Doula Support in a Cost of Living Crunch

Over the past two years, I’ve noticed a quiet but unmistakable shift in the conversations that many doulas are having with expectant parents. More families are reaching out tentatively, asking about doula support, but then hesitating - sometimes for weeks - before deciding whether they can afford it. Others share openly that they would love the continuity, advocacy, and emotional steadiness a doula brings, but simply cannot stretch their budget any further.

This isn’t about lack of valuing what doulas offer. It’s about the reality of living in the UK in 2026.

The financial landscape families are navigating

Even though headline inflation has fallen from its 2022 peak, the cumulative rise in prices means families are still paying significantly more for everyday essentials than they were just a few years ago. According to the House of Commons Library, inflation peaked at 11.1% in October 2022, and although it eased to around 3–3.8% through 2025, the long-term effect is that households now face a “much higher cost of living than in 2021.”

Some key realities:

• 79% of adults reported an increase in their cost of living in April 2026, with food and fuel prices being the biggest drivers.

• Real median household incomes fell in 2021/22 and again in 2023/24, only recovering modestly in 2024/25. Low‑income households saw even smaller gains.

• Households with children are experiencing annual cost increases of around 3.5%, according to the Household Costs Index.

• In May 2026, 89% of adults said the cost of living was one of the most important issues facing the UK, and 13% said their income does not cover minimum living expenses.

These aren’t abstract numbers. They translate directly into how families make decisions about pregnancy, birth, and postpartum support.

Families who are already marginalised - whether through low income, racial inequity, disability, insecure housing, or limited social support - are feeling the cost of living crisis most sharply. The ONS reports that lower‑income households have experienced the largest fall in real disposable income since 2021, and are more likely to face food insecurity, energy debt, and unstable employment. For these families, the rising cost of essentials doesn’t just squeeze budgets; it narrows access to choice, autonomy, and supportive care. When every pound has to stretch further, services like doula support - often a lifeline in navigating maternity systems that already disadvantage them - can become financially out of reach, deepening existing inequalities at the very moment when compassionate, continuous care is most needed.

Why doula bookings are shifting

Doulas - and other “alternative” or community-based support providers - sit in a particular category of spending: essential to wellbeing, but not always perceived as essential to survival. When food, rent, mortgages, fuel, and energy bills rise faster than wages, families naturally prioritise what keeps the household functioning day-to-day.

What I’m seeing:

• More families booking shorter packages or single sessions.

• A rise in “last-minute” enquiries when anxiety peaks late in pregnancy.

• Parents expressing guilt or sadness about not being able to afford the support they hoped for.

• Increased interest in community doulas, peer support, or sliding-scale options.

This isn’t a reflection on the value of doula care. If anything, the emotional load of pregnancy and parenting in financially pressured times makes our work more needed. But it does mean families are making difficult choices.

The deeper truth: sometimes waiting is the action

In seasons like this, I’m reminded that waiting is not passive. When families pause before booking a doula, they’re often doing something profoundly active: assessing, prioritising, protecting their stability, and making the best decision they can with the resources they have.

And for us, as doulas and birth workers, waiting can also be an act of care. It gives us space to listen, to adapt, to create offerings that meet families where they are. It invites us to hold the wider context with compassion rather than urgency.

What we can do as a community

• Keep conversations open, warm, and shame-free.

• Offer flexible models where possible - shorter packages, payment plans, group sessions.

• Advocate for systemic change: equitable maternity care, better parental support, and recognition of the value of relational care.

• Remember that families are not “choosing not to” book doulas - they are navigating a landscape that has shifted under their feet.

A closing thought

The cost of living crisis is not just an economic story - it’s a birth story, a parenting story, a community story. And while families may be booking fewer doulas right now, the need for what we offer has never been clearer. Our presence, our steadiness, and our ability to hold space through uncertainty remain vital.

As I have said before, sometimes waiting is the action. And in that waiting, we continue to stand alongside the families we serve.