The International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA) is a professional organization that supports educators and health care professionals who believe in freedom to make decisions based on knowledge of alternatives in family-centered maternity and newborn care.
Types of Educators
ICEA Certified Childbirth Educators (ICCE)
ICEA certified childbirth educators have verified that they have the necessary knowledge and experience to enable them to facilitate expectant parents' mental and physical preparation for pregnancy, labor, birth and parenthood. ICCE's are an advocate of the natural process of childbirth and the right of the expectant parent to make informed choices based on the knowledge of alternatives. Each ICCE teaches a curriculum of their own making and is free to instill their own philosophies within the framework of family centered maternity care.
ICEA Certified Birth Doulas (ICD)
ICEA certified doulas are trained professionals who recognize birth as a key life experience. They attend and support the physical, emotional, and social needs of women in labor. In addition, they offer guidance and referrals to community resources regarding maternal self-care, lactation, and other issues pertinent to healthy parenting through the first six weeks postpartum.
ICEA Certified Prenatal Fitness Educators (ICPFE)
ICEA Certified Prenatal Fitness Educators are trained professionals who believe that as a mother's body grows with her baby, she has an excellent opportunity to become physically fit for pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and throughout her life. ICPFE's are not necessarily certified personal trainers but they have completed coursework on the physiology of pregnancy and passed a rigorous examination.
ICEA Certified Postnatal Educators (ICPE)
The ICEA postnatal educator certification program allows the postnatal educator to design, implement, and evaluate educational programs that respond to the learning needs of families as they make the transition into parenthood (birth to one year).
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