Doula vs. Midwife vs. OB: What’s the Difference?
If you’re pregnant and starting to build your birth team, you’ve probably heard the terms doula, midwife, and OB—sometimes used interchangeably. While all three play important roles in pregnancy and birth, they each serve very different purposes. Understanding the difference can help you choose the right support for your pregnancy, birth preferences, and level of care.
What Is a Doula?
A doula is a trained, non-medical professional who provides emotional, physical, and informational support before, during, and after birth. Doulas do not replace your medical provider. Instead, we focus entirely on you.
What a doula does:
Provides continuous labor support
Offers comfort measures like breathing techniques, movement, positioning, massage, and counter-pressure
Helps you understand your options so you can make informed decisions
Offers reassurance and emotional grounding
Supports your partner so they can support you
Advocates for your preferences (without giving medical advice)
What a doula does not do:
Perform medical exams
Deliver babies
Diagnose or treat medical conditions
What Is a Midwife?
A midwife is a medical professional trained to care for low-risk pregnancies and births. Midwives focus on pregnancy, labor, birth, and postpartum care using a holistic, client-centered approach.
What a midwife does:
Provides prenatal care (checkups, labs, ultrasounds)
Attends and delivers babies
Monitors labor and baby wellbeing
Offers postpartum and newborn care
Can prescribe medications
Midwives practice in a variety of locations based on state laws. In Nebraska, our midwives’ practice is affiliated with hospitals. It is illegal for a midwife to attend a home birth currently, and they did recently shut down the birth centers.
What Is an OB (Obstetrician)?
An OB-GYN is a medical doctor specializing in pregnancy, labor, birth, and reproductive health. OBs are trained to manage both routine and high-risk pregnancies.
What an OB does:
Provides prenatal care and medical oversight
Manages complications and high-risk pregnancies
Performs medical interventions and cesarean births
Prescribes medications
Oversees labor and delivery in a hospital setting
You can use more than one during your pregnancy and labor and delivery. typically, the combinations are OB + Doula or Midwife + Doula. Each role complements the others. Your medical provider focuses on safety and clinical care—your doula focuses on you. There is no “right” choice—only what feels aligned with your needs, values, and comfort level.
