A do doctor can deliver a baby.
Nurses don't deliver babies unless they have the training to deliver babies.
Nursing duties during the birth itself include monitoring fetal heartbeat and the length and strength of contractions, as well as administering medication, coaching the mother and assisting with any complications that arise.
An obstetrician though is the type of doctor that is trained in delivering babies.
An obstetrician (OB) is a doctor that has special training in women's health and pregnancy.
OB doctors specialize in both caring for women during pregnancy and labor, and delivering their babies.
Some OBs have advanced training in caring for high-risk pregnancies.
L&D nurses begin as Registered Nurses (RN) and may become Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) such as OB/GYN Nurse Practitioners, but ultimately, they pursue some level of specialty training to help women deliver babies.
All nurses must pass the National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLEX-RN) to become licensed as a registered nurse.
Labor and delivery nurses provide specialized medical care to mothers and babies during critical periods of time.
A nurse anesthetist can place an epidural, a catheter inserted in the lower back, to give numbing medicine throughout labor and delivery.
An epidural can sometimes be used for a C-section, as well.
Spinal anesthesia, a single injection of numbing medicine, is often given for planned C-sections.