Provide Doula Care To Teen Survivors

You have a lot to celebrate.

You are a community of 123 donors and YOU raised $11,419 in donations.

Because of YOU 17 pregnant and parenting teens at Angel House have access to monthly birthchats with a certified midwife and access to a doula and midwife for prenatal and labor/delivery care. Every week Connie, your midwife, checks in with all of the teens at Angel House. The teens enjoy these moments with Connie and always say they want to interact with her more often.

At the beginning of the summer, you provided a doula for a teen mother during the birth of her baby. You might be wondering: how are mama and baby doing?

Mama and her doula have developed a special bond; mama lights up every time her doula stops by for a visit. Your midwife continuously supports mama as she parents her newborn and works toward a healthy space where she can regain custody of her older child. Through it all, mama takes pride in her birth experience: the challenges, the beauty, all of it.

This is how it should always be: mothers lovingly supported by attentive caretakers as they bring their babies into the world.

But, unfortunately, it is not.

According to the Michigan Department of Community Health, in 2017 a combined 220 teens between the ages of 15 - 19 gave birth to babies in Clinton, Eaton, and Ingham counties. We clearly have more work to do to support young mothers.

With your continued support we can:

• Conduct comprehensive sex education classes at Angel House.
• Have childbirth education courses for the newest group of pregnant teens.

Please consider committing to a monthly donation of $10, $25, or $100 so we can continue to support our teens and include new young mothers tomorrow.

“Sometimes the bravest and most important thing you can do is just show up.”

-Brené Brown

Thank you for showing up.

You have so much to be proud of.

You supported the launch of the Trauma-Informed Midwifery, Education, and Doula Project in partnership with Angel House.

You even secured The Firecracker Foundation a spot amongst GlobalGiving's projects!

Because of YOU, we estimate that 50 teens will have access to prenatal and postpartum care through the TIMED Program at Angel House.

All of them will be under the age of 18.

Here's what's happened so far...

• We've hosted 3 Birth Chats where new and expecting parents are asking their biggest questions.
• For an hour every week your Midwife, Connie hosts a Nurturing Hour to check in on all babies, expectant and postpartum parents. 
• You provided a Doula to the first teen enrolled in this program and it resulted in a safe and supported birth. 

That's right. You've caught your first baby. 

You're amazing!

And, yet. 

According to Kids Count Data, 335 mothers living in the tri-county area of Mid-Michigan gave birth to children with late or no prenatal care in 2016.  

As a matter of fact, it is estimated that 80% of those 335 mothers were under the age of 20. 

These numbers are stark and impress upon us the urgency of the work you are doing to improve the reproductive health of birthing people.

You know there are hundreds of teens who would benefit from your generous support that live in the community and no one is better poised than you to make a profound difference in their lives.

So far, 123 donors (that's YOU again) have raised $10,999.03. 

Please consider committing to a monthly donation of $10, $25, or $100 today so that we can plan to serve more teens tomorrow. 

Thank you for all you do today, tomorrow, and in the future for pregnant and parenting teen survivors of sexual violence. 

Sincerely,

Tashmica Torok

Links:

• Stateside: doulas for teen mothers

Yesterday, your teen parents met each other for the first time!

They spent an hour exchanging birth stories, the good and the ugly, during the monthly Birth Chat you funded. Connie, our lead birthworker, noticed a common thread: fear and confusion in the birth room. One teen reported people yelling in the room and another of aggression from the hospital staff. 

That doesn't have to be the case.

A Doula provides advocacy for the birthing parent, serving as a companion and champion when they're at their most vulnerable. Your donations ensure healthy + holistic birthing experiences for teen survivors of sexual violence. Thank you for your generosity.

Today, take a couple of minutes to share this project with your friends and loved ones. We can't wait to introduce them to the newest members of the Firecracker family as soon as they're born. 

All the best,

Crystal Gause 

Links:

• Connect With The Firecracker Foundation
• Connect With Red Cedar Birth Services
• Connect With Angel House