Doula Training
Doula Scope of Practice
Mama Bamba Doula Training Vision
Bringing compassion, love & depth back to birth.
Our Doula Training Mission
Providing wholehearted professional training to doulas, from all walks of life, to love and support birthing mothers.
Our Statement of Values
Mama Bamba doulas hold a strong, still space for their clients in labour. Mama Bamba Doulas strive to stand in their integrity and authenticity at all times whilst maintaining compassionate awareness for every individual in the birth space. Mama Bamba doulas recognize that true power is not competitive. This enables them to advocate effectively for their clients without losing integrity or creating conflict in the birth room. They create a trusting environment to assist clients to be free of fear and tension. This allows the babies to retain their innate wisdom and to birth with unconditional love.
Our Standards of Practice
I. Scope
a) Services provided. The doula provides emotional and physical support and guidance for women and their partners in labour. The doula creates a sacred birthing space that is trustworthy and dependable. The doula provides pre- and post-partum emotional support. The doula provides assistance to the client in making informed decisions about her care throughout the perinatal period. The advocacy role is best described as support, information, and mediation or negotiation.
b) Limits to Practice. Mama Bamba Doula’s do not perform clinical or medical tasks, diagnose or treat their clients. The Doula does not speak on behalf of or make decisions for the client.
b) Referrals. For client needs beyond the scope of the doula’s training, referrals are made to appropriate resources.
II. Provision of Care
a) The doula ensures that in the event of not being able to fulfill planned services the doula will provide back-up arrangements with another doula to ensure services to the client. If the doula feels unable to provide competent, compassionate care to an established client, it is the doula’s responsibility to notify the client and refer the client to an appropriate replacement.
III. Certification
a) Training. Attending a 10 day Mama Bamba Training Workshop. Attending a lactation workshop with an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. Doulas who are certified by Mama Bamba will have completed all the requirements as set forth in the Mama Bamba Requirements for Birth.
b) Membership. To maintain certification Mama Bamba doulas are required to pay an annual membership fee.
IV Code of Ethics
I. Conduct
a) Appropriate behavior. The doula will display professional conduct at all times when working as a doula.
b) Competence and Professional Development. The doula should become and remain proficient in the professional practice through continuing education, and associations with other birth doulas.
c) Integrity. The doula should maintain the highest standards of professional integrity.
II. Responsibility to Clients
a) The doula’s primary responsibility is to the clients. The doula promotes empowerment in the clients. The confidentiality and privacy of the client is non-negotiable. The doula honours all commitments made to the client.
b) Fees, services provided, terms of payment and refund policies must be clearly stated to the client.
III. Ethical Responsibility to Colleagues
a) The doula should treat colleagues and clients of colleagues with professionalism, respect, courtesy, fairness and good faith.
b) The Doula should always be aware of her own professional conduct online on any of the social media platforms which include but are not restricted to, Facebook, Whatsapp, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter. The Doula should always try to not cause disrepute to the training organization, or the Doula industry. The Doula should familiarized herself with the country and ethical laws governing defamation, hate speech, plagiarism and copyright. The Doula should also refrain from using names of people, institutions or organizations without their consent.
IV. Ethical Responsibility to the Birth Doula Profession
a) The doula should uphold and advance the values, ethics, knowledge, integrity and mission of the profession.
b) Community Service. The doula is encouraged to give back to the community and to foster love and sacredness in the birthing world.
c) The doula honours and respects the client’s caregivers. Behaving outside of the doula scope of practice brings the doula profession into disrepute.