Your contribution to this project will provide pregnant and parenting teen survivors of sexual violence with trauma-informed care as they journey towards being new parents. You will help them heal, cope with triggers, and cultivate healthy attachments with their new little ones. This program is an extension of the holistic healing services provided to child survivors of sexual trauma by The Firecracker Foundation and made possible by our partnership with Angel House and Red Cedar Birth.
Nearly 80% of the teens living at Angel House have experienced some form of sexual violence. Pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care can be extremely triggering for teen survivors and impact their ability to care for themselves and connect with their newborns. The Trauma-Informed Midwifery, Education, and Doula Care Program of The Firecracker Foundation will help teen survivors heal and cope during a challenging time while creating a safer birth and healthier future for their children.
Guided by a certified Midwife, 2 doulas with specialized trauma-informed training, will provide teen survivors with high-quality, competent, and experienced labor companions to help them navigate the birth world. Doulas will support the creation of birth plans, provide emotional and information support to help new parents make decisions, and communicate effectively with medical staff. Additionally, we will support peer-led monthly birth chats where teens can discuss their concerns.
Our goals are to provide comprehensive and trauma-sensitive education and advocacy to expecting teen mothers as well as parenting support for postpartum teen mothers who have experienced sexual violence. Research has shown that just having a doula in the room decreases the rates of c-section, epidural, induction, and other unnecessary interventions, as well as, exponentially increasing the positive feedback from the client about the birth experience.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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