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  • Home
  • About
    • Company Standards of Care
    • COVID-19 Pandemic & Pregnancy, Birth, Postpartum
    • Maternal Mortality
    • Making a difference in Maternity Care
  • Homebirth
  • Birth Doulas
    • Birth Doula Services
    • Cesarean Doula
    • Hypno-Doulas
  • Baby Planning
    • Newborn and Postpartum Consulting
    • Sleep Training
  • Postpartum Doula - Night Nanny
    • Welcome Home Baby! Packages
    • Night Nanny Standards of Care
    • Mother Roaster Services
  • Childbirth Education
    • Childbirth 101 Virtual Birth Class
    • Hypnobabies
    • Fast-Track Intensive Birth Class
    • Infant CPR
    • Newborn Care Class
    • Breastfeeding Class
  • Sibling Doulas
  • Photography
    • Birth & Newborn
    • Family Photography
  • Lactation Support
  • Placenta Encapsulation
  • Partner With Us
  • Contact
    • Schedule Appointment
NOVA Birth Partners

Birthing BALANCE

Doula, Midwife, or both? Understanding the key differences between the two.

2/26/2019

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When thinking of your birthing experience, have you considered your delivery team? Depending on each pregnancy, this team of medical professionals may vary. For moms who seek “hands on” care, a midwife can be a great option. According to WebMD, you may want to consider working with a midwife if:

  • You want your childbirth to be as natural as possible with little medical intervention, such as an episiotomy, fetal monitoring, labor induction, etc.
  • You want the emotional, practical, and social support that midwives provide.
  • You seek to have a home birth or in a birthing center

According to American Pregnancy, the Midwives Model of Care includes:
  • Monitoring the physical, psychological, and social well-being of the mother throughout the childbearing cycle
  • Providing the mother with individualized education, counseling, and prenatal care, continuous hands-on assistance during labor and delivery, and postpartum support
  • Minimizing technological interventions
  • Identifying and referring women who require obstetrical attention.

Having a Doula as a part of the birthing team can add an additional layer of support for both the mother and father. Oftentimes even the most dutiful midwife can find herself unable to provide as much one-to-one support that expectant mothers need. According to American Pregnancy, women reported having a more overall positive birthing experience (whether natural or c-section), with the presence of a doula.

Doulas also offer a unique opportunity for antepartum and postpartum support that is not always available with a midwife. An antepartum Doula can be a great support for a high risk pregnancy or a mother that has been on bedrest by providing “informational, emotional, physical, and practical support in circumstances that are often stressful, confusing, and emotionally draining”. A postpartum Doula can provide support after birth by helping with such things as lactation support, cleaning, cooking, and for emotional support.

When considering your birthing options, understanding the fundamental differences between a midwife and doula can be helpful. Oftentimes, families consider both and find that this combo provides for a strong support team for one of the most important days of a mother and fathers lives. No matter what your birth plan is, remember to choose to feel love, choose to feel safe, and choose to feel heard.

Warmly,
Tamarah Taylor, M.S.Ed,
Communications Manager,
​NOVA Birth Partners

Reference:
Anagnost-Repke, A. (n.d.). Parents-to-Be, This Is the Difference Between a Midwife and a Doula. Retrieved from https://www.popsugar.com/moms/What-Difference-Between-Midwife-Doula-45654985
​Having a Doula: Their Benefits and Purpose. (2017, July 22). Retrieved from http://americanpregnancy.org/labor-and-birth/having-a-doula/
Midwives - American Pregnancy Association. (2017, May 15). Retrieved from http://americanpregnancy.org/labor-and-birth/midwives/
What Is a Midwife? (2012, June 8). Retrieved from www.webmd.com/baby/what-is-a-midwife

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NOVA Birth Partners, LLC serves all birth centers and home births in Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC in addition to the following hospitals: INOVA Fairfax, INOVA Fair Oaks, INOVA Loudoun, INOVA Alexandria, Reston Hospital, Stone Springs Hospital, Virginia Hospital Center, Sibley Hospital,  Medstar Washington Hospital Center, George Washington University Hospital, Winchester Hospital, Prince William Hospital, Shady Grove, Holy Cross, Sentara Hospital, and more! Serving Maryland as far as Anne Arundel County, Prince George's County and Montgomery County, Maryland.
Serving all clients in Washington, DC, Annapolis, MD, Loudoun County, Fairfax County, Washington DC suburbs including: Southern Maryland, Accokeek, Waldorf, Suitland. Also serving west Northern Virginia including: Prince William County, and more. Other areas served include: Fairfax, Arlington, Sterling, Herndon, Herndon, Ashburn, Leesburg, Winchester, Burke, Manassas, Gainesville, Haymarket, South Riding, Chantilly, Centreville, Falls Church, Tysons Corner, Mclean, Alexandria, Woodbridge, Fredericksburg, Bethesda, Silver Spring, and more! 
NOVA Birth Partners, LLC is a birth & postpartum support professional practice composed of a dream team of providers: Birth Doulas, Postpartum Doulas, Newborn Care Specialists, Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs), Birth Photographers, Placenta Encapsulators, Childbirth Educators, Massage Therapists, and Prenatal and Postnatal Fitness Experts.