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.

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  

My doulas helped create and support an environment of love, humor, reverence, and confidence for us, and I recall my labor with feelings of joy and triumph!

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.