Doula or Nurse? How Each Supports Your Colorado Springs Hospital Birth

If you’re planning a hospital birth in Colorado Springs, or anywhere, you might be wondering:

“If I’ll have nurses taking care of me, do I really need a doula too?”

This is such a common—and very understandable—question. Labor & delivery nurses play a crucial role in your birth experience. At the same time, their role is different from what I offer as a doula. My hope is that this feels like a gentle, grounded guide to help you understand how we each support you, and how we can work together.

What Labor & Delivery Nurses Do (and Why They’re Essential)

Your nurses are licensed medical professionals who manage your clinical care.

Their focus is safety, monitoring, and supporting your provider’s plan.

In most Colorado Springs hospitals, your nurse will:

• Monitor your vital signs and your baby’s heart rate
• Manage medications, IVs, and epidurals alongside your provider
• Track your labor progress, chart your clinical information, and coordinate with your OB or midwife

Nurses are absolutely essential to your medical wellbeing. They juggle many responsibilities—and sometimes multiple patients at once. Because hospitals run on shifts, you may also have more than one nurse throughout your birth.

Because nurses work in shifts, you may see more than one nurse during your labor. Each one brings their own style and energy, and you may or may not know who will be on when you arrive.

What a Doula Does That a Nurse Can’t

As your doula, I’m not part of the medical team. My focus is your experience, your comfort, and your emotional wellbeing.

I’m here to:

• Stay with you continuously (no shift changes)
• Offer grounding, hands-on comfort like counterpressure, massage, and position changes
• Support your coping and communication—breathwork, relaxation, and making sense of what’s being said around you

I also help translate medical language into simple terms, support you in asking questions, and make sure your partner feels confident and included. My focus is always your experience, your voice, and your sense of safety.

Your nurses oversee your clinical safety. I oversee your continuous emotional and physical support. Together, you receive a fuller circle of care.

How Doulas and Nurses Work Together in a Hospital Setting

Hospital births are a team effort, and nurses and doulas often work together in really beautiful ways. Your nurse is focused on monitoring you and your baby, managing medications and IVs, and keeping your provider updated so your clinical care stays safe and on track. I stay at your side helping you change positions in the bed, breathe through contractions, and stay as comfortable and grounded as possible. When your nurse needs to step out to chart, admit another patient, or simply take a breath, you’re not alone—I’m still there with you. When your nurse comes back in with updates, suggestions, or changes to the plan, I can help you make sense of what’s being said and support you in asking questions or pausing to think through options.

In that way, we’re not competing; we’re sharing the load. Nurses often tell me they appreciate having a doula in the room because it means you have someone whose entire job is hands-on comfort and emotional presence, while they focus on the medical care only they can provide. You get the best of both: a skilled clinical team, and a steady, familiar person whose attention is on you the whole time.

Do You Still Need a Doula If You Have “Great Nurses”?

You might be thinking:

“My friend said the nurses at her hospital were amazing—so maybe I don’t need a doula?”

Great nurses are a blessing. At the same time, you won’t know who will be on shift when you arrive (or who will come one when shift changes), they may be caring for more than one family at a time, and the unit can get busy quickly. A doula doesn’t replace wonderful nursing care—and wonderful nursing care doesn’t replace a doula. Your nurse manages your medical safety; I’m the steady presence who stays with you throughout.

This level of support can be especially helpful if:

• You're hoping for a low-intervention birth or VBAC
• You're having a highly medicalized birth and get overwhelmed with medical jargon
• You’ve experienced medical or birth trauma or feel anxious in hospital settings

Choosing the Right Support for Your Colorado Springs Birth

Every family’s needs are different. Some feel comfortable with their medical team alone. Others want an extra layer of continuous, personalized support.

My trauma-informed, holistic doula care is designed to fit alongside your hospital team—not to replace them. Whether you’re planning an induction, hoping to labor at home as long as possible before heading in, or know you want an epidural, I’m there to help you feel more grounded and supported through each step.

If you’d like to see how this could look for you, you can explore my birth doula services in Colorado Springs and how I support families planning hospital births.

You can also learn more about my trauma-informed, collaborative approach with nurses and providers.

FAQs: Doula vs. Nurse in Colorado Springs Hospitals

Will nurses be offended if I bring a doula?

No. A respectful doula helps nurses by providing hands‑on comfort and emotional support while they focus on clinical care.

Can my doula come if I’m induced or have an epidural?

Absolutely. I support families through inductions, epidurals, and all kinds of birth experiences.

What if I end up with a cesarean?

Depending on hospital policy, I may be able to join you in the OR, or I may support you before and after surgery. My role shifts—but it never disappears.

You might also enjoy my other posts in the Doula or...? guide if you’re exploring how doulas fit with other members of your team.

Ready for Calm, Supported Birth?

If you’re exploring how doulas fit alongside other members of your perinatal support team, you might enjoy the next guide in this series: Doula or Childbirth Educator?

And if you’d like to talk through your unique birth vision, you’re always welcome to book a free Connection Call with me. We can explore what kind of support would feel most nourishing for you and your family.

Thanks for reading part 3 of the Doula or…? series - A Translation Guide for Figuring Out Which Professional You Really Need.