The Role of a Doula in a Homebirth: What to Expect from our Minnesota Doula Team, Start to Finish
If you’re preparing for a homebirth, you may be asking yourself, “Do I really need a doula if I have a midwife?” Oftentimes, families find that they absolutely want a doula with their midwife support for a homebirth! While your midwife focuses on the medical care and safety of you and your baby, your doula provides continuous, non-medical support, spiritual, emotional, and physical, so that you feel seen, heard, and cared for through every stage of labor and beyond.
At Kingdom Beginnings Birth Services, we serve families across Minnesota, including Apple Valley, Becker, Blaine, Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Buffalo, Burnsville, Cambridge, Chanhassen, Chaska, Coon Rapids, Cottage Grove, Eden Prairie, Edina, Elk River, Fairbault, Isanti, Lakeville, Maple Grove, Maplewood, Milaca, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, Monticello, Northfield, Norwood Young America, Oakdale, Owatonna, Plymouth, Princeton, Ramsey, Richfield, Savage, Shakopee, St. Paul, Stillwater, West St. Paul, White Bear Lake, Woodbury, Zimmerman, and many surrounding communities. Here’s what you can expect when inviting a birth doula into your homebirth journey.
What Is a Homebirth Doula?
A homebirth doula is a trained professional who provides continuous emotional, physical, and spiritual support during pregnancy, labor, birth, and early postpartum. Unlike your midwife, who manages the medical aspects of your care, your doula’s role is to bring calm, comfort, and encouragement to you and your family, in turn helping you create a birth space filled with peace and confidence. A birth doula and a midwife make a phenomenal team, with the same goals, but different roles!
Before Birth: Preparing for Homebirth
Your doula relationship begins long before labor starts. During prenatal visits, we will:
Discuss and practice comfort measures and positioning strategies to support labor.
Talk through your birth preferences and any fears or questions you may have.
Work through different scenarios so that you are prepared to follow the Lords path as He presents it.
Pray with you and help you prepare spiritually if you would like.
Support your partner so they feel confident and included every step of the way!
This preparation helps your family feel ready, no matter how your birth unfolds.
During Labor: Support in YOUR Space
When labor begins, your doula provides continuous support right in your home as soon as you are ready for her to join you offering:
Comfort measures like massage, counterpressure, rebozo techniques, breathing techniques, and water therapy.
Shaping the birth environment through dim lighting, scripture, affirmations, or worship music.
Partner support so that dads and other support persons know exactly how to help and feel confident in doing so.
Prayer and encouragement to keep your heart and mind steady as you welcome your baby.
Because you’re in your own home, your birth doula also helps you use your space creatively whether that means walking the halls, leaning on your own furniture, or soaking in your own tub.
After Baby Arrives: The First Hours at Home
Once your baby is born, a birth doula’s role doesn’t end. In those sacred first hours of your baby’s life, we:
Help initiate skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding.
Make sure you’re comfortable, hydrated, and fed well with nourishing foods.
Support your family as a whole as you transition from pregnancy to labor to parenthood.
Offer reassurance and guidance for newborn care in those first moments.
These first hours are sacred and set the tone for postpartum healing and bonding, and having a doula present allows you to fully rest and soak in your new baby, while being cared for yourself.
Why a Doula Matters Even at Homebirth
Some families wonder if a doula is necessary at a homebirth since midwives are already present. The truth is this: midwives and doulas play very different but complementary roles.
Your midwife focuses on the medical well-being of you and your baby.
Your doula focuses on you as a whole person, body, mind, and spirit, as well as your partner.
Having both allows you to experience the safety of skilled medical care and the continuous nurturing presence of someone whose only role is to support you. Together, a birth doula and a homebirth midwife make an excellent team, with you and your partner.
Faith-Based Doula Care for Homebirth
At Kingdom Beginnings Birth Services, we bring a Christ-centered approach to the births we attend. For families who desire it, we offer prayer, scripture, and worship music as part of the labor space. Our goal is to create an environment where you feel God’s peace and presence while bringing your baby into the world.
Final Thoughts
Choosing a homebirth is about more than just the location. It’s about creating a birth experience that feels safe, supported, and aligned to your family’s values. Having a doula at your homebirth ensures you’ll have continuous care, encouragement, and practical support through every step of the journey, in the comfort of your own home.
If you’re preparing for a homebirth in Apple Valley, Blaine, Burnsville, Cambridge, Chaska, Edina, Elk River, Lakeville, Maple Grove, Minneapolis, Northfield, Shakopee, St. Paul, Zimmerman, or any surrounding Minnesota community, we would be honored to serve your family.
Reach out to Kingdom Beginnings Birth Services today to schedule a free consultation and learn how doula support can bless your homebirth journey.
