Birth Doula Training & Certification in Austin, TX

Becoming a great birth doula takes more than memorizing the stages of labor. Birth, Baby! Academy training is designed to help you understand birth, develop practical doula skills, support a wide range of families and birth preferences, and feel more prepared for the realities of working as a professional birth doula.

During your training, you'll learn about:

• What is a Doula?
• Pregnancy and Birth
• Birth Doula Support
• Client Advocacy
• Hospital Birth
• Out of Hospital Birth
• Supporting High Risk and Medically Complex Scenarios
• Postpartum for Birth Doulas
• Infant Feeding and the Role of a Birth Doula
• Equity Across Cultural, Economic, and Racial Lines
• Research Basics
• Building a Successful Birth Doula Business

You'll also learn how to bring these skills together in real birth scenarios so you can begin supporting families with greater confidence. 

Hello! I'm Ciarra Morgan, founder of Empowered Beginnings and Birth, Baby! Academy. I developed Birth, Baby! Academy from my experience as a birth doula, childbirth educator, trainer, and mentor, with valuable input and expertise from other professionals along the way. Whether you join me for a live training in Austin or complete the online, self-paced course, you'll be learning the same Birth, Baby! Academy approach to supporting families through pregnancy and birth.

I believe doula training should prepare you for more than passing a test or earning a certificate. Birth work is nuanced, and supporting real families means learning how to navigate different birth preferences, personalities, providers, birth environments, unexpected situations, and the many decisions that can come up along the way.

I continue to work as a birth doula, which means what I teach isn't based only on a textbook or experiences I had years ago. I bring what I continue to learn through real birth work into my trainings and regularly evolve the program as birth work changes.

My goal is for you to leave your training with more than information. I want you to understand how to apply what you've learned so you can walk into your first birth, or your hundredth, feeling more confident in your ability to support families with compassion, professionalism, and respect for however they choose to give birth.

You don't need to be a parent, nurse, midwife, or birth professional to become a birth doula.

Birth, Baby! Academy training is designed for people who are new to birth work as well as doulas who have already completed training and want additional education, mentorship, or certification.

If you feel called to support families through pregnancy and birth and want comprehensive education that prepares you for the realities of doula work, we'd love to have you join us.

Choose the learning format that works best for you. Birth, Baby! Academy offers both live, in-person training in Austin and a flexible online training option you can complete from anywhere. 

Prefer to learn alongside other doulas with opportunities for discussion, hands-on practice, and real-time instruction? Join us for our live 3-day Birth, Baby! Academy birth doula training workshop in Austin, Texas.

Your registration also includes access to the online training materials so you can revisit what you've learned after the workshop.

Investment: $1,250 (reach out about equity scholarships and interest free payment plans)

Location: Austin, TX

Format: 3-day live training

*Destination training workshops are available. If you have a group of people outside of Austin and would like Birth, Baby! Academy to come to you, reach out directly via the contact form or Hello@EB-ATX.com 

Prefer to learn on your own schedule? Our online, self-paced birth doula training gives you access to the comprehensive Birth, Baby! Academy curriculum wherever you are.

Work through the training at your own pace while learning the foundational knowledge and practical skills you'll need to begin supporting families as a birth doula.

Investment: $750 (reach out about equity scholarships and interest free payment plans)

Location: Online, available anywhere

Format: Self-paced

We want certification to demonstrate that you've completed comprehensive birth doula education and understand how to apply what you've learned.

After completing your Birth, Baby! Academy birth doula training, you'll complete a certification assessment designed to demonstrate your understanding of the course material. Once you've successfully completed both the training and certification assessment, you'll earn the title of Birth, Baby! Academy Certified Birth Doula.

Certification is included with your birth doula training. You do not need to purchase mentorship or complete the Certification with Distinction requirements to become a Birth, Baby! Academy Certified Birth Doula.

 Want to take your certification further? After becoming a Birth, Baby! Academy Certified Birth Doula, you can choose to complete additional requirements to earn your Birth Doula Certification with Distinction.

Certification with Distinction recognizes doulas who have gone beyond the initial certification requirements by gaining hands-on birth experience, completing additional professional development, and demonstrating how they apply their training in real-world doula work.

This designation is completely optional. You are a Birth, Baby! Academy Certified Birth Doula after successfully completing your training and certification assessment. Certification with Distinction is an additional achievement for doulas who want to demonstrate a higher level of experience and continued professional development.

Doulas who successfully complete the requirements for Birth Doula Certification with Distinction will receive an updated Birth, Baby! Academy certification certificate featuring a With Distinction badge that recognizes their additional hands-on experience, professional development, and demonstrated application of their birth doula training. 

You don't have to be a brand-new doula to benefit from mentorship. Whether you're preparing for your first client, building confidence as you gain experience, or you're an experienced doula navigating challenging situations or feeling stuck in your practice, having another experienced doula to turn to can make a difference.

Birth, Baby! Academy Birth Doula Mentorship provides personalized guidance, feedback, and professional support based on where you are in your doula career.

Up to 12 private mentorship meetings
Meet one-on-one with your mentor for up to 12 meetings of up to one hour each during your 12-month mentorship.

Email and text support
Reach out to your mentor with questions that come up between meetings. Messages are answered during regular business hours.

Birth and client debriefing
Use your mentorship meetings to process births and client experiences, ask questions, talk through challenging situations, receive feedback, and get another experienced perspective.

Personalized professional support
Your mentorship is tailored to you. Depending on your needs, conversations may include client relationships, boundaries, communication, birth support, advocacy, confidence, difficult experiences, business questions, professional growth, or working toward Certification with Distinction.

Your mentorship includes up to 12 private meetings and email and text support for up to 12 months. You can schedule your meetings based on when you need support rather than following a predetermined monthly schedule.

Mentorship is optional and separate from Birth, Baby! Academy certification and Certification with Distinction.

To sign up for mentorship, CLICK HERE.

Already completed birth doula training through another organization? You don't necessarily have to start from square one.

Birth, Baby! Academy offers two options for previously trained doulas depending on what you're looking for. If you feel your original training left gaps in your education or didn't prepare you as well as you'd hoped, our Comprehensive Cross-Training gives you access to the same complete training program as our other students at a discounted rate.

If you're already an experienced, confident doula and simply need an additional recognized certification for Carrot, Medicaid, or another professional requirement, our shorter Cross-Certification Program allows you to demonstrate your existing knowledge without repeating an entire birth doula training.

For previously trained doulas who want a more comprehensive education.

Sometimes completing a birth doula training doesn't leave you feeling prepared to actually do the work. Maybe your original training was too brief, didn't provide enough practical education, or left you with questions about how to support families confidently in real birth settings.

If you've previously completed birth doula training through another organization but want a stronger educational foundation, you can enroll in the full Birth, Baby! Academy Birth Doula Training program at a discounted cross-training rate.

You'll receive the same comprehensive curriculum, training materials, and certification opportunity as students who begin their birth doula education with Birth, Baby! Academy. This isn't a shortened refresher course. You'll complete our full program, so you don't miss the education you came to us looking for.

Investment

Online, Self-Paced: $500 with proof of previous doula training 

In-Person Workshop: $750 with proof of previous doula training 

Proof of previous birth doula training is required to qualify for the discounted cross-training rate. Complete our short application and submit documentation of your previous training to get started.  

Apply for Comprehensive Cross-Training

For experienced doulas who are confident in their education and skills but need an additional recognized certification.

If you're already trained and experienced as a birth doula, you shouldn't have to repeat an entire comprehensive doula training just to earn an additional certification.

Our Birth Doula Cross-Certification Program offers a shorter route for doulas who need Birth, Baby! Academy certification for Carrot, Medicaid, or another professional or reimbursement requirement.

You'll complete selected portions of the Birth, Baby! Academy curriculum along with a cross-certification assessment designed to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of the material we consider essential for our Certified Birth Doulas.

After successfully completing the required coursework and assessment, you'll receive your Birth, Baby! Academy Birth Doula Certification.

Investment: $250

Format: Online, abbreviated coursework + certification assessment 

Cross-Certification requires an application and proof of previous birth doula training or certification. We'll review your previous education and experience to make sure the abbreviated Cross-Certification Program is appropriate for you. If you would benefit from more comprehensive education, we'll recommend our Comprehensive Cross-Training option instead. 

Apply for Cross-Certification 

We believe financial circumstances shouldn't be the thing standing between someone and becoming a birth doula.

The Birth, Baby! Academy Equity Scholarship was created to help make comprehensive birth doula education more accessible to aspiring doulas who may not otherwise be able to afford the full cost of training.

Scholarships are awarded from our available scholarship fund and may cover a portion or, in some circumstances, all of the cost of Birth, Baby! Academy Birth Doula Training. Award amounts vary based on individual need, available scholarship funds, and the number of applicants we're able to support.

You do not need to prove financial hardship by submitting tax returns, bank statements, or other financial records. Our application gives you the opportunity to tell us about yourself, why you're drawn to birth work, the communities you hope to serve, and how scholarship assistance would make training more accessible to you.

Scholarship funding is limited, and submitting an application does not guarantee an award.

Apply for the Birth, Baby! Academy Equity Scholarship

Want to Help Train the Next Generation of Doulas? 

Contributions to the Birth, Baby! Academy Equity Scholarship Fund help make comprehensive birth doula education more accessible to aspiring doulas who may otherwise be unable to afford training. Every contribution goes toward scholarship awards for future Birth, Baby! Academy students. 

Contribute to the Scholarship Fund