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Costa Rica, Full Spectrum Doula Training & Retreat I November 4-12, 2023
Guanacaste
50+ HOURS LIVE TRAINING IN COSTA RICA.
Join Doula Canada in Costa Rica for 50+ hours of Labour and Postpartum Doula training, plus a retreat that will provide connection, collaboration, and inspired passion!
Have you ever considered becoming a doula but find it hard to focus on studies in your ‘real’ life?
Maybe a Doula Retreat Training is right for YOU?!
We’re so excited to be sharing an incredible opportunity alongside of our collaborative colleagues, and special guest-trainers!
Become BOTH a Birth AND Postpartum Doula among the luscious jungles of Costa Rica from March 22-29, 2023.
Our Director, Shaunacy King, will lead this group and be joined by guest presenter Stefanie Antunes, co-founder of Discover Birth and The Doula School.
Stefanie and Shauancy will guide you through discussions about doula life and business at this wonderful 7-day retreat in the lush foothills of the Chirripo Mountain Reserve, sitting gracefully along the banks of the pristine Talari River in Costa Rica. The retreat resort, Finca Mia, is an enchanting jungle retreat offering many amenities, healing modalities, and an unforgettable experience.
Located at an elevation of 4000 ft, the cool nights and warm days make the climate at Finca Mia the perfect balance. Surrounded by rainforests for secluded tranquility, yet graced by a vibrant community, this healing retreat center is full of warmth, opportunity for self reflection, insight, and restful rejuvenation.
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Our retreats are open to all birth workers, doulas, and persons inspired by the calling to support others.
Whether you’re an experienced traveller or a newbie who’s never had the chance to dip their toes in, this spot is for YOU. We will be staying at the incredible family-run FincaMia resort in Costa Rica. It’s known for it’s amazing views, first class accommodations, and welcoming people. This wonderful training and location includes:
- Shuttle service from the airport to the resort location
- Your choice of shared or private accommodations
- All meals during your retreat
- Outdoor Saltwater Pool
- Hot Tub
- Yoga Deck
- Pure Spring Water Source on Property
- WIFI access at various locations across the property
- Laundry Service
- Hot Showers
- Local activities
There are also options to add-on spa services at reasonable rates. You
can read more about Finca Mia here
And you can see all their latest photos and updates on Instagram by following them
~ Join us!
Is this retreat right for YOU?
About the RETREAT
- Our private shuttle will take you from San Jose to the retreat centre, departing at 10am on March 22nd.
- You may choose to arrive that day before 10am or arrive the day prior (21st) and stay at one of our partner hotels where we will pick you up.
- Costa Rica is a safe and beautiful location.
- A few select additional activities will be included in your retreat stay, but feel free to book additional spa services during off-times.
Tips for travel
- Fly into San Jose, Costa Rica
- Choose your accommodations as soon as you book to reserve your preferred option. See options here.
- Your stay includes breakfast, lunch and dinner with fresh, organic and wholesome foods. Please advise us of any dietary needs and the chefs will be happy to comply!
- You may choose to bring some snacks for your room but the Juice Bar also has options available for additional cost.
Shaunacy King
(she/her/elle/ they/them)
Director Doula Canada, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), Certified Birth and Postpartum Doula
Shaunacy has been working in reproductive and perinatal health for over 20 years, and has been leading Doula Canada since 2016. Since beginning her work as a modern birth worker Shaunacy has led with a client-centred approach that meets the individual needs of each client and their unique labour experiences and postpartum transitions.
She has been invited to learn from, and support clients in countries around the world, including Costa Rica, Ecuador, Tanzania, First Nations communities on Turtle Island, and clients in the rural communities that she has called home.
She is humbled by the wise persons who have entrusted her with their experience and their knowledge. With a lust for learning Shaunacy has a history of postgraduate degrees where she has devoted her time to researching social marginalization, with an emphasis on the social and cultural experiences of women and children.
Stefanie Antunes
(she/her/elle)
Stefanie Antunes has been a Lamaze® Educator and doula since 2002, after the birth of her second son showed her just how valuable it is to be prepared for birth and to have good support around you.
Stefanie is a visionary in the childbirth field. She leads the Discover Birth organization providing a variety of services to expectant parents and training for those wishing to pursue work in the childbirth field. Stefanie is the president of the Ontario Association of Doulas, former Public Relations Director for DONA International. and sits on many local boards and coalitions to improve our communities. She is a DONA-approved Birth Doula Trainer, and runs the Canadian Institute of Childbirth Educators, a Lamaze-Accredited Childbirth Educator Program.
Stefanie is the founder of The Birth Doula Program at the Scarborough Hospital.
Stefanie is a contributing author in the best selling Power of Women United and the book Bearing Witness: Childbirth Stories Told by Doulas. She is a regular contributing writer and blogger, and has done many interviews online and for TV/radio.
She believes that the world can be a better place if parents can have more positive childbirth experiences, allowing them to bond properly with their babies. She works tirelessly to change the world in this aspect…one family at a time.
What will you learn in the Birth Doula Training?
PREGNANCY CHANGES
- Learn about conception and the pregnancy journey
- Learn about normal pregnancy changes and how we can help people experiencing challenges and discomforts
- Learn about the hormones of pregnancy, birth, and early postpartum
PRENATAL SUPPORT
- Get a deep dive on the BEST ways to support families prenatally
- Explore a variety of activities to use in your prenatal visits with families
- Learn the MOST effective way to do a consultation with a client to get hired
- Review communication tools and strategies to make the most of your interactions with families and care providers
LABOUR AND BIRTH
- Learn about the signs of labour and stages of labour
- Explore the role of the doula and how we support people through the journey
- Delve into the 5 elements of care: emotional, physical, informational, partner support, advocacy
- Practice hands-on skills to use in birth to help increase comfort and decrease pain
MEDICATIONS AND INTERVENTIONS
- Learn about the various medications families will have access to in labour and birth, their benefits and trade-offs
- Learn about the most common challenging situations and how to handle them as a doula
- Explore the reasons for cesareans and how to support families through these experiences
POSTPARTUM SUPPORT
- Learn about normal newborn characteristics
- Learn about newborn feeding and how to support families
- Learn about perinatal health disorders
CERTIFICATION
- Explore the option of certification
- Review all the steps to complete certification
DOULA BUSINESS
- Discuss how to get your first clients
- Learn how to get started in your practice
- Review the various options for how you can work as a doula
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
- Review the history of birth
- Learn about the history of labour support
- Explore various issues affecting under-resourced families and how you can help
- Learn about working with families from different cultures, religions, backgrounds and how you can level-up your support
- Explore your own biases and knowledge gaps
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What will you learn in the Postpartum Doula Training?
UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF THE POSTPARTUM DOULA
- How you can support new parents
- What a typical day/shift looks like
HOW PREGNANCY AND BIRTH INFLUENCE THE POSTPARTUM PERIOD
- The interconnected nature of a birth journey
RACIAL DISPARITY AND INEQUITY IN CHILDBIRTH
- The current issues that are impacting families
- How you can be a force for positive change
UNDERSTANDING NEWBORN CARE
- Key things to look for with a newborn
- How to communicate tips and tricks to your client
DIFFERENTIATING ”BABY BLUES” FROM PERINATAL MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDERS
- The importance of mental health
- Signs to look for
SUPPORTING LOSS AND GRIEF
- How to communicate around loss and grief
INFANT FEEDING
- Key suggestions to help your clients on their feeding journey
CERTIFICATION PROCESS IN DETAIL
- How to achieve certification through Doula Training Canada
You can turn your passion into a career as a birth professional.
If you’re feeling called to birth work you probably realize families need more support through this journey. You’re right about that!
Research shows that when a birth doula is present, births are shorter, less complicated, have fewer interventions and birthing people and babies are healthier and families more satisfied with their experience.
Do you have what it takes to become a doula?
For generations the norm has been to work in a 9 to 5 job. Or a set schedule where you “live for the weekends” and get your fulfillment outside of your career.
Well… things have changed.
Everyone is different and this old paradigm of work-life doesn’t work for all of us. We come across so many students who are looking for something different, where they can make a difference in their community.
Whether you are 21 or 61, birth work can become a part of your life. Supporting new parents through pregnancy, birth, and into postpartum is something that you can start at any stage of life – from any career you might have today. We’ve taught lawyers, doctors, nurses, stay at home parents, marketing professionals, receptionists, and even neuro-scientists. Yup. No joke. The key is having a kind heart and a passion for helping people. We help you with the rest.
Real Talk:
What is a doula anyway?
While the modern day doula profession can be traced back only about 35-40 years, the profession is of course as old as time. In most historical accounts people in labour were always surrounded by caring neighbours, friends, sisters and mothers. While one person would have been the midwife, the rest were there for support. By the time we were having babies of our own we would have attended many births. This experience helped us feel more confident about our experience.
It’s no surprise that people today are often nervous about their upcoming experience. They’ve seen dramatized TV shows and movies that depict birth as anything but its reality.
“If a doula were a drug, it would be unethical not to use one”
Dr. John Kennell, co-founder of DONA International
Doulas provide 5 elements of care to support families through whatever twists and turns their journey may take. Emotional support to hold space, Physical support to provide comfort and help reduce pain, Informational support to provide the right info at the right time. Doulas are also there to support partners and other labour support members and help families advocate for themselves.
If you’re feeling called to birth work you probably realize families need more support through this journey.
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“Is birth work even right for me?”
Ahh, we get this question a lot!
WHAT’S IT LIKE TO WORK AS A DOULA?
Working as a doula has a lot of ups and downs, like any career. But here are some of the things you might want to consider as you’re deciding if this is the right path for you:
Questions to ask yourself:
- Do you love to support birthing people and families in their OWN choices and decisions?
- How much money do you want/need to make from being a doula?
- Can you handle working on-call? (for births)
- Do you work well with others and can you see yourself working alongside a variety of other medical professionals?
- What is your motivation for wanting to become a doula?
- What are your long-term plans in the field?
How much money can I make working as a doula?
Like anything in life, the amount of effort you put out is the amount of benefit you’ll get in return. We’ve seen doulas make anywhere from $0 (those who want only to work as volunteers) to $80,000 a year.
Following your passion
Working as a doula can be the most amazing experience and is such an honour to be a part of. If you are thinking this is the right path for you then we encourage you to come to our workshop!
If you feel passionate about helping birthing people and families then this could be your next dream job!
DOULA TRAINING CANADA
certification
Doula Training Canada is one of the world’s leaning doula certification institutions, helping birth workers around the globe discover their passion for this work. They provide opportunities for doulas and childbirth educators to professionally develop their skills and confidence as reproductive support persons.
Established in 2001, Doula Canada has a long history of offering quality training with a personal approach. “Certification with confidence” and evidence-based approaches to resource and skill development are two mandates of their organization. These are two of the many reasons they are a leading training for modern day doulas!
Doula Canada works tirelessly every day to improve reproductive health through the development of client-directed care and a focus on community support models. Their focus is not simply on the reproductive experiences of labour, birth, and the postpartum, but on all reproductive journey’s their clients may experience.
Total Training and Retreat investment: $3,450 CAN ($2,450 USD*)
Breakdown of Fees:
Training Fee
FULL WEEK RETREAT
$1200 USD**
- Birth and Postpartum doula training
- Special activities
- Shuttle from airport
- You will leave the training as a doula, and can begin working as a doula immediately
- Community support
- Guidance on additional education
Accommodations – SHARED OR PRIVATE
$1250 USD**
- Luxury accommodations
- Shared or private options
- Private accommodations available for an additional $1000 PP
- Choice of room (based on remaining availability)
- All meals
- Hot showers
- Hot tub
- Salt water pool
- Juice bar and spa services available at an additional fee
Instalment plans are available upon request. All training, retreat, and certification fees must be paid in full prior to attending.
Registration fee is non-refundable but transferrable to other Doula Training Canada learning opportunities a maximum of sixty (60) days prior to the retreat start date.
Space is limited.
* Fees are calculated from the USD to Canadian exchange at the time of registration and are subject to change based on the common exchange rate on the day of registration. Fees will be charged in Canadian dollars.
** Fees may change depending on registrants unique requests that are not included in the accommodation fees organized by DTC with Fincmia.
Registrants are responsible for the additional costs of their flights to and from San Jose, Costa Rica. Any costs associated with travel to and from Costa Rica are the responsibility of the registrant.
Program qualifies for 10 Educational Units towards certification with Doula Canada.
You can do it, too. Just imagine…
Turning your passion for birthwork into a thriving business with a community around you to lean on for guidance
Being the go-to doula in your area, with families reaching out to express their thanks for the positive impact you had on their lives
A world where people journey from pregnancy to parenthood surrounded by a village of support!
Costa Rica is a rugged, rainforested Central American country with coastlines on the Caribbean and Pacific. Its capital, San Jose, is home to cultural institutions like the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum. Costa Rica is known for its beaches, volcanoes, and biodiversity. Roughly a quarter of its area is made up of protected jungle, teeming with wildlife including spider monkeys and quetzal birds. It’s is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world; it contains about 5% of the world’s species.
Costa Rica. The perfect place to discover you passion for birth work.
The lush wild natural environment can be experienced all throughout the country and is easily accessible to the curious visitor. Costa Rica is a safe paradise. Unlike other countries, Costa Rica enjoys a very stable political climate and economic development, providing visitors with a tranquil setting for their stay. It is one of the few countries in the world with no army. The country and its people have a peaceful disposition, which makes for the perfect place to enjoy an unforgettable vacation. Costa Rica offers dreamlike landscapes, kind people willing to share their culture and a safe country to experience natural wonders.
Costa Rica provides the perfect combination of relaxation, adventure, culture, fine cuisine and wildlife. Visitors find in Costa Rica an adventure paradise set in the most beautiful natural and safe environment. It is also the home of four World Heritage sites certified by UNESCO.
