Your birth team, explained
Doula vs. Midwife: What's the Difference?
Midwives and doulas can both be wonderful members of your birth team, but their jobs are different.
A midwife is your healthcare provider. A doula provides non-medical physical, emotional and informational support. For many families, having both is a great combination.
Ashley Payne, APRN, CNM, C-EFM · Serving Lakeland, Winter Haven, Bartow, Plant City and the surrounding Polk County area.
Healthcare provider
What a midwife does
A midwife is a healthcare professional responsible for clinical care within their scope. At Lakeland Birth & Gynecology, that care is provided by a Certified Nurse-Midwife.
- · Prenatal care
- · Checking on you and your baby
- · Clinical decisions
- · Monitoring during labor
- · Attending the birth
- · Recognizing complications
- · Medications within their scope
- · Postpartum care
- · Newborn assessment and care
- · Referral or transfer when needed
Support person
What a doula does
A doula provides non-medical support before, during and after birth.
- · Steady support through labor
- · Comfort measures
- · Position changes
- · Massage and counter-pressure
- · Encouragement
- · Emotional support
- · Helping partners take part
- · Birth preparation
- · Helping you think through questions for your provider
A doula does not replace a healthcare provider.
A common question
Do I need a doula if I already have a midwife?
Maybe!
A midwife can provide plenty of emotional and physical support. The midwife is also responsible for clinical care. A doula's main job is supporting the laboring person.
So while the doula is helping with comfort, positions, massage, encouragement or partner support, the midwife may need to assess labor, monitor you and your baby, prepare for birth, document care or manage a clinical concern. The roles work well together.
A midwife is not a doula, and a doula is not a midwife. They bring different skills to the birth space. Having both can give you clinical midwifery care along with dedicated labor support.
Home birth
Doulas and planned home birth
Some families planning a home birth choose to include a doula on their team. Others don't, and both are fine. If you are thinking about it, bring it up at a prenatal visit and we can talk it through.
Lakeland Birth & Gynecology provides midwifery care. We do not provide doula services. Learn more about home birth in Lakeland or the different types of midwives in Florida.
Common questions
Questions patients ask us
Is a doula the same as a midwife?
No. A midwife is a healthcare provider responsible for clinical care. A doula provides non-medical physical, emotional and informational support. Different training, different roles.
Do I need a doula if I have a midwife?
You do not have to have one, and plenty of families do great without. A doula's only job during labor is supporting you, while your midwife is also watching you and your baby clinically. Many families like having both.
Can a doula deliver a baby?
No. Doulas do not provide medical care, catch babies, perform exams or make clinical decisions. That is the role of your healthcare provider.
Can I have a doula at a home birth?
Yes. Some families planning a home birth choose to bring a doula onto their birth team. It is your choice, not a requirement.
Keep reading
- Midwife in Lakeland
What a Certified Nurse-Midwife does and what care looks like here.
- Home birth in Lakeland
What planned home birth care includes, and what it costs.
- Types of midwives in Florida
LM, CPM, CM and CNM explained in plain language.
- Pregnancy & home birth care
Prenatal care, birth and postpartum with one midwife who knows you.
Building your birth team?
Book a consultation online, or call the office if you have questions first. We are happy to talk it through.