Certification is necessary to become a childbirth educator, with various organizations offering different types of certification. Hospitals and non-organizational entities hire educators, with different curricula for each. ALACE offers certification for natural birth education.
To become a childbirth educator, a person does not necessarily need to obtain a college degree, but it is sometimes preferred. Most of the time, a person can become a birthing educator simply by earning certain certifications. With so many organizations offering certification in childbirth education, it is important for an individual to identify the exact type of certification they need.
Individual and corporate entities hire birthing educators. It depends on what type of organization a birthing educator wants to work for and what determines what type of certification they will need to obtain. Those who want to earn a lot of money from childbirth education classes will likely do so by working in a hospital. If a person wants to teach natural childbirth classes, they usually benefit most from working for non-organizational entities. As certification in childbirth education becomes quite onerous, it is important that a person gets the right kind of certification the first time.
People can also choose to become certified for teaching the Bradley Method and Hypnobirthing. The organization Lamaze International and the Professional Association of Childbirth and Postpartum also provide their own types of certification. Regardless of the type of certification a person obtains to become a birthing educator, a budget must be created as books, materials, supplies, and exams will become expensive.
Often, a hospital would prefer that a person have no prior experience in directing childbirth. The hospital creates its own curriculum, and after the person completes the rigorous work, they become a birthing educator. Often, the curriculum includes readings, completing observation hours, and attending workshops. Because childbirth educators can teach a range of different subjects, including courses on sibling information, cesarean section preparation, and labor comfort, curricula often vary. When a hospital does not create its own curriculum, it usually receives full certification through the International Association for Childbirth Education (ICEA).
If a person chooses to become a childbirth educator and teach natural birth, they will find it more beneficial to obtain certification through the Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators (ALACE), which is a non-profit organization. The organization teaches people to treat pregnancy and birth as a natural process, not one that must be treated with medication. The program is delivered through a distance learning curriculum and can be completed in approximately 10 to 14 months.
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