Walking Forward Together in the Evolution of Doula Education

MaternityWise, in Support of bebo mia’s Open Letter (found here)

To our fellow educators, birth workers, and community partners,

We are writing with deep appreciation and wholehearted support for the open letter recently shared by bebo mia. Their message reflects a shared love for this work, a respect for where doula education has been, and a hopeful vision for where it can grow next.

At MaternityWise, we experience this letter not as a challenge, but as an invitation. An invitation to pause, reflect, and joyfully rise to meet the moment our field is in.

Doula work has always been rooted in care, continuity, and community wisdom. Long before certification programs existed, people supported birth because it mattered. The modern doula profession was born when early leaders (ALACE specifically, who were the FIRST to name us doulas, and is now called ToLABOR) bravely named the value of that support and built structures to protect it. We honor that lineage with gratitude and respect.

And honoring our roots also means allowing the branches to grow.

The world that doulas enter today is different from the one that shaped early training models. Birth is even more medicalized, systems are more complex, and families are navigating layers of trauma, inequity, and institutional pressure. New doulas are being asked to hold space with confidence, communicate clearly across power dynamics, understand scope, protect consent, recognize trauma, and build sustainable practices.

That is meaningful, skilled work and it cannot be expected to develop overnight.

It deserves time, mentorship, and room to integrate.

We regularly meet doulas who are passionate, capable, and deeply called to this work, yet feel unsure of themselves after completing brief trainings. Many quietly wonder if they are doing something wrong, when in truth they simply needed more support, more practice, and more guidance than a condensed format could offer. When education is rushed, confidence becomes fragile. When learning is layered and held within community, confidence grows naturally.

This is where we wholeheartedly agree with BeboMia that this is also a justice issue. When training models rely on speed and self navigation, those with the least systemic support carry the greatest burden. When education is deep, reflective, and mentored, it becomes a stabilizing force that allows more doulas to stay, thrive, and lead.

At MaternityWise, our approach has been shaped by these realities. We believe doula education should feel supportive, spacious, and empowering. Learning should unfold over time. Skills should be practiced, reflected on, and revisited. New doulas should know their scope, trust their presence, and feel grounded as they step into birth spaces. Sustainability and business skills matter because doulas deserve livelihoods that support their families too.

This is why we not only offer the practical weekend workshops in-person and virtually as well as pre-recorded workshops to meet the scheduling needs of a variety of life dynamics, but we provide additional learning support which includes study groups to provide accountability and support while getting through required reading and other research work, a private facebook group for support and sharing of ideas and current research.  We also offer mentoring which goes beyond the certification process and into the real life practice of our students. We like to call this method of comuming knowledge and wisdom as “LAYERING” where you are exposed to different perspectives, concepts and evidence based information from multiple viewpoints – which is how we learn best!  The ongoing, continuous access to support is a crucial piece in the growth and development of the career of a birth worker.

We echo bebo mia’s framing of this moment as a call in. This is not about fault or blame. It is about collective growth. It is about asking whether our educational models match the depth and responsibility of the work we are preparing people to do.

We believe the answer is yes, when we are willing to evolve together.

We are grateful to bebo mia for naming this moment with clarity, warmth, and courage. We stand in alliance with their vision for doula education that is rooted in care, equity, and preparation. The next chapter of birth work is being written now, and it is full of possibility.

With appreciation, optimism, and shared commitment,

MaternityWise