After a recent coffee gathering with doula and midwife colleagues, I was struck by the great partnership that can happen when a mother and partner have both a midwife and doula as part of their birth team. In a hospital setting, having both a midwife and a doula bring the medical and continuous labor support aspects together while having the additional medical staff available should any emergency arise. I was just at a birth where the midwife and I worked together for our client at the hospital, and it was AMAZING! So calm, so natural, so affirming: what every new mother should have. In a home birth, a doula can be a great compliment to your midwife, freeing up the midwife to handle all the medical aspects of mother and baby while the doula gives uninterrupted labor support to mother and partner. Also, most doulas can offer invaluable, extended postpartum services to mother, partner, and baby.
