Free tool · For people training as postpartum doulas
Plan Your Postpartum Doula Certification
Tell the planner how many hours a week you can study and when you want to start. It turns the postpartum doula training’s published scope into a dated week-by-week plan, gives you a checklist of what to complete, and puts BBU’s own certification steps on a timeline.
- Free
- No signup or email
- Works right on this page
- Nothing you enter is sent anywhere; saving is your choice
Planning to become a birth doula? That training has its own plan: Plan Your Birth Doula Certification.
How the training is structured
BBU’s Certified Postpartum Doula Training is fully online and self-paced. Its page describes about 24 hours of video and activities across seven areas of practice: your role, scope and communication; parent recovery; newborn care; sleep, routines and safety; feeding and multiples, including families with twins; tricky situations and referrals, including NICU stays; and building your practice, with client interviews, agency versus independent work, and business and marketing. The training follows the practical work of daytime and overnight shifts.
The page does not publish hours per area, so the planner splits the 24 hours evenly across the seven as a planning assumption, and says so on your plan.
Planning weeks around your life
Enter the hours you can realistically give each week and a start date. The planner divides the training into weeks at that pace, works through the areas in order and dates every week. At five hours a week that is five weeks; at two hours a week, twelve. Change the hours to see how the finish date moves.
BBU’s trainings FAQ says each training includes about 24 hours of videos and activities and that “many people finish within 3–4 days.” Your pace is your own; the planner never compares you with anyone else.
What you will need to complete
The plan ends with tick lists of the seven areas and the practical exercises the training page names: planning the flow of a daytime or overnight shift, building a referral and resource list, preparing questions for a client interview, and comparing agency and independent work for your goals.
How certification works at BBU
BBU publishes its certification in three steps, and the planner repeats them in BBU’s own words:
- Initial certification: complete the training to earn your initial one-year certification.
- Full certification: within that year, complete BBU mentorship or 15 eligible birth/postpartum CEUs for full three-year certification.
- Renewal: continuing education is required to renew every three years.
Your plan dates the first two steps from your estimated finish. These are BBU’s terms only; other organizations, employers and benefit programs set their own requirements, so confirm what applies to you.
Birth or postpartum first
The postpartum and birth trainings are separate, each with its own certification, and each has its own plan. BBU’s own FAQ offers one consideration if you are deciding where to start: “Given the unpredictability of birth, you may want to start as a postpartum doula. Many people find that working overnight hours is possible if childcare is a challenge.” The free Doula Training Finder lays out both trainings, the bundle and the cross-certification routes side by side.
Questions people ask
How long does the postpartum doula training take?
It is self-paced, with about 24 hours of video and activities. The planner turns your own weekly hours into a dated plan.
What do I get at the end?
BBU’s published terms: completing the training earns an initial one-year certification, and within that year BBU mentorship or 15 eligible birth/postpartum CEUs lead to the full three-year certification.
Who is the training for?
BBU’s page describes it as for aspiring postpartum doulas, nannies, newborn care specialists and care professionals who want to support families after birth, as well as doulas who want to sharpen their practice.
Where is the plan for birth doula certification?
It is a separate tool, Plan Your Birth Doula Certification, built on the Certified Birth Doula Training’s own seven areas and exercises.
Does the planner know other certifying bodies’ rules?
No. It only uses BBU’s own published terms. Check any other organization’s requirements with that organization.
Sources
- Birth & Baby University. The Certified Postpartum Doula Training information page (linked above). Checked October 9, 2026.
- Birth & Baby University. Certified Doula Trainings page, frequently asked questions (training length and certification). Checked October 9, 2026.