Doulas are not medical professionals, and the following tasks are not performed by doulas: They do not perform clinical tasks such as vaginal exams or fetal heart monitoring They do not give medical advice or diagnose conditions They do not make decisions for the client (medical or otherwise) They do not pressure the birthing person into certain choices just because that’s what they prefer They do not take over the role of the partner They do not catch the baby They do not change shifts (although some doulas may call in their back-up after 12-24 hours) Source