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We believe finances should never be a barrier to becoming a doula.

• Suggested Donation: $500
  (This helps cover the cost of materials, instruction, and meals.)
• Scholarships Available:
  • Full Scholarship ($0 donation): 3-year service commitment as a volunteer doula.
  • Partial Scholarship ($250 donation): 2-year service commitment.
  • Reduced Donation ($500 donation): 1-year service commitment.

Everyone who receives a scholarship commits to serving families through our Mary’s Hands Network Volunteer Doula Program, ensuring that the training directly benefits our community.

If you’re pursuing ICEA Birth Doula Certification, our team will guide you through every step. Certification includes:

• ICEA Membership: $230
• Birth Doula Certification Exam: $390

Note: Certification is not required to volunteer in our Community Birth Doula Network, but it opens doors to professional opportunities.

Learn more about ICEA certification requirements here: https://icea.org/

When you train with Mary’s Hands Network, you gain more than just education—you become part of a community of care.

Your registration includes:

• All training materials and supplies,
• Access to our doula portal for ongoing resources,
• Membership in our volunteer network, where you can gain hands-on experience,
• Guidance to help you launch your own professional doula business, if desired,
• Lifelong connections with other birth workers dedicated to creating change.

• Equity-Driven: We focus on improving maternal health outcomes for all families, especially those in underserved communities.
• Community-Based: Our doulas are trained to provide care within the communities they serve.
• Evidence-Based: Our curriculum meets the rigorous standards of the International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA).
• Hands-On Learning: Hybrid format gives you theory and practice in real-world settings.
• Pathway to Impact: Volunteers gain experience while building sustainable careers as birth doulas.

Once you complete your training with Mary’s Hands Network, you’ll be welcomed into a growing and supportive network of volunteer doulas ready to walk alongside birthing families in your community. As a trained MHN doula, you’re not expected to jump in alone—we operate in teams of 2–3 doulas, so you’re never carrying the responsibility by yourself.

Once your training is complete and you’ve submitted your availability form, you’ll be added to our active volunteer pool. When a client is due in a month you’ve marked as available, the MHN Volunteer Coordinator will reach out to invite you to join a doula team. After confirming your participation, you’ll receive a “Meet Your Doula Team” email introducing you to your teammates and shortly after, a second email introducing you to your matched client.

From that point forward, you and your team will begin supporting the client together.

Support begins with a virtual meeting, ideally scheduled within one week of being introduced. This meeting helps you learn about the client’s birth goals, clarify your role, and schedule two in-person prenatal meetings. The first in-person meeting typically happens in a public location, such as a coffee shop or library. The second meeting may happen at the client’s home depending on their comfort level, gestational age, and doula availability.

During these meetings, your team will help develop a personalized care plan, explore comfort techniques, and finalize the on-call schedule for the birth month.

You’ll be on call for a four-week window, beginning three weeks before the client’s estimated due date and ending one week after. Your team will decide in advance who is available when, so that one doula is always reachable if labor begins. Each birth is attended by one doula at a time, with others available for backup or transitions as needed.

Within 72 hours of birth, you or one of your teammates will reconnect with the client to offer immediate emotional support, check on their recovery, and provide any needed guidance or referrals. Then, you’ll schedule one to two in-person postpartum visits, typically between weeks 2–5 and 5–8. These visits focus on rest, nourishment, infant feeding, and emotional wellbeing.

After the final postpartum visit, care is gently transferred to the MHN administrative team, who will continue to check in at key milestones and connect the client to long-term resources and community events.

Your support as a volunteer doula has a lasting impact. You’ll walk with someone through one of the most meaningful experiences of their life—and you’ll do it alongside a team of doulas who care deeply about community, compassion, and equity.