What Is a Monitrice, and How Is It Different from a Doula or Midwife?
When preparing for birth, you may have heard about doulas, midwives, and monitrices—but what exactly is a monitrice, and how does this role fit into your birth team?
While doulas focus on emotional and physical support and midwives provide full-scope clinical care, a monitrice bridges the gap—offering both hands-on labor support and limited clinical assessments before you transition to your birth location.
What Does a Monitrice Do?
A monitrice is a trained birth professional with clinical skills who supports you at home during labor before heading to your planned birth setting (hospital or birth center).
Like a doula, a monitrice provides:
Emotional & physical comfort measures (massage, positioning, breathwork)
Education & reassurance prenatally, during labor, and immediately post birth.
Encouragement & advocacy in your birth space
Unlike a doula, a monitrice can also:
Check vital signs (blood pressure, pulse, temperature)
Monitor fetal heart tones
Assess cervical progress (only if desired)
Assess safety of both the birthing parent and their baby
Help determine when it’s time to leave for the hospital or birth center
Why does this matter? If you plan to labor at home for as long as possible but want the reassurance of clinical monitoring before heading in, a monitrice provides the best of both worlds.
Is a Monitrice a Midwife?
No. A monitrice is not a primary healthcare provider. Unlike a midwife, a monitrice does not deliver babies or manage medical concerns during labor. Instead, their role is to support and assess until you transition to your chosen birth setting.
If you are planning a homebirth, you would work with a midwife rather than a monitrice. Often homebirth midwives work with a team such as doulas and midwife assistants that may make a monitrice unnecessary at home. Talk with your midwife to see how a monitrice could be incorporated with their team. However, if you prefer or require a hospital birth but want additional continuous labor support with clinical oversight, a monitrice could be the perfect fit.
Who Should Consider Hiring a Monitrice?
✅ You want to labor at home for as long as possible but prefer professional monitoring before going to the hospital or birth center
✅ You are planning a hospital or birth center birth but want more personalized support during early labor
✅ You like the idea of a doula but also want clinical reassurance from someone trained in birth assessment
✅ You are navigating a high-risk pregnancy and want extra care before heading to your provider
How to Find the Right Monitrice for You
Every birth is unique, and finding the right support team is key. If you’re curious about monitrice care and how it might fit into your birth plan, I’d love to chat!
Click here to schedule a free consult.