• 16 Lamaze Contact Hours
• 16 Nursing Contact Hours
• 18 ICEA Contact Hours
• DONA Approved Workshop

Until recent times, women learned about childbirth from their mothers and sisters. Birth took place in the home surrounded by family and "wise women" who provided comfort and encouragement through labor and birth. Recently, the "wise women" tradition of providing emotional support and physical comfort to the childbearing family has been reinstated with the addition of the doula and professional labor support person to the maternity health-care team.

Recent studies indicate that labor doulas: 

• Decrease the overall cesarean rate by 50% 
• Decrease the length of labor by 25% 
• Decrease oxytocin use by 40% 
• Decrease mother’s request for pain medication by 30% 
• Decrease the need for forceps by 40% 
• Decrease request for epidurals by 60% 
• Help fathers participate with confidence

Who should attend?
The Lamaze Labor Support Workshop is designed for:

• Labor and delivery nurses who wish to improve their labor support skills and decrease cesarean birth rates by utilizing nonpharmacological pain management techniques
• Childbirth educators who wish to update their knowledge and skills
• Women who are interested in starting a labor support or doula practice
• Women who have always wanted to help other women during birth

This workshop is limited to 45 participants to allow for practical, hands on learning. It is recommended that if you do not have a background in childbirth education that you attend a complete series of prepared childbirth classes taught by a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator prior to attending the workshop. Please do not count classes you attended as a pregnant woman to fulfill this recommendation. Certificate of completion does not imply certification as a doula. The Lamaze Labor Support Specialist workshop has been approved as one step (the workshop requirement) toward certification as a doula by DONA International.