Tag Archives: Midwife

The Difference between a Midwife and a Doula

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Nurse midwives and certified doulas serve as members of a birthing team. Both have different training and education and provide various means of support and care during pregnancy, labor, and beyond.

Certified nurse midwives have master’s degrees in midwifery and often have experience working as labor and delivery nurses. Similarly to OB/GYNs, they support gynecological health and pregnancy care from a medical perspective.

Certified nurse midwives are trained to perform the following healthcare services:

  • Perform annual wellness exams
  • Perform gynecological exams
  • Provide prenatal care
  • Prescribe medications
  • Give labor-inducing drugs
  • Monitor the fetus using electronic equipment
  • Order pain medications during labor
  • Order an epidural
  • Perform an episiotomy
  • Deliver a baby vaginally
  • Assist with C-sections
  • Resuscitate a baby
  • Stitch tears
  • Provide STI testing and care
  • Postpartum checkups and breastfeeding support

If you are having a baby outside of your home, you’ll need either an OB/GYN or a certified nurse midwife to deliver your baby.

Certified doulas are trained care professionals, not medical caregivers. Certified doulas don’t necessarily have degrees in healthcare. They earn credentials and accreditations from dedicated training agencies or programs. Their focus is on providing physical and emotional support throughout your pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum period. Doulas can provide support and education that’s on the periphery of your medical well-being as well.

Different doulas provide different kinds of services. Some may specialize in pregnancy and delivery, while others may provide a full spectrum of services, including supporting you after your baby arrives. Services they offer can include:

  • Birth coaching, such as teaching you different birthing positions and techniques for reducing labor discomforts
  • Healthy pregnancy advice such as nutritional counseling
  • Helping draft your birth plan and advocating for your wishes during labor and delivery
  • Providing mental health check-ins and advice for self-care
  • Continuing to support you after your baby arrives with advice on breastfeeding and helping around the house with meal preparation and housework
  • Education for your support people, like a partner or friend who’ll be in the delivery room or will be caring for your baby with you

Researchers have suggested that using a birthing doula can lead to better birth outcomes, including:

  • Shorter labors
  • Less reliance on medications and epidurals
  • Lowered risk of C-section
  • More satisfaction with the experience of labor

Certified doulas may be most helpful for people who:

  • Are giving birth for the first time
  • Are from underrepresented groups, including people of color and members of the LGBTQIA+ community
  • Have experienced trauma in prior births
  • Wish to have an unmedicated, natural labor, and delivery

The most important consideration when choosing a midwife or a doula is finding someone you like, trust, and feel comfortable around. Someone who respects your opinions and viewpoints on pregnancy and the birthing process can be beneficial.

Experience can be another important factor. Doulas and midwives with more years of experience will bring different skills and perspectives than someone more recently trained.

For more information about Flushing Hospital Medical Center’s Women’s Health Center, please call 718 670-5702.

All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page. You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter. PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.

OB/GYN or Midwife: Which Is Right For You?

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When you decide to try to conceive, it is important to start looking for a practitioner to care for you during pregnancy and the birth of your baby. Deciding between an OB/GYN doctor and Midwife depends on what kind of experience you want, where you plan to give birth, what your insurance covers and the risk level of your pregnancy. Here are a few factors to consider in making your decision:

  1. If you have a medical condition such as high blood pressure, epilepsy, heart disease, or diabetes, or had certain serious complications in a previous pregnancy, your pregnancy will probably be considered high risk. In this case, you will need to see an obstetrician who will monitor your body as it adapts to pregnancy along with monitoring the development of your baby.
  2. If you’re looking for a practitioner who is more likely to take a holistic approach to your care – and to see birth as a normal process, intervening only when necessary and not routinely – you may prefer a midwife.
  3. If you have no health problems or pregnancy complications and you have your heart set on giving birth in a birth center or at home, you’ll want to find a midwife who practices in these settings. In the event you want the option for an epidural, or are anxious about any possible complications then you’ll want to be in a hospital. For a hospital birth, you can choose an ob-gyn, a family physician, or a certified nurse-midwife as your primary caregiver.

Obstetricians are by far the most chosen option for expecting mothers in the United States, although certified nurse-midwives are becoming more popular. Some women choose practices that have both ob-gyns and midwives. The most important thing to consider when choosing a delivery option is your comfort.

Flushing Hospital Medical Center’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology has a full program to provide total health care to women. For more information about the many services offered by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Flushing Hospital, please call 718-670-8994.

All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page. You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter. PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.