Education | Inspiration | Support
CHOOSING YOUR COURSE
Which doula course is right for me?
Both courses teach the same thing. What changes is how you learn it.
Both BirthBliss courses cover the same core curriculum, lead to the same Diploma in Birth and Postnatal Doula Support and give you a place in the BirthBliss community. Neither one is the better or more serious way to train. The real question is how you learn best and what will work with your life.
The in-person course gives you four days in a small group, with time to talk, practise and reflect together. The online course lets you study wherever you are, at a pace that is entirely your own. Below I have described what each one is really like, so you can picture yourself in it.
WHAT STAYS THE SAME
What both courses give you
Birth and postnatal doula training
A full course preparing you to support families through pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period.
The BirthBliss Diploma
Complete the course and you receive the Diploma in Birth and Postnatal Doula Support.
The BirthBliss philosophy
An approach built on empathy, practical skills, reflective practice and professional boundaries.
FEDANT accredited
The training is accredited and assessed by FEDANT, the Federation of Antenatal Educators.
Ongoing support after the course
Our community, live Zoom sessions and continued learning long after the course itself.
Certification pathway
The option to continue into the BirthBliss Certification Programme as you begin supporting families.
Whichever route you choose, you will learn about birth and postnatal support, communication, boundaries, trauma-aware practice, infant feeding and the practical side of starting your doula work. You will complete reflective work along the way and, once you have met the course requirements, receive your Diploma.
The standard of education stays the same. The experience of learning is what changes.
LEARNING IN-PERSON
Four days in the room together
Learning alongside a small group of people who have arrived with many of the same questions is special, even when you all come from very different backgrounds. Over four days you get to know one another. One person asks a question that opens up a conversation for everybody. There is time to stop and reflect while the thought is still fresh.
That shared experience can make the beginning of doula work feel far less lonely. You hear other people's questions, add your own experiences and start forming relationships with people who are beginning this work at the same time as you.
We also work with our hands. You will explore massage, touch, movement and positioning for labour, along with exercises for early infant-feeding support, including how a doula can help a parent think about positioning and attachment while staying within the doula role. The aim is to become more observant, responsive and confident in how you offer support.
The learning carries on outside the sessions too. We usually eat lunch together and some of the most useful conversations happen while people are making tea or picking up a discussion from earlier in the day. There is plenty of laughter and room to be yourself.
Each course is limited to eight people, so nobody disappears into the back row. After the four days you also get the complete online programme, so you can return to the teaching whenever you need to.
The in-person course may suit you if
You learn well through conversation and being with other people
You want to practise hands-on support with others in the room
You like being able to ask a question and explore it straight away
You can set aside four days in a row and travel to the venue
Being part of a small group would help you feel supported as you begin
The online course may suit you if
You need to fit your learning around work, family or caring responsibilities
You live overseas or can't easily travel to a course venue
You like time to absorb, revisit and reflect on what you learn
You are comfortable setting your own pace and studying independently
You want the reassurance of lifetime access to the course
LEARNING ONLINE
Wherever you are, in your own time
The online course is there for people whose lives, location or way of learning make a fixed four-day course difficult. You can study from anywhere in the UK or overseas, fitting it around work, family, caring responsibilities and whatever else is going on in your life.
There is no need to rush. You can pause after a lesson, take time to think, go back over something and move on when you are ready. You keep lifetime access to the course, so it is still there whenever you want to refresh your knowledge or return to a subject with more experience behind you.
You won't be left on your own with a collection of videos. You will be invited to live Zoom Doula Days, where you can bring questions, explore the work in more depth and meet other people training with BirthBliss. You also become part of the wider community, with continued opportunities to learn from me and from other doulas.
The course includes practical teaching, demonstrations and exercises you can work through at home. That is a different experience from practising in a room with a small group and I would rather you knew that now. If physical practice with immediate feedback is central to how you learn, the in-person course may suit you better. If you like time to watch, pause, try something and come back to it, online may be the stronger fit.
If you start online and later want the in-person experience too, you can upgrade by paying the difference in the course fees.
SIDE BY SIDE
The difference at a glance
In-person course
Four days with Kicki and a small group
At a scheduled UK venue
Four consecutive course days
Conversation, shared reflection and informal time together, including lunch
Hands-on practice with other people in the room
Ask and explore questions as they arise, with ongoing support afterwards
Access to the complete online programme after the four days
BirthBliss Diploma in Birth and Postnatal Doula Support
Online course
Self-paced learning from home
Anywhere in the UK or overseas
No fixed deadline; take the time you need
Connection through live Zoom sessions and the wider BirthBliss community
Demonstrations and practical exercises within the online programme
Bring questions to live Zoom Doula Days and stay connected with Kicki and other doulas
Lifetime access to the online course material
The same BirthBliss Diploma in Birth and Postnatal Doula Support
STILL WEIGHING IT UP
A simple way to decide
You enjoy learning alongside others
The in-person course may be the right choice. You spend four days with me in a group of no more than eight, with time for discussion, practical work, questions and personal feedback.
Afterwards you also get the full online programme, so you can revisit every lesson.
If you are still unsure, ask yourself this
When you learn something new, do you understand it best by talking it through, trying it with other people and responding in the moment? Then the in-person course is likely to feel more natural.
Or do you learn best when you can set your own rhythm, pause without pressure and come back to a subject several times? Then the online course may give you the space you need.
Choose the setting where you are most likely to feel present and able to take the learning in, even if it isn't the one that sounds most impressive.
YOUR QUESTIONS
Questions you may have
STILL NOT SURE?
You don't have to decide alone
If you are still turning the two options over, come to a free taster session. You can meet me, see how I teach and ask the questions that matter to you before you choose. There is no pressure to enrol. It is simply a chance to see whether BirthBliss feels right for you.
Would it be a bad idea to come and meet me first?