NMC and Doula UK support women’s choices in maternity care

The video series brings together Jacqui Williams, the NMC’s Senior Midwifery Advisor (Education), and Leila Baker, Doula UK Director. They shed light on the differences between the professions, as well as how the professions can work together to support positive maternity experiences, and how women can access support from both.

We co-produced these video resources in response to feedback from women asking for clearer information about the different kinds of help a midwife and a doula can offer.

While developing our recently launched Principles for supporting women’s choices in maternity care with our maternity partners, we noted that more women were opting out of midwifery care and sometimes sought support from unregulated people. 

Through these videos, we hope that women and families will better understand what support is available to them at different stages of their pregnancy journeys, and how they can access that care.

For example, only a midwife on the NMC register can legally provide clinical care, having completed the necessary education to NMC standards – gaining the knowledge, skills and experience to deliver such care.

The videos explain:

• What a midwife’s role is in the maternity journey, and what a doula’s role is
• What women should do when they find out they are pregnant, and how they can access a midwife’s support
• What a doula’s support looks like alongside a midwife
• What good collaboration between midwives and doulas looks like to support women.

The full videos can be found on our website.

Tracey MacCormack, a registered midwife and the NMC’s Assistant Director for Midwifery, said:

“In every maternity journey, it is fundamentally important that women and families know their choices matter, and those choices must be respected. It’s also essential that women are clearly informed about the care that’s available to them, and how they can access that care.

“Midwives are best placed and have the skills and experience to provide high-quality, person-centred care for women and babies. In some cases, as well as the support of a midwife, women may also want the help of a doula – who can offer additional wellbeing support.

“Both these professions want to see the best possible experience for women and babies, and can achieve this working alongside each other. We hope our video series brings women more clarity about the choices on offer for their maternity journey.”

Doula UK’s Director Leila Baker and Partnerships Coordinator Kirstie Broughton, said:

"We're pleased to have been able to collaborate with the NMC. It's important that women and parents' choices are supported, and clear information is provided on who is able to care for them and how they can access that care. Midwives bring the clinical expertise while doulas complement their skills with additional well-being support and advocacy.

“Both doulas and midwives share the same goal of helping women and parents have safe, positive maternity experiences, and working alongside each other can achieve that.”

Further information

• Unregulated people are those who are not midwives registered with the NMC and, in the context of the principles document, are providing clinical midwifery or medical care during the continuum of a woman’s care.
• A doula is an unregulated, non-medical professional who provides emotional and practical support during pregnancy, birth, and the postnatal period.
• It is a criminal offence for any person who is not a registered midwife, meaning someone who has a qualification in midwifery and is registered with NMC or a registered medical practitioner, to attend a woman in childbirth.

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