Welcome!
We are so excited to welcome you to Birthing from Within's training: Birth as a Heroic Journey!
Here are some important details for you regarding the course:
This course is designed to be self-paced. The content in each module builds off of the previous module. If you are already working with clients, you may find that it's helpful to look ahead to find specific information or processes that aligns with the work you are already doing with them. The Fact Gathering Basket contains information that you will probably want or need to reference throughout the course. Take a look around and complete the Home Practices as you move through the course.
There are instructor-led curriculum calls for every module of the training each month, as well as a childbirth educator call, to dive into the specific skills involved in that pathway. The calls alternate monthly between morning and evening times (Pacific Standard Time) to accommodate a variety of schedules and time zones. Live calls are not recorded, but every month there is a call for each module, so if you miss a call, you can join the following month. Module calls are mostly focused on the course curriculum, while Pathway calls are designed with more spaciousness so participants can ask questions, troubleshoot, practice, review case studies, share reflections, and embody processes. Attendance to at least one call per module is an integral part of the learning experience and is required for certification. Pathway calls are optional but will greatly enhance your experience in the course. You can attend as many calls as you’d like during the 18 months you have access to the course.
This course includes private, Module-based online groups, where you can engage with participants and facilitators, ask questions, and post coursework. To access the Community, click here.
It was previously required to purchase or borrow a physical or digital copy of Ancient Map for Modern Birth. This book has become increasingly difficult to locate. For this reason, we are removing it from our required reading list. If you do have a copy of the book, or are able to locate one, we encourage you to follow the suggested reading from the book, located in the Reading Assignment section of each module. If you do not have access to the book, you can continue with the suggested reading from Birthing from Within only.
*Please note that Ancient Map for Modern Birth and Birthing from Within uses cis-normative language - our intention for Birthing from Within is to use inclusive language, and all current and future writing reflects this commitment. The recommended supplies for this course include: a journal/sketchbook, chalk pastels, a smartphone or video recording device.
Your purchase of this course includes attendance in our live embodied retreat, Crossing the Threshold. You can request a voucher Code to register here. Please note that attending a Crossing the Threshold is required for certification. To view the schedule for upcoming Crossing the Threshold retreats, visit our Course Catalog.
One year of membership in Birthing from Within is included with this course. You can access your Member Area in the same dashboard where you access your courses or by going here. Current membership status is required for certification in our programs.
If your goal is to certify as a Childbirth Educator, please be sure to review the Certification module at the end of the course so that you are aware of the certification requirements and process. We offer a free quarterly certification pathway call to ask questions and get more information, if needed. The details to join the call can be found in your Member Calendar.
If you discover that you would also like to pursue birth doula training or certification with us, you may add on the Birth Doula course at any time for an additional fee. Please reach out to us at contact@birthingfromwithin.com to inquire.
From an ethical, moral, and public health perspective, it is critical that all modern birth workers be aware of the dangerous and often fatal injustices that affect birthing people from marginalized and oppressed populations. In an effort to grow that awareness in our Doulas and Childbirth Educators, and to invite them to be part of the change needed to end this injustice, Birthing from Within's certification programs include birth justice study components, including resource lists, readings, video clips, and prompts for personal reflection and growth. We expect that all participants will complete these study components, regardless of their backgrounds or previous experiences/knowledge/study. We understand that these topics can be uncomfortable, and for many of us, that is the point -- exploring and moving through this discomfort is the path to shifting perspectives, recognizing our individual mosaics of privilege, building reflexive inclusivity, and changing our actions. For those who are members of an oppressed population, it is possible that some of these study components may be traumatizing, rather than uncomfortable in a healthy way; please follow your own understanding of your emotional, mental, and physical safety, and do what is right for YOU. Otherwise, we expect that everyone will engage with this work, knowing that we are all always growing and expanding as birth workers, and also as humans -- and that this growth and expansion is necessary for the task of changing birth in our culture.
As with all of our course content, please do not reproduce or share these materials, with the exception of forms/lists specifically marked as being for parents. Thank you for respecting our work.
Much of the material in this training emerges from concepts and methods first developed by Pam England, the founder of Birthing from Within. The documents and videos themselves were created by members of BfW leadership from 2018 to the present: Carrie Kenner, Erika Primozich, Nikki Shaheed, Christine D’Esposito, Koyuki Smith, and Lauren Vallone, with contributions from other members of past and present BfW training teams. The current Editor-in-Chief of Birthing from Within is Koyuki Smith, who oversees the revision of previously composed material and creation of new material.
Module 1 Lesson Plan
