Before I tell you all about this course, let’s talk about who this is really for…

The BirthBliss Academy self-paced doula course is for passionate women like you who’ve always felt drawn to pregnancy and parenting.

 

You’ve always known you were born with the qualities of a doula: empathy, compassion, and care. You want to make a difference in the world, supporting women through such an important time.

 

Now, you’re ready to build a fulfilling doula business and work on your own terms, whenever, wherever, and however you choose.

Whichever camp you fall into, you’re right where you need to be.

  • THE ASPIRING DOULA BALANCING A BUSY LIFE

    You’re passionate about becoming a doula but find it hard to fit a traditional course into your full-time schedule. Our self-paced course lets you learn at your own rhythm, without deadlines, so you can pursue your dream without stress.

  • THE CAREER SHIFTER SEEKING FLEXIBILITY

    You’re working full-time but ready to transition into a meaningful career as a doula. Our online course is designed to fit around your commitments, offering 24/7 access to materials and the ability to spread the cost with flexible payment options.

  • THE BIRTH PROFESSIONAL WITH AMBITION

    You're someone who is already immersed in the world of pregnancy and parenting, like a yoga instructor, antenatal teacher, hypnobirthing educator, or former midwife, looking to expand your skills and impact by becoming a certified birth and postnatal doula.

By the end of the program, you will have ...

  • Nailed Down Your Doula Expertise Fully grasp the role of a doula, ensuring you’re prepared to support families confidently and effectively.

  • Validated Your Career Path Gain confidence through your growing knowledge and ensuring your skills align with clients need and values

  • Developed High-Impact Communication Skills Learn to create meaningful connections with clients, offering them tailored and individualised support.

  • Expertly Crafted Your Doula Service Offering Create compelling, well-structured service packages that meet client needs.

  • Crafted Your Business and Marketing Plan Develop a strategic plan to grow your doula business, even if you're new to entrepreneurship.

  • Started to Cultivated a Supportive Community Build and nurture a network of clients, colleagues, and other birth professionals.

Course curriculum

    1. A Very Warm Welcome From Kicki!

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Pre-course Module

    1. 1.0 Introduction and Objectives

    2. 1.1 What is a Doula?

      FREE PREVIEW

    3. 1.2 The History of Doulas

    4. 1.3 General Guidelines When Working as a Doula

    5. 1.4 What is The Evidence On Doulas?

    6. 1.5 How To Work Out if Something Falls Within the Doula’s Role or Not

    7. 1.6 Doula! The Ultimate Birth Companion

    8. 1.7 What is Support?

    9. End of Module 1 Quiz

    1. 2.0 Introduction and Objectives

    2. 2.1 Introduction to Birth Physiology

    3. 2.2 Birth Physiology

    4. 2.3 Explaining Birth Physiology to Your Clients

    5. 2.4 The Fight, Flight, Freeze, Flop and Befriend Response

    6. 2.5 The Tend and Befriend Response

    7. 2.6 Oxytocin: The Hormone of Calm and Connection

    8. 2.7 Different Stages of Labour

    9. 2.8 Path to Birth

      FREE PREVIEW

    10. 2.9 Guide for Birth Partners/Doulas

    11. 2.10 Third Stage Options

    12. 2.11 The Normal Third and Fourth Stages of Labour

    13. 2.12 Vaginal Childbirth

    14. 2.13 Meeting The Midwife

    15. 2.14 Parto Frío – A Traditional Tool for Gauging Labour Progress

    16. 2.15 The So-Called Purple Line – Another Clue for Labour Progress?

    17. 2.16 Demystifying the Rhombus of Michaelis

    18. 2.17 The Miles Circuit

    19. 2.18 How Do I Know She's in Labour?

    20. 2.19 Biomechanics Optimal Birth

    21. End of Module 2 Quiz

    1. 3.0 Introduction and Objectives

    2. 3.1 Priorities for Childbirth

    3. 3.2 Pain in Childbirth

    4. 3.3 Understanding Unnecessary Pain in Labour

    5. 3.4 Pharmaceutical Pain Management

    6. 3.5 Non Pharmaceutical Pain Management

    7. 3.6 About Epidurals

    8. 3.7 The Difference Between Epidurals and Spinal Blocks

    9. 3.8 The Doula and the Epidural

    10. 3.9 How a Doula Helps the Woman with an Epidural

    11. 3.10 Care of a Woman with an Epidural - 5 Rules

    12. 3.11 The Doula and the Partner: How They Work Together

    13. 3.12 Induction of Labour

    14. 3.13 Variations of Birth

    15. 3.14 The Comprehensive Guide to Caesarean Birth

    16. 3.15 The natural caesarean a woman-centred technique

    17. 3.16 Baby-led caesarean birth

    18. 3.17 Summary: A Doula’s Perspective on Ultrasound in Pregnancy

    19. 3.18 Vitamin K

    20. 3.19 Microbirth

    21. 3.20 Understanding Breech Babies

    22. End of Module 3 Quiz

    1. 4.0 Introduction and Objectives

    2. 4.1 The Role of the Postnatal Doula

    3. 4.2 Supporting New Parents

    4. 4.3 Postnatal period - Fourth Trimester

    5. 4.4 Matrescence: The Developmental Transition

    6. 4.5 Understanding Perinatal and Postnatal Mental Health

    7. 4.6 How to enable self-sufficiency in the parents

    8. 4.7 Common Challenges with Newborns and Their Parents

    9. 4.8 List of Newborn Baby Issues

    10. 4.9 Doula! Postnatal doulas

    11. End of Module 4 Quiz

    1. 5.0 Introduction and Objectives

    2. 5.1 Breastfeeding Basics

    3. 5.2 How does milk production work?

    4. 5.3 The Impact of not breastfeeding

    5. 5.4 How Mothers Can Nurse Themselves Healthy

    6. 5.5 Is my Baby getting enough milk?

    7. 5.5 Delivery Self Attachment

    8. 5.6 Breastfeeding - Starting Out Right

    9. 5.7 Attaching Your Baby at the Breast

    10. 5.8 Fat Content Demonstration

    11. 5.9 Sore nipples

    12. 5.10 Breastfeeding and Guilt

    13. 5.11 Embarrassed

    14. 5.12 Expressing Breast Milk

    15. 5.13 Hand Expression Instruction Video

    16. 5.14 How Can I Tell That Breastfeeding is Going Well?

    17. 5.15 How Family Members Can Support the Breastfeeding Parent x

    18. 5.16 How Common Birth Choices/Interventions Affect the Breastfeeding Relationship

    19. 5.17 Supporting Breastfeeding: Staying in Our Lane as Doulas

    20. 5.18 WHO - International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes

    21. 5.19 The Nestlé Boycott: What Doulas Should Know

    22. 5.20 UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative

    23. 5.21 The Dirty Truth About the Infant Formula Industry

    24. 5.22 How to Prepare Formula Safely

    25. 5.23 What Most Parents Do When Making Up Formula

    26. 5.24 Paced Bottle Feeding

    27. 5.25 Breastfeeding: Not on the Agenda

    28. End of Module 5 Quiz

About this course

  • £648.00
  • 147 lessons
  • 12 hours of video content

Discover your potential, starting today

Enroll today

Course Facilitator

Award-winning Doula | Author | Educator Kicki Hansard

Kicki Hansard is a certified birth and postnatal doula with a wealth of experience spanning all aspects of pregnancy, childbirth, and early parenting. Born in the enchanting region of Swedish Lapland, under the magnificent spectacle of the midnight sun and the Northern Lights, Kicki has been dedicated to preparing women and couples for the arrival of their babies since 2002. Not only has she supported many individuals through their birth and postnatal period, but she has also trained over 1,000 aspiring doulas as a doula course facilitator.

A lifelong learner, Kicki has studied with renowned experts in the field such as Sheila Kitzinger, Dr. Jack Newman, Kerstin Unvas Moberg, and the esteemed "grandmothers of doulas", Penny Simkin and Phyllis Klaus. She holds a diploma in Professional Relaxation Therapy and a BSc Open from the Open University. Kicki is also a qualified trainer with the City & Guild PTLLS Award to her name.

Kicki's expertise and dedication to her field have not gone unnoticed. In 2005, she was featured in a television programme called "Mum + One" which discussed the role of doulas. This programme can still be viewed on the Discovery Home & Health Channel. Further recognition came in 2009 when she received the esteemed "Doula of the Year" award from Pregnancy & Birth Magazine and Doula UK.

As an author, Kicki published her first book, "The Secrets of Birth: What Every Woman Should Know About Birth and Motherhood," in November 2015. She contributed a chapter to the Amazon #1 best seller, "The Roar Behind the Silence." Her latest book, "Supporting Survivors of Sexual Abuse Through Pregnancy and Childbirth: A Guide for Midwives, Doulas and Other Healthcare Professionals," was published by Singing Dragon.

At the heart of Kicki's ethos is a profound belief in the normalcy and profundity of birth. She passionately advocates for personalized support, defined birth goals with built-in flexibility, and solid education to optimize the birth process. Her approach is to instil confidence through true information, equipping women and families for labour, birth, and the postnatal period while fully understanding each family's unique needs and birth goals​.