Embrace Refugee Birth Support was born from a place of need in a community where women were silenced by language and cultural barriers, a community where prenatal health education was missing and patient rights were being ignored. Embrace began in 2010 when a childbirth educator and doula contacted a local refugee resettlement agency to offer their services to pregnant clients. After attending just a handful of prenatal appointments and three births the founders of Embrace began to realize that the disparities these new Americans faced were all encompassing:
In the early months of Embrace the founders began developing a curriculum to educate refugee women about birth in the US. The initial focus was on: what to expect at the hospital, what personal belongings women should bring to the hospital, how laboring women could work with their bodies during labor, and information on common obstetric interventions. Like most startups it was a slow process connecting to the community. Most of Embrace’s clients were referrals from local refugee resettlement agencies. It wasn’t until Embrace connected with a former midwife in the refugee community that the program really started to take off. As Embrace established relationships with more and more community members, the need for more comprehensive classes, interpreters, and doulas increased. Embrace joined a local community development association, Friends of Refugees, Inc., in 2010 and began to raise funds. In 2011, Embrace held its first volunteer training in the basement of a program founder’s home and the program launched in earnest.
- Childcare during prenatal appointments
- Transportation to appointments
- Language barriers (doctors’ offices & hospital)
- Little to no health education
- Lack of patient advocacy
- Cultural differences in health philosophies
In the early months of Embrace the founders began developing a curriculum to educate refugee women about birth in the US. The initial focus was on: what to expect at the hospital, what personal belongings women should bring to the hospital, how laboring women could work with their bodies during labor, and information on common obstetric interventions. Like most startups it was a slow process connecting to the community. Most of Embrace’s clients were referrals from local refugee resettlement agencies. It wasn’t until Embrace connected with a former midwife in the refugee community that the program really started to take off. As Embrace established relationships with more and more community members, the need for more comprehensive classes, interpreters, and doulas increased. Embrace joined a local community development association, Friends of Refugees, Inc., in 2010 and began to raise funds. In 2011, Embrace held its first volunteer training in the basement of a program founder’s home and the program launched in earnest.
