Open Arms Perinatal Services

Open Arms' dedicated team of #doulas, #lactationcounselors, and #childbirtheducators are bringing warmth and support to every one of our families, one birth at a time. Join us in our mission to provide inclusive and accessible birth services to all families. Your support can make a world of difference. Join us at our Labor of Love fundraiser on April 29 or donate today! 🌟🙌

We are excited to announce our next Community Education Program opportunity: a scholarship for two community members to cover fees for preparing for and enrolling in the IBCLC Exam in May 2025! Before applications for the scholarship open in Feburary 2025, we ask all interested applicants to attend at least 3 of our programmatic offerings to become familiar with our staff and programs. Examples include dropping into a Lactation Lounge, signing up for a Monthly Prenatal Lactation Class, or registering for a Childbirth Education class. Registration information is available on our website and event calendar. Want to stay in the loop for updates and reminders? Sign up for our newsletter and text message alert list at bit.ly/IBCLC2025.

Don't miss out on the recent segment from KING 5 News featuring one of our outreach doulas! Thank you to Tanya Khemet Taiwo for thinking of including us in this story about her work on perinatal mental health support.

🌟 We are thrilled to share that our incredible outreach doula, Kristin, was featured in a powerful news segment on KING 5 News! In the segment, Kristin opens up about the challenges she faced in accessing mental healthcare during her first pregnancy. Despite being an experienced doula, the struggle for mental health support took her by surprise. Her story sheds light on the critical need for better mental health resources for BIPOC birthing people. Check out the full story to learn more about Kristin's journey 👇

We're hiring at Open Arms Perinatal Services! Please share with your networks or anyone you think would be a good fit. Our team is looking to fill four positions: • Office Coordinator • Family Connector • Community Education Administrator • Birth Doula Services Program Coordinator Learn more and apply on our website 👇

We are hiring for 3 positions! We are looking for our new: 🔹 Office Coordinator 🔹 Family Connector 🔹 Community Education Administrator Head to our careers page to learn more and apply! Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Every year, Open Arms recognizes someone in our community who has gone above and beyond in service of birthing people and their families with the Libin Egal Spirit Award. This award was created in memory of Libin Egal, one of our founding doulas and a dearly missed friend. With great joy, we announce Caellyn Everson as this year's Libin Egal Spirit Awardee! For over a decade, Caellyn has been a dedicated Open Arms birth doula who has served hundreds of families, dedicating over 1,000 hours to supporting them through labor. Her unwavering commitment to showing up for each family in the unique ways they need embodies the essence of all Libin Egal Spirit Awardees: compassionate, loving, and community-oriented. Congratulations, Caellyn!

A heartfelt thank you to all who joined us last week at Labor of Love! Together, our amazing community came together to raise over $160,000, showcasing our unwavering dedication to providing free community-based birth support for families across the Puget Sound region. Last Thursday was truly unforgettable, and we can't wait to create more memories together in future Labor of Loves. Help us plan these future events by sharing your valuable feedback in a quick survey. Your input means the world to us! 👉 bit.ly/LOL2024SURVEY

We are grieving deeply over the recent passing of Penny Simkin, co-founder of DONA International and a founding board member of Open Arms. Penny was a pioneer in the field of doula work and childbirth education, working to train labor support professionals since 1968. Words fail to capture how much Penny contributed to the rise of birth support as a profession, rooted in the emotional needs of birthing people and backed by science. Her reach was, and remains, global. We join her family, friends, and community of birth workers in mourning, as well as reflecting on the tremendous influence of her life’s work. Rest in peace, Penny. 🕊

🌟 We are celebrating Community Doula Week (March 29th to April 5th, 2024) with our fellow community doula organizations! 🌟 Join us as we unite to educate, elevate, and expand community-based doula care and strive to address maternal health disparities head-on.  Community doulas are the heart of our support networks, bridging ancestral wisdom with evidence-based care to empower families. Together, let's make sustainable investments to ensure equitable access to this vital model of care. Learn more about the transformative power of community doulas in this video featuring previous Open Arms clients! 💖 #CommunityDoulaWeek