Birth Sisters

Trained to give social support to birthing people in their community and connect them to needed resources, Birth Sisters offer virtual and/or in-person prenatal visits, continuous labor support, and postpartum visits to ensure that their clients are supported in their precious time of birth.

By caring for the parent, they play an important role in empowering parents, their children, and their communities.

Who Are the Birth Sisters?

The Birth Sisters are approximately 15 Boston Medical Center employees who work on a per diem basis. They:

• Are people interested in helping birthing people during childbirth and in the early days of a new baby’s life at home
• Are trained labor support specialists and lactation peer educators
• Are members of your health care team who are used to working with your doctor or midwife
• Collectively speak more than seven languages, and represent more than six different ethnicities

Who Can Request a Birth Sister?

The Birth Sisters Program accepts referrals for any patient planning to give birth at BMC who is interested in labor support.

We prioritize our most needy families—socially isolated parents, those in domestic violence situations, those who will have infants with significant medical problems, and families with other complex psychosocial issues.

What Kind of Help Can a Birth Sister Provide?

• Your Birth Sister will meet you when you are pregnant to provide prenatal education and preparation and connection to community resources.
• During birth, she will stay with and support you during your labor and visit you when you are in the postpartum recovery unit.
• When you arrive back home, your Birth Sister will meet with you to process your birth experience, offer support and guidance in caring for your newborn, and provide light help with cleaning, so that you can better rest and recover in the weeks after birth.

Your Birth Sister can work with you from as early as 24 weeks of pregnancy through six to eight weeks after you give birth.