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For many people, the decision to take a doula training doesn’t start with a clear career plan. It begins as a tug in the chest, a late-night thought, or the steady hum of “there has to be a better way” after witnessing birth or parenting up close. The question is… how do you know when that tug means it’s time to step into training?
At bebo mia, we hear this story all the time. Maybe you’ve had your own pregnancy and birth experience that left you heart broken or fired up about advocacy. Maybe you’ve always been the friend people call when they’re overwhelmed, pregnant, or newly postpartum. Or maybe you’re searching for a career path that aligns with your values – something that’s about healing, justice, and community, not just clocking in for a paycheck.
The founder of bebo mia, Bianca Sprague, remembers pacing back and forth around her kitchen with her 5 day old baby, desperate to find something that would quell the rage she felt about her treatment as a new mom as well as make her enough money to leave her partner at the time who was unsafe and checked out. “I was under so much pressure to take care of the baby, process my feelings that were giant, and to become financially independent to be able to make any choices needed for me and my newborn.”
Why a Doula Training Matters
There’s a myth that you can just “show up” as a doula if you have the passion. But research shows training makes a tangible difference. Continuous support from a trained doula leads to shorter labors, fewer interventions, and a 25% decrease in cesarean births (Cochrane Review, 2017). Families also report higher satisfaction with their birth experiences when a doula is present.
As one Hot + Brave podcast guest put it: “You don’t just wing this work, you train so you can hold someone’s hand through the scariest, fiercest moment of their life without making it about you. Unlearning the ego part of doula care is critical and one of my favourite parts of my bebo mia doula training”
Training is what shifts you from a well-meaning support person to a skilled, confident birth worker that knows how to safely and effectively move through medical environments.
Is This the Right Time for You?
Deciding whether to start a doula training isn’t about checking every box on a list of qualifications. It is ok if you don’t know a lot about anatomy or cycle charting or stages of labor or baby care. We can teach you that! Here is what it is about… it’s about pausing long enough to ask yourself some honest questions. Do you feel a pull toward supporting people through birth, postpartum, or even the deep grief of loss? Does something inside you light up at the thought of walking beside families during their most tender, vulnerable moments?
Maybe you feel a steady anger, confusion, or disappointment at how the systems keep failing women, queer folks, and parents. You know what we are talking about, the rushed appointments with providers with their hand on the door knob, the lack of informed consent, the way marginalized families have to work so much harder to protect themselves in the system. That anger needs to go somewhere or it eats you up; it can become fuel. Many doulas start here, turning frustration into advocacy and care that actually centers the people giving birth.
And maybe, too, you’re searching for a way to root your career in justice, community, and healing. For so many students at bebo mia, that was the tipping point – the realization that doula work isn’t just a job, it’s a way to build a more compassionate world while also sustaining themselves and their families.
If you found yourself nodding to even one of these, it may be time to listen to that pull. As Khessia Nabali, one of the core instructors often reminds us: “We need more doulas who will tell it like it is. You’re ready for this work when you can look your own rage, about reproductive rights, in the eyes and you aren’t afraid or ashamed of it. Instead, you package it with love, and you protect people..”
first step to doula
Doula Training in Canada and Ontario
If you’re searching for doula training in Canada or specifically doula training in Ontario, you’re not alone. Demand for doulas here is growing, especially as more families realize that mainstream maternity systems don’t always meet their needs.
According to the Canadian Association of Midwives, almost 30% of birthing people report not feeling respected in their maternity care (CAM, 2021). That’s a huge gap… and doulas are uniquely positioned to close it. In Ontario, many doulas combine their work with advocacy, fighting for everything from hospital access rights to culturally relevant care.
As one Hot + Brave conversation highlighted: “The training didn’t just teach me how to support birth, it gave me language to challenge systems and to do it in a way that keeps families safe in my community. I feel strong and empowered to take action instead of feeling powerless when things I don’t like happen.”
Those of you in other parts of the world, our training has students in 52 countries so you will thrive in the bebo mia full spectrum doula training AKA the Maternal Support Practitioner Training. All of the research we share focuses on different stats for different regions. The conversation is definitely set to a global level.
Doula Training Classes: Finding the Right Fit
There are many different doula training classes out there, and it can feel overwhelming to know where to begin. The truth is, not all programs are created equal. What makes the real difference is finding a training that reflects your values, honors your lived experience, and equips you to support the full spectrum of reproductive journeys. At bebo mia, our Maternal Support Practitioner (MSP) training is intentionally designed to be full-spectrum, covering not only birth and postpartum but also fertility and loss. Families’ lives don’t unfold in tidy, separate boxes… why should your training?
When you’re evaluating programs, look beyond the syllabus. Ask yourself: does this program teach care that is explicitly anti-racist and anti-oppressive, rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach? Will it connect you with a community of peers who can hold you through the tough moments, or is it simply handing you a certificate at the end? And most importantly, does it prepare you for the emotional reality of being a doula — the midnight calls, the sacred grief work, the fierce advocacy — not just the textbook scenarios? Research shows that training programs emphasizing cultural humility and trauma-informed care result in doulas who are better able to serve marginalized populations and improve client satisfaction (Kozhimannil et al., 2016).
As one student reflected last semester: “I signed up thinking I’d get a career. What I got was healing I didn’t know I needed.” That’s the power of choosing the right training, it doesn’t just prepare you to support others, it transforms you along the way.
Fun fact: bebo mia is the first and only doula training to offer free therapy to all their doula students and alumni!
The Business Side of Doula Work
Let’s get real, passion doesn’t pay the bills most of the time. But trained doulas are proving this can be a sustainable career. Historically, many doulas were paid around $300 per birth. Now, with professionalized training and business tools, doulas in North America are charging anywhere from $800–$1,500 per birth, with postpartum doulas earning $25–$50 per hour (TIME Magazine).
And the need is massive. In Canada, over 385,000 babies are born each year (Statistics Canada, 2023). Even if a fraction of families hire doulas, there’s room for thousands more practitioners.
“People love to say doula work is just a calling. It was treated as a hobby or duty, like so much care work women and queer folks do. I want to see that continue to change. It’s a skilled, and very necessary, profession. And when you train with the right people, you learn how to make it sustainable,” says Bianca.
If you want to know more about how much doulas make, check out this blog here.
The Healing Impact
One of the least talked about parts of birth doula training is how it changes you. Students consistently tell us their training reshaped how they see birth, parenting, and even their own past experiences.
The World Health Organization emphasizes that respectful maternity care is a human right (WHO, 2018). When you train as a doula, you’re not just learning skills, you’re joining a global movement for dignity in birth and beyond.
So, Is It Time to Start Your Doula Training?
Only you can know if taking a doula training is the right next step for you. But if you feel that pull, if you’re tired of watching systems fail families, if you want to root your work in both rage and love, this path might just be calling you.
There are families that need your support and we are ready to get you there!
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BLISS IN BUSINESS RETREAT
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