Every year, millions of Indian couples walk into childbirth with plenty of information and almost no real preparation. Neha Misra started BirthSense to close that gap, building childbirth education and doula support as an ongoing relationship rather than a one-time class. Alongside her work at BirthSense, she also co-founded The Doula Collective India with Divya Deswal to help train and professionalize more doulas across the country. In this conversation for The Untapped 30, Neha Misra talks about why fear around birth is inherited long before it’s experienced, why fathers are far more eager to participate than most people assume, and why she believes postpartum care — the “matrescence” period — is one of India’s biggest untapped healthcare opportunities.
1. What inspired you to start BirthSense?
BirthSense came from a simple realization after becoming a parent myself – Birth is life-altering, yet most couples enter it with very little meaningful preparation. There is no shortage of information, but what is often missing is context, continuity, and personalized support. I wanted to build something that treated birth preparation not as a checklist, but as a relationship.
2. Biggest challenge in changing perceptions?
Fear is inherited long before birth is experienced — absorbed from other people’s worst stories. Information alone won’t get someone out of fear; you need to walk them through it, slowly, with trauma-informed conversations. The other challenge has been helping families see childbirth education and doula care as essential rather than optional.
3. What has surprised you most?
The biggest surprise has been fathers and how much they want to be involved — once someone shows them how. I expected reluctance; instead I’ve seen them ask thoughtful questions, practice comfort techniques, and rise into their role. I have also witnessed extraordinary resilience in women, which continues to inspire my work.
4. What opportunity remains untapped?
Postpartum or the “matresence” period remains poorly understood and one of India’s biggest untapped opportunities. There is also tremendous scope to train more doulas and build partnerships with hospitals, making compassionate birth support accessible across the country. Doula work is age-old wisdom women already carry — professionalising it gives them a livelihood to match.
5. Advice for purpose-driven healthcare founders?
Let the mission set the pace, not pressure to scale. Birth work doesn’t reward shortcuts — trust is earned one family at a time. Stay close to the evidence, but never let it replace empathy. And build your own resilience early — you can’t pour into families for years without sustaining yourself first.
6. Headline for 2030?
“BirthSense Built the Village India’s New Parents Were Missing.”
I hope childbirth education and doula care become a natural part of maternal healthcare, with many more trained doulas supporting families across India. This is what Divya Deswal and I are building via The Doula Collective India.
The growing role of midwives is also shaping a wider global market for professional midwifery services, which we explore in our Global Midwives Services Market Report.
