Originally published on TODAY, April 6, 2021

 In New York City, a place that became an epicenter for the fast-spreading coronavirus in 2020, doulas have been adapting to their patients’ needs for more than a year now.

“At the start of the pandemic, my expectant moms called me understandably stressed out, so I started supporting them virtually because I had no choice,” 1.New York doula Liza Maltz told TODAY Parents. “I’ve helped parents advocate for themselves … and remotely, I’ve had a nearly 100 percent vaginal birth rate.”

On one memorable delivery day, Maltz said she made arrangements to “set up a phone on a table near mom’s head using a stretchy tripod to hold the camera so I could see what was going on. The father held (another) phone right in front of mom’s face while in labor. I was like, ‘You’ve got this!’ and we were fully connected to each other and did deep breathing together.”