Why Supporting New Parents at Work Matters: My Day at The Trade Desk

Why Supporting New Parents at Work Matters: My Day at The Trade Desk

Last week, I had the opportunity to spend the morning at The Trade Desk talking about something I feel incredibly passionate about: how we can better support people as they become parents, and the role employers can play in that.

I was invited in alongside my colleague and fellow doula, Em, to talk about doula support and the doula benefit available to employees through Carrot.

It was such a lovely opportunity to bring conversations about pregnancy, birth and postnatal life into the workplace, particularly because this wasn't just us talking about what doula support could look like.

Em and I have already had the privilege of supporting one of The Trade Desk's employees, Casey, and her family.

I supported Casey during the day, while Em provided overnight postnatal support, so we were able to share what having access to a doula through an employee benefit can actually mean for a family.

Becoming a parent doesn't happen separately from your working life

We often talk about maternity leave, paternity leave and returning to work as though they're separate events.

But becoming a parent is an enormous life transition.

Pregnancy, preparing for birth, the birth itself, physical recovery, feeding, sleepless nights, learning how to care for a newborn and navigating a completely new family dynamic all overlap.

And while some families have a huge support network around them, many simply don't.

This is particularly true for families living and working in places like London, where grandparents, siblings and close friends may live hours - or even countries- away.

That's where I think employers have an incredible opportunity.

Meaningful family benefits aren't simply another workplace perk. They're a way of recognising employees as whole people and acknowledging that supporting them through one of the biggest transitions of their lives matters.

What does a doula actually do?

One of the things I loved most about speaking at The Trade Desk was having the opportunity to explain what doula support really looks like.

There can still be a misconception that doulas are only there for birth, or that doula support is something quite niche.

In reality, my role can look completely different from one family to another.

As a birth and postnatal doula, I might support someone through pregnancy and preparing for birth, be alongside them during labour, help them navigate the first days and weeks at home, support feeding, cook nourishing meals, care for their baby while they sleep or shower, help with the practical things that suddenly feel enormous with a newborn, or simply be the calm and experienced person they can turn to when everything feels new.

And sometimes that support continues far beyond the traditional six-week postnatal period.

Doula support isn't about coming into someone's home and telling them how to parent.

It's about listening, supporting and helping a family find their own feet.

What that support can mean to a family

Casey very kindly shared these words about her experience of having me alongside her family:

“Hiring Natalie was one of the best decisions we made as new parents. She supported us from birth through our son’s first year, and I genuinely can’t imagine that time without her.

Natalie is incredibly knowledgeable and professional, but what makes her so special is her warmth, humour and genuine care. She slotted into our home so naturally and very quickly became someone we completely trusted.

She helped us with everything - from the birth experience, to guiding me through the breastfeeding journey, caring for our son (who adores her!), helping with laundry and cooking, and helping all of us emotionally process the incredible change that comes with starting a family.

Having a baby in London without family close by, Natalie really gave us that village you need (!!). We will absolutely be asking her to support us through birth and postpartum again with our next baby. I couldn’t recommend her more.”

I think Casey's words explain something difficult to capture when we talk about doula support simply as a workplace “benefit”.

It's about having a village.

It's having someone you trust beside you while you navigate one of the biggest changes of your life.

It's practical support when you're exhausted. Reassurance when you're questioning yourself. Someone to care for your baby while you rest. Someone who can support both parents, rather than focusing solely on the baby.

And sometimes it's simply having another person in your corner.

That idea of creating a village really sits at the heart of what I do.

Partners need to be part of the conversation too

Something that felt particularly important to me during our session was that conversations around pregnancy, birth and postnatal support shouldn't only be directed towards women.

We need partners in the room too.

They're going through a huge transition themselves while supporting someone they love through pregnancy, birth and recovery and simultaneously learning how to care for their new baby.

When partners understand what support is available, they can advocate for it too.

They can recognise when their family might benefit from additional help and understand that bringing in support isn't an indication that anyone is struggling or failing.

Sometimes it simply means making the transition into parenthood that little bit gentler.

And this is one of the reasons I think educating employees about family benefits is just as important as offering them in the first place.

Why workplace family benefits matter

I've supported hundreds of families over the years, and one thing I see again and again is the difference that practical, personalised support can make during pregnancy and the early months of parenthood.

For employers, offering family benefits that people can genuinely use sends an important message:

We value you, and we recognise that your life outside work matters too.

A workplace can't remove the sleepless nights or make recovering from birth instant.

But it can help ensure an employee knows what support is available and feels comfortable accessing it.

Having a doula benefit available is brilliant. But employees also need to understand what a doula is, how we can support them and that doula care isn't reserved for one particular type of birth, parent or family.

That's why having these conversations in workplaces matters so much.

Bringing conversations about parenthood into the workplace

Standing in The Trade Desk talking openly about birth, postnatal recovery, feeding, babies, partners and family life felt like a really positive step towards bringing these conversations into spaces where they haven't always happened.

Because workplace support for new parents shouldn't begin and end with parental leave.

There is so much opportunity for businesses to consider the whole journey - from pregnancy and preparing for birth, through the postnatal period and eventually into the transition back to work.

I'm so grateful to The Trade Desk for inviting Em and me in and giving us the space to talk about the work we do, and to Casey for allowing me to share her lovely words and a little of her family's experience.

I'd love to see more businesses having these conversations and more employees understanding the support that may already be available to them.

Because when we support someone as they become a parent, we're not only supporting an employee.

We're supporting a whole family.

Birth and postnatal doula support

I'm Natalie, a birth and postnatal doula and antenatal educator based in Hertfordshire. I support families across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, North London and beyond.

My support is tailored entirely around each family and can include antenatal education, birth doula support, postnatal care and ongoing support throughout the transition into parenthood.

I work with families privately as well as families accessing doula support through workplace fertility and family benefits.

If you're expecting a baby, navigating the postnatal period or would like to explore how doula support could fit into your family's journey, I'd love to hear from you.