Preparing for Birth Boot Camp Instructor Training!
Do you want to teach birth and change the world one couple at a time? Our passion for helping couples have great birth experiences is what binds us together at Birth Boot Camp and it’s a beautiful thing! We are so excited to have you joining us and we want you to be successful and feel supported!
Here are some tips for preparing for Birth Boot Camp instructor training from our most knowledgeable people- our trainers and administrators.
Birth Boot Camp instructor training is set up a little different than most trainings. This was a thoughtful decision for us and part of our effort to have the best childbirth educators in the industry.
You attend training when all of your coursework is done. You heard that right- everything you need to do in order to train is done BEFORE the workshop, making the actual training the icing on the cake rather than the first ingredient.
We love seeing all of our instructors with the same basic level of knowledge concerning birth, primed and ready to go. Training is largely about learning how to teach the curriculum, handling difficult situations that may show up in class, and setting up your business.
Oh, and did we mention- you will make some amazing friends at your training! It’s a beautiful thing.
What is the pre-workshop course work?
You can read here to learn all of our childbirth educator requirements. Before training you will fill out your study guide, read a stack of books, watch our full online childbirth classes, attend two births, and compile local resources.
Study Guide
Once you have applied to be a childbirth educator and paid your deposit, you will receive access to the to the study guide questions. This is a long list of questions that covers basic birth knowledge and necessary information that you learned from each of the books you will read. Before you do ANYTHING ELSE read through this entire document so you have a firm grasp of what is required so you can plan accordingly. Fill these questions out as you read, watch, and learn. There are different study guide questions for each aspect of coursework.
Book Reading
As mentioned, pre-workshop course work includes doing all the reading as well. This is extensive so pace yourself, make a plan, and work your plan. Read here for a little bit of background on the books for childbirth educators we have chosen and why. These are fabulous preparation for your future career as a childbirth educator!
A few of the books are available in an audible version which can help you multi-task and possibly finish more quickly.
Sometimes people check out the website and start reading their books without contacting us or letting us know that they are interested in training. We love your excitement to get started! But your reading will be more effective and you won’t have to do it over if you know what you are looking for in each of your books. Reach out to us. We truly want to help and support you!
Online Birth Classes
Another important part of your childbirth educator training with Birth Boot Camp is watching our full birth class series online. We give you access to this as part of our effort to ensure that your actual childbirth educator training is learning how to teach, not learning the curriculum.
Just like with the book reading portion, there are study guide questions that accompany the online classes. While watching is less intensive than the reading, the classes run over 20 hours so you will need to budget your time and plan for this. It is advised that you save the videos for last so you can really focus on watching how our founder Donna, and her partner Sarah, teach. Doing the reading first gives you a firm foundation and makes the final weeks leading up to training a little less stressful.
Birth Attendance
Another important part of your training is attending and observing two births. For some of our educators who are already experienced doulas or midwives, this is an easy task. For others, it can take time to find a birth to attend! Start asking around and preparing for your birth attendance immediately. Some educators are able to find a friend whose birth they can attend, others find a doula and her client who is happy to have them shadow, and still others are able to get permission from a hospital or birth center to spend a day in-house.
There is so much to be learned from attending births! Don’t worry- you aren’t a trained doula yet- that isn’t the purpose of this exercise. You are there just as an observer of the birth process. Seeing that others labor differently than we do is eye opening and can make us better teachers as we see how different the coping techniques and experiences of each woman and her partner are.
Local Resources
For those that are already experienced birth workers, compiling a local resource list of care providers that support women during and after childbirth may be an easy task. If you are new to this, it may take some time. Either way, the purpose of the local resource list is to help you get out in your community and learn who is doing what and how they help birthing families.
One of the important things you bring to the table for your students is your knowledge of great referrals in their area. You will add to and update this as time goes on, but a good working list is a necessity.
October, 2016 graduating class of Birth Boot Camp childbirth educators!
Additional Important Tips-
- Set aside a few hours a week for your study guide or book reading.
- Hire a sitter for the last few weeks to help you finish up.
- Give yourself plenty of time so you can enjoy it and retain the information. 3-8 months is recommended, depending on your previous background in childbirth or speed in reading.
- Give yourself deadlines.
- Stay accountable.
- Ask the Birth Boot Camp team for help! That is what we are here for!
- Calculate how many pages you must read in total, then divide up how many pages you need to read per day. Then, stick to your schedule!
Working as a childbirth educator can be some of the most fulfilling times of your life. You can share your passion for childbirth with those that are deeply interested, earn money, and help couples have amazing births.
Don’t wait another moment- apply today to become a childbirth educator!
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A special thanks our incredible contributors for this article-
Melissa Meyer is a Birth Boot Camp instructor and instructor trainer headquartered in Corvallis, Oregon.
Carmen Calvo is a childbirth educator and instructor trainer in Baltimore, Maryland.
Amy Anderson is a Birth Boot Camp teacher and instructor trainer headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Hailie Wolfe is a childbirth educator, doula, and a member of the Birth Boot Camp Advisory Board in Abilene, TX.
April Francom is our resident Instructor Certification Coordinator out of Mansfield, TX.
