Smart Pregnancy & Birth

       Assisting as a doula at birth is a very rewarding experience for women wishing to serve in this way.  Nothing compares with the joy of seeing a newborn baby the first time and the doula can participate in this wonderful experience by serving the women in her care. 

Register by filling out the contact page
or on www.cappa.net (trainings) to pay by credit card.

February 19 - 20 Columbia, SC   Covenant Birth Center  (8:30 - 5:30, Friday and Saturday)
Covenant Birth Center is a lovely out-of-hospital birth center in Columbia.  See www.covenantbirthcenter.org .
Register for this workshop directly with Susan (fill in contact page) or go to www.cappa.net/www/trainings to register by credit card.

February 26 - 27, 2010 The Red Horse Inn, One of the top 10 romantic Inns in the Country!  Bring your hubby along!

www.redhorseinn.com Upstate South Carolina, Landrum,  with a gorgeous Hogback Mountain view !

(Friday and Saturday, 8:30 - 5:30).  You will need to make room reservations separately with Mary at the Red Horse Inn (864) 895- 4968.  Be sure to let her know that you are reserving for the Labor Doula Training Conference.  Register for the doula workshop either at www.cappa.net (credit card payment) or on the contact page on this website (send check separately.)

The Doula's Role

        Doulas do not provide medical treatment.  Their role is to provide parents with information from reputable sources, guide them in preparing a birth plan, and assisting them at the time of their birth with the choices the couple has selected.  While helping women achieve a natural birth can exercise the doula's repertoire of skills, it is helping the woman achieve her birth wishes that is the doula's role whether that be an epidural / medicated birth or a natural birth

The CAPPA Labor Doula Workshop
        Labor support training is provided with a doula training workshop certified through CAPPA ^*  www.cappa.net.   The workshop provides a comprehensive study of the ways the doula can assist women in the pregnancy experience through emotional, educational, and physical support for birth and postpartum. Doulas have been shown through medical studies to significantly reduce the need for operative interventions at birth such as forceps, vacuum extraction, and Cesarean delivery.  Mothers who have had the experience of having a doula assist them with their birth reported their birth experience as more positive than those who did not and would choose to have a doula present for a subsequent birth.

      The workshop will cover information on birth choices, comfort measures, benefits of various labor and birth positions, information on creating a birth plan, the labor and birth process, breastfeeding, marketing your practice, many labor and birth videos and more. In addition to the workshop, CAPPA requires selected book readings, attendance at a childbirth education class, labor and birth attendance with evaluations, and an exam.  After successful completion, the candidate is a Certified Labor Doula with CAPPA.

       Labor doula training is the first step for all students wishing to enter Dar la Luz Midwifery studies to become a Licensed Midwife.  
       A calendar of currently scheduled trainings is available at the CAPPA website or email susan@smartpregnancy.net for current trainings. The doula training workshop fee is $350 with an early bird discount of 10% available to those who register by 1 month before the workshop.  Those wishing to pay the $350 by credit card may sign up and pay at the www.cappa.net website (look under trainings.  No discounts are available on the CAPPA website.)  Others may mail their registration.  Email susan@smartpregnancy.net  for instructions on registration and paying by check or to take the early pay discount.

^{*CAPPA has no religious affiliations.}