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.
17/02/2026
Althea Jones is a Black midwife in Canada, working to “advance Black maternal health care, reduce racial disparities in maternal outcomes and improve the experience of care for Black people during the perinatal period.” Ancestral Hands Midwives aims to increase access to and awareness of midwifery care for Black families and to support Black midwives in growing their career and the profession.
Roses are red, violets are blue
You want evidence-based options?
I've got you!
11/02/2026
As part of Black History Month, we want to share Black creators and voices making change in their communities and the broader landscape of maternal health and reproductive justice. Ericka Hart is a Black, q***r activist and educator based in the USA. She offers a number of workshops on topics such as sexual health, social and racial justice, intersectionality, body positivitiy/body image activism, and decolonizing health, as well as her “S*x Ed as Resistance” course. From their website, “[...] the S*x Ed as Resistance Training Program is one of very few Black q***r non-binary tgnc led training programs offering comprehensive, trauma informed, consent and pleasure based sexuality education from an anti racist, q***r lens.”
Did you hear? A recent Cochrane review of 106 studies looking at common labour induction methods found that, while safe and effective, none appear to be more effective than vaginal misoprostol at causing birth within 24 hours or preventing cesarean sections. Oral misoprostol, osmotic dialators, and balloon dialators may reduce uterine hyperstimulation that can lead to fetal distress, but were not more effective at causing birth within 24 hours.
As birth professionals, consider what resources or tools you can find or create to help your clients understand the different induction options better so they can decide which aligns best with their goals or advocate with their care provider for more information.
This is a frightening time for many families. Fear shapes how people give birth, how they feed their babies, how they access care, and how safe they feel in their own communities. Naming that fear matters.
At the same time, we see courage everywhere - caregivers showing up for families, communities protecting one another, and professionals committed to dignity-centered, trauma-informed care.
In times of fear and uncertainty, it can be hard to know how to respond. While no one person can fix everything, small, values-aligned actions matter - especially in birth and lactation work.
Here are a few meaningful ways to show up.
03/02/2026
Right now in the United States and globally, many people are living with deep uncertainty. We are witnessing families being separated through immigration enforcement, people seeking safety and asylum facing fear and instability, and communities trying to make decisions that affect those who are the most vulnerable. For many parents, caregivers, and children, this is a profoundly scary time.
We believe that seeking safety is a human right. We believe that people deserve humane treatment, due process, and care - especially when they are pregnant, postpartum, or caring for infants and children. Compassion is not a political position; it is a public health necessity and a moral responsibility.
Birth and lactation care must recognize and support the full diversity of families. Affirming care that respects identity, family structure, and bodily autonomy is essential to safety, trust, and positive health outcomes. No family should fear discrimination, exclusion, or harm while seeking care during pregnancy, birth, or the postpartum period.
Childbirth International stands with people who are experiencing persecution, marginalization, or harm - whether because of immigration status, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, family structure, or circumstance. We know that these pressures don’t exist in isolation; they show up in pregnancy experiences, access to care, lactation support, and mental health.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of celebrating Black history in the United States. The founders of Black History Month, ASALH “urge us to explore the impact and meaning of Black history and life commemorations in transforming the status of Black peoples in the modern world.”
One way we can consider the impact of history on the lives of Black parents is through research. Last year, a small qualitative study explored the experiences of Black birthing parents postpartum, learn more about how racism impacts postpartum life, and to reimagine systems that historically underrepresent and mistreat marginalized communities. The study notes that little has changed in how postpartum parents are treated, with the common model originating in 1930, that timed the single postpartum visit for birthing parents with the estimated time it takes the uterus to complete involution.
In speaking with the 23 participants, researchers identified four key themes of the postpartum experience, including structural neglect, racism from the health care system. One of the themes also looked at how Black women and parents pushed back against the idea of the “Strong Black Woman” trope, focusing on the resistance in parenting, choosing rest when they could, and accepting help when it was offered. The standards of care for postpartum parents is inadequate and there needs to be a transformational, system-wide approach to change. You can learn more about the study and clinical recommendations here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2025.100536
29/01/2026
Endometriosis has been widely under-researched and is rather poorly understood. However, a recent case-control study has found correlations between endometriosis and an increased risk of being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease within two years of a diagnosis of endometriosis. While a lot is still uncertain, there are more and more studies finding similar associations between endometriosis and autoimmune diseases. You can read more here: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44294-025-00086-8
27/01/2026
Today is World Breastpumping Day! Everyone’s infant feeding experience looks different, and how a baby gets fed matters less than how the parents feel and are able to manage or sustain their plan without increased stress. Pumping can be a helpful way to supplement at-the-chest feeds while continuing to offer human milk. Exclusive pumping is also gaining popularity, especially among working parents who may not be able to nurse their baby throughout the day. As a postpartum or lactation professional, you might consider what resources you can find or create to support parents who want to pump or who are pumping exclusively. It might include tracking sheets, quick guides to milk storage, or information about paced bottle feeding that clients can share with their loved ones or childcare providers.
22/01/2026
As birth and lactation professionals, we may reference or read about World Health Organization guidelines for respectful care in childbirth, infant feeding guidelines, and how milk substitutes are advertised to families, or even whether babies who are exclusively fed human milk have their growth tracked on the appropriate growth chart, with the WHO-generated one supplying metrics based on babies fed human milk compared to the CDC chart that uses data from formula-fed infants. What does the WHO even do, though, and why is it considered an authority or source for topics related to global health?
Since 1948, this subsidiary of the UN has served to “promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable.” Their overarching goal is to ensure everyone has access to universal health coverage, including primary health care, inform national health policies, and train a health workforce with an awareness of equitable labour practices and ethical healthcare standards. They also work to increase access to life-saving medicine and health products. In terms of health and other emergencies, they’re key to preparing for and preventing emergencies, mitigating risks, and creating tools and resources to manage outbreaks.
The World Health Organization brings together the world’s leading minds in healthcare, research, and medicine to create international standards, resources, guidelines, and lead responses to crises, epidemics, pandemics, and rising mental health concerns. Since its creation, global life expectancy has increased by 25 years, and in 2016, “6 million fewer children died before their fifth birthday than in 1990.” The impact of the WHO cannot be understated. As you learn more about this organization, you might reflect on what resources they offer that you can include in your resource library for clients and families in your community.
Childbirth International (CBI) trainers come from all walks of life. They have a wealth of training and experience in birth and lactation work. Every CBI trainer has completed the Childbirth International courses themselves and understand the challenges of studying by distance learning. They’ve also worked as birth and lactation professionals, some for more than 30 years, and run successful businesses. They’re leaders and activists in their own communities, striving to improve the health and well-being of families across the world.
The way CBI trainers support and guide you is one of the things that truly sets us apart. Usually, a trainer runs a workshop for a couple of days, and then you are on your own to complete all the certification requirements with minimal support. This is NOT the case with CBI! Your trainer is with you on your journey from beginning to end, available for you to reach out to at any point in your training if you have questions or want more support. While our courses are self-guided and self-paced, you’re not alone on the journey!
14/01/2026
One way we can support our clients as doulas and lactation counselors is to learn more about their goals, plans, and expectations. Doing this helps to build a foundation of understanding what’s important to our clients and what they might want or need more support with. We can guide them through creating a birth, postpartum, or infant feeding plan by inviting them to consider what knowledge, understanding, or skills they need to achieve their goals and what actions they need to take to be successful. This can involve identifying the topics they want to learn more about, determining the decisions they will need to make, and determining who they need to speak with about their goals and expectations. You might reflect on how you can help your clients create active birth, postpartum, and infant feeding plans so they can feel prepared for each stage of the perinatal period.
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Childbirth International (CBI) posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
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.
