Pregnant Jewish women are enlisting doulas to keep them ‘safe’ when they give birth with the NHS

“There is no question that nearly every Jewish client I’ve had since October 7 has had the same anxiety about antisemitism in hospitals: are they going to be treated the same way as everyone else, will they be treated badly?” said Maurer. One British Jewish mother who recently gave birth and spoke on the condition of anonymity said during her pregnancy – in the weeks and months after October 7 – she felt “extremely anxious”, and asked a Jewish doula to accompany her to the birth to help her feel safer.

A flurry of antisemitic posts she saw on social media left her feeling “really nervous” about her Jewishness being exposed.

“I was really nervous that I didn’t know who from the NHS would be delivering my baby, and I became increasingly preoccupied with who that might be,” the mother said.

“I recognised that to have a good birth I really needed to relax. If had a midwife who might have an opinion on this stuff [the Israel-Hamas conflict], that might put my emotional safety at risk. I felt inherently unsafe [and] an awareness of my vulnerability within that space.”

The mother asked a Jewish doula to be present for the birth alongside NHS staff. “Giving birth a few months after October 7, it felt like I needed her to be there from an emotional safety perspective,” she said.

Numerous allegations of antisemitism have been levelled against medical staff from a range of NHS trusts in the past two years.

The woman, who has followed these cases since the birth of her baby, said she felt relieved not to be pregnant now: “My honest feeling is, thank God I’m not doing that now. And if I were, I’d be absolutely doing everything in my power to be nowhere near the NHS. What it makes me want to do is only try and see Jewish doctors so I feel safe. And I never felt like that before.”

A second Jewish woman, who moved to London from Israel nearly eight years ago and is heavily pregnant, said she wanted to book a Jewish doula for the birth of her baby, “to have someone on my side”.

The woman, who also asked not to be named, said friends encouraged her to consider hiring a doula “to help me feel safer”, and that while it is an extra expense, the closer she gets to her due date, “the more the worry has been occupying my thoughts”.

She said: “I’ve seen more and more stories about different medical professionals very publicly saying horrible things about Jewish people.

“That makes me really worried. When I seek medical help, I find myself thinking: Will they know I’m Jewish, and that I’m also Israeli – which maybe makes it even worse – and will they use it against me in some way, whether it is a lack of treatment, or harmful treatment?”

The mother-to-be said she had experienced a difficult pregnancy and had health concerns. However, because of her fears, on at least one occasion, she chose not to follow her GP’s advice to call her maternity day assessment unit when she was feeling ill.  She said: “I didn’t even call to see if I should go to the hospital. I stayed at home and just hoped I’d feel better, as it felt safer.”

Although her previous child was born at the Whittington seven years ago, learning that a consultant paediatrician at that hospital had been suspended over allegations of antisemitic social media posts had “put her off” delivering her baby there. Whittington NHS Trust said it was taking the allegations “very seriously” and was “taking action”.

The woman told the JC her feelings were “very different” now compared to when she last gave birth: “Never did it cross my mind that I’d be treated unfairly because of where I come from or my religion. And right now, it’s top of my list [of worries].”

She added that she had moved to London for a “better future” for her family, and that she loves living in in the UK, but the surge in antisemitism in Britain has left her wondering if she can trust the NHS: “I say this very sadly, that I don’t know if there is a future here [for my family after October 7]. What kind of future do we have if I can’t trust the medical system? I don’t feel a lot is being done to keep the Jewish community safe.”

Katia Viner, who lives in north-west London, had been in the process of booking a non-Jewish doula for the birth of her child, saw a social media post she found upsetting and switched to a Jewish doula[Missing Credit]

First-time mother Katia Viner, who lives in north-west London, had been in the process of booking a non-Jewish doula for the birth of her child, but changed her mind and booked a Jewish woman after seeing an anti-Israel social media post by her original choice.

“I was on Instagram, scrolling away, and then I saw one of her posts … It was an article talking all sorts of rubbish about Israel. I thought, ‘Oh, my goodness, I’ve almost hired this person to help me bring a Jewish life into this world.’ My friend said to me, ‘Are you going to be comfortable with this person with you at your most vulnerable time?’”

Midwife Sara Barnett, who is part of Shifrah UK, a charity supporting Jewish women during pregnancy and birth, acknowledged the heightened anxiety among Jewish patients during their pregnancies but suggested only a “minimal number” of them were hiring doulas for this reason.

“It is possible that some Jewish women feel they need to take a doula in case of anti-Zionism, [or] antisemitism … but I think it’s a minimal number of women that do this.

“There is probably a raised level of anxiety for women who feel very vulnerable. If a woman may have to use Hebrew that might make her feel more vulnerable.”

However, she claimed, the “ignorance and misunderstanding” around Judaism meant “the majority of non-Jewish staff wouldn’t understand it was Hebrew if they heard it”.

Barnett, who serves as chair of the Jewish Nurses and Midwives Association, added there were “significant numbers” of Jewish medical staff in north London hospitals such as the Royal Free and Barnet Hospital.

She has also observed an increase in the number of Jewish midwives, with 170 members in her group.

Fiona Sim of the Jewish Medical Association sought to reassure “all women that it is safe to have their baby with care from the NHS”.

There was, she said, “as far as we know, no reason to be fearful. We are aware that there is some fear that there might be a risk, but we’ve got no evidence that there is,” she continued.

However, she added: “There are people who unfortunately may hold anti-Israel views, and that can make people feel very uncomfortable if it’s made apparent, which would be unacceptable.”

Sim also stressed that while doulas can play an “important role”, they cannot replace midwives and obstetricians in the delivery room.

“If they feel the need to have a Jewish doula advocating for them because of their fear, that’s really sad.”

She added: “If a woman is confronted by somebody who makes her fearful, like a midwife or a nurse wearing symbols, then they’ve got every right to ask for those symbols to be removed from the uniform … Health professionals are regulated.

“They have to work with a professional code of practice, and they’re not allowed to discriminate against their patients on any grounds, including that of race, ethnicity or religion.”

Russell Langer, a spokesman for the Jewish Leadership Council, said: “Antisemitism in the NHS has been out of control. We have seen doctors describe hospitals as cesspits of ‘Jewish supremacy’ and praise Hamas as “legends”.

“That some Jewish mothers-to-be feel anxious to give birth in NHS hospitals and are turning to private Jewish doulas to feel safe highlights the unacceptable reality that many Jewish patients feel unable to trust that their healthcare providers will treat them without prejudice.

“Lord Mann’s urgent review into how healthcare regulators respond to antisemitism must result in swift, decisive reform to restore trust and protect Jewish patients.”
Fiona Sharpe, a spokeswoman for Labour Against Antisemitism said: “It is heartbreaking to know that so many Jewish women are afraid that they will be exposed to antisemitism from NHS staff in our hospitals … This is meant to be a health service for all.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The NHS should be there for all of us when we need it - regardless of income, race or religion. It’s unacceptable that some Jewish patients - including pregnant women - are feeling unsafe to the point of not seeking care when they need it.

“Antisemitism undermines everything our health service stands for. To root it out, we’ve just launched a package of robust measures including an urgent review into antisemitism and discrimination in the NHS, led by Lord John Mann, alongside rolling out refreshed mandatory training to all NHS staff with more material on antisemitism awareness.”