Developing the Blossoming Birth Doula Training with SisterWeb
By: Julia Piccirillo-Stosser
This summer I was lucky enough to have interned with SisterWeb, which is a community doula network centered around uplifting the Black families in San Francisco. I was tasked to lead the development of the Blossoming Birth Doula Training, which is a collaboration between SisterWeb and Tulsa Birth Equity Initiative. My experience strengthened my skills in community-based participatory design, and introduced me to new skills around curriculum development, health literacy, and graphic design.
The training included a Training of the Trainers (ToT) and the Doula Training, which first required the creation of the Blossoming Birth brand. I completed a knowledge collection process to engage doulas, past and present, OB/GYNs, midwives, and other maternal care providers to develop the doula training curriculum. The ToT was piloted three times throughout the summer, and the Doula Training was piloted over a 6-day period in SF.
The Blossoming Birth Doula Training is a full-spectrum doula training program which prepares doulas to develop skills in perinatal emotional, physical, and educational support for birthing people and families in their communities. The training curriculum exemplifies a strength-based and community-focused approach to birthwork that integrates evidence-based practice with ancestral wisdom. This training was developed specifically for Black and Indigenous birthing people of color and the community doulas that are supporting them nationwide. Utilizing the knowledge, wisdom, and lived experience of current community doulas, lactation specialists, midwives, OB/GYNs, and additional providers, the curriculum is community-rooted in its approach to birth work. The model of doula training is highly adaptable to different community needs, and amplifies the unique strengths of diverse communities to honor local wisdom. We aimed to create a simplified and easy to use framework that communities can retain and use to train their own community members. Blossoming Birth Doula Training curriculum included 48 unique modules, slides, handouts, activity guides, pre and post assessments, and facilitation guides.
After the training was developed and piloted, I facilitated interviews with training participants to get qualitative feedback on their experience with the Blossoming Birth Training. Key quotes were:
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“The most surprising aspect of the training was again the quality of the curriculum, and how they covered it. I mean, it was straight to the point. I have nothing but love for Blossoming Birth.” - Blossoming Birth Doula Training participant
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“What made it unique, It was just the facilitators who made us all feel welcome and it was just a really good experience atmosphere. It was like sisterhood, and I felt very comfortable.” - Blossoming Birth Doula Training participant
I am very grateful to the Wallace Center for financially supporting my internship experience with SisterWeb, and to the SisterWeb team and community who allowed me to step into the role. I was both challenged and inspired this summer to continue work in community-based maternal health care, and to recognize how critical respectful maternity health care is in ensuring birthing people have positive experiences. I am excited to continue to work with SisterWeb as the training goes through a second pilot, and to be a co-author on the published version of the curriculum.