"No Soy Partera" - what’s The Difference Between a Midwife and a Doula?
i once overheard my mother on the phone. she was talking to someone about me, and more specifically, about the kindred feminine and my life as a birth worker.
the person asked her," “¿Entonces ella va ser su propia partera?” meaning, “is she gonna be her own midwife?” all i could do was giggle, because as y’all know,
i’m not a midwife. no soy partera.
but the truth is, i know a lot of people don’t know what a doula is at all, much less the difference between a doula and a midwife.
so, what is the difference between a midwife and a doula?
put simply, a doula is an emotional, physical, spiritual, and educational support person and a midwife is a medical professional — who also offers emotional, physical, spiritual, and educational support — who can support you with medical decisions and your medical care.
but maybe you’re looking for a more in depth answer… so:
What is a doula?
a doula — a birth doula specifically — is a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional, and educational support, and advocacy for folks during their pregnancy, birth, and cuarentena, so that they can reach their goals, and have the pregnancy, birth, and postpartum experience they desire.
as a doula, during your pregnancy i offer emotional support and encouragement. i provide education on pregnancy, anatomy and physiology, nutrition, birth, interventions, informed consent, the hormonal exchange that happens during birth, the postpartum time, lactation, and so so much more. during your birth i provide physical and emotional support — that can look like light massage, or counter pressure, or even brushing hair— alongside education and advocacy.
there are also postpartum doulas, fertility doulas, and death doulas.
i’m specifically a full spectrum doula. from the birthing advocacy doula training’s website, “A full-spectrum doula is a community care worker who offers support to people during the full spectrum of pregnancy – from preconception, to birth, to abortion, to miscarriage, to adoption, to postpartum.”
you will find doulas that are very medical minded and there are doulas who are very anti the medical model at all costs. you’ll find doulas that are very religious — of many organized religions — and there are doulas that are more spiritual and witchy.
there is a quite literally a doula for everyone.
and what is a midwife?
the word midwife means “with woman.” they are trained professionals and have many years of education that undergirds their practice. they take vitals, check cervices, check fundal heights, run tests, give medical guidance and education.
there are a couple different kinds of midwives. certified nurse midwives, and licensed midwives/certified professional midwives. generally speaking cnms attend hospital births and lms/cpms attend births at home.
cnms are nurses by trade who have a masters degree in midwifery and are generally more medically minded. lms and cnms here in the state of florida — it’s different everywhere so be sure to check your own state’s guidelines — attend a three year midwifery program which allows them to be educated in a class room setting as well as with a preceptor with whom they attend births with and learn alongside like an apprenticeship, and they are generally more holistically minded.
like doulas you will find midwives of all kinds at home, in birth centers, or at the hospitals. i have met home birth midwives who are more medically minded and i have met hospital midwives who are more physiologically minded. in my community we have two certified nurse midwives who have chosen to provide home birth care because they believe that folks who have breech babies or multiples deserve to have the home birth care they want to have.
another day i can write about birth keepers and lay or independent midwives. that conversations deserves it’s own blog and more time.
for today, i hope this was helpful to you. if you have any questions, be sure to drop them in the comments or reach out to me directly. i’d love to chat.
xoxo, tamara
both of the photos featured in this blog were taken by rubì at every amma. except for the lizzards… but y’all knew that.
