Prenatal, Antepartum, and Perinatal Doula | What’s the Difference?

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There are many types of Doulas and Doula specializations, and sometimes the differences between their aims and tasks are not very clear. This counts especially for Doula specialties that have overlapping tasks.

Hence, in this post, we’ve chosen to look at the Prenatal Doula, Antepartum Doula, and Perinatal Doula, which are three Doula professions that have much in common and for which it’s often not very obvious what actually the difference is.

Prenatal Doula

The Prenatal Doula is specifically focused on helping the client and their family in preparing for childbirth, tailoring to the client’s personal situation, needs, and preferences.

The Doula’s activities usually include giving emotional support in the pregnancy period, alongside giving information and education about the birth process, writing a birth plan, explaining birthing options, teaching relaxation techniques, informing on the available forms of pain management, and what to expect in the early days of parenthood.

In addition, the Prenatal Doula may also be a companion who attends to medical appointments, and in a more general way helps clients to navigate the “birthing” system.

Mind that the tasks of a Prenatal Doula are the same as that of the so-called Birth Doula, with the difference that the Prenatal Doula basically will not participate in the actual labor and birth process.

Nevertheless, most Prenatal Doula are also Birth Doulas or Full-Spectrum Doulas, and it’s rather depending on the client’s wish or desire if they will accompany them in the rest of the pregnancy trajectory (that is, in the labor and delivery process and/or postpartum period).

Antepartum Doula

An Antepartum Doula serves women and their families who are experiencing a high-risk or difficult pregnancy. The risks or difficulties can be caused by complications with the pregnant woman or with the unborn baby (or both).

The Antepartum Doula provides informational, emotional, physical, educational, logistical, and practical support in often stressful, confusing, and emotionally demanding circumstances. The mother-to-be may even have been put on more or less permanent bed rest.

As a whole, we could say that this Doula’s specific aim is to help lowering the pregnant woman’s levels of stress and anxiety to promote better health outcomes, while helping her to be as comfortable and prepared as possible during this challenging time.

Most typically, the Antepartum Doula is also trained as a Prenatal Doula (preparing a woman and her family for childbirth) and/or Birth Doula (Labor Doula), the latter giving support during the actual labor and delivery moment.

Perinatal Doula

Although the exact start and end of the perinatal period knows many definitions depending on the country or specialists in the field, it always covers (part of) the pregnancy period, labor and delivery moment, and (part of) the postpartum time.

For instance, the perinatal period may be defined as the beginning of one’s pregnancy up to a year after giving birth or even two years afterwards, or starting after twenty-two weeks of pregnancy and ending after seven days of childbirth, and so on.

In any case, the Perinatal Doula — which is often a synonym for Full-Spectrum Doula — is a non-medical professional who provides support to women, the (unborn) baby, and their families before, during, and after childbirth.

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