We are often asked by prospective clients, “What is the difference between a midwife and a doula, and do I need both?” The short answer is that a midwife delivers your baby, while a doula is present to help comfort and support you before, during, and after your labor.
A midwife is a medical professional who offers maternity and well-woman care within a clinic, hospital, doctor’s office, freestanding birth center, or her clients’ homes. For a pregnant woman, a midwife provides care before, during and after the birth of her baby. Like an obstetrician, a midwife sees her patients throughout their pregnancies to monitor the health of mother and baby and can prescribe medications if needed. Unlike an obstetrician, a midwife cannot perform surgery; in the event there are complications during labor and a cesarian birth is deemed necessary, your midwife can assist the obstetrician during the delivery of your baby. The Midwives Model of Care recognizes that each woman is unique and benefits from individualized care; midwives often offer hands-on comfort care during labor to minimize unnecessary technological interventions.
Doulas are professionally trained birth and labor assistants who are present to comfort and support a woman before, during, and after the birth of her baby. They are well-versed in the latest trends, research, and recommendations within the birthing community and offer education to their clients in the form of classes or individualized sessions. A doula will provide comfort measures for the laboring woman and teach her partner or other support person to do the same. Often, a doula will fill a physical support role while the laboring woman’s partner fills a more emotional role, but the roles can be interchangeable based on the needs of the client. The doula will take care to ensure both roles are fulfilled. Doulas take care to understand the unique needs of their clients, usually based on an informal meeting with the family before the due date, and tailor their role to provide whatever the laboring mother needs. Women who have had their birth attended by a doula often report feeling safe and empowered during labor and birth, and generally feel more positive about their overall birth experience.
Wherever you choose to give birth, you will need a medical professional such as a midwife or obstetrician to care for you and your baby during the pregnancy , labor, delivery and post partum period. Regardless of whether your support system is comprised of only your partner or several friends and family members, having another woman, a doula, there to provide you with one-on-one physical and emotional support can make all the difference in how you experience giving birth.