Doula support and nurse support are both important forms of support during pregnancy and childbirth, but they differ in their roles and responsibilities. Doula support focuses on emotional and physical comfort, while nurse support focuses on medical care and monitoring. In my opinion, having both a great nurse and a great doula makes for a better birth experience–and better outcomes–for mother and baby.

Doula Support

A doula is a trained professional who provides emotional, physical, and informational support to the mother before, during, and after childbirth. They do not provide medical care, but rather focus on helping the mother feel comfortable and informed throughout the process. Our team of doulas will also provide support to the partner or other family members.

Doulas are trained to provide unbiased, evidence-based care. Hospital policies are not always evidence-based, yet nurses and other medical professionals are expected to follow policy. Your doula will help you navigate the discrepancies between evidence-based info and hospital policies. A good example of this is regarding eating/drinking in labor. A doula will help you communicate with your providers about your options and help advocate for your choices. (Check out Evidence Based Birth’s compilation of research on this practice.)

Your doula will always offer comforting touch techniques like counter pressure, massage, and/or hip squeezes. Every time we touch our clients, it’s in a good/comfortable way. When the mother has someone like a doula there to support them with 100% positive methods, natural labor oxytocin is able to do its job. Nurses are responsible for monitoring medical conditions and often end up touch mothers in ways they may find uncomfortable. This could include blood pressure cuffs, cervical checks, IV insertion, etc.

A quick note from our team: While you may not know who your nurse (or doctor/midwife) will be when you’re in labor, you will know who your doula is. Our team offers traditional 1:1 Labor Doula Support meaning that you will have one doula throughout your pregnancy and birth. You will get to know them through prenatal appointments so that you are fully prepared for their support in labor!

Nurse Support

We have some of the best nurses in the world right here in Iowa! I have had the privilege of attending births where the nursing care was evidence-based, compassionate, and made a huge impact on the overall birth experience for my clients.

A nurse is a trained medical professional who provides medical care and support to the mother and baby during childbirth. They are a vital role to the birth process with major responsibilities for monitoring the overall health of the mother and baby. They check vital signs, administer medications, and assist with medical procedures. Nurses also provide education and support to the mother and family members much like doulas do.

Combined Support

This is my favorite type of labor support! I often find that nurses want to offer the bedside support similar to what doulas do. Nurses have so many medical responsibilities and they’ve shared with me that they often don’t have time to offer the kind of support they wish they could. This is why it’s great to have both a kind, compassionate nurse along with a knowledgeable, caring doula. It’s a complete team! 

For more info, check out this link at Evidence on: Doulas (evidencebasedbirth.com) and scroll about halfway down the page.