Birth doula, midwife, childbirth educator — what’s the difference?
The question I get asked the most: what’s the difference between a doula and a midwife? Throw a childbirth educator into the mix and there can be a lot of confusion. Let’s clarify and learn how each can help you have the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience you envision.
Midwife
A midwife is a licensed, trained healthcare professional. Their goal is to help birthing people stay healthy before, during and after pregnancy. Midwifery focuses on facilitating uninterrupted birth while detecting risks and complications and using emergency measures when needed. The midwifery model of care sees birth as a normal physiological event, rather than a medical one. Midwives tend to take a more holistic, compassionate approach to birth than OBs, who often lean toward a more medical experience. Midwives can prescribe medications and order tests, as well as provide ongoing lifecycle care (annuals, fertility consultations, STI testing, etc.) but are not trained to perform medically assisted birth. Many midwives are affiliated with OB/GYN practices, in case there’s a need for medically assisted birth.
Doula
A birth doula supports people through pregnancy, labor, birth, and the immediate postnatal period. A birth doula is not a trained medical professional, though some have separate medical training. Labor doulas provide three kinds of support to birthing people and their partners: emotional support to help the laboring person stay grounded and focused; physical support to help avoid and ease pain; and educational support to help understand options when a decision must be made during pregnancy and birth. A postpartum doula provides logistical, emotional, and educational support to birthing people and their families at home after baby is born. They help the birthing person recover from birth, guide parents on newborn care, and give emotional support through re-telling of the birth story and by providing a listening ear.
Childbirth Educator
A childbirth educator provides evidence-based, unbiased information about the physiology of birth to expectant parents, usually in a class format. Their primary goal is to empower families with the knowledge and skills to understand all their options as pregnancy and labor progress, and how to find their voice in the decision-making process. Childbirth education classes are often offered at local hospitals and birthing centers, but there are several options for online childbirth education and many doulas are also trained childbirth educators.
The combined support of these three professionals gives expecting and new parents continuous, compassionate care to help them navigate pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. If you have any questions about the doula process, or if you’re interested in hiring a doula, don’t hesitate to reach out!
