Mother companion

Our core service, the Mother Companion project, provides migrated Mamas with nurturing, one-to-one support. We form a team of 2-3 Mother Companions around each parent. Mother Companions are all experienced birth workers who volunteer to offer continuity of care throughout the antenatal, birth, and postnatal period.

Antenatal Support

Mother Companions support a Mama to understand her UK healthcare rights, navigate an unfamiliar maternity system, and make evidence-based choices. They provide space for a Mama to unpack her birth wishes, paying close attention to culturally or religiously important childbirth practices. Antenatal visits are also a time when Mamas, who often face extreme isolation, can enjoy emotional support.

birth Support

If a Mama would otherwise give birth alone, her Mother Companions will step in as birth partners. For the month around a Mama’s due date they will be on-call, 24-hours a day, to attend her delivery. During birth, they offer continuous, nurturing support and share practical ways to improve comfort, such as breathing techniques and positioning. Crucially, they ensure a Mama understands the procedures and treatments that she is offered and can make informed decisions.

POSTNATAL Support

Mother Companions continue to offer a Mama regular support until her baby is 8 weeks. They assist with infant feeding, settling, and bonding and provide general household assistance. Mother Companions offer a new Mama emotional support as she adjusts to her role. They also promote resilience by supporting a parent to establish community links and build a peer network.

  • “They helped me understand my rights, reassured me that every aspect was my choice [...] listened and reinforced my wishes. When I gave birth they stayed all night with me by my bed holding my hand. They were with me during the hardest time of my life”

  • “I am a first-time mum and have very little female support. The support from Project MAMA allowed me to understand everything about pregnancy and birth which made me more confident and less stressed for the birth. They helped me relax and learn about good positions for birth.”

  • “When my baby came, they […] taught me to support him, to hold him, taught me not to be afraid, told me my best was good enough and my instinct as a mother is 100 perfect. […] [W]e are thriving so beautifully. Till today, I still feel they aren’t humans. Humans don’t do that much for another.”

  • “It was my first time becoming a mum, there were many things that were new to me. So having someone to help me understand, and even learning how to do simple things like how to bath my baby, was very supporting.”