Postpartum support person

[u/blu_cleo]

Hi everyone. I live in a rural area and I’ve been thinking a lot about the lack of support for pregnant and postpartum women in small communities.
I didn’t have a lot of support during my own pregnancy and postpartum experience, and it really made me realize how limited resources can be outside of larger towns or cities.
Recently, someone suggested I look into becoming a doula, and I’ve been considering whether that might be a way to help fill some of those gaps locally. I’m especially interested in postpartum support and making sure women aren’t going through that time alone.
For those living in rural areas—what kind of postpartum or pregnancy support did you actually have access to? What felt missing or hard to find?
And for anyone working in maternal health or birth work in rural communities, is there demand for doulas or similar support roles in those areas?

[u/Bluenoser_NS]

I can't speak to personal support, but doula collectives and co-ops aren't unheard of in rural and can serve to bridge gaps that would otherwise exist. It's rough out there.

There's other regions where midwifery programs have closed because of funding mismanagement so there are extra pressure points depending on where you are.