Doula Vs Midwife: Which One Is The Best Choice?

Introduction

As expectant parents, one of the important things you need to know is who will be your healthcare professionals. It is crucial because they are the ones who will be your guide throughout your pregnancy and birth journey. Medical terms like doula vs midwife may often heard and are sometimes confused two.

As they say, birth and pregnancy require you to learn a lot of different languages and phrases like VBAC, antenatal, and epidural are some of the common words that you may probably heard and add to your new languages.

While doula vs midwife may seem interchangeable, they are two different professions providing unique support to every expecting parent.

In this article, we are going to give you an overview of what doula vs midwife is. How they can help the expectant parent and help you decide which one is right for you.

Doula Vs Midwife

What is a Birth Doula?

A birth doula is a non-medical professional who provides emotional and physical support during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. They are more emotionally holistic approach and trained to provide comfort like relaxation massages, and will teach you breathing techniques and what could be your best-fit positioning during labor.

Benefits of Working With a Doula

Choosing a doula to be present in your childbirth is extremely beneficial to you and to your birthing journey. Studies show that women who have a doula present during labor have shorter labors, are less likely to need pain medication or a cesarean section and have a more positive birth experience overall.

First, they can help you with your birth plan, and what do you want when the big day comes. Secondly, they can provide you with education and pieces of information about pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Third, you can also hire them and guide your postpartum journey.

Several types of doulas can support you based on what you need. A birth doula will focus on providing birth and labor assistance. A postpartum doula will be the one who will guide you after the baby is born and fertility doulas are the ones who will provide emotional support to women who are trying to conceive.

Cost of Doula

When it comes to fees. Doula vs midwife varies depending on your location. There are resources available that can help you find someone who works if you are on a budget. One of the resources suggested is Doula Match, which allows you to search for doulas in your area that you may be able to filter by price range.

In some cases, you may be able to find a doula who is willing to provide free services or reduced costs while they are still in training to become a certified doula.

Regardless of any cost, many expectant mothers find that hiring a doula is a valuable investment to have a smooth birth experience.

Understanding the Midwife’s Role

What is a Midwife?

Understanding the role differences between a doula vs midwife is crucial when deciding. The function of a midwife is to help expectant parents ensure the safety of the mother and the baby. They are trained healthcare professionals who are capable of giving medical help just like an ob-gyne.

Some midwives also provide emotional support to expectant women but their priority is more on providing comprehensive services including regular check-ups, assisting in the actual birth, and postpartum care. They are also trained to do countermeasures and manage complications that may arise during pregnancy, childbirth, or delivery. Midwives can help you ensure the safety and well-being of both mother and baby.

Benefits of Working With a Midwife

There are various benefits if you opt for a midwife to be present during your childbirth. Research-backed benefits include low-risk births, decreased infant mortality rates, decreased risk of preterm birth, and decreased instances of third and fourth-degree perineal tears.

If a pregnant woman desires midwifery care for pregnancy and birth, expect that it will be a midwife alone and do not need an ob-gyne for childbirth. However, with the above discussion about midwives, we all know that they are trained medical professionals and can provide complete care for both the mother and the newborn baby, as it is not always necessary to have a doctor present.

Cost of Midwife

The cost of doula vs midwife is almost the same. An independent midwife may vary depending on many aspects like your location, types of services, and to your insurance policies. But the typical price range is about £5,000 – £6,500 in the UK. In some cases, insurance policies can cover the expenses of midwifery care so it is important to check it first with your provider.

Making The Decision: Doula Vs Midwife

Deciding who is going to be your healthcare professional during your pregnancy and labor is very important and highly personal. So who is the best choice between a doula vs midwife? Because both of them do different things I think this is not merely a question. You can work with one or the other. Or you can work with neither and just have an OB/GYN oversee your prenatal care and delivery.

In general, a midwife can be a good option. As discussed previously, some midwives provide emotional support as well and most importantly they can guide you comprehensively from pregnancy, and labor to afterbirth.

However, if you have a previous health condition, an ob-gyne might be a safe choice for you. And a doula can be a good choice for anyone. Research shows that support from a doula improves birth outcomes, including lower risk for C-sections, improved health ratings for newborns, and may even lower the need for epidurals. A doula and a midwife can work together.

Depending on your personal preferences and values, choosing between a doula vs midwife is quite a challenge. To help you assessing more, you should also consider your birthing place. As midwives can attend to home births and birthing center deliveries while doulas can primarily support births in the hospital and help you navigate hospital environment. However, both of them can productively assist you in achieving a smooth birthing experience and help assure the safety of the mother and the baby.

With a collaborative approach between the two, they can provide well-rounded support to expectant parents and ensure to provide emotional, psychological, and medical support. It shouldn’t be doula vs midwife but more on doulas and midwives complementing each other roles and giving the best care possible.