What is the difference between a Doula & a Midwife?
Akasha Hines (doula)
Photo Credit: Lawren Rose Photography & Film
I get this question often when I tell people I’m a doula. The person I am speaking with either knows what a doula is or they often mistake me for some kind of midwife.
So what exactly is a doula?
To answer the question very simply, a doula is a non-medical support person. A midwife is a medical support person. According to the American Pregnancy Association
“The doula is a professional trained in childbirth who provides emotional, physical, and educational support to a mother who is expecting, is experiencing labor, or has recently given birth. Their purpose is to help women have a safe, memorable, and empowering birthing experience.”
I would say this is a pretty accurate description minus the safe part. I do not feel that it is in my scope of practice to keep the mother safe. Yes, I work to create an emotionally safe space for the mother to birth in. And of course, I would alert the mother/family if some random danger arose, but since I am not a medical care provider, the safety of mother and baby doesn’t really fall to me as the doula.
What is a midwife?
A midwife is the medical care provider for the mother and baby dyad. According to the American Pregnancy Association,
“Midwives are health care professional who provides an array of health care services for women including gynecological examinations, contraceptive counseling, prescriptions, and labor and delivery care. Providing expert care during labor and delivery, and after birth is a specialty that makes them unique. They often function as both a quality and economical option for birthing care.”
Again, this is an accurate description of the scope of practice for many midwives, although it is important to note, that the scope of practice for midwives varies depending on their license.
Where do they overlap and where are their roles different?
As you learned above, doulas provide emotional and physical support. Most midwives also offer a lot of emotional and physical support during labor as well. The amount of physical support a midwife offers will oftentimes depend on the way they approach birth (either the physiological approach or the medical approach) and the environment in which they practice (hospital vs out of hospital).
A midwife’s primary focus is the health and well-being of the mother and baby. They are the medical care provider and are responsible for the health and safety of their patients.
The doula’s primary focus is on the emotional well-being and comfort of the mother (and father/support person). The doula’s job is to help see that the birthing mother’s voice is heard and to support the mother through birth physically.
I hope this helped clarify the two roles. Look for my next blog post where I will discuss why to hire a doula when you have a midwife and the roles your doula will fulfill that your midwife doesn’t.