Syllabus - Winter 2025 Certified Doula Course Instructor Midwife Randi Payton LM, CPM WhatsApp: 916-910-5552 Midwife Randi Payton Google Classroom & Google Meet are used for Participation and communication. Course Description: This course introduces individuals to birth work as a supportive tool and offers entry-level training in how to physically, emotionally, and holistically assist people during labor and childbirth. Here, we will explore how to support people in their most intimate moments and offer a compassion that they may not receive elsewhere. Our goal in training is to equip individuals with essential tools to advocate for normal childbirth and facilitate positive change in various circumstances and settings, while understanding that birth work extends far beyond physical support. Many participants will work in challenging environments and some with limited resources. Our unique approach is to prepare individuals specifically for non-medicated birth in a variety of settings, promoting an understanding of wellness, the normalcy of birth, and how to positively influence the experiences surrounding childbirth. Throughout this course, you will explore these challenges and develop skills in building relationships and reflective practices without compromising professionalism or technique in less-than-ideal settings. Birth companions are not only helpers but also trainers and educators. Our program will emphasize not only the techniques of support during the childbearing years but also the skills to share this knowledge with others in the communities you serve. To that end, we will address cultural understanding, communication skills, self-replication, and self-care for long-term sustainability and vitality. Our hope is that becoming a birth companion is just the beginning of many skills you will acquire on your journey to assist individuals in childbirth. To be a birth companion is one of the most compassionate and valuable gifts we can offer. Supporting someone during this transformative time in their life—walking alongside them, encouraging them, and empowering them—can create an opportunity for them to experience loving support in ways they may have never known. Their heart will often be an open door for us; we must remember to tread softly in this sacred space. Childbirth is a life-changing event, especially in lower socioeconomic circumstances. Often, individuals lack the resources to seek assistance during pregnancy and childbirth, and when resources are available, the necessary services may not be offered in their communities. This lack of care can lead to poor, and sometimes fatal, outcomes. This is where you, as an educated birth worker, can guide individuals to the appropriate resources and help educate them along the way to achieve better outcomes. This work can be filled with purpose and is deeply rewarding. Learning Objectives: 1. Comprehensive Knowledge: By the end of this course, students will possess a thorough understanding of prenatal support, childbirth education, and the anatomy related to pregnancy and childbirth. They will be equipped with knowledge of non-medical comfort measures and effective labor support techniques, as well as lactation support and newborn care. 2. Practical Experience: Students will have engaged with at least five clients in a primary Doula role prior to graduation, fostering confidence in their ability to replicate this experience as they establish their own Doula practices. 3. Customizable Documentation: Students will create and adapt their own documentation tools, including intake forms, contracts, client notes, and educational handouts. They will learn to tailor these resources to suit their branding and business needs, ensuring flexibility for future use. 4. Collaborative Learning: Students will participate in weekly class discussions, building peer relationships through collaborative reviews and support. Alumni will gain access to an ongoing WhatsApp community for continued support and networking opportunities as they transition into their careers as birth workers. 5. Cultural Competence: Students will develop an understanding of diverse cultural practices and beliefs surrounding childbirth and family support, enabling them to provide inclusive care to a wide range of clients. 6. Business Fundamentals: Students will gain basic business skills necessary for launching and managing a successful Doula practice, including marketing strategies, client management, and financial literacy. 7. Ethical Practices: Students will learn about ethical considerations in the doula profession, including confidentiality, informed consent, and professional boundaries, ensuring they provide respectful and responsible care. 8. Self-Care Strategies: Students will explore self-care techniques to maintain their own well-being and resilience as birth workers, emphasizing the importance of mental and physical health in providing effective support to clients. Course Schedule: This course is broken down into six weeks worth of virtual core work, the main points of each week are noted below. The bulk of the information is in written form or recorded video links to view. New core work will be released on Mondays. Virtual class meetings will be live on Friday mornings and recorded for those who need to view later. A variety of short quizzes including multiple choice, true false and short answer will be included with your weekly core work. Expect to spend between 2-8 hours weekly on this material, not including Journal Questions or ungraded Homework Assignments meant to add depth to your understanding.  Secondary assignments are separate projects that will have later due dates (Book reports, completion of a 1 hour online HIPPA class, and completion of a local Adult and Infant CPR Class). Secondary assignments (except book reports) should be completed prior to working with clientele.  Monthly virtual moderated Doula peer reviews will be ongoing for debriefing, seeking constructive feedback and sorting through the ups and downs of birth work.  Your work, including all tests, assignments, due dates and class meet days, should roll out as follows: Week 1: January 3rd 2025 -Orientation & Course Syllabus -Welcome to The Journey Student Doula! -What is a Doula & What a Doula is Not -The Scope of A Doula -The Benefits of Doula Attended Birth Friday January 3rd, 2025 Orientation Virtual Class Meeting 9:30 - 11:30 am  No new content rolls out the first Monday - work on Friday's content or secondary assignments Friday January 10th, 2025 Virtual Class Meeting 9:30 - 11:30 am ​​​Week 2: Monday January 13th 2025 -Preparing Birth Bags - What to bring & What to leave behind -Ethics and Perspective - Self Check In -The Heart of a Doula - Emotional Support -Creating Client Intake Forms - Getting to know you -Effective Communication - Listening & Speaking -Beliefs about Childbirth  -Writing your own Birth Philosophy Friday January 17th 2025 Virtual Class Meeting 9:30 - 11:30 am ​​​Week 3: Monday January 20th 2025 -Preventing Complications with Nutrition -Pregnancy Psychology - Trusting and also Planning -Fear Culture and Hormonal Flow -Gentle Birth in Any Location -Understanding Fetal Positioning and Why it’s Crucial -Doula Assessments  -The Stages and Phases of Labor Friday January 24th 2025 Virtual Class Meeting 9:30 - 11:30 am Week 4: Monday January 27th 2025  -Labor and Birth Comfort Measures -Positions During Labor -Breathwork and Relaxation Techniques for Labor -Troubleshooting - Posterior & Back Pain Relief -Supporting Through Unwanted Interventions -What if The Baby is Coming…NOW? Friday January 31st 2025 Virtual Class Meeting 9:30 - 11:30 am  Week 5: Monday February 3rd 2025  -Universal Precautions for Doulas -Promoting Bonding & The 5-5-5 Rule -Postpartum Doula Basics & Soothing Newborns -Newborn Feeding Basics & Infant Feeding Cheat Sheet -Postpartum Massage for Healing -Newborn Massage -Placenta Encapsultaion Friday February 7th 2025 Virtual Class Meeting 9:30 - 11:30 am Week 6: Monday February 10th 2025 -Record Keeping -Birth Stories -Birth Debriefing -The Realities of Doula Work -Let's talk Business -Promoting your Business -Creating a Resource & Referral List Friday February 14th 2025 Final Virtual Class Meeting 9:30-11:30 *Secondary Assignments: - 2 college level book reports completed prior to certification - HIPPA Certification must be completed prior to client interactions - Adult and Infant CPR must be completed prior to client interactions - Attend 5 births in the role (as the main or only) Birth Doula AND: - Submit 5 (one following each delivery)"Labor Doula/Birth Notes" - Submit 5 (one following each delivery) "Doula Evaluation Client Information" forms by having the client fill out the form following birth attendance.  -Submit 5 (one following each delivery) "Self-Evaluations"  Grading is split between categories:  -Attendance -Submitted work  -Quizzes/tests -Participation  Policies: Attendance - Virtual Class Meetings - Be on time and engaged solely in class meetings. Wear headphones and choose a quiet place where you can participate in class without excessive background distractions. Those who cannot make our class live will have a link for later viewing.   This is a 6 week class. Aside from Orientation there are 6 meetings. You are expected to be at or view each lecture weekly. Late work - Core class work should be completed weekly and quizzes finished prior to each weekly content release. Late and unfinished work will result in a zero grade for that assignment/quiz. Do it by Sunday night! HIPPA & CPR should be done as soon as possible after being assigned but must be completed prior to client interactions. Proof will be turned in via Google classroom. Client interactions dated prior to HIPPA and CPR being completed will NOT count.  All Client experiences should be completed and paperwork turned in within one year of starting the course. If you need longer than one year, you will need to contact the instructor regarding your specific circumstances. There is a repeat class fee if you need to extend your time longer than one year.  Academic integrity is the foundation of ethical education and scholarship. It requires honesty, fairness, trust, and respect in all academic endeavors. Violations of academic integrity, such as plagiarism, undermine the educational process and devalue the achievements of others. Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else's work, ideas, or intellectual property as your own, without proper attribution. This includes: -Direct Plagiarism: Copying text word-for-word without citation. -Self-Plagiarism: Reusing one's own previously submitted work without permission. -Mosaic Plagiarism: Interspersing copied phrases or ideas with original content without proper citation. -Accidental Plagiarism: Failing to cite sources or paraphrasing incorrectly due to negligence. -Guidelines for avoiding plagiarism: -Citing Sources: Students must properly attribute all sources of information and ideas, following APA or MLA formatting. -Original Work: All submitted work must be original and created specifically for the assignment or course. Violations of academic integrity will result in a failing grade on the assignment or course. If you need resources, support or accommodations, please contact the instructor directly for help!