Doula vs. Midwife: What’s the Difference & Do You Need Both?

By: Rebecca Belenky of Los Angeles Birth

If you’re expecting a baby in Los Angeles, you’ve likely heard the terms doula and midwife tossed around. While both midwifery care and doula support play an important role in pregnancy and birth, we offer different types of support. Understanding the difference can help you build the right team for your birthing experience—whether you're planning a hospital birth at Cedars Sinai, a birth center delivery in South Pasadena, or a home birth in Silver Lake.

SIDENOTE: I’m a doula and I can’t tell you how many times people outside of my circle refer to me as a midwife or ask about me “delivering babies.” I usually respond with something like- I am a doula so I was present at the birth, and my pregnant client did the birthing. The term delivering a baby strikes me as odd, if you’d like more on that check out the book “Babies are not Pizzas” by Rebecca Dekker. But I digress…

Rebecca Belenky supporting a family at home with their midwife Naomi Drucker, CNM

What Is a Doula?

A doula is a trained professional who provides emotional, physical, and informational support during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. Some doulas focus primarily on birth and labor support, some on just postpartum, and others do both. You may also notice that many doulas have particular styles of support when you look at their websites and social media accounts.

Doulas offer:

* Hands-on comfort measures during labor (like massage, breath coaching, fetal positioning)

* Evidence-based information to help you make informed decisions

* Support birth in hospital, home, and birth center

* Emotional reassurance and a calming presence

* Partner support and guidance

* Postpartum recovery support, including infant feeding and emotional processing

Think of a doula as your birth coach and advocate, focused on helping you feel empowered, supported, and heard. Doulas do not offer medical care or diagnose health issues.

Homebirth with Midwives Sara Howard and Hayley Oakes in Los Angeles, CA

What Is a Midwife?

A midwife is a medical professional who provides *clinical care* throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

Midwives offer to:

* Monitor the health of you and your baby

* Perform exams, order lab work, and oversee fetal development

* Catch babies (at home, in birth centers, or hospitals, depending on the type of midwife)

* Handle health complications within their scope of practice

* Work with OB-GYNs when higher-risk care is needed

In the state of California midwives can be either:

Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) – often work in hospitals and birth centers, but may practice at home as well.

Licensed Midwives (LMs) or Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) – often work in home birth and birth center settings.

SIDENOTE: There is another category of midwife that is not or has not chosen to be certified, usually their training is described as “direct-entry” or “lay” midwifery. There is a long history of direct-entry midwifery care. It was basically the way it always was until systems of licenture and certification came into being and women’s care moved from the realm of community to the medical institutions. There’s a lot more out there on the origins of midwifery if you are curious to know more.

In Los Angeles, there are many incredible midwives who work collaboratively with doulas to offer holistic, client-centered care. Some of the most satisfying birth support experiences for me and my clients have been when I have worked along side a thoughtful, experienced midwife.

Should I Hire Both a Doula and a Midwife?

Yes- If you value autonomy and informed consent, a midwife and a doula can offer you the highest level of holistic care. What does that look like in practice? Your midwife handles the medical care, and your doula handles the support, comfort, and advocacy. We work beautifully together to cover the full spectrum of your needs—body, mind, and heart.

Whether you're giving birth at Cedars-Sinai, The BirthPlace at UCLA, Moxiebirth, or at home in Echo Park, having both a midwife and a doula on your care team can improve outcomes and increase satisfaction with your birth and postpartum transition.

Food for thought….

LA is a birthworker-rich city. You have access to many resources and practitioners:

* Diverse doulas and midwives who reflect your culture, language, and values

* Multiple birth center options and home birth providers

* Out of Hospital OB-GYN practices that welcome doulas and offer unique individualized care.

Choosing a doula and/or midwife is a deeply personal decision. If you're feeling unsure, you're not alone—and you're not supposed to have all the answers right away.

If you're curious about how a Los Angeles-based doula can support you, I’d love to connect. 🤍 Let's Talk

Together, we can create a birth experience rooted in trust, strength, and support.