African-American women, regardless of health, education or income, are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as their white counterparts, according to the C.D.C., and not enough Black women are working as childbirth professionals. JCSU’s Metropolitan College of Professional Studies hopes to help address these critical issues with its newest offering: a two-day training to become a certified birth doula professional.
Taking place Feb. 9-10, 2018, the course is intended to equip participants with knowledge and skills to provide physical support, emotional support, partner support, and advocacy to the mother and family during and immediately following the birthing process. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine favor continuous labor support; doulas fill that role. And research shows that women who use birth doulas are less likely to have adverse health effects.
“We’ve recently seen the crisis in rising maternal health deaths and the need exists for birth assistance for those who are high-risk from someone who looks like them,” said Dr. Antonia Mead, chair of JCSU’s Department of Health and Human Performance. “We want to help close that gap in both employment and service providers.”
Mead is leading the doula initiative at JCSU. Tonya Daniels, a DONA-approved trainer, will facilitate the class. DONA International is the world’s first, largest and leading doula certifying organization.
Course Overview
The course consists of 16 hours of birth doula training, with childbirth education online prior to the start of the training. In addition to hands-on skills, participants will learn anatomy and physiology of pregnancy, fetal development, labor, postpartum, and breastfeeding; emotional aspects of pregnancy and birth and its significance in a woman’s life; labor variations, including cesarean birth; non-pharmacological pain management and comfort techniques; medical procedures and interventions used in labor; support for difficult labors, cesarean birth, and ******l birth after cesarean; newborn care and breastfeeding support; communication and listening skills, including values clarification and cultural sensitivity; the doula’s role, professional ethics, standards of practice, certification, and the doula business as part of workforce development.
Registration and fees: $525 general public and $400 students. This fee includes registration, training manual, supplies, mentorship, and refreshments.
For Interview: Dr. Antonia Mead, 704.378.1236 or amead@jcsu.edu
Tonya Daniels, tdlcce@gmail.com
About Johnson C. Smith University
Founded in 1867, Johnson C. Smith University is an independent, close-knit urban university located in Charlotte, N.C. It has a growing national reputation for integrating the liberal arts with business, the sciences and technology in ways that empower tomorrow’s diverse entrepreneurial citizens and leaders. Offering 23 fields of study, including a master’s degree in social work, to more than 1,500 students from a variety of ethnic, socioeconomic and geographic backgrounds, the university’s excellent academic programs focus on servant leadership, civic engagement and global responsibility. For more information about JCSU, visit
www.jcsu.edu or follow the university on social media sites Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
About Metropolitan College of Professional Studies
The Metropolitan College of Professional Studies at Johnson C. Smith University is comprised of the Adult Degree Programs, offering evening and online options, the Business Administration and Economics Department and the Department of Health and Human Performance. The College offers career and certificate programs. For more information, please visit
www.metropolitancollege.jcsu.edu or follow the College social media sites on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Monday, January 14th 2019 at 8:38PM
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