Midwife, Doula, Birth Coach? What is the Difference? Please site your source!?

I have only used a midwife.

She is just like a nurse practitioner at the doctors office.

She does whatever the doc does, but under his supervision.

I always kept in close contact with both my obgyn and my midwife in the same medical group.

I ended up having a cesarean, so the obgyn obviously had to perform that, but the midwife happened to be in the er at the time.

Okay, a midwife is the person who delivers the baby and sees you through prenatal appointments *if you are not seeing a doctor.* If you have a doctor, a midwife is not necessary, but you may see one at times anyway depending on how the practice works.

A doula is a trained person who supports you during labor. They help you work through the pain – give suggestions on positions, relaxation techniques, stuff like that. They are very informed about birth and can give you necessary information if you have to make a decision like “should I have an episiotomy.” They can be the “fetch” person and just make sure you have all the things you need – soft music, water, enough pillows, good lighting, etc.. They can basically do anything you want them to so that your husband or partner can focus entirely on helping you stay calm and relaxed. They are particularly helpful for unmedicated births.

A birth coach is someone who helps talk you through your contractions and helps you to relax you through massage, physical support, etc. They are supposed to verbally encourage you and help you to stay focused on your goal so that you don’t get too distressed. Ideally this would be the baby’s father, but doesn’t have to be. (a doula is generally certified but a birth coach can be anyone).

These are three very different jobs. I think what you want is a doula. They are well-trained and should know what they are doing.

Midwifery is the term traditionally used to describe the art of assisting a woman through childbirth. In the modern context, this term is used to describe the activities of those health care providers who are experts in women’s health care including giving prenatal care to expecting mothers. They attend the birth of the infant and provide postpartum care to the mother and her infant. Practitioners of midwifery are known as midwives, a term used in reference to both women and men (the term means “with woman”).
Midwives are autonomous practitioners who are specialists in normal pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum. They generally strive to help women have a healthy pregnancy and natural birth experience. Midwives are also primary care givers providing general women’s health care. Midwives are trained to recognize and deal with deviations from the norm. Obstetricians, in contrast, are specialists in illness related to childbearing and in surgery. The two professions can be complementary, but often are at odds because obstetricians are taught to “actively manage” labor, while midwives are taught not to intervene unless necessary. [1]

A doula is a non-medical assistant who provides physical, emotional and informational support in prenatal care, during childbirth and during the postpartum period.

A birthing coach is someone that is there to support the mother through the birthing process. While the father, if he’s willing and available, is an obvious choice, he may not be the best choice. Some women may feel most comfortable with their mother or best friend. Others may prefer a trained professional, such as a birth doula, to be at their side and be their liaison with the medical staff. What’s most important is that it be someone who will focus only on you, because this is a time that’s all about you.