Become a C-ND™ through NICU Doula Academy®
A 10-week certification program that equips you with the skills, knowledge, and confidence to guide NICU families—before, during, and after their NICU experience. Become a Certified NICU Doula (C-ND ™) and step into a specialized role that bridges medical systems with compassionate, trauma-informed support.
meet your instructor
Taught by Mary Farrelly
RN, BSN, RNC-NIC, C-ND™
Mary Farrelly is a certified NICU nurse (RNC-NIC), trained doula, nurse educator, mom of two, and the founder of The NICU Translator® — where she works to bridge the gap between the NICU and home through education, community, and 1:1 NICU doula support.
As a Level IV NICU nurse and nurse educator for over a decade, Mary has worked with hundreds of NICU families, both at the bedside and through building and teaching a comprehensive curriculum for new nurses. Her expertise in neonatal pathophysiology and best practices has been invaluable in preparing nurses and support professionals to deliver top-tier care to the most vulnerable babies and their families. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Richmond and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Mary has spoken at international conferences on NICU doula support and rehumanizing the NICU experience — for care teams and families alike — bringing this work to audiences far beyond her own unit. That same mission led her to found NICU Doula Academy®, the first certification program of its kind, where she now trains the next generation of NICU doulas to carry this work forward in their own communities.
1 in 10 babies born in the U.S. this year will need a NICU stay — and up to 70% of NICU parents will face a maternal mental health disorder. The clinical care is life-saving. But the emotional, relational side of a family's experience often falls through the cracks — not because anyone stops caring, but because the system was never designed to hold both at once.
The NICU Does Extraordinary Things.
It Was Never Built to Do This Too.
That's the gap NICU Doula Academy® exists to close, and where you come in.
Wherever You're Coming From, There's a Place for You Here.
iF YOU'RE A DOULA OR NEWBORN CARE SPECIALIST
You already know how to hold space for families — but most trainings barely touch on NICU scenarios. You want expert, evidence-based tools to confidently support a client through a high-risk birth, a prolonged NICU stay, or a complex discharge, without second-guessing yourself.
IF YOU'RE A NICU NURSE
You pour your heart into these babies every shift, but you watch parents struggle with fear and uncertainty and wish you had more time to truly educate and empower them. Whether you want to bring a more holistic, family-centered lens to your bedside work or build a new career around it entirely, this is the path forward.
IF YOU'VE LIVED IT AS A NICU PARENT
Your NICU experience changed you — and you've felt the pull to turn that into something that helps other families. You know firsthand how isolating this journey can be, and you're ready to become the steady, informed presence you needed back then.
▸ Bridges the gap between hospital care and home — most trainings stop at one or the other
▸ Combines evidence-based education with real emotional and developmental depth
▸ Built on case-based learning — you'll practice with real scenarios, not just theory
▸ 30+ hours of continuing education, approved through the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA)
▸ A small, live cohort — not a self-serve video library you complete alone
what makes this program unique?
It’s Not Just Another Certificate.
A Framework Built For The Whole Journey
Everything in NICU Doula Academy® is organized around N.E.S.T. — Nutrition, Emergency & Health Advocacy, Support, and Transition to Home. It's a holistic model designed to support families across the entire arc of the NICU experience, not just the hospital stay itself.
the framework
(N) Nutrition – breastfeeding and pumping in the NICU, tube feeding and bottle transitions, medically complex feeding challenges
(E) Emergency / Health Advocacy – recognizing red flags post-discharge, navigating medical equipment and follow-up care, understanding preemie development
(S) Support – trauma-informed care for NICU families, parental mental health and PMADs, bonding and attachment after the NICU
(T) Translate to Home – preparing for discharge, advocating for early intervention and therapies, building a sustainable home care plan
01) The Role of the NICU Doula
02) Prenatal Prep and Supporting a NICU Birth
03) Foundations of NICU Care
04) Preemies 101
05) Emotional Support, Physical Healing, and Trauma-Informed Care
06) Ensuring a Smooth Homecoming
07) Supportive Feeding of NICU Babies
08) Life After NICU
09) Starting Your NICU Doula Work
10) Tying It All Together
Ten Weeks. One Week at a Time.
NICU DOULA ACADEMY®
WHAT’S INSIDE
NICU Doula Academy is a live, 10-week training — built so that by the end, the gaps in your NICU knowledge are closed and you are confident in your next steps in your NICU doula career path. Here's exactly how it works.
HOW EACH WEEK WORKS
→ 2–3 self-paced videos each week, where we go deep into that week's topic on your own time
→ A weekly live call with additional teaching, plus about 90 minutes of group discussion, case studies, and real Q&A
Can't make it live? No worries — everything is recorded. NDA is designed to meet you where you're at, with flexibility built in if a week gets away from you (full details on this in the FAQ)
EVERYTHING YOU'LL WALK AWAY WITH
→ A weekly workbook packed with resources you can hand directly to your NICU clients
→ A NICU doula contract template
→ Business quick-start guides
→ Bonus trainings on infant massage, navigating tummy troubles and more!
This is comprehensive by design — the kind of depth where you stop feeling like you're missing pieces and start feeling ready.
A COHORT LIKE NO OTHER
Because this is live, you get to learn alongside a genuinely diverse cohort — NICU parents, doulas, newborn care specialists, nurses, and other clinical professionals, all coming together to share and learn from each other's very different vantage points on the same experience.
And the community doesn't stop when the calls end. Between live sessions and long after the 10 weeks wrap, our private online community stays active — people posting resources, asking questions, and continuing to support each other.
There's No Single Way to Be a NICU Doula.
Every graduate builds this work around their own background, community, and strengths — and all of these paths are equally real, equally valid ways to do this work:
✓ Prenatal preparation for families expecting a high-risk or medically complex birth
✓ Bedside and in-unit support, partnering directly with hospitals or nonprofits
✓ Postpartum and post-discharge support, privately or through community organizations
✓ Supporting families through fertility clinics and high-risk OB practices
✓ Building a private practice and working one-on-one with NICU families
✓ Integrating NICU-specific support into an existing birth or postpartum doula business
The final two weeks of the program are built specifically to help you find and build the path that's right for you.
Leave With the C-ND™ Credential
Certification includes a written exam, client feedback letters, reading reflections, and current CPR certification — and you can begin working with NICU families immediately upon completing the 10-week program, while you complete your certification requirements at your own pace over the following year.
Why Become a C-ND™
Demonstrate your professional scope — so families, hospitals, and referral partners know exactly what you're trained to do, and trust you in their most vulnerable moments
Open doors to new opportunities — so you can partner with hospitals, OB practices, and fertility clinics, not just build client-by-client from scratch
Build a real community and network— so you're never troubleshooting a hard case alone at 11pm, wondering if you're doing this right
Fill the exact knowledge gaps holding you back— wherever you're starting from:
If you're a NICU nurse — you already know the clinical picture. Now learn the doula role, the non-medical scope of care, and the holistic postpartum support most nursing programs never touch.
If you've lived it as a NICU parent — you already know the experience firsthand. Now build the clinical literacy and professional framework to turn that into informed, trusted support for other families.
If you're a doula or postpartum professional — you already know how to hold space. Now fill in the NICU-specific clinical knowledge most doula trainings skip entirely.
Walk away with done-for-you tools — so you can start working with your first paying client the same week you graduate, instead of spending months building a business from scratch
Earn your C-ND™ credential and a listing in The NICU Doula Directory — so families searching for support find you, not a stranger
And because everyone's filling in different pieces, your cohort becomes part of your education too — nurses, doulas, and NICU parents learning from each other's clinical knowledge and lived experience in real time.
And because everyone's filling in different pieces, your cohort becomes part of your education too — nurses, doulas, and NICU parents learning from each other's clinical knowledge and lived experience in real time.
What Students Are Saying
EARLY BIRD:
The lowest available rate, offered to waitlist members only — before enrollment opens publicly.
Total Investment: $1195 (price increases at 1159pm on Sept 6th, 2026)
Choose The Path That Fits You
01.
STANDARD:
Full tuition for the Fall 2026 cohort begins on Sept 7th, when enrollemnt opens to the public.
Total Investment: $1495 (standard enrollment runs 9/7-9/27)
a few things to note:
Payment plans are available in 3- and 6-month options.
*Payment plans include a small 5% administrative fee.
A limited number of need-based scholarship spots are available each cohort.
(apply today to be considered for funding)
Every enrollment also includes lifetime access to The NICU Collective
Fall 2026 Cohort | Live Sessions: September 29 – December 1 (10 weeks)
August 17: Applications open to waitlist members
September 7: Applications open to public (price increases to $1495)
September 7–23: Applications accepted at full tuition
September 23: Applications for Fall 2026 cohort closes at 1159pm EST
September 27: Final day to enroll for Fall 2026
September 29: First live call (continues Tuesdays from 11:30–1:00 PM EST)
December 1: Fall cohort graduates!
02.
Your Support Doesn't End at Week Ten.
As an NICU Doula Academy® graduate, you get lifetime access to The NICU Collective — a monthly membership with live case-based coaching calls, quarterly expert sessions, and ongoing peer support. This is your community for building your NICU doula career — a place to keep growing alongside people who understand this work long after your cohort ends.
Still Have Questions?
We've answered the most common ones — from how certification works to who accredits this program to what graduates actually do with it — on our FAQ page.
Bring NICU Doula Training to Your Hospital or Organization
Interested in a custom training or group session for your team?
Get in Touch →
Join a Group of NICU Doulas Leading the Way.
This isn't just a certification — it's your chance to become the steady, informed presence a NICU family remembers for the rest of their lives. Bring more joy and less trauma to the families who need it most, while building a career that truly aligns with your passion, purpose, and the life you want to create.
American Holistic Nurses Association Approved
This nursing continuing professional development activity was approved by the American Holistic Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
Approval for contact hours through the American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) is based on an assessment of the educational merit of this program and does not constitute endorsement of the use of any specific modality in the care of clients.
