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Home › Articles › Professionals and Policies › Want to be a Doula?

Want to be a Doula?

How to Become a Certified Doula

By Felicia Hodges

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"It is a lot of work but it is worthwhile," McCaffery says. "It's definitely a calling. It's like midwifery: you're either called or you're not."

Popularity Doesn't Equal Shortage
Although doulas are becoming more and more a part of the labor and delivery room, they are not in such high demand that there aren't enough to go around.

couple "We work exclusively with one family at a time," McCaffery says. "It is not as popular as it sounds, so we don't tend to get a huge swell of clients all at once." That enables her and her partner to get to spend more time with each client and form a solid bond before they are in the thick of things in the labor and delivery room.

Sometimes, women who may want a doula may have difficulty finding one. McCaffery, who has been a doula for nearly four years, says that the certifying agencies can help locate doulas.

According to McCaffery, the best way to really know if you've been called to do the work of a doula is to talk to one. "Find out first-hand about the certification process from someone who's been through it," she says. "Do some research, too. You wouldn't decide you wanted to be a lawyer or a mechanic without first finding out the channels you need to go through to become one. Becoming a doula is not much different."

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