|
Answer
A midwife is responsible for the health and safety of the mother and baby.
It is up to her to assess conditions through observation and the taking of
vital signs and determine if all is proceeding normally or not. If the
birth proceeds normally, she can usually be the one to 'catch' the baby. If
she determines that all is not proceeding normally, she may have to turn
the care of mother and baby over to a doctor who will then probably be the
one to deliver the baby.
In addition to
performing such clinical duties, many midwives offer emotional and
physical support to help keep the laboring woman comfortable and calm,
hence significantly increasing the chances that the situation does stay
healthy and normal.
When push comes to
shove, however, the midwife's primary role is clinical, and if she has
other clients in labor or if she is deeply involved in the actual act
of catching your baby, she may not be able to fully support you
emotionally and most likely will not be able to help hold you up
physically.
Such emotional and
physical support is a doula's primary role. She is devoted entirely to
the emotional care and physical comfort of the laboring woman (and
sometimes her family), but she is not responsible for any clinical
duties. Some doulas are also nurses and may possess certain skills such
as the ability to check dilation or take fetal heart tones, but if they
employ these skills while helping at a labor, then they are truly
functioning as a Monatrice, not a doula and should identify themselves
as such.
A true doula does not
use clinical skills, nor does she make decisions about her client's
healthcare. When she does offer assessment, it is usually based upon
her observation of her client's emotional progress combined with
physical signs that can be seen without doing an exam - signs such as
close contractions, bloody show or nausea. Laboring women can use the
assessment the doula provides to decide if it's time to go to the
hospital or call in their midwife if it is a homebirth, but the doula
does not make the decision.
As for doulas catching
babies, I'm sure it has happened on occasion, however I cannot imagine
it was planned. Like most doulas, I do not possess the skills to be a
primary birth attendant and when I attend labors, I do not carry oxygen
or suction. And while I believe that in most cases, that if the woman
experiences no interventions, the baby will come out just fine, I'd
hate to catch one who did not.
Even when using a doula,
it is always best to arrive at the hospital or have your midwife arrive
at your home, before the baby comes out. Then both you and your baby
can benefit fully from the distinct advantages of both types of
care.
|
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families. 
