Childbirth Education Training for Health & Human Service Workers
Supporting Informed Choices. Cultivating Trust in Birth
Gain skills to teach childbirth education to expectant parents. Help achieve goals for maternal and child health and reduce perinatal health disparities.
Help improve birth outcomes for mothers and infants of color
This class is evidence-based, trauma-informed and celebrates cultural diversity
Designed for Health and Human Services Staff or Doulas working with pregnant women.
NEXT COURSE: APRIL 2025 (exact dates TBA)
LOCATION: LIVE ON ZOOM
Can’t attend in person? This course is now available for self-study!
Take this course online in a self-paced format
For more information, and to be notified when registration opens, contact: Cordelia Hanna, Community and Professional Education Coordinator
ABOUT THIS COURSE
Participants will learn about the anatomy & physiology of childbirth, labor support techniques and support methods, and how to teach evidence-based information about pregnancy and childbirth. This class will give
participants information and skills to help their students or clients make informed decisions during pregnancy and childbirth, cope with labor and cultivate trust in birth.
- Medi-Cal CPSP Workers
- Women’s health staff and clinicians
- Prenatal Staff & Clinicians
- Psychotherapists working with pregnant mothers
- Social Workers working with pregnant mothers
- Nutritionists working with pregnant mothers
- Home Visitors working with pregnant mothers
- Case Managers working with pregnant mothers
- LMAs and CNAs working in prenatal clinics
- Home Health Aides
- Birth or Postpartum Doulas
- Aspiring or Student Midwives
- Pre-Med and Medical Students with aspirations to become OB/GYNs
- Students of Public Health with interest in maternal and child health
- RNs & LVNs working with pregnant and postpartum mothers
- Health Educators working in maternal-child health or women’s health
- Breastfeeding Peer Counselors
- Lactation Educators
- WIC workers
- Community Health Promoters working with pregnant women
TRAINING SPECIFICS
Days and Hours of Course: 8:00 am to 3:30 pm (PST) 4 days, 24 hours total. (There will be a half-hour lunch break each day).
COURSE DESCRIPTION
In this class, we will cover the following topics:
- Historical and Social Aspects of Childbearing in USA
- Overview of Perinatal Health Disparities in USA
- Premature Birth Prevention
- Psychological Preparation for Childbirth
- Overview of Prenatal Care
- Nutritional Guidelines for Pregnancy
- Understanding Prenatal Care
- Stages and Phases of Labor
- When to Go to the Hospital
- Labor Coping Methods & Support Techniques for Partners
- The Spiritual & Sexual Aspects of Childbirth
- Understanding Medical Interventions Advantages and Disadvantages
- Informed Consent and Refusal in Maternity Care
- Pain Medication for Childbirth Advantages and Disadvantages
- Promoting Informed Decision-Making in Maternity Care
- Birth Planning
- Promoting Parental-Infant Attachment and Bonding
- Sibling Preparation and Children at Birth
- Newborn Appearance
- Newborn Behavior
- Newborn Care
- Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders
CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
These requirements are for everyone including those already certified with another entity who desire cross-certification with HMHBA.
By SESSION THREE of the course, participants will:
1. Select a childbirth or pregnancy related topic that interests you.
2. Review a peer reviewed journal article on subject of your choice. Must be within past 3 years.
3. Prepare a lesson plan (10 mins) on the topic. Include the learner objectives, and use any materials you like such as powerpoint, videos, models, charts, or handouts you prepare.
Within ONE YEAR after the course, participants will:
- Prepare one book report and one summary of a peer-reviewed journal article from the past 3 years on pregnancy or childbirth-related topic, demonstrating the ability to research and synthesize and prepare health education materials in plain language for consumers.
- Develop a Childbirth Education curriculum/lesson plan using the curriculum design template provided in class.
- Observe a Childbirth Preparation Class (online or in community).
- Teach Childbirth Education classes in a community setting (online or in-person).
- Obtain a minimum of three instructor evaluations from three participants in the childbirth education class you conducted.
- Complete the Required Reading List (provided in the course)
Note: if the requirements are not met within the one year time frame, then the candidate will need to retake the childbirth educator course again. You can take our online course.
RECERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS (Certification is good for 2 years):
1. Read a peer-reviewed journal article written within the past 3 years, or read a childbirth-related book or watch a childbirth film on any topic related to pregnancy or childbirth; or
2. Attend a webinar, workshop, conference on a childbirth-related topic. Then:
3. Write a 2-3 page paper or create a lesson plan (using the template provided in the course) on what you learned from this article, conference, webinar, book or film, why it is an important topic in the field of childbirth education and how you plan to integrate or implement this new knowledge into your childbirth education classes. Papers should use APA formatting and be presented in 11 or 12 point font, spaced 1.5, and include all references in APA Format.
4. Recertification Fee is $100 and is good for 2 years. Make payment at: https://paypal.me/hmhba
ABOUT THE COURSE LEADERS
Cordelia Hanna, MPH, CHES, ICCE, CLE, CBA- Principal Course Leader (English Course), Curriculum Developer
Email: Cordelia.Hanna@Motherbabysupport.net
Cordelia Hanna has been working in the field of maternity care for over 30 years. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Dance from Indiana University, Bloomington in 1986, and her Master’s in Public Health (MPH) in Health Education and Promotion/Maternal Child Health from Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California in 2008. Currently, she is pursuing her doctorate in Health Psychology at Walden University.
Cordelia is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), which is the gold standard for professional health educators, accredited by NCHEC. She is also an ICEA-Certified Childbirth Educator, CAPPA-Certified Lactation Educator, and ALACE-Certified Birth Assistant. Since 1991, Cordelia has taught Childbirth Preparation Classes and Breastfeeding Education to hundreds of couples in private practice, clinics, public health, hospital and community settings.
She is an apprenticeship-trained midwife who has worked as an Assistant Midwife and Labor Companion/Monitrice in homes, birth centers, and hospitals throughout Los Angeles County and Oregon since 1991. Cordelia is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of BIPOC communities. She believes that promoting BIPOC health promoters, such as breastfeeding peer counselors, community doulas, and community midwives, can help address ethnic health disparities, such as low rates of breastfeeding, high rates of prematurity, cesarean section, and maternal and infant mortality, that occur in communities of color.
Cordelia’s focus is on maternal-child health globally, while taking action locally. From 2002 to 2012, Cordelia worked as a Perinatal Health Educator and Promoter for The Pasadena Public Health Department Black Infant Health Program, which is a California Department of Health-funded program aimed at reducing African-American/Black perinatal health disparities. During her time there, Cordelia worked closely with her mentor and collaborator, the late Ms. Geraldine Perry-Williams, PHN, MSN, CD, CLE, LCCE, and together they initiated and managed a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Program. Additionally, they established the very first Community-Based Doula Program for African-American/Black families in Los Angeles County, which succeeded in lowering the high rates of infant mortality and cesarean section among Pasadena’s African-American population.
Cordelia spent four years, from 2014 to 2019, working with Esperanza Community Housing Corporation’s Promatora de Salud/Community Health Worker Program. Her responsibilities included providing training in perinatal health and Doula support for Community Health Promoters/Promotores de Salud who were working in South Los Angeles. This area is known for having some of the highest rates of maternal and infant mortality due to negative social determinants of health.
Cordelia is a mother of two home-born, breastfed, and attachment-parented children who are now bright and capable young adults. She is a grandmother of two granddaughters and a grandson. Her life partner is from Ghana, West Africa, and they enjoy an international lifestyle spanning two continents.
INSTRUCTORA DE ESPAÑOL
Ines “Augie” Rigual, CD, CPD, IBCLC, LCCE (Spanish Course)
Email: augiedoula@yahoo.com
Augie Rigual es Doula Avanzada de DONA y está certificada con DONA International desde hace 15 años, habiendo trabajado también en el Comité de Certificación de DONA International. Implementó y supervisó un programa de doulas comunitarias en el condado de Osceola, Florida, durante seis años a través de una subvención del Fondo Onza de Prevención de Florida, habiendo logrado la meta de reducir la tasa de cesáreas en un 14 % durante los primeros dos años en dos hospitales. en el condado A través de este programa comunitario de doulas, brindaron educación sobre el parto y servicios de doulas a las reclusas de la cárcel del condado de Osceola en Florida. Augie se convirtió en capacitadora de doulas de nacimiento en 2013 y ha estado ofreciendo capacitaciones principalmente en Puerto Rico, donde dos de los hospitales ya han capacitado a la mayoría de sus enfermeras de trabajo de parto y parto en un esfuerzo por reducir las tasas de cesáreas del hospital. Estas capacitaciones en hospitales han incluido médicos que han sido educados sobre lo que realmente es una doula y entienden el trabajo de la doula. Se ha capacitado en la República Dominicana, donde un médico obstetra se capacitó y ahora es una entrenadora de DONA Doula para su país. Augie ha estado ofreciendo capacitaciones de DONA Birth Doula en español en otros estados que tienen grandes comunidades hispanas como Utah y Carolina del Norte. Como educadora de parto de Lamaze durante los últimos 18 años, Augie ofrece clases de educación de parto en inglés y español semanalmente para dos departamentos de salud del condado en Florida. En 2010, Augie se certificó como IBCLC y se recertificó en 2015. Estableció el Grupo de Posparto CAFÉ en el Hospital Winnie Palmer para Mujeres y Bebés y este programa se extendió al Departamento de Salud del Condado de Osceola, Florida, donde el grupo todavía se reúne todos los miércoles por la mañana. . El CAFÉ no solo ofrece apoyo para la lactancia sino también apoyo posparto en general y se ha convertido en el lugar donde las mamás sienten que pueden ayudar a otras mamás y sentirse bien consigo mismas. CAFÉ significa Compasión, Apoyo (Apoyo), Fe y Educación. Augie es el especialista en programas de la Coalición Healthy Start del condado de Osceola, Florida.
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER, CONTACT:
Telephone: (626) 388-2191 ext. 3 or Email: Cordelia.Hanna@motherbabysupport.net
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation must be made in writing by deadline (30 days prior to start of course). Tuition will be reimbursed less $50.00 administrative fee if notification received by this date. After this date, there will be no refunds. However in extenuating circumstances such as documented illness or emergency, the tuition is fully transferable to another person or training (this course or another topic); credit is good for the amount of training. If course registering into is higher price, the additional balance will be required. If it is a lesser price, there will not be any refund of balance. Credit will be honored for one year from the training. If not used by that time, the credit will expire.
Special Cancellation Policy for Doulas and Midwives:
If you are “on call” and have a birth during the training, please notify instructor as soon as possible that you will not be attending. The full tuition will be transferred to another person, or different training (this course or another topic) to be used within one year of the training date. If the course you are registering into is higher price, the additional balance will be required. If it is a lesser price, there will not be any refund of balance.