DONA International

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(Redirected from Doulas of North America)

DONA International (formerly Doulas of North America) was founded in 1992 and is the first and largest doula training and certification organization.[1] The current president of the non-profit is Dr. Robin Elise Weiss.[2]

History[edit]

In the 1980s, Dr. Marshall Klaus, Dr. John H. Kennell, Phyllis Klaus, Penny Simkin (1938-2023),[3] and Annie Kennedy first formed a partnership of doulas and medical professionals.[4][5] Klaus (1927-2017),[6] a neonatologist, and Kennell (1922-2013),[7] a pediatrician, gave credibility to doulas Phyllis Klaus, Simkin, and Kennedy[8] by supporting their work through the research of parent-child bonding in the 1960s at Case Western Reserve University.[citation needed]

Doulas Of North America (DONA) was formally founded in 1992 and the organization was the first of its kind to both train and certify the non-medical birth support of doulas and marked the start of professional doulas on a nationwide basis.[4][5] Kennedy (who had originally founded the Pacific Association of Labor Support in 1989 in Seattle, WA with Simkin alongside the doula training at Seattle Midwifery School) become [9] the first president of the organization.[8]

In 2004, the organization re-branded as DONA International.[4]

By 2016, there were 12,000 doulas certified through the organization.[1]

Training and certification[edit]

DONA International offers birth and postpartum doula training and certification.[10] To certify as a doula, an in-person, virtual, or hybrid workshop is mandatory, along with supplementary text reading, lactation training and childbirth education, and clients experience.[11] The workshop is taught by approved trainers who are able to the required coursework which includes emotional support, physical support or comfort measures, communication, interventions, ethics and professional behavior.[12]

Advocacy[edit]

DONA International has numerous advocacy areas:

  • Doula profession promotion and credibility
  • Health disparities and inequities
  • Insurance payment
  • Legislative action [13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "About DONA International". DONA International. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  2. ^ "Leadership and Staff". DONA International. January 1, 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  3. ^ Green, Penelope (2024-04-25). "Penny Simkin, 'Mother of the Doula Movement,' Dies at 85". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  4. ^ a b c "History of DONA International". DONA International. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  5. ^ a b Simonds, Wendy; Rothman, Barbara Katz; Norman, Bari Meltzer (2013-10-23). Laboring On: Birth in Transition in the United States. Routledge. ISBN 9781135939984.
  6. ^ Roberts, Sam (2017-08-25). "Dr. Marshall H. Klaus, Maternity-Ward Reformer, Dies at 90". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
  7. ^ Vitello, Paul (2013-09-21). "John Kennell, Advocate of Infant Bonding, Dies at 91". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  8. ^ a b "DONA International (1992– ) | The Embryo Project Encyclopedia". embryo.asu.edu. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  9. ^ "DONA History: Annie Kennedy". History of DONA International. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Become a Doula". DONA International. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  11. ^ "Become a Birth or Postpartum Doula – Certification". DONA International. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
  12. ^ Gilliland, Amy L. (2016). "What Motivates People to Attend Birth Doula Trainings?". The Journal of Perinatal Education. 25 (3): 174–183. doi:10.1891/1058-1243.25.3.174. ISSN 1058-1243. PMC 6265612. PMID 30538414.
  13. ^ "Advocacy". DONA International. Retrieved 2019-04-09.

External links[edit]

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