DONA International
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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]
- ^ a b "About DONA International". DONA International. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
- ^ "Leadership and Staff". DONA International. January 1, 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c "History of DONA International". DONA International. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "DONA International (1992– ) | The Embryo Project Encyclopedia". embryo.asu.edu. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
- ^ "DONA History: Annie Kennedy". History of DONA International. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
- ^ "Become a Doula". DONA International. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
- ^ "Become a Birth or Postpartum Doula – Certification". DONA International. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Advocacy". DONA International. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
