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Doulas and midwives can work well together, but there is also room for misunderstanding, as Doula UK's Lindsey Middlemiss describes.
AS MIDWIVES WILL KNOW, A DOULA IS an experienced support person who off ers guidance to a woman, couple, or family antenatally, through birth and as they adjust to life with a new baby (Doula UK, 2015; Simkin, 2008). Th ey work with women from all walks of life, backgrounds and incomes, and some doulas off er support through the continuum, during birth and postnatally, while others focus on one aspect of the journey.
They can be employed directly and paid by the women they support. Th ey may work on a voluntary basis, or they may be employed in the NHS. Th ere are also some specifi c projects providing doula support without charge to certain vulnerable women's groups - something that Doula UK is keen to expand (Doula UK, 2013; Birth Companions, 2015).
There is good evidence that a doula brings many benefi ts, including reduced risk of CS and instrumental birth, and less need for painkillers or an epidural during birth (Brigstocke, 2014; Hodnett et al, 2013). Th ey also bring a reduced rate of induction, slightly shorter labours, an increased likelihood of both initiating breastfeeding and breastfeeding successfully established at six weeks (Brigstocke, 2014; Hodnett et al, 2013).
The 2013 Cochrane review on continuous support in labour (Hodnett et al, 2013) included 23 trials (22 providing data) from 16 countries, involving more than 15,000 women in a wide range of settings and circumstances. Th is found that the most benefi t is gleaned from someone who is present solely to provide support, is neither part of the woman's social network, nor a member of the hospital staff , has experience and at least a modest amount of training. Th is describes a doula.
Different roles
The main diff erence between a midwife and doula is that the latter is a lay role, with no clinical responsibilities. A midwife would be unable to follow both the NMC code (2015) and the Doula UK code of...