Covid has changed so many things. What it hasn't changed is a pregnant/birthing/new family's need for support and resources. Thankfully, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum professionals have stepped up to the challenge and now, nearly everything can be provided virtually. Take a look:
Virtual / Online Childbirth Classes
Live online childbirth classes are informative, practical, and fun! Get the advice and preparation you need for labor, birth, breastfeeding, and postpartum all from the safety and comfort of your own home. Look for classes that are interactive, meet weekly (aka, a "series" class), offer hands-on practice of comfort measures, and teach you concepts in a variety of ways (lecture, videos, exercises/activities). With online classes, you still get access to a live and in-person instructor to answer questions and receive feedback.
Virtual / Online Labor & Birth Doula Support
For people who wish to have a doula but are unable to do so during to Covid (due to hospital restrictions or personal safety preferences), most doulas are offering virtual support, which includes video calls during pregnancy for prenatal meetings and continuous virtual/video support during labor and through birth and early postpartum. A virtual doula can provide suggestions for comfort and position changes in real time, as well as answer questions and prompt you to ask questions of your own to in-person support staff/providers.
Virtual / Online Lactation Support
Support for breastfeeding is worth it's weight in your liquid gold. You can still get the support you need even during a pandemic! Lactation Consultants are providing live video support to help you get breastfeeding off to a great start, to uncover reasons why you're having issues, and to give you the tips and support you need to have a healthy and satisfying breastfeeding experience.
Virtual / Online Postpartum Doula Support
A postpartum doula is a professional trained to help parents in the first days, weeks, and months after giving birth. The assist in everything from teaching you how to bathe a newborn and assisting with breastfeeding, to preparing meals and performing light housework. Postpartum doulas are also invaluable in advocating for your own care and healing after giving birth by providing emotional, physical, mental, and informational support. In an ideal world, a postpartum doula provides in-person support. During Covid, you can still get invaluable virtual support from a postpartum doula through video meetings! With regular video calls, you can learn about normal newborn behavior, get all your postpartum questions answered, learn about infant feeding and sleeping, check in on your postpartum mental health, go over your birth story, ask about your physical health/symptoms, get local referrals for all of your postpartum needs, and learn tips for any challenges you're experiencing. Postpartum doulas can still help with meal preparation and shopping, if desired.
Published: January 20, 2021
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PostpartumChildbirth ClassDoulaPostpartum DoulaCore strengthCOVID-19Coronavirus