on clients.
Doulas work within a non-clinical role. They do not diagnose conditions, carry out clinical procedures or make medical decisions for families.
Reflection through the BirthBliss Compass
The BirthBliss Compass supports reflection through curiosity, openness, mindfulness, presence, awareness, self-reflection and support.
These qualities help us consider how we listen, how we respond and what we bring into a conversation. We make time to notice our assumptions and think about how our words and actions may affect the person we are supporting.
There are many ways to be a doula. We encourage our doulas to develop their own approach while respecting the needs and choices of each woman and family.
Staying connected after your doula training
Our graduates can book a 30-minute catch-up with me and access opportunities for further learning and connection through BirthBliss.
They also receive six months’ free membership of The Doula Directory, where they can introduce themselves to families and explain the support they offer.
For those who wish to continue towards certification, BirthBliss offers an optional portfolio programme for birth support, postnatal support or both. It brings together experience with families, client feedback, reflection and participation in Coach & Connect sessions.
The diploma records completion of the initial training. Certification is a separate stage involving evidence from your work with families. You can return to BirthBliss for further learning and connection as your work develops.
What a BirthBliss qualification tells families
A doula who holds the BirthBliss diploma has completed our training and required course work. A Certified BirthBliss Doula has also completed the Academy’s separate certification requirements.
When speaking with a doula, you are welcome to ask about her training, experience, insurance and the support included in her service. You can also ask how she manages backup arrangements and where she seeks support herself.
These conversations give you time to get to know each other and decide whether you would like to work together.
Find a doula on The Doula Directory
Was BirthBliss previously a Doula UK Approved Course Provider?
Yes. BirthBliss was part of Doula UK’s Approved Course Provider scheme for many years. In May 2026, I chose to leave the organisation and withdraw BirthBliss from the scheme.
I’ve explained the reasons for my decision in this article.
BirthBliss continues to provide independently accredited doula education, its own diploma and optional certification, with ongoing support for our graduates.
Find out more about doula training with BirthBliss
If you are considering BirthBliss, you are welcome to ask about the course, qualification or support afterwards. Understanding who will teach you, what you will complete and where you can turn with questions can help you decide whether the training is right for you.