reasonable expectations of midwives

[anney]

Re the mw being like a doula question - I had dd in a public hospital. The mw only had me to look after and it was back when they were trying to recruit nurses back into public hospitals by doing short retraining courses so I had an additional mw who was coming back to work in her 50s after having her children. She was so fantastic and so supportive in every way, not just doing her job. Long story but I ended up with a c/s under ga right when her shift was ending but she came with me to theatre as dh could not as it was a ga. I remember her being in recovery and she was still at my bed when I woke at 6pm so she had been there 11 hours just for me. I really think she would have a personal connection with lots of her patients.
Conversely I have met women in other areas of my life who are midwives and thanked my lucky stars I did not have them! I suspect women who go into midwifery because they love babies may not make great doulas but women who go into it because they love helping other woman would make great midwives.
Perhaps a little off topic but in the public hosp I went to the midwives did 3 month rotations through 4 areas, antenatal clinic, scn, labour rooms, wards so potentially while labouring you could get a midwife who would much rather have been in scn. So not sure that would improve care.
So after that lOngwinded ramble, I say no, not too much to expect but I would definitely not rely on it.