How Maven helps women build a pregnancy virtual support system

As the coronavirus pandemic evolves, hospital labor and delivery policies are evolving, too. At many hospitals across the U.S., that means limits on who can be with pregnant women during labor and delivery. Some hospitals are requiring women to labor alone, while others are allowing one healthy partner to be present. Either way, that leaves no room for doulas, midwives, or family and friends. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have the supported birth that you’ve been envisioning.

Maven is here to help. Maven offers virtual access to doulas, midwives, nurse practitioners, OB-GYNs, and mental health providers who can help you adjust your birth plan in the wake of new hospital policies and help you feel prepared for labor and delivery.

By building a virtual support network, you can ensure that your birth is as close to what you planned as possible. Here’s how Maven providers can help:

Doulas

Think of a doula as a birth coach—they’re non-medical professionals who are there to help you create a birth plan, guide you through labor and delivery, and advocate for your birth preferences. Maven’s doulas can do all of that, and more, virtually. They can teach you and your partner pain management techniques, go over questions to ask the nurses and doctors who’ll be with you during labor and delivery, and help you adjust your birth plan to changing hospital policies.

Midwives

A midwife is a health professional who’s had extensive training in how to deliver a child. They’re not doctors, but like your OB-GYN, they can care for you before, during, and after labor. If you planned to have a midwife deliver your child in a hospital, that may not be an option anymore, but you can talk with a midwife over video chat to refine your birth plan, get information on your pain relief options during labor, ask questions about how your delivery could go, and more.

Nurse practitioners

NPs are advanced registered nurses, meaning they’ve received training beyond a traditional nursing degree. They can diagnose, prescribe medication, create treatment plans, and more. They can be particularly valuable for pregnant women who want support that’s more medical than holistic.

OB-GYNs

In addition to your regular OB-GYN, having the virtual support of another OB-GYN can help ensure that you get the care you need up to and through delivery. If your OB-GYN is canceling some of your less-critical in-person prenatal appointments, as many are, you can video chat with a provider to get any questions you planned to ask answered. They can also tell you what to expect during delivery from the doctor’s point of view.

Mental health specialists

Preparing for labor can be anxiety-inducing even in the best times, let alone when a pandemic is altering hospital policies. Chatting with a mental health specialist can help you keep stress-management techniques top of mind when moments of anxiety hit, create a plan to stay calm and centered during labor, and offer strategies to help manage partner anxiety, too.

Maven is here for you, 24/7

We’re here for you and your family. Join Maven now and start building your virtual support network today without leaving home.

Maven is a virtual clinic for women and families. With the largest telemedicine network in women’s and family health, you can schedule a virtual doctor’s appointment to speak with one of Maven’s providers—anytime, anywhere. There are more than 20 types of care providers available on Maven, including OB-GYNs, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, midwives, doulas, mental health specialists, and more.