Course Selected!

3 June 2008
I have finally chosen a doula training course. I know that ultimately the best learning will come from doing, and there is a lot about serving birthing women that you can't teach - much like there's a lot about loving someone that you can't teach, it comes from the heart. But I still wanted to do a course to enrich my journey and boost my confidence. I would feel a little lost launching into birth serving without some sort of introduction to it from wise and experienced women.

I had a hard time selecting one course. For a long time I told myself I had to do a correspondence course because of my young daughter, and I had selected childbirth international. But then I had a look at a couple of in real life courses around Melbourne and found two that really jumped out at me. I was particularly drawn to one, but was concerned because it is a long way from home, it was pricey, and would I be able to do a course in the flesh and keep my baby with me while I do so?

Saturday night I dreamt about this course, one of those dreams that goes on a loop and even after waking once I fell back asleep the loop would begin again. This was the course calling me, so I emailed one of the women who organise it to find out more and got a reply that made my heart sing. I can take my daughter with me and they have a payment plan which will make it only cost us $85 a month. The only practicality to deter me is how far it is from home, but given how much I want this course to be a part of my journey I have decided I will find a way to get there.

The course I have chosen is run by The International College of Spiritual Midwifery. Interestingly enough when I first decided I wanted to be a birth servant (while working on my Phd, pre-trying to conceive) I didn't consider ICSM even though I had heard about them. It all sounded a bit too alternative to me. Two years, a pregnancy, a birth and a lot of growth later, and this is the course my heart is set on!

I'm also excited because some friends have told me that quite a few doula training courses emphasise how to be a good girl when communicating with hospital staff, and this course doesn't look like that at all. It appears to be primarily focused on developing your ability to be with-woman and honouring all the non-physical aspects of women's birthing journeys. I'm salivating just at the thought!

Here's what the course has to offer:

Doula Training Curriculum:

• Women's Mysteries 5 day retreat
• Doula Training Days
• Spiritual Midwifery Level I
• Childbirth Preparation Classes - Attending Childbirth Preparation Classes strengthens your knowledge and understanding of the birth process and gives confidence and insight into how to be with people from diverse backgrounds and how to communicate with them. It also gives you an opportunity to present yourself as a Doula to expectant couples.
• Rebirthing sessions - During your Doula training you will experience at least 5 sessions with a qualified practitioner.
• Body transformation sessions - During your Doula training you will experience at least 10 sessions with a qualified practitioner.
• Bellies and Babies Sessions - attendance at 4 sessions
• Attendance at 3 births - includes two pre and two post natal visits, a write up of each visit and the birth itself.
• Required reading list and associated homework.
  

And I've had a look at the homework, quite a lot of it I've already completed!

It begins in July.