RhieBirth

10/06/2026

February Feels Far Away. Your Calendar Disagrees.

📅 Doulas, we know how this works.

February feels forever away...
Until your due-date calendar starts filling up. 😂
So we're telling you now:

🏛️ WDA DOULA DAY OF ACTION
📅 February 16, 2027
📍 Wisconsin State Capitol | Madison

Never advocated before?
Come anyway.
Never met a legislator?
Come anyway.
Don't understand how Wisconsin government works?
Come anyway.

We're spending the months leading up to February helping doulas build those skills through WDA's Advocacy Committee.

For now:
Save the date. RSVP. Block the calendar.
RSVP for WDA Day of Action
We'll see you at the Capitol. 💙

09/21/2026

Already Took Spinning Babies® 1? Don't Scroll. 👀
👀 Already completed Spinning Babies® 1?
Then this announcement is especially for you.
WDA is bringing Spinning Babies® 1 + 2 to Madison in June 2027.
Yes—ONE AND TWO.

That means doulas and birth professionals who haven't taken Level 1 have an opportunity to begin...
AND those of you who've already completed Level 1 have an opportunity to keep going.

We know June sounds far away.
We also know training budgets, client calendars, travel and childcare require planning—so we're putting this one on your radar NOW.

📅 June 24th & 25th 2027
📍 Madison, Wisconsin

This is a BIG professional-development opportunity for Wisconsin birth workers.
Who's been waiting for Level 2? 🙋‍♀️
View the Spinning Babies workshop & registration information

Part 2 (June 24): The Integration Workshop–Spinning Babies
Part 1 (June 25): The Foundational Workshop–Spinning Babies–there is a 6 month “wait” period before Part 2 can be taken

https://bit.ly/4iTGXq5

09/20/2026

09/11/2026

Wisconsin doulas — this is your moment. 💚

The Wisconsin Doulas Association is taking the conversation about doula credentialing across the state, and we want YOU at the table.

This fall, we're hosting the Wisconsin Doula Credentialing Listening Tour with in-person stops throughout Wisconsin AND five virtual opportunities open to doulas from any region.

Why?

Because before recommendations are made about what credentialing could look like in Wisconsin, we need to hear from the people actually doing this work.

What makes sense?
What doesn't?
What concerns you?
What could create barriers?
What could strengthen Wisconsin's doula workforce?

We aren't coming to ask you to approve a plan that's already been created. We're coming to listen.

📍 Wauwatosa — September 27
📍 Stevens Point — September 29
📍 Verona — October 11
📍 Green Bay — October 18
📍 Eau Claire — October 24
📍 Hazelhurst — November 8

Can't make an in-person stop? Join us virtually. Five dates. Any region.
💻Oct. 6th from 8:00 - 9:00 am
💻October 15th from 12:00 - 1:00 pm
💻Oct.20th from 6:00 - 7:00 pm
💻Oct. 29th from 12:00 - 1:00 pm
💻Nov. 9th from 7:00 - 8:00 pm

Your Region. Your Voice. Our Future.

Share this post. Tag your doula friends. Help us make sure doulas from every corner of Wisconsin know they have a seat at this table.

Find it all in our calendar! https://bit.ly/4dg7ytM

08/28/2026

Imagine Wisconsin five years from now...

-A new doula doesn't have to wonder where to find support.
-Hospitals know how to successfully collaborate with doulas.
-Families understand the value of doula care before they ever become pregnant.
-Experienced doulas are still practicing because they have sustainable careers—not because they sacrificed everything to stay.
-Legislators recognize doulas as an essential part of maternal health.

Community organizations, healthcare systems, public health leaders, and birth workers are sitting at the same table, solving problems together.

This isn't just wishful thinking.

It's the profession we're building.

Every regional meetup.
Every training.
Every newsletter.
Every advocacy conversation.
Every hospital partnership.
Every member who joins.
Every stakeholder who says, "How can we help?"

It all adds up.

The Wisconsin Doulas Association was never created to be the loudest voice in the room.
It was created to make sure doulas had a voice in the rooms where decisions are made.
Because this work has never been about one organization.
It's about building a profession that is respected, sustainable, collaborative, and accessible for every Wisconsin family.

To every doula, healthcare professional, partner organization, member, volunteer, and supporter who has walked alongside us...

Thank you.

We're not just supporting today's families.
We're helping shape what maternal health in Wisconsin looks like for generations to come.
And we're just getting started.

💙 If you could change one thing about maternal health in Wisconsin, what would it be?

Let's dream big together.
Learn more about WDA and how you can be part of the movement at https://bit.ly/47zqrp9

08/12/2026

Nobody asked...
..how many birthdays doulas miss.

Nobody asked how many anniversary dinners get interrupted.

Nobody asked how many family vacations begin with,
"I have to stay close... just in case."

Nobody asked how many nights we sleep with our phones on loud.

Nobody asked how often we leave our own children to help welcome someone else's.

Nobody asked what it's like to carry the stories of joy, heartbreak, loss, and resilience home with us.

People see the birth photos.

They see the smiling baby.

They see the proud family.

What they don't always see is everything that happened before that moment.

The months of preparation.
The middle-of-the-night phone calls.
The countless texts.
The emotional labor.
The waiting.
The wondering.
The quiet drive home after everyone else has gone to sleep.

And here's the thing...

Most doulas would tell you they don't do this work because it's easy.

They do it because someone showed up for them...
—or because no one did.

Every doula has a story that brought them here.

At WDA, we believe those stories matter.

Not because they define us.

But because they remind us why building a stronger profession matters.

💙 Today, we'd love to hear yours.

What called you to become a doula?

Share your story below. You never know who might need to read it.

Learn more about the community we're building at https://bit.ly/47zqrp9

06/03/2026

05/18/2026

The Wisconsin Doulas Association is on the road this month — bringing doula perspectives into rooms where maternal health policy, provider education, and systems planning are actively being shaped.

Because if maternal health systems are being redesigned, doulas belong in that conversation.

This month, we’re proud to represent Wisconsin doulas in spaces focused on:

public health
provider collaboration
maternal health systems
workforce sustainability
family-centered care
We are not building noise.
We are building structure.

Want to help bring doula voices into bigger rooms? Join WDA at https://bit.ly/3Oi3qMa

05/16/2026

The Wisconsin Doulas Association N.E.W Regional Coordinators are excited to host a timely and deeply important training opportunity for doulas across Wisconsin.

Whether you are brand new to doula work or have years of experience, this session invites all of us into deeper reflection around how we show up in birth spaces and how our words, assumptions, and actions can impact the families we serve.

Intent vs Impact in Birth Spaces
with Laurice Snyder, CD (DONA)
Owner of Rooted Wings LLC | Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

🗓 Saturday, May 23, 2026
⏰ 10:00–11:00 AM
📍 Virtual via Google Meet
🔗 https://bit.ly/4wgvB3H

Training Description
Doulas enter birth spaces with the intention to support, yet even well-meaning words and actions can unintentionally cause harm. Microaggressions, unchecked comments, and behaviors shaped by bias can erode trust, silence clients, and reinforce power imbalances, especially for Black, Indigenous, immigrant, LGBTQ+, differently abled, and religiously marginalized families.

We encourage all doulas — especially newer doulas — to attend and invite others in their networks.

Want to stay connected to statewide trainings, advocacy opportunities, mentorship, and community? Become a member!