How leads work

Leads are requests from families near you who are looking for birth and postpartum support. Your leads board shows open requests from families whose location falls within your travel distance, across all provider categories — use the category filter to see only requests matching what you offer. When a new request matches your categories and service area, you're also alerted about it (see Lead alerts below). You need a live profile (completed and published, with a verified email) to see leads.

What you see on the leads board

Each lead card shows the family's first name, the categories they're looking for, where they are and how far away, their due date or baby's birthday, when the request was posted, how many providers have already responded, and their note about what they need (click Read more for the full text). Cards can also carry these tags:

New — posted in the last 24 hours.
Parent active — the family has written to a provider on Bornbir in the last three days, for example "Parent active 2h ago".
Matched to you — Bornbir sent you this family's request because you fit what they're looking for, and you haven't written to them yet (see "The Matched to you tab" below).
Outside your availability — the family's due date or start month falls in a month you've marked full or during your time off, or you've paused new clients on your Availability page. You can still connect; the tag is just a heads-up. See "Setting your availability".

Searching, filtering, and sorting

Above the board you can Search leads by keyword, filter by category (All categories by default), distance (Within 5 miles up to Within 150 miles+, starting at your service range), and due month (Any due month by default, including Baby already born).

The board is sorted Active parents first unless you change it. Families who have written to providers on Bornbir most recently appear first, because active families are the ones most likely to answer you. Posting a request counts as recent activity, so fresh leads still rank near the top — and an older lead with a Parent active tag can sit above a newer one. You can switch the sort to Newest first or Due date soonest.

The Matched to you tab

The board has two tabs: New leads and Matched to you, each with a count. Matched to you lists the families whose requests were sent to you as a match, where you haven't sent a message yet. These families haven't written to you personally — send a short intro to start the conversation. Once you reply, the lead leaves this list and the conversation lives in your Inbox. The New leads card on your portal home shows the same number ("[number] matched to you") and links to this tab.

Looking at another area

By default the board is centered on your practice location ("Based on your practice location"). Type a ZIP or postal code into the location box and pick a suggestion to recenter it — useful if you're traveling or considering a move. The board then says "Showing leads near: [address]", distances on each card are measured from that point, and Back to my practice location restores the default. This only changes what you're browsing; your lead alerts and matches still follow your profile's location and service range.

Leads that leave your board

Leads you've replied to move to your Inbox instead of staying on the board.
Leads you're not interested in can be hidden with Not interested. We ask you to confirm ("Hide [name]'s lead?"), the family isn't told, and there's an Undo if you change your mind. A hidden lead also drops out of your Matched to you tab and its count on your portal home.
If you report a lead or a conversation to our team, that family's leads — including any new request they post later — no longer appear on your board. If you undo the report, their leads come back.

What you see on a lead

Open a lead to see the family's full request — their note, due date or birthday, location, the providers they need, and any preferences they've shared (such as budget, timeline, schedule, insurance, or languages) — plus the actions: Connect, Share, and Not interested. The lead also tells you whether the family's phone number unlocks once you connect or whether they didn't provide one (see "Viewing a family's phone number"). If the lead is Outside your availability, the tag links to your Availability page. If something about a lead looks wrong, Report it at the bottom of the page sends it to our team.

If a lead has closed or been removed

If you open a lead from an email, text, push notification, or an old link after the family closed it or it was removed, you'll see a Lead removed page ("Sorry, this lead has been removed by the parent or our team.") with a Check other leads button that takes you back to your board. See "When a lead closes" for what happens to your conversations.

Two types of leads

Job post lead — the family posted a request on Bornbir, and it was sent to providers who match their needs. Other matching providers can see and respond to it too. For Premium and Business providers, Bornbir opens the conversation automatically; see "Matched conversations: how new leads reach your Inbox".
Direct message — the family found your profile and reached out to you specifically. This lead is exclusive to you; no other providers can see it. Direct messages arrive in your Inbox rather than on the leads board. A family who hasn't posted a request can also message you from search; that conversation has no request details, just their message.

Free vs. Premium

Every provider account can browse full lead details for free, including the family's note and due date. Connecting with a family, replying to messages, and viewing phone numbers are Premium features — on a free account, the button on a lead page reads Upgrade to connect. First-time subscribers get a 7-day free trial (30 days if another provider referred you — see "Referring other providers").

Lead alerts

When a new matching lead is posted, alerts usually go out within a few minutes: an email to every matched provider in range, a push notification if you use the Bornbir for Providers iPhone app, and a text message if you're a Premium or Business subscriber (if you've been using the iPhone app with notifications on, you get the push instead of the text). See "Lead and message notifications" for details, and "Connecting with families on a lead" for how to respond.

Not seeing many leads?

If families near you are posting requests just beyond your travel distance, your leads board shows how many you're missing and offers to expand your range with one click. You can always adjust your service range on the Service tab of your profile.