My Experience with Madriella Doula Network (COUPON CODE AT THE END)
So if you’re reading this, I’m sure you have come across the affordable doula training by Madriella and now you’re trying to find out if it’s legit.
Updating Again October 2024 (lol): I’m now a prison doula and did that with this certification. Becoming a doula literally changed the trajectory of my life and when I first researched this work I couldn’t afford the cost of some of the big named organizations. I’m going into my 5th year as a doula, and started with just this training. I’d consider myself to be a fairly advanced doula and this training laid the groundwork for me to get to the level I’m at now.
Updated Again July 2024: I just wanted to say if you’re reading this and wondering if this certification will be good enough, it has been more than enough for me. I have contracted with multiple different agencies, had insurance reimbursement, and my clients literally never care about the organization unless it’s insurance related. I will say, if you want to work with insurance companies like Tricare (and Carrot may be an issue if they get anymore strict) you won’t get approved, outside of that this certification is enough to get you started because you’ll be certified. If you have any questions, fill out my contact form, and I’d be more than happy to answer anything I can remember.
Updated June 2023: I went through this program in 2020 and have spoken with people who have gone through recently. There is now a trauma informed care module and some other new updates I can’t speak to the validity of but I do believe that this program is a great option for people who are looking to gain knowledge for a fraction of the cost of other trainings, and it’s self paced.
I went through their program to become a birth and postpartum doula as well as their professional development course. I’ll preface by saying I was a little skeptical with how affordable the training was but once I started I understood why. Madriella believes everyone should have the opportunity to learn how to support during childbirth and because of that they make the training more affordable. Also, doula certifications are unregulated so as long as you are certified and gain the knowledge that’s what matters. One big thing I will say is that this program reminds me a lot of online college. It’s self paced, but the difference is that there are no deadlines. It’s completely up to you to to keep up with your assignments so if you don’t do well with online learning, this may be a struggle for you. As a single working mom, this program was perfect for me because I would work on it once my baby was asleep and any free time I had I could dedicate to studying.
Overall, really liked the training with Madriella. It’s self paced so I took about 5-6 months from start to finish and during that time I got their birth, postpartum, and professional development certifications. They have plenty of additional courses such as bereavement, breastfeeding, and many more. I have personally had a child before and while pregnant I researched so much that there were a few things I knew from the course material but overall it breaks down everything you need to learn in a very basic fashion which I love. Sometimes I would look at the quizzes and think the questions were way to easy, but I think that comes strictly from the fact that I had already done hours and hours of research about birth because I signed up for the program literally a month after having my baby.
It doesn’t require births in order to certify,
but I do recommend reaching out to local doulas and seeing if you can at least shadow if you’re not comfortable with going straight into the job without practicing first. I didn’t shadow anyone and just jumped head first into being a doula and looking back I don’t know if it prepared me for some of the outside of the box issues but I do believe there are certain things that training won’t teach, you’ll have to learn as you go along. The program really teaches the basics so it’s up to you to continue your learning as you grow as a doula. I shadowed for a few local doulas and was able to see how they worked which was nice. Not to mention, I had been to births prior to becoming a doula. Don’t let the fact that there are no births required deter you from going with them because they offer great material and book suggestions. It’s also great because you learn the information for a fraction of the cost of some of the major doula training programs.
What I liked the most about the program was the choice of required readings. When I first started going through the course there were only a few select books to choose from but when I got to the end that had changed and you could select any book for some, not all of the book reports. The doula business guide that is required for the professional development course is a GREAT resource to use when building everything for your business including contracts and welcome packets. The quizzes on the books are fairly easy as long as you actually read all of the information. I recommend taking each quiz as you take in the information so it’s fresh on your mind.
If you decide to go with Madriella, I have a code for you to get $50 off of the professional membership: COOPER956