Lisa - Yeah i think a birth attendent is the same as a Doula. They do the same thing anyway. I'm going to be doing a course via correspondence. It's located in Sydney and i'm in Newcastle, so it was the only way. It goes for 20 weeks and they send out books and work for you to do and you send your 'homework' back to them. In that 20 weeks you also have to attend 3 births as a trainee birth attendent(which is free for the couple that hire you) I have to find these people myself, which shouldn't be too hard with BB available! I have to write an account of these 3 births and also of the labour and birth of one of my own children and send it to them.