Navigating the NICU for Doulas Four Part Series
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Navigating the NICU for Doulas
July 22 - July 29 - August 5 - August 12
9:30 - 11:30 AM
It is recommended to attend all four sessions, as each builds off of the last.
There is a separate Zoom link for each session. The links will be sent in the confirmation email after you register and also in a reminder email the week before the training.
Navigating the NICU for Doulas is a live, interactive virtual education series designed to equip doulas with the knowledge, language, and confidence to support families who experience a NICU admission.
This 4-part training addresses prenatal preparation, NICU systems literacy, neurodevelopmental and attachment support, feeding and discharge transition, and trauma-informed emotional care. The series emphasizes scope-appropriate support and bridges medical context with family-centered doula care.
This session introduces doulas to a proactive, trauma-informed approach to NICU preparation. Participants will explore current NICU prevalence trends, cultural narratives surrounding “perfect birth,” and how these narratives contribute to fear, shame, and distress when NICU care becomes necessary.
Using the Fire Drill Method and structured birth planning tools, doulas will learn how to integrate NICU considerations into prenatal conversations in a way that builds confidence rather than anxiety. This session focuses on language, mindset, and scope-appropriate preparation — not medical training.
July 29, 2026 - Session 2 - Understanding the Care Environment
This session provides doulas with a structured overview of the NICU environment, including levels of care, common diagnoses, policies, and daily workflows. The focus is not on medical training, but on developing contextual fluency so doulas can better understand what families are experiencing and support them appropriately within scope of practice.
Participants will gain clarity on common reasons for NICU admission, how hospital systems operate, and how the constantly shifting medical environment impacts parent stress, communication, and decision-making.
August 5, 2026 - Session 3 - Supporting the Baby & Supporting the Parents: Neuroprotection, Advocacy, and Emotional Safety
This session focuses on the relational and developmental heart of NICU-informed doula care. Participants will explore how premature birth and medicalized environments affect infant neurodevelopment, parent–infant bonding, and parental mental health.
Doulas will learn evidence-informed strategies to support neuroprotection, attachment, advocacy, and trauma-informed emotional care during NICU hospitalization. Special attention will be given to bereavement support and maintaining dignity during end-of-life care.
This session focuses on the transition from NICU hospitalization to home life, with emphasis on feeding, regulation, and developmental continuity. Participants will explore common feeding challenges in preterm and medically complex infants, including cue-based feeding, oral aversion risk, and prolonged tube feeding.
The session also addresses the emotional and physiological adjustment families experience after discharge, including deinstitutionalizing care routines, supporting neurodevelopment at home, and recognizing ongoing parental stress. Doulas will leave with evidence-informed strategies to support feeding, bonding, safety, and family sustainability within scope of practice.
Continuing Education applications have been applied for Social Work, Nursing, Community Health Workers and IBCLC for all four sessions. Once approval notification has been received, award information will be posted here.
