Oakland Prenatal Massage

100%. Now that I’ve had the experience of being on the clinical side as a student midwife, and on the non-clinical support side as a birth doula, I wholeheartedly agree with this. You need both. Especially if you’re planning on avoiding pain medication, whether you’re delivering at home, a birth center or the hospital. And double especially if this is your first birth. 💗

HOME BIRTH MOMS, WE LOVE YOU. 🤍
BUT YOUR MIDWIFE IS NOT YOUR DOULA.

And I say this with so much love for homebirth, midwifery, and the beautiful model of care that allows families to birth outside of the hospital.

Somewhere along the way, because homebirth care looks different, we started expecting midwives to wear every possible hat.

Your midwife is your midwife.
Your doula is your doula.

Those roles can overlap in how they support you, but they are not the same job.

YOUR MIDWIFE'S JOB IS CLINICAL CARE.

Your midwife is responsible for things like:
• Monitoring you and baby
• Assessing labor and maternal/fetal wellbeing
• Checking vitals and fetal heart tones
• Managing normal physiologic birth
• Identifying complications and changes in risk
• Making clinical decisions
• Carrying the responsibility for safe maternal and newborn care
• Managing emergencies and facilitating transfer when necessary
• Providing prenatal, birth, and postpartum medical care within their scope

Even when that care happens in your living room instead of a hospital room, it is still clinical care.

YOUR DOULA'S JOB IS CONTINUOUS NON-CLINICAL SUPPORT.

A doula is there to:
• Provide continuous physical and emotional support
• Help you find comfortable positions and coping techniques
• Offer comfort measures, counter-pressure, massage, etc.
• Help your partner know how to support you
• Encourage, reassure, and advocate for your preferences
• Help you understand your options without making clinical decisions for you
• Stay focused on you while your midwife stays focused on the clinical picture

And here's the important part:

Your midwife can absolutely be warm, nurturing, hands-on, encouraging, and incredibly supportive.

But that doesn't make her your doula.

And a doula can be incredibly knowledgeable, experienced, and deeply involved in your birth…

but she isn't your midwife.

We don't need to blur these roles to prove that homebirth provides comprehensive care.

In fact, I think the opposite is true.

The beauty is in the TEAM.

Your midwife shouldn't have to be monitoring the fetal heart rate while simultaneously trying to provide hip squeezes, refill your water, photograph your birth, support your partner, clean up the kitchen, and emotionally coach you through every contraction.

And your doula shouldn't be trying to take over the clinical responsibilities that belong to your midwife.

Different roles. Different responsibilities. Same goal.

You deserve a care team where everyone can stay in their lane and because of that, everyone can do their job really, really well.

Homebirth doesn't need more job titles. It needs good teamwork.🤍

If you’re pregnant and planning on breastfeeding, I highly recommend taking a class before baby gets here! Brandy is an excellent teacher and a wonderful resource to have in your back pocket for when baby arrives.

Mark your calendars! 🗓️

The next session of Breastfeeding Basics at Fourth Tri Sanctuary is Thursday, May 21st! 🤱🏽

A prenatal group breastfeeding class taught by Brandy Walters, IBCLC and owner of In Home Lactation Specialists. Essentials you need the first weeks after birth to breastfeed your baby.

Cost $135 per belly, partners and your birth doulas welcome!

Call to text 248-243-6150 to reserve your spot. Must have a minimum of 3 bellies for the class, so be sure to tell your friends!