Building your Labour Circle

Labour is a team sport. Whether it's your partner, your mum, or your best friend, having the right people in your corner makes all the difference. Fern Labour helps you bring that team together digitally, so everyone is connected without you needing to send a single text message when you're busy breathing through a contraction.

We call this your Labour Circle.

Why set up your Circle early?

The best time to build your Labour Circle is now, not when you're 4cm dilated. By getting everyone settled in the app beforehand:

1. They know what to expect: Your team can explore the app and understand how they'll receive updates.
2. You have peace of mind: You know that when the time comes, one tap matches everyone with the info they need.
3. No gatekeeping: You don't have to be the gatekeeper of information. Your Birth Partner can handle the updates while you focus on you.

How to invite people

It's simple to get started:

1. Go to the Share tab.
2. Choose how you want to share (WhatsApp, SMS, Email, or QR Code).
3. Send the link to anyone you want to join.

When they click the link, they'll request to join your circle. You'll see these pop up at the top of your subscriber list. Nothing happens until you say yes—you have total control over who gets in.

Understanding Roles

Not everyone needs to see everything. Fern Labour has three distinct roles so you can decide how much detail to share.

1. Loved One

Perfect for: Parents, in-laws, siblings, and close friends.

This is the standard role for people you want to keep updated but who aren't in the delivery room with you.

• What they see: Your labour status (e.g., "Early Labour", "Active Labour"), your due date, and any updates or announcements you send.
• What they don't see: The nitty-gritty details of every contraction intensity or frequency.

2. Support Person

Perfect for: Doulas, backup birth partners, or highly involved family members.

For those who need a bit more context to support you effectively.

• Everything a Loved One sees, plus:
• Live Charts & Stats: They can see your contraction frequency and intensity charts in real-time, helping them understand how things are progressing even from afar.

3. Birth Partner

Perfect for: Your partner or main support person.

This is your co-pilot. They have the highest level of access and can act on your behalf.

• Everything a Support Person sees, plus:
• Track for you: They can time contractions on their phone, and it syncs instantly to yours.
• Send Updates: They can write and send status updates or announcements to the rest of the circle, so you don't have to touch your phone.

Changing your mind

Relationships exist in the real world, which means things change. You can change anyone's role at any time by tapping the menu next to their name.

If you need to remove someone, you can remove them or block them. Blocked users are hidden at the bottom of the list, cannot see any of your data, and cannot request to join again.

Ready to build your team?

Open the app effectively immediately and send out your first invites. It's one more thing off your mental checklist, and one step closer to a supported, connected birth experience.