Birth workers are highly trained and skilled non-medical professionals who provide physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and informational support. Our birthworkers are equipped to provide clients with culturally relevant, holistic care and advocacy. The expertise of our birthworkers includes fertility, prenatal, labor/birth, postpartum, nutrition, energy work, lactation, massage therapy, maternal mental health, bereavement, abortion, and end of life care.

***Note: The origins of the word "doula" means "female servant" or "female slave" in Greek. Language matters. Words take on various meanings, symbols hold significance in our psyche, and our actions are reflective of it as well. For this reason, we are beginning to shift our language away from the use of the term "doula". Although it may be used interchangeably here, we identify as birthworkers or birth worker professionals and have officially changed our name from Sacred Seeds Black Doula Collective of Colorado to Sacred Seeds Black Birthworker Collective of Colorado. As a birthworker collective, Sacred Seeds is poised to provide lovingly holistic, valuable, and professional support to our clients.

We believe the most holistic care is possible when a client is supported by their midwife or OB-Gyn for medical needs and a birthworker for non-medical care.

Please refer to our Sacred Seeds Birthworker directory for more information on our birthworkers. Each birthworker listed has a bio that shares details about their expertise, a link to their website or social media, and contact information to inquire about a consultation.

Sacred Seeds birthworkers set their own rates and availability to provide services on a low-cost or volunteer basis.

As key components of any birthing team who have a unique set of skills to support birthing people, Soul 2 Soul Sisters believes that birth workers deserve an equitable wage. We understand that the onus is on our failed healthcare system for under-resourcing Black communities with the means to access optimal healthcare services, not individual birthing people. For this reason, our organization is committed to paying Sacred Seeds birthworkers for their expertise and services through grant funding and donations to the collective while also advocating for change through our programming.

Please email blackdoulas@soul2soulsisters.org for more information.

For 2022, our quarterly Meetings are held in Summer - August 2, 2022 - 6 - 7 p.m. (MST) and Fall - October 11, 2022 6 -7 p.m. (MST)

This is a sacred space for Black birthworkers to connect, share resources, and offer updates. If you are interested in attending, email blackdoulas@soul2soulsisters.org for more information.

Please visit http://soul2soulsisters.org/donate  to submit a donation to our collective (select donation designation Care Package & Healing Circles for Black Women).  Anything you can offer to support us will go toward paying our birth workers, expanding our programming, and making resources available to our community. Thank you in advance!

The start to a formal birth worker role almost always begins with accessing a training opportunity. Prior to this, we recommend networking with birthworkers in your community and educating yourself on the realities/experiences of the community you will be working with. Check out this amazing reading list created by Efe Osaren, a full spectrum doula and student midwife. It is also very important to get clear on your “why” and position yourself to enter birth work led by this understanding.

Your path in birthwork will require continuous learning so ultimately who you choose to train with initially should give you adequate skills, confidence, and guidance in getting started. Aligning your training organization with your “why” and the goals you have in servicing your community is wise. Hearing feedback from previously trained birth workers of any organization can be helpful. When seeking training, you will also have to take into consideration time commitments, your learning style, and finances. Many training organizations have scholarships and/or payment plans available. 

Here’s a few Black Women led organizations to consider for your training and certification goals: 

• Shafia Monroe Consulting - led by renowned midwife Shafia Monore this intensive online 4-week training of perinatal education, culture, and public health information offers dual certification as a “Full Circle” doula and preparation for those choosing to become midwives. 
• Gifted Hands International - 15 weeks of online classes and a 3 day in person clinical training led by Shana Davis. Upon completion students will receive three certifications: Birth Doula, CPR & Community Breastfeeding educator. 
• Okunsola’s Community Doula Training hosted by Jamaa Birth Village is a scholarship based, 60-hour hybrid community doula training, featuring virtual prerequisites and live virtual learning modules, with additional in-person hands-on learning & practice sessions, for Black & African-American people living in the St. Louis region. 
• Birthing Advocacy Doula Training - offers socially conscious, culturally appropriate, diverse, and action-oriented full spectrum doula courses. BADT also offers 4 week continuing education courses related to disability, queer family formation, addition recovery, abortion care, and more.
• Doula Training & Certification: The JJ Way - led by Darline Turner this training offers online modules, live skills training, and six months of mentorship following the completion of the training which includes 1-on-1 support as well as cohort learning and debriefing circles.
• Uzazi Village’s Perinatal Doula Training - over 8 day training sessions doulas are equipped to support families in birth/postpartum doula work, childbirth education, sexual and reproductive health, and breastfeedin peer counseling. 
• Community Birth Sister/Doula Training by Sista Midwife  - this online training is taught by Nicole Deggins, CNM and L&D nurse. Based on the community health worker model, it combines the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of pregnancy as well as incorporating music, ritual and wisdom from various Indigenous and African spiritual systems.  

We’re interested in partnerships that are in alignment with our values, position Black birthworkers as valuable, and center community-led initiatives in addressing the realities of Black birthing people and their families. If this sounds like you, please email blackdoulas@soul2soulsisters.org to discuss further.