Childbirth International (CBI)

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Childbirth International (CBI)

Childbirth International provides comprehensive online training for today's informed birth and lactation professional CBI was born in 1998.

We wanted to provide birth and lactation professionals with the tools they needed to help clients define their own path. We wanted to provide training that was consistent, comprehensive, and culturally respectful. The first courses we launched were Birth Doula and Childbirth Educator. We began teaching these face to face in 1998 (as Parentlink, Singapore), and then started providing distance training from 1999. In 2008 we launched the Postpartum Doula and Lactation Counselor courses. In 2009 we launched the Business of Birth course. The past year has seen us seen us significantly increasing our focus on social media and launching our new website. We have been updating all of our course materials with the most recent research and responding to our student requests to include more topics. We gave the Business of Birth module a facelift and included it in all our training and certification programs. We have added the option to purchase gift cards so your loved ones can give the gift of training (in full or part) to you. We also added the Business of Birth module as a standalone course option for those who are not CBI students but would like to develop their business. Students can now choose business mentoring to guide you through the Business of Birth module, and can have private mentoring of up to four hours to guide you through challenging problems. We continue to work on our Advanced Birth Doula course which will be available later in the year. Our philosophy has remained consistent. We now provide training for birth and postpartum doulas, childbirth educators and lactation counselors. We remain true to the belief that training should be flexible, without time limits, or rules telling you who you can and cannot work with, or what you should charge.

07/09/2025

Happy National Grandparents Day to all the grandparents out there supporting their children and grandchildren along the way

06/09/2025

It’s National Read a Book Day!

How are you doing with your reading and continuing education goals for 2025? We’ve included a few newer releases to explore to meet new perspectives or expand your understanding of relevant topics. Share your favourite book you’ve read this year about pregnancy, childbirth, parenting, or postpartum life!

“Baby Making for Everybody” Family Building and Fertility for LGBTQ+ and Solo Parents; Marea Goodman LM Cpm LM CPM (Author), Ray Rachlin LM Cpm LM CPM (Author)

“Nurture” A Modern Guide to Pregnancy, Birth, Early Motherhood--And Trusting Yourself and Your Body; Erica Chidi (Author)

“Invisible Labor” The Untold Story of the Cesarean Section; Rachel Sommerstein

“Bumpin’” The Modern Guide to Pregnancy: Navigating the Wild, Weird, and Wonderful Journey From Conception Through Birth and Beyond; Leslie Schrock (Author), Jane van Dis MD, FACOG (Foreword by)

“Floored” A Woman’s Guide to Pelvic Floor Health at Every Age and Stage - A Comprehensive Guide for Women of All Ages; Sara Reardon (Author)

01/09/2025

Labor Day is a day to recognize workers and their contributions to society and the growth of our communities over time. The labor movements in both Canada and the US are responsible for many of the working parents’ rights and protections we have today, and they continue to fight for better support and working conditions for pregnant, postpartum, breast/chestfeeding, and adopting parents.

30/08/2025

Be Kind – Lead with empathy and respect.

Kindness shapes how we connect, collaborate, and care.

We treat others with generosity, listen with compassion, and show up for one another and our communities. When we lead with kindness, we create trust, resilience, and lasting impact.

26/08/2025

National Women's Equality Day

This day commemorates the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, which gave (some) women the right to vote in 1920. It serves as a reminder of all the areas where women and girls are still working to achieve equality and equity worldwide, especially in maternal and reproductive healthcare.

25/08/2025

We are saddened to learn of the passing of Michel Odent, a renowned and internationally recognized surgeon and advocate for the demedicalization of childbirth.

Odent wrote several key articles and publications on childbirth, lactation, and caring for pregnant and birthing people, including the first article applying the gate control theory of pain to childbirth. He was among the first advocates for water birth to support a more client-focused environment, with the goal of centering the birthing parent and their baby in the birth experience once more.

An example would be "Birth Under Water," one of his earlier publications from The Lancet in 1983. It reflects on what he and his team learned after the 100th baby was born after the use of water immersion in his hospital. The ideas shared set the stage for water birth to become more common and more widely accepted as an avenue for managing the intensity of labor and supporting birthing parents in coping through labor progression.

We welcome you to share the impact Odent's work and writings have had on your work as birth and lactation professionals, so we can remember and learn from his legacy of advocating for the rights and experiences of parents and babies.

Odent, M. (1983). Birth under water. The Lancet, 322(8365-8366), 1476-1477.

Photo: Xavier Caré / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA

22/08/2025

Value Diversity – Every voice matters.

We build spaces where everyone belongs and no one is left behind.

We challenge injustice, embrace hard conversations, and stand up for equity, inclusion, and anti-racism. Diversity isn’t a goal—it’s foundational to who we are and the future we’re creating.

19/08/2025

World Humanitarian Day commemorates the actions and service of humanitarian and health workers who provide support, protection, and aid to those in need. Today, we reflect on the contributions of our local healthcare professionals and the work they do in our community to support the health and well-being of the parents and families we work with.

15/08/2025

How much can birth doulas earn? This is a common question, so we asked our team of experienced trainers, doulas, and birth professionals for their perspectives on a doula's income potential.

Johanna - This is highly dependent on how many clients you take, what your expenses are, what you charge your clients, and what amount of your fee contributes to your wage. As a small business owner, you’ll be both your greatest asset and greatest barrier when it comes to how much you can earn.

Carmen - That depends on how many clients you want to take per month. Most months I only take one client, but some doulas take many more than that. The most I personally would ever be willing to take in a single month would be 3 clients. That means I could potentially make as much as $4,500 per month.

Xenia - I think that this depends on how many hours you choose to work, the number of clients you are willing to take on, and the types of services you are happy to offer. It also depends, of course, on the needs and level of awareness of these needs in the people whom you hope to reach.

13/08/2025

Are you plus-size and pregnant, or do you work with plus-size clients? Jen McLellan created a phenomenal evidence-based resource at plussizebirth.com that’s been recognized by industry professionals for its comprehensiveness and accessibility. Geared towards those trying to conceive or who are currently pregnant, the site offers information, experiences, and resources to guide parents to become confident and empowered decision-makers.

11/08/2025

Be Curious – Learning is our superpower.

We lead with questions, not assumptions.

Curiosity fuels our creativity, opens doors to new ideas, and helps us grow through learning, unlearning, and discovering, no matter how much we already know.

09/08/2025

A recent literature review and meta-analysis evaluated available randomized clinical trials to determine the impact of support from a trained lactation counselor. The review found that lactation consultant support led to prolonged breast/chestfeeding and reduced the risk of stopping breast/chestfeeding!

Study: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2830773

You can check out our lactation counselor training to learn more about how you can help improve breast/chestfeeding rates in your community: www.childbirthinternational.com/lactation-counselor

Address

19e Blake Street, Ponsonby
Auckland
1011

Website

http://www.childbirthinternational.com/

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Our Story - A Different Way of Training Birth Professionals

CBI was born in 1998. At the time, there were few options for training as a doula, childbirth educator or breastfeeding counselor. You could choose a two-day workshop but we were seeing many birth professionals who felt unprepared and ill-equipped for the challenges of their role. We wanted to up the game. To help people feel confident in their skills, knowledgeable, and to be able to learn in a supportive environment. And we wanted to make training and certification more accessible for those who had families, jobs and lives outside their work!

But how to do this? How could we reach people who lived in areas where training wasn’t available? People in rural areas? People who worked full time or didn’t have childcare? People who wanted more than just the basics but wanted to feel prepared, confident and professional in their role? We looked at what skills and competencies were really important in working with birthing families. What really made the difference? What we discovered was that birthing families felt strong and empowered when they had knowledge. But they also needed tools to know how to use that knowledge effectively. And birth professionals needed to have time to not just absorb knowledge or practice a double-hip squeeze, but to reflect on their work, on the choices that clients make, on their own feelings about those choices. Time that just isn’t available in two days! We realized that our training would need to be different. We didn’t just change the rules. We made new ones! We made training a journey rather than a destination. A journey where the focus is on personal growth and building competency, rather than simply receiving a certificate. A journey that pairs students with a dedicated trainer to walk the path together, for as long as it takes, and access to a global peer community even after you complete your training.

Our first courses in 1998 were for Birth Doulas and Childbirth Educators. In 2008 we added Postpartum Doula and Breastfeeding Counselor courses. Over the past 20 years maternity care has changed. More technology and interventions are used and more rules exist within the health care system. Technology has also allowed clients to become aware of their options, seek out support, and communicate faster with others. The birth professional world has changed too with people wanting to learn ways to make their businesses successful and take part in lifelong learning to become even more skilled in their work. CBI has risen to these challenges by expanding our course offerings and giving our students, you, more options. Our Business for Birth Professionals course supports you in growing your business. The Trauma-Informed Professional advanced program prepares you to better meet the needs of clients who come to birth and parenting with trauma and to work towards eliminating obstetric violence. Advanced modules on a wide range of topics provide continuing education opportunities for you to develop specialist skills and build your professional portfolio. We have also seen a growing interest in health professionals - midwives, nurses, doctors - wanting to learn more about supporting families effectively and we have responded to this with the launch of professional development programs.

Through all of this growth, we have stayed true to our core values.

Inclusivity: CBI’s core values have always included the goal of offering a learning platform that is welcoming and inclusive of all individuals. We strive to develop reflection and empathy so our students can interact in their community with dignity and respect for all persons.

Diversity: We recognize the disparities in health care and outcomes for minority and marginalized groups and seek to be part of the solution to eliminating these through listening, understanding, dialogue, and education. We embrace and celebrate the diversity of humanity and continually seek out diverse perspectives.

Sustainability: We are committed to social, cultural, environmental, financial and personal sustainability and look for ways to minimize consumption of natural resources, support individuals in fostering healthy communities, and encourage a maintainable work/life integration through flexible employment and study arrangements.

In designing our training programs, we consider flexibility, affordability and an appreciation for the individual and unique needs of each student. We want to ensure that in choosing your training program, you are able to define for yourself what your business will look like and how that business will be run. That you can be successful in your training in a way that is flexible enough to adjust to your priorities and lifestyle, using online learning and adopting new technologies to make this easier for you. Training that enables you to feel supported and strengthened by your peers and trainers as you complete your learning and continue to grow for years to come.

We will always provide courses that identify best-practice, and teach skills that build competencies to support families in a way that enables them to have empowered, positive experiences through the childbearing years. We endorse the World Health Organization in their goal to “ensure that not only do women survive childbirth complications if they arise, but also that they thrive and reach their full potential for health and life” (WHO, 2018). Parents who are educated, supported and respected through this period are more likely to be strong advocates for themselves and their families. When families are healthy, communities are healthy.

You have a vital role to play in this process.