At Amma, we believe that no woman should face pregnancy and birth alone. Our specialist perinatal service matches women from migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking communities across Glasgow with trained companions who support them throughout pregnancy, birth and the early weeks after their baby arrives. For many of the women we work with, isolation, language barriers, poverty and past trauma make this one of the most vulnerable times in their lives, often without family nearby and with little understanding of how maternity care works in Scotland.
A companion’s role is simple but has far-reaching effects: attending antenatal appointments, being present at the birth, and staying in touch afterwards so that no woman has to navigate this alone. Thanks to our funders, we can continue to recruit and train volunteers and make sure that every woman referred to us has someone by her side. Women who’ve had a companion tell us that they felt calmer, safer and more able to advocate for themselves in a system that can otherwise feel bewildering. That relationship often becomes the first steady thread in their new life in Scotland.
