Last updated on October 10th, 2022

Have you given much thought about the people who will be around you during your pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum period?

These people, who will be influencing your decisions and their outcomes, are not just anybody. They are on your team. But not just any team. Your BIRTH TEAM.

Forming your birth team before the arrival of your child is an absolutely critical part of your prenatal preparation and will impact the overall experience.

Summary

Your birth team includes a variety of faces, who each play a vital role in providing excellent care to you and your baby. These people are experts in their field and will be with you throughout your prenatal care, the days of labor and birth, and the beginning days of your postpartum journey.

Your birth team includes:

• Your prenatal provider, be it a Midwife or an Obstetrician (OB)
• Professional support person (birth/postpartum doula).
• General birth support person such as your spouse, partner, family member or friend.
• Nurse Team
• A Childbirth Educator
• Lactation Consultants

While a few of these are not optional, like having a provider (Midwife/OB), the rest are options you should seriously consider.

Let’s look closer at what each of these individuals provides and how they care for you.

• Providers
• Obstetrician
• Midwife
• Support Person
• General Support People
• Birth Doulas
• Postpartum Doulas
• Nurses
• Childbirth Educator
• Lactation Consultants
• Recap
• FAQ
• References

Providers

Most women during pregnancy will have at a bare minimum, a prenatal provider, likely to be an obstetrician (OB) or a midwife.

Obstetrician (OB)

An obstetrician has graduated from medical school and has completed an additional 3-4 years of training in obstetrics. They are also board certified by the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Much of their education focuses on the detection and treatment of problems. Source: Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn

Most women typically see an OB as their primary prenatal provider during pregnancy. They are accessible regardless of where you live and primarily work in a hospital setting during birth, even though their practice may be outside a hospital.

It’s also common for them to confirm your pregnancy as early as 6-8 weeks and see you regularly until birth. They will also suggest prenatal testing, birth education courses and potential bed rest, inductions and cesareans if they feel it’s necessary.

One thing to consider is if your OB belongs to a medical practice with multiple OB partners. In that case, you may be required to have rotating appointments with these other prenatal providers before the birth of your child in the event your primary OB is unavailable to attend and facilitate the birth of your baby.

Unfortunately, many OB’s operate with a “medical model of care” mentality. They may look at you as a pregnant woman in the light of birth as dangerous and therefore require intensive monitoring and anticipate poor outcomes. Source: Optimal Care in Childbirth

They may answer to the preferences of a hospital and I often hear the disappointment from many women who felt their care with their OB left something to be desired. Many have their daily patient load jammed packed and it can leave you feeling that your care was not relational but routine and quick. A downside here could be if you are dealing with a sensitive situation or a trauma-related issue, the lack of time spent with your OB could make you feel less confident about your upcoming birth experience. 

Not all OB’s treat patients with this mentality. There are MANY wonderful OB’s out there. Most come from a kind place of prioritizing the safety of their patients (you and your baby). This may lead them to make recommendations or decisions based on their experience of what can go wrong and what the hospitals they work for expect from them as leading healthcare providers in their field of expertise.

I had great OB’s in my practice during my prenatal care. However, they questioned my birth preferences all of the time (there were 10 OB’s in my practice, so I was bumped around regularly). My appointments felt very short and routine. Sometimes I was left with unanswered questions I had to figure out myself and wished I could have had more than five minutes of their time. Despite only meeting the on-call OB doctor once throughout my labor and birth, I felt supported by him. I never felt pressured to change my preferences.

If you plan to give birth in a hospital, you will likely be under the care of an OB, though there are also Midwives that work in hospital settings.

Midwife

A Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) has graduated from nursing school, passed an exam to become a registered nurse (RN), completed further training in midwifery and is certified after passing an exam through the American College of Nurse-Midwives. Source: Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn

A midwife is an expert in a normal healthy pregnancy, birth and well-woman care. Midwives deliver babies in homes, hospitals and birth centers. Source: Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn

“Midwives typically view birth as a normal life event in which a woman can trust in her innate ability to give birth.” (Book: Optimal Care in Childbirth)

The Midwifery Model of Care possess the view that “The natural childbirth process is unpredictable but normally safe.” Source: Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn

A Midwife, on average, spends about one hour with you during each appointment. She takes time to check up on you and your baby’s vitals, educate you on what to expect as you enter into each stage of pregnancy, and help you understand labor and birth. Encouragement is key, and she will do so through empowering words and help you trust your body. Additionally, she will also support your emotional and mental health surrounding your pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period.

If you have a high-risk pregnancy or unique circumstance, midwives and OB’s often refer you to a Perinatologist, a high-risk pregnancy specialist. Though midwives can also handle emergencies during labor and birth, they usually already have established relationships with hospitals and specific OB’s if a mother may need to be transferred to a hospital that operates under OB care.

If you know you will require particular interventions or even a cesarean for your baby’s birth, a midwife may not be your best option.

Financially, a midwife is affordable. Be sure to look into your insurance coverage as some companies will not cover a birth via midwife.

Obstetrician

Pros:

• Easy to find no matter where you live.
• Supports you in a hospital birth setting.
• Educated on all facets of medical care to ensure the safety of mom and baby.
• Potential best choice in high-risk pregnancy situations depending on your situation.

Cons:

• Potentially provides you with less time at appointments.
• May encourage medical interventions for birth.
• May require you to bounce around to various OB staff during your prenatal care.
• Typically works for and only for a hospital, meaning OB’s aren’t the best choice if you desire an out-of-hospital birth experience.

Midwife

Pros:

• Can support you in a birth center, home birth and a hospital setting.
• They typically view birth as a normal life event, trusting a woman’s ability to birth.
• Spends significant time with you during each prenatal appointment.
• Will not encourage unnecessary interventions.

Cons:

• Can be difficult to locate in some locations.
• Typically support women with low to no risk pregnancies, but can handle high-risk pregnancies depending on your situation.
• Are not equipped with access to specific pain management options during labor and birth.
• May or may not be covered by insurance.

PLEASE KNOW: You are not obligated to stay with a specific provider during your pregnancy. If you ever experience pushback from the provider handling your prenatal care, such as treating you with harassment, bullying, aggressive behaviors, refusal to give their time in meeting your questions, or unwanted pushy interactions, FIND A NEW PROVIDER. If you experience obstetric violence, report it.

What Is Obstetric Violence?

Lamaze International defines it like this:

“Obstetric violence is the physical, sexual, or verbal abuse, bullying, coercion, humiliation, or assault that occurs to laboring and birthing people by medical staff, including nurses, doctors, and midwives. In short, obstetric violence is anytime a person in labor or birth experiences mistreatment or disrespect of their rights, including being forced into procedures against their will, at the hands of medical personnel.” Source: Lamaze International

Remember:

YOU ARE A PARTNER IN YOUR HEALTHCARE.

Support Person

Traditionally, husbands filled the role of the support person and sometimes that also included other family members or friends. However, more and more people are also including professional childbirth support people called “doulas.” Nurses are also a part of your birth team, but their contribution is more focused on your clinical care. Let’s discuss the differences between them.

General Support People

Outside of a birth doula, a support person during labor could be your spouse, partner, friend, or family member.

Support people are there to support the mom in labor and be fully available to do or bring the birthing mother anything she needs at the moment she needs it.

Support people can:

• Provide lots of positive encouragement to the mother in labor.
• Bring cool or warm rags for comfort.
• Provide water to ensure laboring mother stays hydrated.
• Help the laboring mother move into varying positions throughout labor.
• Communicate with medical staff on her behalf.
• Relay messages via phone per her request.

Source: Pregnancy, Birth & Baby

Doula

A doula is someone you hire to provide you and your birth partner support in pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum.

I’ve written extensively about birth doulas. It’s a practical guide to anything you would ever want to know about what they are and why you would want to hire one. Check that out HERE.

Birth Doulas

They specialize in the birth experience.

• They support you in the days ahead of your pregnancy and make themselves fully available during labor and birth.
• They support every type of birth preference, not just mothers who want an unmedicated birth experience.
• They also provide extra physical support for pain management, allowing your partner the opportunity to rest.
• They advocate for you when you feel unable to do so during labor and birth.
• They are affordable and work directly for you.

Source: DONA

Postpartum Doulas

They specialize in supporting you and your baby after you have given birth.

They walk alongside you after your baby arrives and provide as little or as much help as you might need: day and night.

Their primary focus is doing things in your home for you, such as:

• Meal prepping
• Taking care of other children
• Housework
• Assisting with newborn care
• Provide breastfeeding support
• Connect you with local resources

Their main priority is taking care of many day-to-day tasks so that you can focus primarily on recovery and your newborn. Source: American Pregnancy Association

Nurses

If you are giving birth in a hospital, you will have a team of nurses throughout your hospital stay. It is unlikely you will meet these individuals before you go into labor. Still, you might be lucky enough to get one or more at the start of their shift and enjoy their familiar face throughout your hospital stay, depending on their schedule.

Though many nurses would love to be with you continuously throughout your labor, they often cannot due to clinical obligations. Nurses are an excellent and essential part of your birth team.

What a labor and delivery nurse will do:

• Keep tabs on you and your baby’s vitals.
• Assist with clinical care, such as inductions, epidurals and electronic fetal monitoring.
• Communicate to other staff, including the on-call OB.
• Provide emotional support depending on hospital workload, clinical responsibilities, hospital regulations and personal desires.

What a labor and delivery nurse cannot do:

• Provide you with guaranteed continuous support during labor and birth.  

Childbirth Educator

The role of a Childbirth Educator is an important one.

As an educator, I have the joy of guiding parents to ALL of the available information in order to make informed choices about what is best for them. Childbirth Educators’ philosophies vary greatly and programs that train them are not created equal.

I am biased about Lamaze International and the training I received through them as a Childbirth Educator. Still, more than that, they are the only organization to offer certification for childbirth educators that’s accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Source: Giving Birth with Confidence

Childbirth Educators guide expectant mothers and families through all the details of your birth journey, including what to expect during:

• Pregnancy
• Labor and birth
• Postpartum period

Many expectant families think birth education can be a waste of time and money because once they are in labor, “someone will tell me what to do.”

This is precisely the problem.

It’s likely those people have their own biases and agendas. Do your research. I promise you when you understand the birth process, you will know what to expect. Your confidence needs to be in your own knowledge rather than expecting someone else to know the answers.

Think about a time when you showed up to take a test unprepared.

How did that feel?

• Stressful?
• Worrying?
• Uncertain?

Waiting until you are going through labor and birth is not the time to wish you had prepared. Without knowing what to expect, your birth experience can feel very overwhelming and turn hoped feelings of confidence into fear.

You will acquire basic knowledge such as:

• Your rights as a participant in your own healthcare.
• The difference between informed consent and informed refusal.
• Understanding labor positions
• Natural anatomy and physiology of birth
• Pain management options pros and cons
• Comfort measures
• The Stages of Labor

A good Childbirth Educator will:

• Promote childbirth as a healthy process that profoundly affects women and their families.
• Help women and their families make informed birth decisions.
• Teach classes that increase a women’s confidence and ability to birth.
• Connect you with local resources.

Childbirth education needs to provide more than just basic information about birth.

Most importantly, childbirth classes can help you make sense of the vast amount of information about pregnancy and birth that you have probably accessed on the internet, read in countless books on birth, and heard from women of all ages.

Book: Giving Birth with Confidence

Childbirth Education has proven benefits:

• Increased confidence for labor and birth.
• Higher likelihood of breastfeeding success.
• Improved communication between childbearing women and their maternity care providers.
• Decreased need for analgesic medication in labor.
• Increased satisfaction with the birth experience.

Source: NIH: The Journal of Perinatal Education

Having a Childbirth Educator on your birth team is vital as they significantly prepare you for labor, birth and the initial postpartum period.

You may receive some positive information from a doula, your provider, or even a friend who is a mother. Still, a Childbirth Educator is likely to be the most educated on childbirth, steering you in the direction of confidence in how you mentally prepare for the marathon.

Labor and birth is a marathon. Set yourself up for a positive experience by taking a short amount of time to educate yourself on what to expect and deciding the preferences you will desire before your baby’s birth date arrives.

If that interests you, check out my class offerings.

Lactation Consultant

Your team will also include a Lactation Consultant, an expert in breastfeeding and bottle feeding.

In a hospital, shortly after giving birth, you are likely to have a postpartum visit from a hospital staffed International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). If you have a home birth or birth at a birth center with a midwife, you can set up an appointment to visit with someone after your child’s birth, both in or out of a hospital environment. Your midwife and doula can also provide initial breastfeeding or bottle feeding support in the immediate hours after birth.

There are a few different breastfeeding experts out there, with an IBCLC having the most education and specialized training.

A Lactation Consultant can:

• Assess your baby’s latch to ensure they are nursing properly.
• Assist with correcting latch problems so your baby can eat and gain weight appropriately.
• Suggest different breastfeeding holds and positions.
• Guide you in how to look for lip and tongue ties.
• Guide you to local breastfeeding groups and websites.  
• Help you with bottle feeding.
• Help develop feeding schedules.
• Support you with the best plan for feeding multiples.
• Educate you on how to pump and store milk properly for going back to work.
• Help you treat breastfeeding engorgement, clogged milk ducts and mastitis.

Just like everyone should have a quality provider, every new mom should have a lactation consultant. As your baby begins to grow in the months after their birth, a lactation consultant may remain on your team as long as you continue your breastfeeding journey. Source: The Lactation Network

RECAP

Your birth team includes experts in the field of childbirth:

• Your prenatal provider, be it a Midwife or an Obstetrician (OB)
• Professional support person (birth/postpartum doula).
• General birth support person such as your spouse, partner, family member or friend.
• Nurse Team
• A Childbirth Educator
• Lactation Consultants.

Each plays a vital role in your pregnancy, labor, birth and postpartum experience and should be in favor of looking out for you and your baby’s best interest.

FAQ

References

• https://www.acog.org/
• https://www.amazon.com/Pregnancy-Childbirth-Newborn-Complete-Guide/dp/0738284971
• https://www.amazon.com/Optimal-Care-Childbirth-Physiologic-Approach/dp/1598491326
• https://birthmonopoly.com/find-a-lawyer/
• https://www.lamaze.org/Giving-Birth-with-Confidence/GBWC-Post/what-is-obstetric-violence-and-what-if-it-happens-to-you
• https://www.dona.org/what-is-a-doula/benefits-of-a-doula/
• https://americanpregnancy.org/healthy-pregnancy/planning/postpartum-doula/
• https://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/being-a-birth-support-partner
• https://www.lamaze.org/lamaze-international
• https://www.lamaze.org/giving-birth-book
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3489119/
• https://iblce.org/
• https://lactationnetwork.com/blog/what-is-an-ibclc/

Read This Next

• Why You Should Hire a Birth Doula

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