Doula vs Midwife: What's The Difference?
When you're pregnant, there are endless decisions to make, and one of the most common points of confusion is the difference between a doula vs midwife. While both offer important support, they serve very different roles in your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience. Understanding who does what can help you build a birth team that feels right for you. Let’s break it down: what each professional does, how they differ, and whether you might want one, the other, or both.
What Does a Doula Do?
A doula is a trained professional who provides emotional, physical, and educational support before, during, and/or after birth. Unlike a midwife, a doula is not a medical professional and does not provide medical care. Instead, they’re your guide, advocate, and calming presence throughout the journey.
Birth Doula
A birth doula will meet with you and your partner/support person a few times during your pregnancy to discuss birth wishes, how to prepare for labor, and to provide exercises and tips for breathing. They can teach you pain management techniques for comfort, offer encouragement, and simplify communication with your care team. They can help you make decisions throughout pregnancy, as well as during the labor process. They might help with:
Breathing techniques, massage, and position changes during labor
Techniques to progress labor if things are moving slowly
Helping your partner feel more involved and confident
Navigating hospital protocols or home birth plans
Encouraging informed decision-making throughout labor - helping you make decisions like when/if you’d like medical augmentation of labor
Think of a birth doula as your personal coach - someone with a lot of birth experience who knows your preferences and helps you stay grounded and supported through the birth experience. They’re also an incredible source of comfort. Labor and birth may seem scary if you don’t know what to expect. Your doula is someone who is with you for as much of the process as you’d like, to let you know that what you’re experiencing is normal and that you are safe.
Postpartum Doula
A postpartum doula supports families after birth, helping ease the transition into life with a new baby. This can include:
Feeding support (breast or bottle)
Infant care education - helping you understand what is normal as far as sleeping, feeding, crying, reflexes, and movement
Light meal prep or household help
Emotional support to process your birth experience and your transition into parenthood
Postpartum doulas often offer day and/or night support. Day support from a doula can help you feel confident in your firsts: leaving the house alone, baby-wearing, navigating your own healing journey. Night support can help you get a bit more sleep and help you feel more confident through the night wakings and feedings. Whether it’s your first baby or your third, a postpartum doula can make a huge difference in how calm and confident you feel.
What Does a Midwife Do?
A midwife is a trained healthcare provider who offers medical care throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. Depending on their licensure and credentials, midwives can deliver babies in hospitals, birth centers, or at home. When you are choosing your primary medical provider during pregnancy, they can be an OBGYN or a midwife. There are certain factors that may mean you need more medical care from an OBGYN, but most low risk, healthy pregnancies can choose care with a midwife.
OB/GYN vs. Midwifery Care
OB/GYNs follow the medical model of care, which focuses on managing risk and treating complications. They’re trained surgeons and often work in hospital settings, making them the go-to for high-risk pregnancies or those wanting access to interventions.
Midwives follow the midwifery model, which views birth as a normal, physiological process. They prioritize personalized care, informed choice, and lower-intervention approaches, often supporting low-risk births at home, in birth centers, or hospitals.
Midwives:
Perform prenatal checkups and monitor fetal growth
Offer standard medical tests and screenings
Support low-risk births and manage labor
Catch the baby
Provide postpartum medical care for the birthing person and baby
There are different types of midwives:
Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) are registered nurses with advanced training. They can practice in hospitals and prescribe medications.
Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) typically specialize in out-of-hospital births.
Traditional or lay midwives may work outside the formal healthcare system, depending on state laws.
Midwives bring a holistic and patient-centered approach to care. They are trained to recognize complications and collaborate with OB/GYNs if a transfer of care is needed.
Do You Need a Doula, a Midwife or Both?
Here’s the big takeaway: A doula and a midwife serve very different but complementary roles. If you’re planning a hospital birth with an OB/GYN, a doula can provide continuous emotional and physical support and help you make decisions in a medicalized birth setting.
If you’re working with a midwife, they can provide prenatal care and delivery, but may not be able to give you the same level of continuous, one-on-one support during labor that a doula would.
If you want both comprehensive medical care and personalized support, having both a doula and a midwife can give you the best of both worlds.
Many of our clients choose this combo - especially when they’re hoping for less interventions, an unmedicated birth or just looking to feel more supported in navigating their options.
Does Insurance Cover a Doula or Midwife?
This is one of the most common questions we hear, and the answer depends on your location, your insurance plan, and the credentials of your provider.
Midwives (especially Certified Nurse-Midwives) are often covered by insurance, particularly when they work in hospitals or large clinics. Check to see if your plan includes midwifery services.
Doulas are not medical providers, and coverage is less common. Some FSAs/HSAs will reimburse doula costs, and some company programs like Carrot will reimburse birth and postpartum support. A growing number of Medicaid programs and private insurers are beginning to include doula support, especially in states aiming to improve maternal outcomes.
Tip: If cost is a concern, ask your doula or midwife about payment plans, or explore scholarship support through local nonprofits.
Finding the Right Options For You
Here are a few questions to ask yourself as you decide:
Do I want someone focused on emotional support (a doula), medical care (a midwife), or both?
Am I planning a hospital birth, birth center, or home birth?
Do I feel more comfortable with a provider who takes time for education and shared decision-making?
Would I benefit from additional support after baby arrives?
Whether you choose a doula, a midwife, or a combo of both, you deserve to feel informed, empowered, and supported at every step. And if you’re unsure where to start, we’re here to help.
Our team at OWN Your Pelvic Health includes experienced doulas and trusted referral partners for midwifery care. We’re happy to talk through your options or connect you with the support that’s right for you.
Schedule a discovery call to learn more.