sponsor me for my Bereavement doula certification

Why do I want to become a bereavement doula?

According to the course description, the Bereavement Doula training provided by StillBirthday, will prepare me "to offer pregnancy, birth, and postpartum support to mothers giving birth at any point in pregnancy, including fatal diagnosis, miscarriage, stillbirth, and “rainbow/subsequent” pregnancies. [I] will learn how to provide non-clinical, appropriate emotional and physical support as a professional SBD doula."

Personally, i have experienced loss in the form of miscarriages, and i have also supported family and friends with many types of loss, including miscarriage and stillbirth. As a doula, i believe it to be beneficial to women and their families if i was trained also in bereavement to go with my birth and postpartum doula training.

The following is more information on the purpose and need for bereavement doulas from StillBirthday.

-An excited mother meets with her prenatal provider to have her mid-pregnancy ultrasound and determine the gender of her baby. She leaves, totally devastated, as she learns her baby has a condition that isn’t compatible with life outside of the womb.

-A mother experiences heavy bleeding accompanied by heavy cramping. She’s only known she’s been pregnant for a couple of weeks; she hasn’t even seen her provider yet.

-A mother goes into unstoppable labor halfway through her pregnancy.

-A mother labors at 39 weeks, after a totally uneventful pregnancy, anticipating the birth of her live baby, when something tragic suddenly happens in the course of her labor.

What do each of these mothers have in common?

Many things. They are all mothers. They all anticipated giving birth to live children, and their dreams came to a shattering, abrupt, crushing halt.

What is a doula?

Doula is a Greek word, which dates back to biblical usage. According to the New Testament usage, it meant someone who was willing to provide service to someone in need, so that the person in need would learn about Jesus’ sacrifical love.

What do I plan to do with this training?

With this training, I will be prepared to provide one-on-one support to other women experiencing any form of loss. And I know that with this training, I won't be able to take the pain or situation away, but I can at the very least, make that woman know that she is loved and is not alone. I also believe that this training will be of benefit to all women who may hire me as their doula, and that it will be of great value to my ability to support women in all forms of outcome.

Where will donations I receive go?

All funds raised will go towards the actual training, Pregnancy Loss Doula Handbook, which you can read more about here , the required readings during the training, Companioning at a Time of Perinatal Loss: A Guide for Nurses, Physicians, Social Workers and Chaplains in the Hospital Setting and any additional required reading for the training (I have a choice of several books listed here).