What is Childbirth International (CBI)?

Childbirth International (CBI) is an online training and certification provider for birth and lactation professionals. It offers self-paced courses for people who want to work as birth doulas, lactation counselors, postpartum doulas, or childbirth educators. If you are considering a career in birth or breastfeeding support and want training you can complete from home, CBI is one of the established options to evaluate.

Who CBI is for

CBI's courses target four professional roles:

• Birth Doula — supporting families through labor and birth
• Lactation Counselor — helping parents with breastfeeding and infant feeding
• Postpartum Doula — supporting families after birth
• Childbirth Educator — teaching preparation-for-birth classes

The site also lists Professional Development courses, which suggests continuing education for people already working in the field.

If your goal is to enter one of these roles, or to add a credential to existing work in maternal and infant care, CBI's catalog maps directly onto those paths. If you are looking for a degree program or clinical licensure (for example, becoming an IBCLC or a nurse), CBI is not that — it is professional training and certification in the doula and lactation counselor space.

What makes CBI distinctive

CBI describes itself as an online training provider with:

Two claims stand out for anyone comparing programs:

1. No recertification and no membership fees. CBI states course costs are all-inclusive and that you will never be asked to recertify or pay for membership. Many certification bodies charge renewal fees or require periodic recertification, so this is a meaningful difference worth confirming directly with CBI before you enroll.

2. Flexible pacing. CBI says you can take as long as you need and still have support from your trainer throughout. Assignments can be submitted in a variety of formats.

How the training works

CBI's model is built around the idea of "training without boundaries":

• You study online, at your own pace, from any location — the site mentions studying at a coffee shop, in bed, or on a commute using a mobile app.
• You have ongoing access to a trainer for support while you work through the course.
• You choose your assignment format, rather than being locked into one submission style.
• You can pay in one payment or a five-month payment plan.

The site provides dedicated pages for Payments & Payment Plans and Payment Plan Terms, so the specific costs and plan conditions are set out there rather than on the homepage.

What students report

CBI includes a testimonial from Chantelle, a Birth Doula, who describes the training as opening her eyes to new perspectives and teaching her "more than just labor and birth." She highlights personalized feedback, a hands-on approach, and plenty of resources, saying these eased her anxiety about entering a new field.

That is a single student account rather than a systematic review, but it points to two things to check when comparing programs: how much individual feedback you actually receive, and what resources come with the course.

How to decide whether CBI fits you

Ask yourself:

• Which role do I want? Match it to one of the four course tracks before comparing providers.
• Do I need self-pacing? If you are fitting study around a job or family, CBI's model is designed for that.
• Does the no-recertification, no-membership-fee structure matter to me? If ongoing costs are a concern, this is a point in CBI's favor — verify the current terms on their payment pages.
• Do I want trainer feedback? CBI emphasizes personalized feedback; confirm how that works for the specific course you are considering.

If those align, the next step is to review the individual course pages and the payment plan terms, then compare them against other certification bodies on cost, recertification requirements, and the scope of practice each credential allows.