You've also got to remember that a midwife has to uphold hospital protocols and policy - so if you don't want something and it's protocol, then the midwife can't tell you otherwise. Also I find having a doula there, you don't get that intense emotional connection there as you would your mother or partner... I have heard mothers tell their daughters that they didn't like seeing them suffering and get very uncomfortable seeing their daughter in pain. I have also see men panic and demand epidurals. So having someone there keeping it normal and putting pain into perspective is a huge diff. Also study shows that the positives of having a doula, i.e. 50% less c/s, less epidurals/forceps yada yada is not replicable with just your partner or a hospital staff member etc.

I think the only reason some midwives and doctors have bad ideas about doulas is because they don't understand their role properly, they haven't seen the research and perhaps they have had a bad experience with one. There is nothing in the doula industry to standardise anything, no regulation... so I would interview a few doulas and talk to them about how they feel with what the midwives have had to say and see how they respond. No strings attached, just do some meets and greets. You'll soon know if you would like a doula there and what they can offer.

ps. What hospital is it, sounds like I need to send them some information