Meet Open Arms
About Us
Since 1997, Open Arms has provided community-based support during pregnancy, birth, and early parenting to nurture strong foundations to last a lifetime. Through doula care, childbirth education, lactation counseling, and new parent support, we help birthing families achieve important milestones, strengthen parent-baby bonding, and boost long-term parenting skills.
We are the first organization of our kind in Washington State and were founded by a small group of community members who envisioned a future where no one would have to give birth without support. Imagining a world that cherishes birthing people, their babies, families, and communities, our founders created one of the first nonprofit organizations that provide free community-based and culturally-responsive doula services. Since then Open Arms has grown in size and services and has also supported the startup of other organizations to serve their communities.
Our Vision
Thriving children. Healthy families. Powerful communities.
Our Mission
Providing community-based support during pregnancy, birth, and early parenting to nurture strong foundations that last a lifetime.
Our Values
- Respect – Holding complexity for people and cultures
- Family – Relationships are at the heart of what we do
- Justice – Boldly disrupting oppression
Equity Is A Birthright
Doulas, lactation counselors, and childbirth educators should not be luxury services – perinatal care is essential to healthy birth outcomes, especially for Black, Indigenous, and other birthing people of color. Open Arms helps to lower the barriers to accessing perinatal care by culturally matching our service providers with families from our communities.