Open Arms’ mission is to provide services that support, educate, respect, honor and empower women and their families throughout the childbearing year. Open Arms has provided birth doula support to women and their families in the Puget Sound area since 1997. Birth doulas provide services according to the needs of women and their families, including prenatal support and parenting education, continuous emotional and physical support throughout labor and delivery, and assistance in the #rst six weeks after delivery. In addition, Open Arms birth doulas are trained to provide culturally appropriate care to every family they serve.
Birth Doulas
As a partner in WCELI, Open Arms provides birth doulas to women having their first babies in the United States. They work closely with the home visiting team at King County Public Health to ensure that women and their families receive the support they need in this critical stage of a child’s life.
Outreach Doulas
Open Arms is recruiting and training women from White Center’s Somali and Latina communities to become outreach doulas. Outreach doulas provide services to women and their families who can benefit from more intensive support during pregnancy and early parenting. Outreach doula services begin early in pregnancy and continue up to 2 years after delivery. In addition to doula training, Outreach doulas receive training in assessment, case management, and other social service skills. Outreach doulas are of and from the communities they serve, and committed to helping women in their communities have satisfying birthing and parenting experiences.
The outreach doula model relies on strong community partnerships with other service professionals, local health and social service organizations, community residents, and funders. As with birth doula services, Open Arms is working in close partnership with Public Health–Seattle & King County in developing and implementing this model of care. Outreach doula programs hold the promise of far reaching impacts for communities and families.
Sheila Capestany
(206) 723-6868
sheila@openarmsps.org
www.openarmsps.org
Learn more about Open Arms Perinatal Services
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