Choosing your birth team is one of the most meaningful decisions you will make during pregnancy. While both doulas and midwives play an essential role in supporting families, their responsibilities, scope of practice, and style of care are very different. Understanding how they complement one another can help you build the support system that feels right for your birth.
Whether you are preparing for a hospital birth in or around Toronto, planning a birth at home, or simply wanting more clarity about your options, here is what you need to know about how doulas and midwives work together to support your family.
What Midwives Do
Midwives are healthcare providers who offer full medical care throughout pregnancy, labour, birth, and the early postpartum period. Their role includes:
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Monitoring your health and your baby’s health
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Ordering ultrasounds and bloodwork
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Providing medical advice and clinical assessments
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Catching the baby during birth
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Offering postpartum check-ins and newborn assessments
Midwives in Ontario are registered professionals who follow strict clinical guidelines. They can attend births at home, in hospital, or at a birth centre, and they work in small teams so you know the providers who will support your birth.
Midwives are responsible for medical care. They diagnose, treat, monitor, and manage clinical needs with a focus on safety and informed choice.
What Doulas Do
Birth Doulas are non-medical birth support professionals who focus on your physical, emotional, and informational wellbeing. A doula cannot perform clinical tasks, but they are trained to:
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Provide continuous labour support
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Offer comfort measures such as massage, breathing guidance, movement and positioning
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Help you understand your choices in real time
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Support partners and enhance teamwork
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Create a calm, grounded environment
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Walk with you through the emotional experience of birth
Doulas stay with you continuously throughout labour, whereas medical teams (including midwives and nurses) rotate between patients and responsibilities. A doula fills the gap with steady, reassuring presence.
How Doulas and Midwives Work Together
Families often assume they must choose one or the other, but doulas and midwives work beautifully together. Their roles complement one another so you receive both clinical expertise and holistic support.
A doula may:
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Support you at home long before going to the hospital
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Guide you through early labour and help consult when it is time to call your midwife
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Help you stay grounded through contractions
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Translate unfamiliar terminology
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Support your partner so they can stay involved with confidence
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Continue emotional and physical support while your midwife focuses on clinical care
Your midwife may:
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Check dilation and fetal heart tones
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Assess progress
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Monitor safety
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Make medical recommendations
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Catch the baby
Together, they create a balanced birth team that prioritizes both safety and experience.
Are Midwives and Doulas Covered by OHIP?
Midwifery care in Ontario is fully funded through OHIP, meaning families pay nothing out of pocket for prenatal, birth, and postpartum medical care from a registered midwife.
Doula care is not covered by OHIP, but many families are pleased to learn that doula services may be reimbursed through private benefits. Certified doulas at Helping Hands are eligible for coverage under many extended plans, including:
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Health Spending Accounts (HSA or PHSP)
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Wellness Spending Accounts
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Employer benefit plans through providers like Sun Life or Cigna
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Carrot Fertility benefits, which frequently include birth and postpartum doula support
Coverage varies by plan, but many families receive partial or full reimbursement when proper documentation is provided. Helping Hands prepares detailed invoices, doula certification details, and attestation forms when required, making reimbursement simple.
If you are unsure about your coverage, our team can help you understand what questions to ask and how to maximize your benefits.
Which One Should You Choose?
The answer is often both.
If you want medical care with a personalized, relationship-based model, a midwife is an excellent choice.
If you want steady, continuous support, hands-on coping techniques, customized information, and someone who focuses on your comfort and emotional experience, a doula is essential.
Most families who work with a doula say that the combination of midwifery care plus a doula gave them the best of both worlds: safety, guidance, advocacy, and emotional grounding.
Preparing for World Doula Week in March
Every March, World Doula Week celebrates the essential role doulas play in supporting birthing families. As the date approaches, we will share more stories, education, and behind-the-scenes perspectives to help parents understand how doula care transforms the birth experience. This blog is your first step toward understanding how doulas fit within your birth team and how they can elevate the way you welcome your baby.
Ready to Build Your Birth Team?
If you are considering doula support, we invite you to connect with us. Our team helps match you with the doula who aligns with your communication style, values, and birth goals. You can also explore our prenatal classes to begin preparing with clarity and confidence.
Your birth experience deserves support that is both grounded and transformational.
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