Dispelling Myths About ALACE
Because ALACE’s training programs are unique, some misperceptions have formed about our organization. Read on to find out the truth about ALACE and our training and certification programs. If you have further questions about doulas, childbirth educators, or ALACE in general, please check out the FAQs or contact us at info@alace.org or 888-222-5223.
Myth: Doulas are the same as midwives.
TRUTH: ALACE doulas, like all doulas, provide emotional, physical, and educational support to their clients.
ALACE doulas are not the primary caregivers for their clients; and, unlike midwives or doctors, doulas are neither medically trained nor responsible for the medical wellbeing of mothers or babies.
Myth: ALACE teaches their doulas to check clients’ cervical dilation and do physical assessments like check blood pressure and determine the baby’s position.
TRUTH: ALACE does not train doulas to provide any physical assessments for their clients. In fact, we require all our trainees to sign a disclaimer stating that, if a doula is interested in offering such services to their clients, they must receive specific training for these skills and must seek training from the appropriate sources.
The ALACE doula training program is unique in its approach. The experiential learning exercises are a vital part of our weekend training workshop. These include the chance to meet with volunteer pregnant women and experience what a pregnant belly feels like and attempt to hear the baby’s heart beat using a low-tech fetoscope. Through these exercises participants learn about appropriate touch and communication with clients.
Another powerful and compelling part of the workshop is the opportunity to perform pelvic exams on each other. This optional exercise is done in a sensitive, safe way to offer maximum support to all those who choose to participate. While this is NOT training to perform cervical checks on clients, we feel that this exercise is a uniquely empowering opportunity. We strongly believe that these experiential exercises provide the sense of empowerment, strength, and confidence in our bodies and our abilities that is so vital to doulas and, by extension, their clients. Empowering women is ALACE’s mission; we work to achieve our mission by empowering the women we train; they, in turn, empower their clients.
Over our many, many years of training doulas, we have had consistently positive feedback about the experiential exercises included in the training. Most women who have taken the ALACE training have reported that they felt our weekend workshop was a life-changing experience and that they felt stronger and more confident as a result -both personally and professionally. Click HERE (link to doula physical assessments(pdf)) for more about why we include the experiential exercises in our training.
Myth: All doula trainees are required to perform and receive a vaginal exam during the workshop.
TRUTH: The vaginal exam exercise is optional. No trainee will ever be made to feel uncomfortable if they opt not to participate in this portion of the workshop.
Myth: ALACE trains midwifery assistants, not doulas. That’s why they include the physical assessments in their training.
TRUTH: ALACE trains only labor assistants, also known as doulas, and childbirth educators. We have midwives on our staff, and some ALACE members go on to become midwives, but we do not provide midwifery training.
ALACE grew out of Informed Homebirth, an organization which once offered midwifery assistant training. In 1983 Informed Homebirth, soon to be renamed ALACE, changed its focus and began the doula training program we use today.
We retained the introduction to physical assessments as part of our workshop because we strongly believe that these experiential exercises provide the sense of empowerment, strength, and confidence in our bodies and our abilities that is so vital to doulas and, by extension, their clients. (Click HERE (link to doula physical assessments (pdf)) for more about why we include the experiential exercises in our training.)
Myth: Only doulas who are on their way to becoming midwives should take the ALACE doula training.
TRUTH: Our doula training is just that: doula training. ALACE’s training does not aim to provide trainees with the background to become midwives. However, doula training can be an excellent introduction to the birth professions. Some trainees who attend our workshops may go on to become midwives; many more work as doulas, and some donít work as doulas at all but attend the workshop for other reasons.
Myth: ALACE’s doula training focuses more on medical information and doesn’t teach as much about emotional support.
TRUTH: Because ALACE embraces the mind-body connection, we consider it essential to teach both the psychological and the biological aspects of labor and birth. Understanding the physiology of the body and of labor pain allows our doulas to more effectively provide physical and emotional support to their clients.
Myth: Like some of the other doula-training organizations, there are lots of ALACE doula training instructors; if youíre an ALACE certified doula, you can become an ALACE doula instructor.
TRUTH: ALACE’s doula training is unique in that we choose to have a small number of carefully selected, highly experienced instructors who teach throughout North America. We do not have an instructor training program. We feel this is important to ensure consistency and high quality. While our instructors may have different personal teaching styles, the curriculum is consistent; no matter where you live or when you take the training workshop, you can be sure that it is of the same high quality as all other ALACE doula training workshops.
Myth: ALACE birth professionals support only women having homebirths.
TRUTH: ALACE birth professionals support women and their families in all birth settings: hospital, birth centers, and home.
Myth: ALACE birth professionals work only with natural or unmedicated births.
TRUTH: While ALACE birth professionals trust in women’s ability to give birth naturally and without medical interventions, they support the informed decisions and choices of their clients – whatever these decisions are.
Myth: ALACE hasn’t been around as long as other training organizations, and hasn’t trained as many birth professionals.
TRUTH: ALACE has been training birth professionals since 1977. We started out under a different name, Informed Homebirth, but though our name changed we are directed by the same mission; to empower women and transform birth. Since 1977 we have trained nearly 10,000 birth professionals.
Myth: ALACE childbirth educators teach independently; they don’t teach classes in hospitals.
TRUTH: While the majority of ALACE childbirth educators choose to teach independently, many teach their classes in a hospital, birth center, or other institution. Part of the CBE training is to help instructors make practical decisions, including where they teach and with whom they may choose to be affiliated.
Myth: It’s really hard to get through to the ALACE office; the ALACE staff is unresponsive.
TRUTH: The ALACE office is fully staffed weekdays from 9 to 5 EST. The majority of phone calls are answered personally, and all phone messages and email inquiries are returned promptly. Accessibility and responsiveness are an ALACE priority.
About ALACE
History of ALACE
What distinguishes ALACE
Dispelling Myths about ALACE
Position Statement
FAQs
Who’s Who in ALACE
