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I posted this in another thread but thought I would give it it's own. Just to see if I get some answers this way.
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Ok I am now seriously considering doing an online doula course. I would love to do one with workshops and the sort but in reality that isnt going to work for me, atleast not yet.
Both CBI and Optimum Birth offer online courses. Has anyone done them and can you tell me how they were?
They both have a payment plan which suits me as that is what I need too.
I'm starting the Optimum birth course this week Trish....from what I can gather they are both great courses
Are you doing it online Jess ??
Anyone else ???
yep I can only do it online because of my location and of course the children problem.
I have been looking at this too Trish. Will be watching this space.
Fiona, don't watch it too closely. Doesn't seem like anyone other than Jess wants to respond to it :)
lol well maybe we can discuss the pros & cons of each once I get a chance to really research both.
Trish, I have nearly completed the Optimum Birth Course online and have all of my training births booked in! I have 2 VBACs and 1 1st time mum booked in, and I can't wait to attend my first birth as a Doula.
I am loving it and have found them really informative and easy to follow ie exams etc.
Let me know if there is anything else I can help you with or answer for you!
Goodluck if you go ahead with it!
Thanks for that Relle. I was worried about where I would find my births. Do they help you find them or do you have to find the clients yourself, and is it only at a certain time in your training you can do them. Say if you found your first birth quite early in the course could you attend that and would it be classed as one of your births done. IYKWIM.
Fiona, sounds like a plan to me. I have been leaning towards CBI to be honest. Not really sure why though. LOL.
Trish, they don't actually help you find your births, but to be honest I have had no problem whatsoever getting my training births! I have had to refer and refuse several! I am more worried about getting them when I am asking people to pay! lol
There is no actual timeframe placed on you in realtion to when you do them. I started the course in Feb and my births are in May and September so far ( ummm having a baby somewhere in between that myself! heheeh) Pity you are not in Melbourne otherwise I could have been a training birth for you if I didn't already have my Doula lined up!
Yes the sooner you have the births lined up, the sooner you can record them, the only problem I would see would be fitting all of your pre natal visits in. I have finishe majority of the actual modules in about 3 weeks, and knowing you have 4 bubbas and loads of experience you will fly through the actual theory!
Optimum Birth also do a webpage for you as soon as you complete the 2nd module and they put you on the Doula register as a trainee Doula.
HTH!
Thanks heaps for that Relle.
There does seem to be much more available in Victoria for Doula's too than there would apprear to be in Sydney. Or maybe it's just not the well promoted here.
Do you get much support from the people from Optimum Birth or is it just pay for your modules and go about it on your own ?? CBI has scheduled online chats and you can contact people at any time for assistance. Do you recieve any paperwork for your course or is it all online ? What about reading and research materials ?? Are these required at all ? Oh one last thing, can you do more courses through them when you are finished your Doula course ? CBI has Childbirth Educator courses and has some other courses coming up this year.
Sorry for the brain picking. I really hope you don't mind.
Trish, Doula-ing is certainly gaining momentum down here, but I am still concerned about getting clients when they are paying, but I am sure that as more people benefit from having trainee Doulas, that word is spreading about the positives to having a Doula. The 3 women I have lined up for my training births, are really really enthausiastic about having a Doula, so hopefully with all going well, I will start to get business from word of mouth.
With Optimum Birth, I just found out it used to be twice the price, but you got your modules in hard copy along with a few other resources. It is alot cheaper now, so I have gone about buying other resources ie books, fitball, aromatherapy, DVDs to lend to my clients. I sort of prefer this, cause youc an customise your own resources, and what YOU think is applicable.
They do supply you with computer files for the paperwork to give to your client, and for you till fill out as your records, and I have just customised this to my own style.
With online forums, there aren't that I am aware of, but I have only been doing it for about 6-8 weeks, and I have just got my first invite to a monthly tutorial and then Doula network meeting, so I am really looking forward to that. I have also meet up with another girl at about the same place in her training and we have really hit it off, so we are going to back up for each other and refer to each other when the other can't take a birth for whatever reason.
With other courses, I am not aware ( will do more research) but I have already started looking into the Dip or Childbirth Education, which I think may be through Childbirth International. I will go and have a look, and come back! heheh
By the way, I don't mind at all - I will be picking your brain when I get closer to birthing bubs I am sure! lol
ETA: Trish is it the American site Childbirthinternational that you are looking at the childbirth educator course? How does that translate to Australian qualifications?
Relle, on the CBI site there is a course comparison section where you can compare CBI, Optimum Birth and Birth Central courses.
Not sure how the CBI birth educator does translate. I'm sure it would be the same though as there is an Australian part of the site. Have you had a look around the site at all ?
I was worried abit about the business side of the course though as it is primarily American based too. Not sure how that would work out.
Fantastic that you have been invited to a network meeting and tutorial. See, there the things I need to know about, I don't know if CBI does those either, or workshops, and if so do they do them in Sydney. It seems that alot of the meetings and workshops are based in either Vic or QLD. I do have a copy of HAS here. Which is Homebirth Access Sydney. Once starting my course I will be joining them as they have free advertising in the directories for Doula's, IM's and the like. I think if you can find a great IM and get under their wing you will be great for Homebirths which is what I am really passionate about.
This year they are also planning on doing a Diploma of Childbirth Education Advanced training, Lactation Counselor, and Postpartum Doula courses for 2007.
Your quite welcome to pick my brain anytime, not sure how much you'l get out of there though ;) Besides hun, you've already birthed 2 babies, the next one will be a breeze, I'm sure :)
Feel free to add me to your msn is you have it and hopefully we can chat more there.
Trish I have just added you onto my MSN so we can chat more there.
I will definately have a look around that site. The Dip of childbirth education looks alot quicker on there - ohhhh another thing to get excited about it! lol
I think I will need to contact them to find out how I can go about Childbirth Educator classes. I will also look into Optimum Birth a bit more about further training!
Thats fantastic Relle.
Am up and down at the moment trying to sort out hte kids. Might have to go to Joels school soon, not sure yet. Mother guilt is calling me there.
Will certainly chat shortly though. Hope you can find out some more info your yourself, then that's more for me to pick ;)
Hi guys :)
I'm trying to decide between OB and CBI at the moment as well.
I'm pretty much ready to start but still unsure who to go with though I'm leaning towards CBI like you Trish.
I've seen sample modules from both courses and the CBI course looks to have much more "meat" to it. It just looks more in-depth. But I keep hearing good things about Optimum Birth as well. I guess what has put me off a bit was that I emailed them last year with some fairly in depth questions and it took them two weeks to send me a "form response" email and then another two weeks to actually get back to me with the answers. It made me feel a bit uneasy about whether the support would be there once you handed over the $$? I dunno just a feeling I had.
I was also a bit concerned about the American slant on the business modules in the CBI course - I was thinking a work around might be to just do the business module of the OB course after completing the other course.
I'm also interested in the lactation consultant course as well since I'd like to offer post-partum support.
Anyway now this thread has been bumped I'll keep checking in :)
Hi Flea,
I am actually thinking that now I have done the OB Doula course, I will complete the full Childbirth Educator through CBI and then I have covered all of my bases iykwim!
I wonder if you can use your training births for both courses at the same time????