Giving birth is a special time in a person's life. It is a chance to make healthy lifestyle choices for themselves and their baby, a time to reach out for needed resources, and an opportunity to form deeper connections with her community. Our Birth Sisters Program is an innovative, diverse pregnancy and birth support service that offers people "sister-like" support during pregnancy, childbirth and the post-partum period.
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.
To arrange for a Birth Sister, speak with your midwife or doctor to place a referral to the program, or call 617.414.5168.
Who are Birth Sisters?
The Birth Sisters are approximately 15 per diem BMC employees who speak over seven languages and represent over six ethnicities. These Birth Sisters are:
- People interested in helping birthing people during childbirth and in the early days of a new baby’s life at home
- Trained labor support specialists and lactation peer educators
- Members of the health care team who work with your doctor or midwife
Who Do Birth Sisters Serve?
We accept 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 Do Birth Sisters Do?
The 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 on the postpartum floor. When you arrive back home, she will meet with you to process your birth experience, offer newborn support, and provide light help with cleaning so that you can rest and restore in the weeks after birth.
Your Birth Sister will work with you from as early as 24 weeks through six to eight weeks postpartum.
How Do Birth Sisters Impact Communities?
The Birth Sisters program has been linked to significantly higher breastfeeding rates and fewer c-sections:
- Peer counseling has been recognized as one of the few interventions that consistently raise breastfeeding rates among marginalized birthing people, who breastfeed significantly less than their white counterparts. Breastfeeding is linked to improved health outcomes for infants and parents.
- The Birth Sisters Program also offers personal and professional growth opportunities for people in the community. For some, the program has provided an entryway into the workforce. Many have gone on to become nursing assistants, interpreters, nurses, midwives, and public health professionals.