Ask the Pros
Birth Plans
Birth Stories
Bookstore
Boy or Girl
Cesareans
Chat Room
Complications
Doulas
Educators
Episiotomy
FAQs
Feeding Baby
Fertility
Finding a Class
Health
Interactive
Labor
Message Board
Monitoring
Newborns
Postcards
Postpartum
Pregnancy
Reviews/Awards
Search
VBAC
Week by Week

Ask A Doula
Questions and Answer

Q. My question is this; is it necessary to be certified to practice as a Doula? common sense says that it makes more sense, but is it required in the U.S.? I live in Harrisburg, PA. For the record, I am about halfway through my DONA certification process. Just wondering what I can do before i am "official!"

A. Hi Heather, Great question. It is not necessary to be certified to practice as a doula. If doulas were licensed then it would be a different story. But certification is not licensure, so you can practice as much as you like before becoming certified. Good luck with your DONA process.

Childbirth Education

How do you become an educator?

Ilana Stein has been working professionally with pregnant women since 1983 as a childbirth educator, labor assistant and breastfeeding consultant. She was originally certified by the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth (The Bradley Method), The Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators (ALACE), and Doulas of North America (DONA). She teachs the ALACE Labor Assistant training workshop nationwide. She has spoken at conferences and at the New York University Graduate Program in Midwifery about labor support. She is a Positive Pregnancy and Parenting Fitness (PPPF) instructor and La Leche League Leader. She is also a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor at the local YMCA. She volunteers as the coordinator of the annual New York Area YM-YWCA Women’s Wellness Weekend.