Big difference between doula and midwife

- or are they actually sisters? A short excursion into history

" Midwives have existed since the beginning of humanity.
The modern word midwife originated in the 9th century from the Old High German "heviana", which is derived from "hevi", which means to lift or hold, and "ana", grandmother
or ancestor.

The term doula, which is derived from the ancient Greek word "δούλα", meaning servant, was first used in 1976 by the American Dana Raphael in her book "Breastfeeding - The Tender Gift".

Many midwives do their best day in, day out, not only to be the ancestor who catches the child, but also the mother who lovingly strokes the head of the woman in labor, the aunt who applies counter pressure to the pelvis and the sister who holds the drinking cup to the woman in labor's lips at exactly the right moment.

Nowadays, women rarely give birth in the security of a community, but rather in isolation in the delivery room.
~
Fortunately, the midwife was taken along when the home birth was moved to the hospital.

And births, which until not so long ago always took place in the home environment,
were banished to the sterile hospital, where women and birth are medically cared for and managed and where, in addition to the medical staff, only the partner of the
is tolerated by women giving birth.

But the way we live has changed over the centuries, just as birth has. Intergenerational cohabitation has become nuclear families.

Doulas have been around as long as midwives, but for a long time they didn't have a name. They were simply the mothers, aunts, sisters, neighbors, etc. who cared for the expectant mother, supported her during childbirth, looked after the older children, and provided nourishing meals during the postpartum period.

The term doula, which is derived from the ancient Greek word "δούλα", meaning servant, was first used in 1976 by the American Dana Raphael in her book "Breastfeeding - The
Tender Gift".

Raphael describes doulas as experienced women who accompany expectant mothers during pregnancy and childbirth with the aim of creating a safe and positive birth experience. "

- Source: Instagram instagram.com/the.birth.worker.network/

Conclusion: Historically, the difference between doula and midwife is small. Everyone should pull together to serve the well-being of the woman and child.