About Us

Doulaing as a Transformative Experience

As doulas, we are granted the incredible task of ushering parents into a new life through practical problem solving, emotional and physical support during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. Through elevated nurturing techniques, hands-on support, and thoughtful, trauma-informed guidance, we can help ensure healthy and safe pregnancies and births. It is important to recognize that these skills are centuries old and have been cultivated, honed, and tailored by many cultures globally to support birthing parents. Dr. Amy Gilliland, a foremost researcher and doula expert, has aggregated these practices into a culturally adaptable, evidence-based certification program to help all birthing parents in our communities.

While our primary location is southern Wisconsin, our leadership team is spread across three American states. Anyone anywhere is eligible for Doulaing The Doula Trainings and Certification.

Currently, Wisconsin is home to eleven recognized indigenous tribes, the most of any state east of the Mississippi river. Madison is in the DeJope (Four Lakes) area that was settled and stewarded by the Ho Chunk nation. The DeJope area has been continuously inhabited for over ten thousand years. White peoples colonized this area in the mid 1800’s, killing thousands of indigenous peoples in order to claim and farm the land. Doulaing The Doula (my home) is on a ridge that overlooks two of the four main lakes and near another spring fed lake – a prime spot for setting up a home or lookout site.

I am inspired by all those beings who lived here for so long: making food, getting into arguments, making love, having babies, tending to their sick, mourning their dead. Exactly the same things we still do today. I imagine all the doulas tending to the people birthing their babies: all the cool cloths on foreheads, the supportive words, the massages, and joy when both parent and child emerge healthy and whole. Thinking about their lives inspires me. Thinking about how short we actually have here to make a difference keeps me energized and moving forward.

May you also have the gift of connection to a place that gives your life meaning.

-Dr. Amy L. Gilliland, Founder

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Meet The Doulaing The Doula Support Team

At Doulaing The Doula, we have a diverse staff of dedicated professionals who support everything from program coordination to class content to doula support. Each member of our team has been hand-selected by Dr. Amy Gilliland herself, based on their unique experience, insight, and expertise.

Meet Our Team

Redefining Doula Training

Our ever-evolving, ever-expanding curriculum is deeply rooted in cross-cultural research, hands-on field work, and thousands of hours of interviews with birthing parents, medical professionals, and researchers, conducted by the foremost doula expert, Dr. Amy Gilliland. Our courses and workshops emphasize whole-brain learning using modern teaching methods to better engage and involve learners throughout our time together to improve overall outcomes.

What Makes Our Trainings so Special

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Building Doula Communities

At DTD, we focus on evidence-based, trauma-informed, culturally attuned course work and education to help doulas create effective and relevant practices in their own communities. It is our goal that doulas from all communities, especially those that are marginalized, have the opportunity to adapt the skills they’ve learned with DTD to more readily and effectively meet the needs of their clients. We hope that these doulas join our Doula team as coaches (and eventually trainers) to support the growth and development of other doulas in the areas that they live.

Learn More About Doula Communities

Careers

Are you an experienced doula with tens of births under your belt? Do other people in your area see you as a leader and seek out your advice? Are you uncertain how to help new doulas, but want to?

Our Foundation Of Doula Practice Coaches are experienced doulas and emerging leaders who see the value of cultivating doula support for all peoples. We created this new position in the doula world to offer experienced doulas a structured curriculum that would help them to build their own communities.

We are especially interested in assisting Foundation of Doula Practice Coaches from historically oppressed communities to better nurture doulas in those communities. If you are from a group that is marginalized in the health care system, and you want to nurture doulas from that community, we want to work with you!

Join Our Team