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Sunday Tortelli is Ohio’s premier doula trainer! She has trained well over a thousand birth doulas in Ohio and surrounding states since 1997. Her workshops have a reputation for being a warm and welcoming space where we explore the intricacies of birth work. Filled with evidence-based information, hands-on practice, group engagement, lively discussion, enthusiasm, compassion, humor, and lots of storytelling, participants leave with a sense of purpose and an appreciation for their own doula heart.

Why is DONA International the “gold standard” in doula training and certification? Because DONA was founded by leaders in the field of birth, postpartum, physiology, psychology, public health and parenting, and those leaders conducted the original research into the value of having a supportive companion in the birth room, solely to care for the birthing person. And DONA International continues to lead the world in the number of certified and member doulas and by being a non-profit organization with the mission to promote high quality birth and postpartum support by setting the standard for the doula profession through evidence-based training and certification for doulas of diverse backgrounds.

Upcoming Workshop Schedule

The following workshop is offered as a live virtual online format:

• January 11 and 12, 2025 - Saturday and Sunday - two-day birth doula workshop

  • January 10, 2025 - Friday - one-day introduction to childbirth for doulas course

  • January 9, 2025 - Thursday - three-hour introduction to lactation for doulas course

    Register to attend in the online store.

The following workshop is offered as an in-person format:

• March 29 and 30, 2025 - Saturday and Sunday - two-day birth doula workshop

  • March 28, 2025 - Friday - one-day introduction to childbirth for doulas course

  • March 28, 2025 - Friday - three-hour evening introduction to lactation for doulas course

Register to attend in the online store.

The following workshop is offered as an in-person format:

• September 27 and 28, 2025 - Saturday and Sunday - two-day birth doula workshop

  • September 26, 2025 - Friday - one-day introduction to childbirth for doulas course

  • September 26, 2025 - Friday - three-hour evening introduction to lactation for doulas course

Register to attend in the online store.

What the birth doula workshop and prerequisite courses cover

• Introduction to Childbirth for Doulas Prerequisite Course (one day)

  • The third trimester of pregnancy, fetal development, common tests and procedures

  • Evidence-based practice

  • The stages and phases of normal labor and birth

  • Labor coping techniques

  • Variations in labors

  • Cesarean section

  • The newborn’s first hour

• Introduction to Lactation for Doulas Prerequisite Course (three hours)

  • The benefits of human milk and lactation

  • Anatomy and physiology

  • The infant’s contribution — readiness and reflexes

  • Nursing positions and latch

  • Early nursing challenges

• DONA Approved Birth Doula Training Workshop (two days)

  • The significance of birth to birthing people and their families

  • The role of the birth doula with the client and family before, during and after the birth

  • Beliefs, value systems, cultural influences, racism, intersectionality, gender inclusivity, and implicit bias

  • The benefits of continuous support by a birth doula on obstetrical and psychological outcomes, based on the research

  • The emotional and physical needs of birthing people and their partners

  • Trauma-informed care practices

  • Comfort measures and optimal birth positions

  • How to know if the client is or is not coping well

  • The birth doula’s role when the client has an epidural

  • The birth doula’s role when the client has a cesarean

  • The DONA International Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics

  • The process for DONA International certification

  • An introduction to business basics

• Please note: a certificate of attendance for each course can only be issued to those who complete the course in its entirety.

  Register to attend in the online store.

Investment

• Two-day birth doula workshop

  • $500

• One-day introduction to childbirth for doulas course (optional prerequisite course)

  • $100

• Three-hour introduction to lactation for doulas course (optional prerequisite course)

  • $50

• Registration closes two (2) weeks in advance of the workshop date or once the workshop fills, so register early to reserve your spot!

• Scholarships: Maternal and infant mortality is disproportionately high in Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities. Increased access to doula care has been shown to improve birth outcomes. The Doula Experience is committed to awarding one (1) partial scholarship for each workshop, in the amount of a 50 percent fee reduction, to a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) participant who:

  • can demonstrate how they will be able to address racial and/or social justice in their work as a doula

  • has the greatest need for financial assistance in order to pursue a doula career

  • can outline how they intend to pay it forward in a tangible way to their BIPOC community

  • is committed to completing the DONA International certification process, which incurs additional costs

    • Please submit the Scholarship Application linked below no later than two (2) months prior to a scheduled workshop.

      • Please do not submit an application unless you are certain you will attend if awarded the partial scholarship, so that you do not deny someone else the opportunity.

      • Please do not pay the discounted registration fee unless you are notified that you are a scholarship recipient.

    • The recipients of the scholarship will be notified no later than six (6) weeks prior to the workshop date.

    • The January 2025 BIPOC scholarship has already been awarded!

Cancellation Policy

Cancellation requests must be received at least three (3) weeks in advance of the first day of a scheduled workshop to receive a refund minus a $100 processing fee. No refunds will be issued after that time. A registration may be transferred in advance once (1x) to a future workshop within one (1) calendar year for a $200 processing fee, as long as that workshop is not filled to capacity. Last-minute no-shows are not eligible for a transfer. If The Doula Experience must cancel a workshop, you will receive a full refund.

Register to Attend in the Online Store

Preparing to Attend

Prior to attendance, it is your responsibility to

• Read the DONA International Birth and Postpartum Position Papers

• Read “The Birth Partner: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Partners, Doulas, and Other Labor Companions,” 5th edition by Penny Simkin and Katie Rohs

• View several short online videos that will be assigned upon workshop email confirmation, which provide foundational context for issues discussed during the workshop.

• Come to the birth doula workshop with a basic understanding of late pregnancy issues, typical medical interventions, the labor and birth process, the immediate postpartum period, initiation of lactation, and common postpartum circumstances. Your required reading delves into these topics, and they are covered in the optional prerequisite courses.

  • If you do not have professional experience as a midwife, labor nurse, childbirth educator or midwifery student, the DONA International certification process requires that you either attend the Introduction to Childbirth for Doulas course offered in conjunction with the workshop or observe a full childbirth preparation series in your community that is a minimum of eight hours and covers required topics.

  • If you do not have professional experience as a lactation counselor, lactation educator, lactation consultant, breastfeeding peer counselor or La Leche League leader, the DONA International certification process requires that you either attend the Introduction to Lactation for Doulas prerequisite course offered in conjunction with the workshop, observe a lactation course for professionals, or complete the DONA Lactation Basics for Doulas online course.

Additional details

• Live Virtual Online Workshop schedule

  • Thursday (or Monday) evening — Introduction to Lactation for Doulas — 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. (check the scheduled workshop date above)

  • Friday — Introduction to Childbirth for Doulas — 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

  • Saturday — Birth Doula Workshop (day one) — 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

  • Sunday — Birth Doula Workshop (day two) 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

• In-Person Workshop schedule:

  • Friday — Introduction to Childbirth for Doulas — 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

  • Friday — Introduction to Lactation for Doulas — 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. (or offered virtually — check the scheduled workshop date above)

  • Saturday — Birth Doula Workshop (day one) — 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

  • Sunday — Birth Doula Workshop (day two) — 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

• Location for In-Person Workshops

  • Cleveland, Ohio area workshops are either held at Southwest General Health Center Main Campus in Middleburg Heights or Comfort Suites in Brunswick.

  • This workshop is available for scheduling at locations outside of Northeast Ohio. Inquire about availability.

• Virtual workshop attendees are expected to attend in an interruption-free environment, as though they were attending in person, and one in which they can focus their full attention on participating in the workshop.

• Nursing infants-in-arms up to four (4) months of age who are non-mobile and easily soothed are welcome to attend the in-person workshop with their parent. As an alternative, caregivers may bring a nursing baby to be fed periodically. Parents with babies are expected to be considerate of the learning experience of other participants.

  • Parents may also pump whenever they need to during the workshop.

  • Virtual workshop attendees can have a nursing baby brought to them periodically.

• Packaged prepared light snacks and water are provided each day during in-person workshops. Lunch and dinner are on your own.

• Participants must be present for the entirety of the workshop and either or both of the optional prerequisite courses they register to attend in order to receive a certificate of attendance.

• Attendance at the intensive two-day birth doula workshop constitutes one step in the process of DONA birth doula certification, as do either or both of the optional prerequisite courses you choose to attend.

• Workshop attendees are presented with a certificate of attendance that verifies their eligibility to apply for certification through DONA International upon completion of the remaining certification requirements. The birth doula workshop alone does not constitute certification as a birth doula.

Ongoing Support

As a participant in The Doula Experience birth doula training workshop, you will receive ongoing support and mentoring from Sunday Tortelli as you begin your new career and work toward DONA International certification. You will be invited to join a closed Facebook group to engage with others from your workshop and those in recent past workshops, and to learn of potential client opportunities. DONA International offers DONA Connect, a communication forum exclusively for DONA members. Sunday is always available via a closed Facebook group exclusively for workshop participants, by email or by phone and looks forward to answering your questions, encouraging you, and helping you process your doula experiences.