What Is a Midwife and What Is a Doula?
Why Do I Need a Doula If There Is a Midwife?
Firstly, I want you to know that the decision to choose a doula is entirely up to you, there is no “need” or “have to”. Your birth experience should be guided by your personal desires and preferences, without any external pressure or expectations. That being said, I wanted to share why having a doula by your side can be an incredibly empowering and fulfilling experience and has many benefits.
The word “midwife” comes from the Old English term “mid wyf” which means “with woman.” Historically, midwives were women who assisted other women during childbirth and provided care during the postpartum period.
Today, midwives are trained healthcare professionals who are experts in normal birth and are trained to identify and manage potential complications. In the Israeli medical system, midwives almost exclusively fulfill the role of a medical professional and in contrast to many other countries, do not have the resources to be with woman in a variety of non-medical ways that support healthy pregnancy, and birth.
That is where doulas come into play. Doulas are non-medical professionals who provide emotional, physical, and informational support to women and their partners during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum. Several studies have found that having a doula present during childbirth can have many benefits, including lower rates of need for interventions, such as medical pain relief and cesarean births, shorter labor, and more positive birth experiences. Doulas and midwives work together to support women during birth, each with their individual roles. Doulas do not replace midwives as they are not trained to provide medical care, but they can provide support to women in all the areas that are not medical and midwives typically not provide. This includes:
- Provide continuous care: This care is uninterrupted, meaning that the doula is present with the woman throughout her pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, providing emotional, physical, and informational support. Continuous care has been shown to have many benefits, including shorter labor, reduced need for unwanted interventions, and increased satisfaction with the birth experience.
- Provide emotional and psychological support: Doulas can provide emotional and psychological support to their clients throughout their pregnancy and birth journey. This can include listening to their concerns, providing encouragement and reassurance, and helping them cope with anxiety and stress.
- Offer education and counseling: Doulas can offer education and counseling on a wide range of topics, including prenatal care, childbirth options, postpartum care, etc.
- Advocate for their clients: Doulas can support their clients to make informed decisions about their care. This can include helping clients navigate the healthcare system, providing information about their options, and ensuring their wishes are respected. Doulas work for the birthing woman. This is also known as ‘primacy of interest’. In other words, a doula’s responsibility is to the birthing person.
- Physical Support: Doulas can support the laboring woman to use alternative tools for comfort in pregnancy and during birth, such as: Massage, water therapy, breathing techniques, meditation and visualization, position changes, use of a birthing ball, birth scarf(rebozo), and so much more.
- Physiological support in times of concern: Doulas are skilled in suggesting and implementing various methods to support physiological processes (no matter what type of birth it is). Various tools and techniques can assist with many challenges that may arise during childbirth, such as handling a difficult fetal position. They employ diverse approaches to address and alleviate these issues. Each doula possesses a unique toolkit, with some emphasizing techniques such as reflexology or shiatsu, while others focus more on movements and positions to provide optimal biomechanical support.
