Doula vs Midwife vs OBGYN: Building a Birth Team That’s Right for You
Understanding the roles of each provider so you can plan a birth experience that aligns with your values and needs.
Pregnancy involves many decisions, like where to give birth, how to prepare, and who you want by your side. One of the most common questions I hear as a doula and educator is, “What’s the difference between a doula and a midwife?” While doulas are becoming more mainstream, there is still some confusion about our role during pregnancy and delivery and how it differs from all of the other support available.
Let’s break it down simply so you can feel more confident in building a support team that fits your birth vision.
A Birth Doula’s Role
A birth doula is a trained professional who provides emotional, physical, and informational support during pregnancy, labor, and birth. Think of a doula as your personal guide, advocate, and calming presence—someone who’s there just for you and your partner through it all.
What a birth doula does:
Offers prenatal support to help you prepare mentally, emotionally, and logistically for birth
Helps you create a personalized birth plan and understands your preferences deeply, so on the big day, they can help keep things aligned with your goals
Prepares your partner or support person, helping them know what to expect and how to be helpful
Provides continuous, hands-on support during labor with comfort techniques like massage, movement, counterpressure, and breathing
Keeps you informed about your options throughout labor so that you can make decisions with clarity and confidence
Supports your partner emotionally and logistically, so they can be present and engaged without feeling overwhelmed
One of the most important aspects of working with a doula is the relationship you build prenatally. By the time labor begins, your doula already knows your wishes, your fears, and what matters most to you, so their support feels grounded, familiar, and deeply attuned. This preparation means your doula can step in confidently, keep things on track with your birth plan, and offer tailored support that truly makes a difference in how your birth unfolds and in how you feel walking into your birth.
What a birth doula doesn’t do:
Perform any medical tasks
Catch the baby
Monitor vitals or fetal heart tones
Divide their attention between multiple clients—they provide focused, one-on-one support throughout your labor
Doulas work alongside your medical team but don’t replace them. Our job is to help you feel safe, supported, and empowered—every step of the way.
A Midwife’s Role
Midwives are medical professionals who specialize in low-risk pregnancy and birth. They’re trained to provide prenatal care, attend births, and support postpartum recovery. Midwives can work in hospitals, birth centers, or even in your home.
There are different types of midwives:
Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs)– often work in hospitals, can prescribe medications, and have nursing backgrounds.
Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs)– usually attend home or birth center births and focus on out-of-hospital care.
Traditional/Community Midwives– may or may not be licensed, often work within specific cultural or community frameworks.
What a midwife does:
Provides prenatal checkups and screenings
Monitors your and your baby’s well-being during labor
Catches the baby
Offers postpartum care and breastfeeding support
Tends to offer more holistic, whole-person care—focusing not just on physical health, but also on emotional well-being, informed decision-making, and building a relationship over time
What a midwife doesn’t do:
Typically doesn’t handle high-risk pregnancies (unless working with an OB)
Can’t perform surgery (like a C-section)
Midwives often take a more holistic, personalized approach to birth, which many families appreciate.
A Labor & Delivery Nurse’s Role
Labor and delivery (L&D) nurses are the heartbeat of hospital births. These professionals are trained to monitor laboring people and assist with medical care under the guidance of a provider.
What a labor nurse does:
Tracks contractions, fetal heart rate, and vitals
Assists with IVs, epidurals, and medications
Supports pushing and delivery
Communicates with your doctor or midwife
What a labor nurse doesn’t do:
Stay by your side continuously (they often care for multiple patients at once)
Offer extensive emotional or physical support, the way a doula might
While their role is clinical, many nurses are warm, supportive, and experienced in helping families through birth.
An OBGYN’s Role
An obstetrician-gynecologist (OBGYN) is a medical doctor who specializes in pregnancy, birth, surgery, and reproductive health. OBs often care for moderate to high-risk pregnancies, and they are the primary birth attendants in most U.S. hospitals.
What an OBGYN does:
Manages medical aspects of pregnancy
Diagnoses and treats complications
Performs C-sections and instrumental deliveries
Oversees hospital protocols and decision-making
What an OBGYN doesn’t do:
Stay with you during your whole labor (they often arrive during active labor or just before delivery)
Focus on non-medical comfort or emotional care
If you have a high-risk pregnancy or prefer a more medical model of care, an OB may be the right fit.
So… Who Should Be on Your Team?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Some families want the emotional support of a doula and the clinical expertise of an OB. Others choose midwifery care for a more hands-on approach. Many combine the best of both worlds—a midwife or OB, plus a doula for extra personalized support.
What matters most is that you feel heard, supported, and safe with whoever is in the room when your baby enters the world.
Need Help Building Your Birth Team?
Whether you're just getting started or finalizing your birth plan, I offer virtual and in-person birth planning sessions to help you feel prepared and confident. We'll walk through your options, talk through your preferences, and make sure you're informed every step of the way. Let’s plan your birth together.
Not sure what level of support you want to have? Book a consultation & let’s chat!
