Elle, Lori and Amy at Greater Manchester Doulas CIC are trying to find ways to support women in these unsettling times, to help them to remain in power in the birth room and to be aware of the human rights that they have. We have noticed an increase in women switching to last-minute planning for a home birth, so we want to offer whatever support we can at this time.

We have recently set up a birth pool hire service, we have pools, equipment and funding so that we can support women regardless of their financial situation. We are also offering ‘holding space’ sessions alongside the pool hire, with experienced doulas, covering anything from unpacking a previous birth experience, support with birth planning or debriefing the birth on returning the pool to us. As well as this, we have set up a Facebook community ‘Manchester Pool Hire and Home Birth Support’ and we are planning a series of ‘Ask the Doula’ videos to try to answer women’s questions and put them at ease.

The way birthing women are treated during this time will form a big part of their birth experience, which will stay with them throughout their parenting journey. We have to make sure that women are treated with respect, dignity and care always but especially during this pandemic, otherwise, we will see the negative effects in the near future in the form of a rise of PTSD and PND following traumatic birth experiences, and in the distant future coming up through the next generation.

As the Coronavirus pandemic takes hold, people all across the world are being urged not to go to the hospital unless it is an emergency. But what does this mean for pregnant women who, throughout their pregnancy and probably every day through the media before that, have been constantly told that birth needs to be carefully monitored and treated as a medical emergency? Women who have been convinced that their body will probably fail them at some point during labour (which is a discussion topic in itself, but I’ll try to stay on point) are now being told that there is not enough staff or beds for them to have their baby.

We believe that now, more than ever, women need to be supported in their choices, and reminded of their fundamental human rights in pregnancy and birth. We are here to remind birthing women that your body knows what it is doing, and that birth is a natural process, and for the vast majority, not a medical emergency. A positive birth experience is not something that should be bumped to the bottom of the priority list just because the NHS is under pressure. It is not something that can easily be sorted out after the fact “when everything calms down”. Women’s experiences of birth will lay the foundations for how they see themselves as parents, and if we tell women that their birth experience doesn’t matter, then we are telling them that they don’t matter, and this is simply not good enough.

As we are a Community Interest Company, we do receive some funding for specific projects which allows us to support women who, ordinarily, would find fees a barrier to accessing support. Currently, we have very little core funding to pay ourselves for the leg-work, the planning that goes into our projects and quite often time spent with women. 

Any monetary or equipment donations are much appreciated and will help us to continue to support more women, and if you can spread the word about what we do that would be more than amazing!

Instagram: @greatermanchesterdoulas

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreaterManchesterDoulas/

Website: http://greatermanchesterdoulas.com/