Cradled has built-in direct messaging between you and each connected client. It's not SMS, it's not a generic chat tool — it's tied to her care record, includes her partner by default, and respects your on-call windows and quiet hours.
What it is
A persistent thread per client. Anything you or she or her partner sends lives there forever, organized by date, indexed against her file.
Three slots in every conversation:
- Mom — the client.
- Partner (if she has one connected in Cradled) — included by default. She can toggle her partner out of any conversation if she wants a private moment with you.
- You, the CP — the only care provider in this thread. Different CPs caring for the same mom each get their own thread with her.
Where it lives
- Mobile (you): Bottom nav → Messages tab. List of every client conversation, labor-mode and unread floated to the top.
- Mobile (mom): Care tab → her CP card → Message.
- Web (you): Inbox → Messages tab. Or open a client's detail page → Messages tab.
What's supported
- Text with link / phone / email auto-detection
- Photos (latch shots, ultrasound peeks, anything)
- Voice notes (not yet on web; mobile coming soon)
- Labor mode — a one-tap "I'm in labor" button that triggers critical alerts to you when you're on call
- Read status tracked (there's no typing indicator yet)
What's not (yet)
- Group threads beyond mom + partner + you
- Encrypted "off the record" messages
- AI-drafted replies
What gets stored vs. what's broadcast
Messages live in your private database (Supabase, with row-level security so only thread members can read). They're not posted to mom's village feed. The encouragement-style "Send a note" on her client detail is a different feature that does post to the village — they shouldn't be confused.