Virtual Doula Support
Wherever you are in the world, you don’t have to navigate pregnancy, birth or postpartum alone.
Sometimes the person you want alongside you doesn’t live around the corner.
You might live somewhere with very little doula support.
You might be planning a birth where having another person physically present isn’t possible.
You may already have a partner, family member or local birthkeeper beside you, but want an experienced person in the background who you can call when you need another perspective.
Or perhaps you simply want me, but we happen to be on opposite sides of the world.
That is where virtual support can work beautifully.
A doula doesn’t always have to be in the room
There are things I obviously cannot do through a screen.
I can’t massage your back.
I can’t make you soup.
I can’t refill the birth pool or put the kettle on.
But after more than three decades of attending births, teaching doulas and supporting women through pregnancy and postpartum, there is a great deal I can do from a distance.
I can listen.
I can help you prepare.
I can help your partner understand what they are seeing.
I can remind you of the physiology when things feel overwhelming.
I can help you formulate questions.
I can talk through options.
I can suggest practical comfort measures.
I can help you work out whether what you need is rest, food, warmth, reassurance, another position, more information or clinical support.
And sometimes I can simply be the familiar voice at the other end of the phone saying:
I’m here. Tell me what’s happening.
During pregnancy
Virtual doula support begins before labour.
We get to know one another.
We can explore your hopes for birth, previous experiences, fears, birth physiology, your maternity care, decisions you’re facing and the environment you’re planning to birth in.
We can prepare your partner too.
Rather than trying to turn partners into amateur midwives or doulas, I want them to feel confident being exactly what they are: the person who knows and loves you.
We can talk about practical support, comfort measures, protecting your birth environment and recognising when you need more help.
And we prepare for postpartum before the baby arrives.
Because postpartum should never be an afterthought.
When labour begins
If virtual birth support is part of our arrangement, you can contact me when things begin.
That doesn’t mean spending your entire labour staring into a laptop.
Quite the opposite.
Sometimes we might have a video call.
Sometimes your partner might message me.
Sometimes we might speak for ten minutes and then you disappear back into labour for several hours.
Sometimes you may need much more contact.
We respond to the birth that is actually happening.
I can support you and the people physically with you while still allowing your birth space to remain intimate and undisturbed.
Supporting your partner
Virtual support can be particularly useful for partners.
They have somebody to call.
They can tell me what is happening, ask questions and get suggestions without necessarily having to pull you out of labour to have a conversation.
I might suggest something practical to try.
Remind them to feed you.
Remind them to feed themselves.
Help them think about the environment.
Talk through a change in circumstances.
Or reassure them that sometimes the most useful thing they can do is absolutely nothing except stay close.
When decisions arise
Birth does not always follow the route we imagined.
You may find yourself discussing induction, pain relief, monitoring, transfer, intervention or a change in your birth plan.
I won’t make those decisions for you.
And virtual doula support does not replace clinical advice from the healthcare professionals caring for you.
What I can do is help you slow things down where there is time, understand what is being proposed, identify the questions you want answered and remember that you are still part of the decision-making process.
Sometimes having somebody outside the immediate intensity of the room can be enormously helpful.
Postpartum
And then there is a baby.
Virtual support can continue into those first days and weeks.
We might talk about feeding, your physical recovery, rest, bleeding, nourishment, herbs, warmth, your birth story or how everyone in the household is adjusting.
I can help your partner or family prepare simple traditional postpartum foods, drinks and remedies from ingredients available where you live.
We can talk about moxa and warming practices where appropriate.
We can look at what support you have around you and where the gaps are.
And if something needs hands-on or clinical assessment, I’ll tell you that too.
Traditional postpartum care from a distance
This is one of my favourite uses of virtual support.
You may be thousands of miles away, but there is often somebody nearby who desperately wants to look after you and simply doesn’t know what to do.
I can work with them too.
Your partner.
Your mother.
Your sister.
Your friend.
Your doula.
We can talk through food, warmth, herbs, rest, belly care and simple traditional practices that can be carried out safely at home.
In that way, virtual support isn’t about replacing hands-on care.
It is about helping the hands already around you know how to care for you.
I love that.
For birthkeepers too
Virtual support is also available to doulas and birthkeepers who want experienced support behind them.
Perhaps you’re attending a situation you haven’t encountered before.
Perhaps you’re newly qualified.
Perhaps something has changed during a birth and you need a calm person to talk it through with.
Or perhaps you’ve come home from a birth carrying something you need to unpack.
You can book individual mentoring through my One-to-One Support sessions, or we can arrange ongoing mentoring if you want somebody alongside you as your practice develops.
Wherever you are
I work with women, families and birthkeepers internationally.
You might be in London.
Cairo.
Zanzibar.
New York.
A tiny village.
Or somewhere I have to look up on a map before our first call.
It doesn’t matter.
If our time zones can be persuaded to cooperate, we can work together.
Virtual support packages
There are two ways to work with me.
One-to-One Consultation
For a particular question, decision or situation, book a 90-minute One-to-One Support session.
£175
This is best when you need concentrated time to work something through rather than ongoing doula support.
Virtual Doula Support
For women and families who want continuity through pregnancy, birth and the early postpartum period.
This is individually arranged depending upon when you come to me, how much preparation you would like and whether you want me available on-call virtually around your birth.
Virtual doula packages from £750.
We’ll agree exactly what is included before we begin so that everybody knows when and how I am available.
A note about emergencies
Virtual doula support is not an emergency or medical service and does not replace a midwife, doctor or other appropriate healthcare professional.
If you or your baby may need urgent medical attention, please contact your local maternity or emergency service rather than waiting for me to respond.
My role is to provide continuity, information, practical and emotional support and traditional birthkeeping knowledge alongside appropriate maternity care.
Sometimes distance matters less than we think
Birth work is deeply physical work.
Hands matter.
Presence matters.
Food arriving at the right moment matters.
But relationship matters too.
Knowing there is somebody who knows your story.
Knowing you don’t have to explain everything from the beginning.
Knowing there is someone you can call who isn’t frightened by birth and doesn’t need you to look after their feelings.
Sometimes that person can be sitting beside you.
And sometimes they can be several thousand miles away with a cup of tea and a phone.
Both can matter.
Talk to me about virtual support
Tell me where in the world you are, when your baby is expected and what kind of support you are looking for.
We’ll talk about whether virtual doula support is right for you.
