This doula training program aims to teach aspiring doulas to treat the whole person when servicing clients for pregnancy, birth and postpartum

April Kline is a midwife, lactation consultant, emotional release therapist and the owner of The Well: A Center for Women’s Wellness in Kettering.  

Kline’s experience as being a midwife and lactation consultant inspired her to launch Birth With Spirit, a doula training and certification program that blends ancient wisdom and modern evidence so that it focuses on training doulas to provide clients with Whole Person CareTM. 

“Whole Person CareTM is grounded in the knowledge that pregnancy, birth and postpartum are not just physical events — they are also emotional, psychological and spiritual events that benefit from having a trusted guide who can provide evidence-based information and unconditional support throughout the entire process,” says Kline.  

The inspiration for sharing her passion for her craft and knowledge with others came from the motivation to make being a doula a more accessible pathway.  

“There are many doula training organizations, but most of them are expensive, have requirements that are prohibitive and focus mainly on two things: the physical aspects of the childbearing years and the business side of being a doula,” she says. “Birth With Spirit is built on key principles that are woven throughout training, peer reviews, continued education opportunities and mentorship for doulas as they provide knowledge and unconditional support to all our clients.” 

Soon-to-be mothers or those who are already mothers and adding more children to their blossoming families may be considering a doula as they continue to navigate the pregnancy and birth process. According to Kline, a doula provides information and physical and emotional support throughout big life transitions. 

“Most people think of doulas for childbirth, but doulas provide very important assistance through other important times in a person’s life including infertility, postpartum, infant loss, medical events, cancer journeys and more,” she says.  

Life transitions are not easy, but Birth With Spirit aims to make the process easier with evidence-based information, unconditional support and guidance. 

The services offered by Birth With Spirit training and certification include comprehensive education like didactic learning, hands-on learning and an intensive in-person retreat led by Kline. Once participants complete all requirements, they are awarded certification and can accompany clients throughout pregnancies, births and postpartum.  

“At Birth With Spirit, we provide ongoing care for our doulas, which most training organizations do not,” says Kline. “We have quarterly peer reviews wherein our doulas share experiences and learn from a facilitated peer-to-peer forum. We offer regular advanced trainings on many topics and provide real-time support to our doulas when they are conducting appointments or at births, so they always have access to more advanced practitioners.”  

Additionally, Birth With Spirit Doula Agency provides full-service offerings for clients looking for quality doulas for fertility, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, lactation and overnight as well as pregnancy and birth photographers, placenta encapsulation services, childbirth education classes, lactation prep classes and loss and death doulas.  

“The Birth With Spirit Doula Agency provides a supportive community of like-minded providers for Birth With Spirit Certified Doulas, as well as offering exceptional care providers to our community,” she adds.  

Birth With Spirit doulas live and work all over the state of Ohio. However, many are focused in the areas of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Dayton, Columbus, Zanesville, Tipp City/Troy/Sidney and north to the Port Clinton/Sandusky areas.  

You can learn more about Birth With Spirit and about becoming a doula at its website. To learn more about hiring a doula, visit bwsdoulas.com.