Childbirth involves a network of highly trained professionals working together to ensure a safe delivery experience. Modern healthcare offers several distinct paths for maternity care, each led by a different type of provider with specialized training. Understanding these roles is the first step in assembling the right team. The choice of who attends a birth depends on personal preference, medical needs, and the setting where the delivery will occur.
Physicians Specializing in Delivery
The most widely known medical professionals who deliver babies are Obstetricians/Gynecologists (OB/GYNs). These physicians complete four years of medical school followed by a four-year residency focused on obstetrics (pregnancy and childbirth) and gynecology (female reproductive health). This training emphasizes the management of medical complications, surgical interventions, and high-risk pregnancies.
OB/GYNs are surgically trained to perform procedures like Cesarean sections (C-sections), which are necessary for complicated deliveries or medical emergencies. They are the primary providers for individuals with pre-existing conditions, such as diabetes or hypertension, or those carrying multiples, who require medical monitoring. Their practice centers on the hospital setting, where they have immediate access to advanced medical technology and surgical facilities.
Family Physicians (FPs) also deliver babies, particularly in rural or underserved areas where access to specialists is limited. While their general training covers a broad range of medical care, some FPs complete additional training to include comprehensive maternity services. These doctors often provide continuity of care, attending to the birthing person, the newborn, and the rest of the family throughout their lives.
Midwifery Care Professionals
Midwifery professionals represent a distinct model of care that views pregnancy and childbirth as normal, healthy processes, intervening only when medically necessary. The most common credentialed providers are Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs), who are advanced practice registered nurses with graduate-level education. CNMs offer comprehensive care across a person’s lifespan, including gynecologic care, family planning, and postpartum support.
Certified Midwives (CMs) have a similar scope of practice to CNMs but are not required to hold a nursing degree, completing a graduate-level midwifery program instead. Both CNMs and CMs are licensed to provide care in various settings, including hospitals, birth centers, and homes, and they can prescribe medications. Their focus is on individualized attention, patient education, and minimizing technological interventions, which is associated with lower C-section rates and higher patient satisfaction in low-risk pregnancies.
Another common credential is the Certified Professional Midwife (CPM), whose training is centered on providing care in out-of-hospital settings like homes and freestanding birth centers. CPMs monitor the well-being of the birthing person and refer to a physician if complications or high-risk factors arise. The philosophy across all certified midwives involves continuous, compassionate support, fostering a patient-centered experience.
Defining the Roles of Support Personnel
Beyond the primary care providers authorized to deliver the baby, the delivery team includes support personnel whose roles are non-medical. Labor and Delivery Nurses are registered nurses who provide direct medical care and monitoring during labor in a hospital setting. Their duties include tracking the vital signs of the birthing person and the baby, administering prescribed medications, and performing clinical tasks under the supervision of a physician or midwife.
The nurse’s role is to ensure medical safety, but they often have multiple patients and must prioritize clinical responsibilities over continuous emotional support. Doulas, in contrast, are trained professionals who provide continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the birthing person and their partner. They are not medical providers; they do not perform clinical tasks, diagnose conditions, or deliver the baby.
A doula’s continuous presence offers techniques like massage, positional changes, and guidance to manage labor discomfort. They serve as an advocate and source of stability, particularly in a hospital setting where staff may change shifts. Doulas and nurses work collaboratively, with the doula focusing on comfort and emotional well-being, while the nurse handles medical monitoring and care.
Factors for Choosing a Delivery Team
The decision between a physician-led team and a midwife-led team depends on the medical risk level of the pregnancy and the desired birth experience. Individuals with pre-existing medical conditions, those expecting multiples, or those with a history of complicated births are advised to choose an OB/GYN due to their surgical expertise and training in managing high-risk scenarios. An OB/GYN offers the highest level of medical intervention capabilities and is the standard choice for hospital-based birth plans.
For low-risk pregnancies, a certified midwife is an excellent option, particularly for those seeking a low-intervention, holistic approach to childbirth. Midwives are trained to handle normal deliveries and focus on patient-led decision-making, often in settings like birth centers or homes. The choice of setting—hospital, birth center, or home—is tied to the provider type, as physicians almost exclusively practice in hospitals, while midwives work across all three.
A final consideration is the preference for continuous support versus medical oversight during labor. Families who desire uninterrupted emotional and physical comfort may choose to integrate a doula into their team, regardless of their primary provider. The selection process involves evaluating one’s health profile, researching local resources, and aligning the provider’s philosophy of care with the vision for the delivery experience.