~What is a Doula?~
The term "Doula" comes from the Greek definition of "a woman who serves"
Today, the word "Doula" has come to refer to "a woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the mother before, during, and just after childbirth." (Klaus, Kennell, and Klaus, Mothering the Mother)
Today, the word "Doula" has come to refer to "a woman experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the mother before, during, and just after childbirth." (Klaus, Kennell, and Klaus, Mothering the Mother)
"A doula enters the space of a laboring woman and is highly responsive and aware of her needs, moods, changes, and unspoken feelings. She has no need to control or smother. Every pregnant woman should have the benefits of a doula. This person does not detract from the role of the baby's father or co-parent, by the way. It enhances it and leaves him (or her) free to do the very important job of loving the mother." (Christiane Northrup, M.D. Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom)
What is the difference between a midwife and a doula?
This article gives clear explanations of all the differences. Also, there is a quick video explanation here.
But basically, the difference is a matter of what role they play at a birth. A midwife's primary role is a clinical one. She is there to assure that mom and baby are healthy and to identify situations where labor is not progressing normally and mom or baby may need medical interventions. Many doulas have the training, observational skill, and experience necessary to make general assessments on the progress of the first stage of labor to determine things like: what is normal and what is not, what mom's needs are, when might be a good time to leave for the birth location, etc. However, as labor heads towards later first stage and into second stage, a midwife will intermittently take fetal heart tones, mom's blood pressure, pulse, and temperature, sometimes do cervical exams, while also using observation of the mother as a tool to assess the progress of labor and assure mom and baby are doing well. A midwife usually will provide some emotional support and physical suggestions to help mom along, but this continuous emotional and physical support is more of the work of a trained doula. A doula's role at a birth is non-clinical. Doulas are not your care providers and do not give medical advice nor interfere with it when it is given. A doula will support a mom by not only answering her questions, explaining procedures and options if needed, but MAINLY staying close by her and tending to her emotional and physical needs . This can make a big difference in how smoothly the physiological process of her birth plays out and how she will end up feeling about it. Both the midwife and doula roles are very important for more positive birth outcomes.
This article gives clear explanations of all the differences. Also, there is a quick video explanation here.
But basically, the difference is a matter of what role they play at a birth. A midwife's primary role is a clinical one. She is there to assure that mom and baby are healthy and to identify situations where labor is not progressing normally and mom or baby may need medical interventions. Many doulas have the training, observational skill, and experience necessary to make general assessments on the progress of the first stage of labor to determine things like: what is normal and what is not, what mom's needs are, when might be a good time to leave for the birth location, etc. However, as labor heads towards later first stage and into second stage, a midwife will intermittently take fetal heart tones, mom's blood pressure, pulse, and temperature, sometimes do cervical exams, while also using observation of the mother as a tool to assess the progress of labor and assure mom and baby are doing well. A midwife usually will provide some emotional support and physical suggestions to help mom along, but this continuous emotional and physical support is more of the work of a trained doula. A doula's role at a birth is non-clinical. Doulas are not your care providers and do not give medical advice nor interfere with it when it is given. A doula will support a mom by not only answering her questions, explaining procedures and options if needed, but MAINLY staying close by her and tending to her emotional and physical needs . This can make a big difference in how smoothly the physiological process of her birth plays out and how she will end up feeling about it. Both the midwife and doula roles are very important for more positive birth outcomes.
Click here for Penny Simkin's response to Why Hire A Doula?
