Whats Different about a DONA Doula?
As a DONA Certified Doula I have specific Standards of Practice and a Code of Ethics I am bound to follow. DONA requires recertification every three years; DONA expects their doulas to keep up-to-date with evidence-based research and to always be looking for opportunities to further our education. DONA has a grievance policy/procedure “to provide a mechanism through which the public and the community of doulas may be protected if there is misconduct on the part of a DONA Certified Doula” (see link for source). Training and certification are not necessary to do doula work, but I felt aligning myself with DONA an important step on my journey as a doula. For more information about DONA, visit www.dona.org. What About My Partner? Some families worry a doula will take the partner’s place; as a birth doula, I can no more take your partner’s place than I can take your practitioner’s place — we have separate roles and there is room for all of us. Doulas do not take the place of partners, inst
