How to become a Doula in the UK
Our new self-paced Doula training is coming soon, FEDANT accredited, with 1:1 mentor support and a community that lasts beyond your course. Join the waitlist for early access and £200 off.
The Online Birth & Postnatal Birth Doula Pathway (launching Sept 24th!)
Doula work sits right at the heart of one of the most important transitions in people’s lives, supporting families through the beautiful, overwhelming, transformative journey of pregnancy, birth and the early days of parenthood.
We’re currently building our Online Birth + Postnatal Doula Pathway a self-paced training experience with real, human support all the way through. We know it can be a barrier for some who are desperate to start supporting families to find the time to take 4 days away, plus the extra expense of travel and hotels on top of their training investment, which is why we offer this fantastic pathway.
Want first access (and £200 off)? We’ll email you a £200 waitlist-only discount code the moment doors open on the 24th September!
You bring the heart, we hone the skills
You bring the heart, we hone the skills
You bring the heart, we hone the skills
You bring the heart, we hone the skills
What do you need to be a Doula?
Maybe you've been reading about doula work thinking, "This sounds incredible, but I'm not sure I'm the doula type." Maybe you're not particularly "earth mother." Maybe you're not anti-hospital. Maybe you're quite practical and straightforward rather than deeply spiritual.
If any of this resonates, I need you to know something important: you're exactly the kind of person who could be an absolutely brilliant doula. Because what matters is honestly very simple!
You have probably already been doing this in some way for years without realising it. You might be the person friends call when they need someone to really listen. The one who asks questions, advocates, notices when someone needs support and steps in with calm and care. Who just sometimes shows up without being asked.
Doula work is heart-led work, but it is also skilled work. With the right training, guidance and community around you, that instinct to care and advocate can grow into something incredibly powerful, for you and the families you support.
One thing does help though… being completely obsessed with birth and all it brings.
You might be exactly who we built this for if…
You want to support pregnant people and new families in a way that feels respectful, calm, and genuinely helpful
You care about advocacy, consent, and choice, whatever kind of birth someone has
You want training that's inclusive and evidence based, not fear based or one size fits all
You want to learn from practising doulas and birth professionals who are doing this work day to day
You don't just want information, you want to feel confident supporting families in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum
You want to be part of an ongoing community, with support as you find your feet
This isn’t for everyone - and that’s okay
This training isn't for you if you want a single "right way" to doula and aren't open to families whose choices look different from yours. It's not for you if you're after a quick certificate with no depth, mentoring, or community behind it. And it's not for you if birth rights, consent, inclusion, and cultural safety aren't things you want as part of your foundation.
Want to know more about life as a doula?
If this all resonates with you and you want more information about what life as a Doula can actually look like including earning potential, first steps and how to begin download our brochure below.
Can you really earn a living as a Doula?
Yes. You absolutely can!
Many doulas build thriving, sustainable businesses supporting families through pregnancy, birth and the early days with their baby. In many parts of the UK, birth doulas charge anywhere between £1,500 and £5,000 per family, depending on location and the support they offer.
Like any self-employed path, it doesn't happen by accident. The biggest investment isn't money, it's time and intention. The doulas who build successful practices treat it like a real business from the start: showing up, connecting with families, and talking about their work, even when it feels outside their comfort zone.
That's exactly where we come in. Alongside learning how to be an excellent doula, we guide you through finding clients, setting your fees, and building a practice that's sustainable for your life. Every one of our mentors runs their own successful doula business, supporting clients day in, day out.
The important bits
FEDANT Accredited
Our Doula Training and Antenatal Diploma are accredited by FEDANT, the UK's regulatory body for antenatal educators and doulas, so you can join the national register and access lower insurance rates once you're practising.
Everyone is welcome
We are a safe space for all cultures, genders, identities and neurodivergent minds - and we’re Queer Box trained.
Throughout our training we explore cultural awareness, systemic bias and inclusive language, respectful of every community, identity and family structure.
Created with passion and experience
Our Doula training has been created by experienced, passionate Doulas and UK birth activists who care deeply about doing this work well and supporting you to do it your way.
From the very beginning, we built this course around the belief that Doula work changes lives and that you should never feel like you have to do it alone. This is expert, nurturing online Doula training with close live, mentor support.
What our Doula pathway will include
Instant accessWhen doors open you can start straight away: You can dive into the training in your own time, no waiting for a cohort! You start when you are ready. This is a mix of self paced study, project work and discussions with your mentor, and other Doulas in training.
Weekly mentoringA place to check in, ask us questions and get support when you need it, and we all need it!
A 1:1 mentor in your cornerReal guidance from a practising doula who’ll help you find your feet and shape your own way of doing this work - we are very focussed on your finding your own voice as a Doula.
Live workshopsLearn together, talk things through, and feel part of something, not just you and your laptop! And there’s real-life meet-ups if you want them.
Business and marketing support We don’t tell you to just manifest your birth business! We give you tried and tested marketing advice and strategy. Clients, fees, boundaries, confidence, sustainability, so you don’t qualify and then freeze, we are SO passionate about this!
The Perinatal Collective (12 months included)Ongoing community, mentoring and training so you’re supported way beyond your course ending
You’re supported personally as you study online
This isn't a self-study course where you're left to figure it out alone. Alongside instant access to the full training, you'll be supported by an experienced Doula Guide with regular check-ins and mentorship throughout, comprehensive, considered training that takes you from foundational understanding through to the practical realities of supporting families and building a sustainable practice, without the need to travel or be away from home.
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Your journey starts with the wider landscape of birth.
Before we even step into “how to be a Doula,” we ground you in understanding birth itself, the systems around it, the history that shapes it, and the realities families are navigating.
You’ll begin with foundation study covering:
Physiology of Birth
The Birth Environment
History of Medicine in Birth
The Medicalisation of Birth
Caesarean Birth
Freebirth
Birth Trauma and so much more!
This part of the training builds your depth. You move through this work at your own pace, but you’re not doing it alone your mentor is alongside you from the very beginning.
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Once your foundation is laid, you move into the heart of your Doula training!
Doula Beginnings
Understanding the role, the responsibility, and your own values and presence as a doula.Being with Families in Birth
Learning how to support families before and during labour, how to hold space, and how to navigate the realities of modern maternity care.Being with Families Postpartum
Supporting families through the often under-held postpartum period, including emotional support, feeding, recovery, and early parenthood.Nurturing Families
Looking at care, continuity, emotional holding, and what families truly need beyond information.Doula Practicalities
Boundaries, client agreements, ways of working, and the structures that support sustainable practice.Birthing Your Doula Business
A step-by-step guide to building your doula work in a way that feels ethical, realistic, and aligned with your life.These modules are where we focus on the relational, emotional, and practical work of supporting families and where you begin shaping your own voice and practice.
Throughout every module, you’ll have guided mentor check-ins and reflective work to complete alongside your learning.
You’ll be encouraged to think about how you want to practise, what kind of Doula you want to be, how you hold families, where your strengths are, and where you’re still building confidence.
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Our online learning is not isolating, we make sure of this! You’ll be paired with one of our experienced Doula guides who will walk alongside you throughout your journey.
You’ll have
Weekly groups check-ins
Structured 1-2-1 Sessions with your Doula mentor as you move through the course
Space to ask questions as they arise in real time
Reflective conversations about your learning and unlearning!
And loads of encouragement
This is amazing as it means when you have a question when watching you can ask us in real time and get a response. You are part of our Doula fam as soon as you sign up, and are given loads of support immediately
We want you to feel excited, positive, capable, and confident not rushed, overwhelmed, or pressured.
We absolutely love mentoring our Doulas!
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Once you’re grounded in your Doula role, we guide you through the practical steps of actually birthing your support into your community.
The Doulas we see being successful are the ones who treat this as it should be treated, a real genuine business and respected in that way.Because being an incredible Doula is one thing but knowing how to run a sustainable, visible, and financially viable business matters!
You’ll be taken through a step-by-step process covering:
Getting started
Finding clients
Visibility & marketing
Pricing your work
Creating offers
Building a sustainable business model
Every single one of our mentors is running their own Doula business, plus we work with amazing partners like The Business of Babies to ensure you are always up to date with what’s needed to keep you ranking high on Google and seen in your community.
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Your support doesn’t end when you finish the course. This is where you continue being held as you begin working with families in the real world.
An instant access Birth your Business CourseCore live workshops (various dates)
Cultural Safety (Mars Lord)
Birth Rights, Consent & Advocacy (Emma Ashworth)
Supporting All Families - Inclusivity Training
12 months min membership to The Perinatal Collective
Ongoing mentoring, business and marketing support, monthly workshops, trainer Q&As, live interviews, and access to the core training team.
Options to meet up with your fellow Doulas and birth workers at our TPA Family gatherings!It’s a space to keep learning, keep growing, and keep being supported as your Doula career unfolds.
What you’ll leave with
You'll leave with knowledge, of course - you'll understand birth more deeply, know how to support families practically and emotionally, and feel clearer on your role, your boundaries, and how you want to show up in this work. You'll also have the foundations in place to start building your doula business in a way that feels sustainable and realistic.
This work changes something in you as much as it changes things for the families you'll support.
Book a discovery call to see what this could look like for you.
From the people who’ve trained with us already
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A doula provides continuous emotional, physical, and informational support to birthing people and their families, basically, you're their advocate and support person throughout their experience!
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Our Online Doula Training with mentor support costs £1,345 and we offer payment plans spread over 6 months -
Our doula training programs are FEDANT-accredited, FEDANT is the UK's leading regulatory body for birth professionals. We'll guide you through all the insurance and professional registration during your training.
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This is something we're really passionate about! When you train with us you gain your certification and can begin to practise immediately with us alongside you mentoring you for a minimum of 12 months.
Weekly Mentoring: This is ongoing from the moment you sign up. An opportunity to bring anything you need support with, to talk through or just to spend time with other Doulas
One-to-One Mentoring: This is included in your course fee for either your first birth or postnatal experience as a doula (or even a combined job if that's how it works out).
We give you:
A personal mentor (that you choose)
WhatsApp support throughout your first doula experience
A full hour's debrief session afterwards to help you process everythingGroup Mentoring: Ongoing support through our Doula WhatsApp group for peer support and questions (honestly, this community is amazing)
Weekly online Doula chats where you can ask anything and connect with your peers and access to experienced doulas whenever you need guidanceAdditional Mentoring: If you want more 1-to-1 support beyond that first experience, it starts at £45 per hour for ongoing professional development.
Most of our Doulas find they get what they need without investing more though honestly! -
Our Doula Training is a mix of self paced study, learning and reflection with 1-2-1 support.
We also offer in person meet ups and up to 30 live online workshops a year! -
Training duration varies depending on which pathway you choose, but typically spans 4 months. All our programs include ongoing support, mentoring, and access to our doula community for continuous learning because the learning never stops in this work!
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Absolutely! Our training pathways let you focus on what calls to you:
Birth & Postnatal Doula Training prepares you for supporting families through both birth and the postnatal period
Postnatal Doula Training focuses specifically on early parenthood support
Many doulas choose the comprehensive training so they can offer full perinatal support to families, but it's totally up to you and what feels right. -
Ahhh we could list loads of things we are so proud of here, there are many including our educators, the depth of our content, the resources we give you, there is so much! But really the biggest thing is we're genuinely invested in your success, not just getting you through a course.
We’re also just all obsessed with birth and all it brings, every single person who guides you here works with parents day in day out. We live and breathe it!
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We totally get that the idea of supporting someone through birth or those early weeks can feel overwhelming! That's exactly why we've built in so much support the mentoring, the community, the ongoing chats, resources and learning opportunities. Most of our graduates tell us they feel much more prepared than they expected, and remember, you'll have that one-to-one mentoring for your first experience. Plus, our community is always there when you need them. You've got this!
We love to chat about our Doula Training so do reach out. You can find all our course information and info packs here plus how to book a free call
We’re always happy to chat
If you have any questions at all about our courses, payment plans or what this work could look like for you then get in touch!