Midwife or Doula: What's the Difference?
One of the most common questions I get as a birth doula is: “So, are you like a midwife?”
It’s an easy mix-up—after all, both doulas and midwives show up at births, support families, and are passionate about empowered, safe birth. But our roles are actually very different – and as a Christian birth doula, my line of work is even more niche.
A lot of families I meet think they need to pick one or the other—midwife or doula. The truth is, the two roles are complementary, not competitive. You can absolutely have both, and most families who do say they can’t imagine going without either.
What a Midwife Does
Midwives are trained medical professionals. Their role is to monitor the health and safety of both mom and baby throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. They check blood pressure, listen to heart tones, run labs, catch babies, and handle complications if they come up.
Basically, the midwife is your primary medical care provider. Whether at a home birth or birth center, they’re the ones making sure everything is progressing safely and stepping in with interventions if needed.
Will they be staying with you the whole time you’re in labor, holding your hand and coaching you? It depends on each midwife and situation. Typically they won’t be with you the entire time unless there is good reason. And in most scenarios, it’s safe to say the midwife will not be stepping too much into the doula’s role, especially when they need to stay focused on the health of both mom and baby.
What a Christian Birth Doula Does
A doula isn’t a medical provider—we don’t diagnose, prescribe, or catch babies. My job is to support you emotionally, physically, and spiritually as a faith-based doula.
That might look like:
- Building a relationship before labor, answering questions, and helping create a birth plan based on informed choice
- Squeezing your hips through contractions or providing counterpressure
- Reminding you of your birth preferences when things get intense
- Offering calming words (and sometimes a joke when you need it most!)
- Helping your partner feel confident and involved
- Providing faith-based labor support for families who want prayer, encouragement, or Scripture woven into their birth space
- Keeping you comfortable postpartum and helping with breastfeeding and newborn basics
- Visiting postpartum to help you process your birth and give help as needed
As a Christian birth doula, I often work with families in Ohio (and Northern Kentucky and Indiana) who want their faith honored during their birth journey. Not every family wants prayer, Scripture, or faith language in their birth space—and that’s okay. But for families who do, having a faith-based labor support option can feel incredibly grounding.
I’ve prayed with moms through tough contractions, read Scripture that gave them strength, or simply created a birth space that reflected their values. Some families want a very spiritual atmosphere, while others just want to know their doula shares their faith and understands their heart.
Where it Gets Interesting: Midwife's Assistant
Now, here’s where my personal experience overlaps. I work occasionally as a midwife’s assistant, and when I step into that role, I get to be part of the medical side of things—charting vitals, setting up supplies, cleaning, and helping the midwife keep everything running smoothly.
As an assistant, I’m focused on the clinical side. As a Christian birth doula, I’m focused on the comfort, emotional, and spiritual side.
Both roles are so important, and both have given me deeper insight and appreciation for birth than I’d have otherwise.
So What's the Main Difference Between a Midwife and Doula?
The best way I can describe it is this: your midwife is watching over you and your baby’s safety, while your doula is watching over your experience.
You want someone making sure nothing unexpected happens medically, and you also want someone making sure you feel safe, empowered, and supported. Both matter.
So no, doulas aren’t midwives. And midwives aren’t doulas. But together, we make a pretty amazing team for families who want both safe and supported births.