Training offered

Become a Bradley® Professional: Childbirth Educator & Doula Turn your passion for birth into meaningful work supporting expectant families. The Bradley Method® Professional Training Program prepares you to become both a Bradley® Certified Childbirth Educator and Professional Bradley® Doula. More than a short workshop, our comprehensive program gives you a strong foundation in pregnancy, labor, birth, breastfeeding, newborn care, childbirth education, coaching, relaxation, and practical labor support. For more than 60 years, The Bradley Method® has prepared families for healthy pregnancies, natural childbirth, and active participation in their birth experience. As a Bradley® Professional, you’ll learn not only how to support a mother during labor, but how to help her partner, family member, or chosen coach become an effective source of comfort, encouragement, and support. Training combines independent study, required reading and assignments, online coursework, a live interactive workshop, examinations, mentorship, and practical experience working with families. After completing the initial training requirements, you’ll become a Provisional Affiliate and begin teaching your first Bradley Method® class series. You may begin charging for your services while completing your training, with the guidance of an experienced Mentor Teacher. Most candidates complete the program in approximately 9–12 months. Graduation doesn’t mean you’re on your own. Bradley® Professionals become part of an established community of childbirth educators and doulas, with continuing education, professional resources, curriculum, mentorship, and opportunities to connect with families looking for Bradley® education and doula support. Build your knowledge. Develop your skills. Support families. Make birth work your work.

Summary of qualifications

Our ideal candidates have taken a full series of Bradley Method® classes during pregnancy and experienced a Bradley® birth. Ideally, applicants will have had a natural childbirth, completed the Bradley Method® Student Workbook, read Husband-Coached Childbirth, and attended at least one La Leche League or other breastfeeding support group meeting. We also welcome applicants who have not had this level of personal experience. If your application is accepted, additional requirements may be assigned to help provide the background and preparation you’ll need to succeed in the training program.

Style of teaching

The Bradley Method® believes that excellent birth professionals need more than information—they need a strong understanding of pregnancy and birth, practical skills, good judgment, and the ability to teach and support families with confidence and respect. Our training is comprehensive, practical, and mentorship-based. Candidates study independently, participate in interactive instruction, observe and learn from experienced professionals, and then put their knowledge into practice while teaching their first class series with the guidance of a Mentor Teacher. Bradley® education is built on five Building Blocks for a Healthy Pregnancy: exercise, nutrition, taking an active role, education, and relaxation. Preparation for labor and birth includes the physiology of normal labor and birth, practical relaxation and comfort techniques, labor positions, coaching skills, informed decision-making, and preparation for the many ways labor and birth may unfold. Natural childbirth is an important goal in Bradley® education, and our professionals are trained to give families meaningful preparation for unmedicated labor. At the same time, we recognize that birth does not always go as planned. We teach about options, procedures, interventions, cesarean birth, and unexpected circumstances so families can remain informed, involved, and supported when plans change. A distinctive part of our philosophy is the importance we place on the mother's chosen coach. A Bradley® doula does not replace the person who knows and loves the mother best. Instead, she brings knowledge, experience, and an extra set of hands to the birth team, helping the coach support the mother even more effectively. Above all, we prepare professionals to educate rather than direct, support rather than take over, and respect the decisions of the families they serve.

Years offering training

56

Profile last updated: 9/26/2026 9:47:24 AM