Birth and Postpartum Doula Training Portugal – In-person Retreat
Foz do Arelho, Portugal – Doula Retreat June 12-19, 2026 with Doula School
Transform Your Passion Into a Professional Doula Career | 50+ Hours Live Doula Training
Are you ready to become a certified doula? Our immersive Birth and Postpartum Doula Training Portugal program combines ancient birthing wisdom with evidence-based modern doula practices. This in-person doula certification retreat takes place on the beautiful Silver Coast of Portugal.
This comprehensive birth doula course and postpartum doula training goes beyond traditional classroom learning. You’ll experience a transformative journey that deepens your connection to professional birth support while immersing yourself in a culture that has honored community support for generations.
Perfect For:
This course is perfect for anyone exploring a new career in birthwork, as well as those on their pregnancy journey, and professionals such as educators, counselors, healthcare workers, yoga instructors, or anyone with a passion for reproductive health.
Duration and effort
50+ hour doula retreat
70 hours of comprehensive online learning and mentorship
June 12-19, 2026
Certifications
Certified Birth Doula
Certified Postpartum Doula
Mentorship
Mentors always available for one-on-one support
Many free and low-cost webinars for continuing education
Location
Foz do Arelho, Portugal
PORTUGAL IN PERSON RETREAT
Tuition
$1,599 CAD(+room and board if staying on location)
This intensive doula program offers comprehensive
professional credentials recognized internationally. Graduate with:
• Birth doula certification
• Postpartum doula certification
• Professional doula network connections
Our comprehensive doula curriculum includes:
• Birth doula techniques: Labor support, comfort measures, positioning
• Postpartum doula certification: Newborn care, infant feeding support, family transitions
• Doula business training: Building your professional practice
• Cultural competency: Learning from indigenous birth traditions
• Evidence-based practices: Current research in birth support
Course Credentials: A Global Journey in Doula Education
Dual Certification = Maximum Career Potential Complete two programs and become a well rounded doula. Stand out in the growing doula market with comprehensive credentials that serve families from pregnancy, through postpartum and beyond.
Birth & Postpartum Doula Certification
Master comprehensive doula skills from pregnancy through postpartum recovery. Our dual certification program covers labor support, newborn care, breastfeeding assistance, and perinatal mental health. Graduate ready to provide professional birth support and postpartum care that transforms families' experiences during their most vulnerable moments. Key Skills: Labor comfort measures, postpartum recovery support, newborn care expertise.
Meet Your Expert Instructors:
STEFANIE ANTUNES
With over 20 years transforming birth experiences, Stefanie is a captivating leader and co-owner of Doula School. As a certified Lamaze® Educator and professional doula since 2002, she’s guided countless families through positive childbirth journeys and has led doula training for the world’s top institutions.
This visionary childbirth expert serves as President of Doula School, board member with the Association of Ontario Doulas, and former DONA International board member.
Stefanie is a contributing author in the best selling Power of Women United and the book Bearing Witness: Childbirth Stories Told by Doulas. She is a regular contributing writer and blogger, and has done many interviews online and for TV/radio. Stefanie was awarded Business Woman of the Year 2022 by CanadianSME.
Her belief is that the world can be a better place if parents can have more positive childbirth experiences that allow them to bond properly with their babies. She works tirelessly to change the world in this aspect…one family at a time.
HANNAH DERIEMAEKER
Hannah Deriemaeker is a Belgian certified midwife with over 14 years of international experience in home birth and remote care. Her work has taken her from Uganda to Guatemala, where she served as medical director of Vivir en Amor and collaborated closely with traditional Maya midwives. In 2018, she founded Midwives of The Lake and began leading birth retreats and trainings.
Now based in Central Portugal, she attends home births and prepares couples for conscious hospital births. She teaches with Doula School International, is a member of the Portuguese Association of Midwives (APEO), and is the creative director of Escola Regenerativa.
In 2026, she founded Luz do Nascer, integrating her global experience into education and mentorship for respectful, informed birth.
Cynthia
★★★★★
“I think this is a wonderful and much needed program. I see this specialty really helping so many lives. Even as a trained midwife I learned so much!”
Rachelle
★★★★★
“Cannot waaaait to have these tools under my belt. Doula School is incredible. I am so grateful for you!”
Busy mom
★★★★★
“So much of the content is covering stuff I was really wondering about (e.g what is meant by emotional support, and the nuances of relationship building with primary care folks). Loving it!!
Graduate student
★★★★★
“Training with DSC to become a Birth Doula has been an amazing positive experience in my life. I feel so blessed to have joined a sensational group of women pushing the bar to educate, encourage and empower women during the most incredible journey of their life.”
Why Choose Portugal for Your Doula Education
Professional doula certification meets deep cultural heritage along Portugal’s breathtaking coastline and historic landscapes — places long shaped by tradition, community, and reverence for life’s meaningful transitions. In this immersive setting, our expert doula instructors, including Stefanie, guide you through comprehensive training within a culture that values family, intergenerational wisdom, and the sacred nature of birth.
Develop your doula skills surrounded by Portugal’s dramatic cliffs, rolling countryside, and expansive Atlantic horizon. This inspiring natural classroom enriches every aspect of your certification journey — from comfort measures and labour support techniques to postpartum care and breastfeeding guidance. Grounded in evidence-based education and held within a setting that invites reflection and connection, your training becomes both professionally rigorous and personally transformative.
Comfortable Accommodations for Focused Learning
You can choose to stay on location at our retreat villa. A select number of comfortable rooms are available. Retreat accommodation includes shared rooms, comfortable beds, reliable hot water, high-speed WiFi, and spectacular bay and ocean views. Bay of Obidos nearby access provides opportunities for reflection and integration of your doula education.
Main Floor shared (queen bed): $1,200
Main Floor shared (twin bed): $999
Lower level shared (twin): $750
Includes breakfast and lunch each day. One person per bed. Private upgrade may be available pending availability.
Birth and Postpartum Doula Training Portugal CURRICULUM
Birth Doula
- Learn about conception and the pregnancy journey
- Learn about normal pregnancy changes and how we can help people experiencing challenges and discomforts
- Learn about the hormones of pregnancy, birth, and early postpartum
- Review the history of birth and understand our current context
- Learn about the history of labour support
- Explore various issues affecting under-resourced families and how you can help
- Learn about working with families from different cultures, religions, backgrounds and how you can level-up your support
- Explore your own biases and knowledge gaps
- Get a deep dive on the BEST ways to support families prenatally
- Explore a variety of activities to use in your prenatal visits with families
- Learn the MOST effective way to do a consultation with a client to get hired
- Review communication tools and strategies to make the most of your interactions with families and care providers
- Learn about the signs of labour and stages of labour.
- Explore the role of the doula and how we support people through the journey.
- Delve into the 5 elements of care: emotional, physical, informational, partner support, advocacy.
- Practice hands-on skills to use in birth to help increase comfort and decrease pain.
- Learn about the various medications families will have access to in labour and birth, their benefits and trade-offs
- Learn about the most common challenging situations and how to handle them as a doula
- Explore the reasons for cesareans and how to support families through these experiences
- Learn about normal newborn characteristics
- Learn about newborn feeding and how to support families
- Learn about perinatal health disorders
- Discuss how to get your first clients
- Learn how to get started in your practice
- Review the various options for how you can work as a doula
Postpartum Doula
- Normal physiological changes in the postpartum body
- Warning signs in the postpartum period
- Comfort measures for new parents
- Referrals sources for additional support
- Normal newborn characteristics
- Warning signs in newborns
- Diapering, bathing
- Soothing techniques
- Each class, you will gain access a new module that contains video and audio lessons, slide deck, hand outs, links and resource lists, worksheets, and reflection and/or quiz questions.
- How to support families through PMADs
- Knowing the difference between various PMADs
- How to resource people through the “Baby Blues”
- How to provide resources for other PMADs
- Our role and scope in supporting postpartum mental health
- Review the history of the early postpartum period and understand our current context
- Learn about the history of postpartum community support
- Explore various issues affecting under-resourced families and how you can help
- Learn about working with families from different cultures, religions, backgrounds and how you can level-up your support
- Explore your own biases and knowledge gaps
Join Our Doula Training Community
Connect with aspiring certified doulas who share your dedication to excellence in birth support. Together, explore how traditional knowledge enhances contemporary doula practice, creating well-rounded professionals prepared for diverse birthing environments.
Ready to start your doula certification journey? Join Doula School in Portugal and discover why our graduates become the most sought-after professional birth doulas worldwide.
Register now for our June 2026 Portugal doula retreat and transform your calling into a thriving doula career.
FAQ for Birth and Postpartum Doula Training Portugal
The nearest airport is Lisbon. The villa is about an hour from the airport.
The facility is booked before the retreat but we are happy to welcome you a day early and you may stay one day after for a small additional fee (pending availability). We are happy to recommend many great local areas and tourist areas to visit. Spending a day or two in Lisbon before or after will be a wonderful travel opportunity.
We can provide guidance on transportation options but it is not included in your fees.
Full participation is required to complete the program and to receive your yoga alliance certification. Three hours of missed classes with a valid reason will be excused without makeup. Any additional hours missed will require communication with a facilitator and an action plan as to how hours can be completed. Additional costs may incur if one-on-one facilitator time is required to make up hours.
No, you are welcome to drive to the Villa each day for training hours, which will run approximately 9am to 6pm each day. There will be some additional optional gatherings on some evenings.
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