Postpartum Doula vs Birth Doula vs Midwife: Understanding the Difference

Introduction

Being pregnant, attending antenatal classes, preparing for birth, planning for postpartum, talking to doctors, osteopaths, dealing with discomforts… It can be a lot to deal with, leaving little time to figure out which practitioners could help you best in your parenthood journey.

It’s perfectly normal to be confused. The number of health professionals surrounding you from pregnancy to postpartum can quickly add up. 

Doulas are one of the latest additions to the list. In this article, we’ll explore the difference between the types of doulas and how they fit into your care team.

What Is a Doula?

If you’ve not had the time to read my Guide to Doula Support, let me quickly summarize the role of a doula.

A doula is a trained practitioner that offers emotional, physical and practical support to women through birth and postpartum. The word “doula” is derived from Ancient Greek, but its modern use dates back to the Natural Birth Movement in the US in the 60s.

During your journey from pregnancy to postpartum, doulas can fit in a number of ways. The great thing about pregnancy, birth and postpartum support is that there are a great wealth of practitioners with varied specialties. With a little bit of information, you will find the best fit for your family in no time.

What Does a Birth Doula Do?

As you may have guessed from the name, birth doulas focus their practices on the birth of your baby. They provide emotional support during labour, helping you overcome fears and anxieties for the most natural birth possible, and advocate for your in the delivery room.

But their work does not start at birth. They often help you create a birth plan during your pregnancy so that they can align perfectly with your wishes. During your 3rd trimester, they share biomechanical positions for birthing, breathing techniques for pain management or even hypnobirthing sessions to relax and welcome this intense moment serenely.

It is best to start looking for birth doulas in your 2^nd trimester. Doulas tend to get booked months in advance and keep their calendar clear around their clients due dates to make sure they can attend so it’s best to start your search early.

What Does a Postpartum Doula Do?

On the other hand, a postpartum doula comes to help you once your baby is born. They will provide support after birth, and again their practices, training and specialties can get quite varied.

At their core, postpartum doulas provide emotional care and support for your physical recovery at home. It can be through tips and guidance, massages, healing rituals, healthy meals and so on. They will come visit you in your home at your request, for a few hours at a time, to help you feel confident and rested.

When looking for a postpartum doulas, it is best to start your search as early as your 3^rd trimester. Just like birth doulas, postpartum doulas get booked months in advance, and having that time to really find the right person to support you alleviates a lot of the stress post-birth.

In my practice, I also put an emphasis on postpartum preparation. Besides my Postpartum Preparation Workshop, I help the families I support through 1-on1 or 1-on-2 calls pre-birth, to find answers and craft an exhaustive postpartum plan. The idea behind this is to take the time to think ahead, to smooth out the postpartum rollercoaster and to ensure you're supported all the way through.

Birth Doula vs Postpartum Doula: Key Differences

Area of Support	Birth Doula	Postpartum Doula
Main Focus	Labour and birth	Recovery and early parenthood
Typical Timing	Late pregnancy to a few hours after birth	After birth for days or weeks
Emotional Role	Comfort and reassurance during labour	Emotional healing and adjustment to parenthood
Practical Role	Birth positions, breathing, advocacy	Meal prep, baby care, rest support

By now you should have a good idea of the difference between birth and postpartum doulas, who does what and how they can support you at different stages of your pregnancy and parenthood journey.

But doulas often suffer from another confusion: how does a doula differ from a midwife ? Let’s dive in.

Doula vs Midwife: Understanding the Difference

The difference between doula and midwife is not as complicated as it seems. The easiest way to clear up the confusion is to understand that doulas and midwives operate in different, complementary areas.

Midwives have a clinical and medical role during your pregnancy and labour. They are regulated healthcare professionals. They monitor your and your baby’s health through check-ups, refer to other practitioners when necessary, assist during delivery, provide medications if needed and visit you a few times after birth to ensure everything is okay health-wise.

Doulas on the other hand fill an emotional and practical support role. They help you prepare for birth, advocate for you in the delivery room, offer reassurance and comfort and help your long-term recovery post-birth through nutrition, massages or rituals.

Working Together: The Circle of Care

It is important to see doulas and midwives as complementary, not competitive. In the past, the doula role wasn’t always well understood by healthcare teams.

Thankfully trust has been slowly building between doulas and midwives and it is not uncommon to find them working side by side. They really are two sides of the same coin, providing care and support for babies and parents in their own way.

Doulas often have a more natural, less medicalized approach to birth and postpartum, bringing a wealth of knowledge of natural remedies and techniques, while midwives are crucial in dealing with more severe health issues and investigating problems in conjunction with other NHS practitioners.

Having both by your side is a fantastic way to ensure you benefit from the most holistic support, giving you a strong start to your parenting journey.

Choosing the Right Support for Your Family

If you’re pregnant and going through the NHS, then you will be followed and supported by a team of midwives. When it comes to doulas services however, it is likely that you will have to do the research and hiring yourself.

Questions to Ask Yourself

Therefore it is important to ask yourself a few questions during your pregnancy, such as what kind of birth do you want (in hospital or home-birth), what kind of support are you already surrounded by (family or friends), will you want someone external that can provide advice and stay detached when necessary or will you need someone to visit you after the birth to help you at home.

If you feel like you do not have enough support in place, or if you want someone that has been trained and can provide researched knowledge through delivery and postpartum, then it might be worth hiring a doula.

No matter who you choose to hire, make sure to browse their profiles or websites, ask any questions or concerns you might have ahead of time. There are a lot of choices, a lot of doulas with a wide range of values and practices so it’s important to take this time to research who will be the best fit for your family.

As part of all my services, I offer a free 1-on-1 discovery call to address all of the above before you make a decision.

Final Thoughts

Birth doula, postpartum doula, midwife, family, friends, every family’s path is different. Trust your heart, you are the best person to know which support is the right one for your parenthood journey.

If you’re in doubt, start a conversation. It doesn’t matter if it’s with your GP, midwife, on a call with a doula, as long as you get the answers you need to make sure your postpartum is full of love and support.

Ready to find out what kind of doula support might suit you ?

If you’re interested in hiring my services, for support that goes from pregnancy all the way to the years of your baby’s life, then have a look at my Mother’s Nest and Nourished Mother pages.

And if you have any questions, I would love to have a chat when you feel ready. Just reach out and I will be here for you.