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Our mission

To promote healthy families by  fostering a community that educates, empowers, and supports pregnant women, their growing families, and professionals who work with them during the childbearing year.

Our core values

Birth Matters

Recognize that the quality and experience of birth and early parenthood are important and have far-reaching consequences for individuals, families, and society as a whole. This critical period of transition presents a unique opportunity for personal growth and transformation.

Empowerment

Encourage program participants to make conscious choices, cultivate feelings of competence and self-esteem, and take personal responsibility for health.

Education

Provide information that encourages informed decision-making, preventive action, and holistic approaches to complex problems.

Pregnancy and Birth as Normal Life Events

Endorse the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative as developed by the national Coalition to Improve Maternity Services (CIMS). This initiative promotes the Midwifery Model of Care and breastfeeding as optimal for mothers and babies.

Social and Emotional Support

Recognize that families need special care and support during pregnancy, labor and birth, and the postpartum adjustment period. Since doulas have emerged as specialized care providers who can meet this need, the Center is committed to making doulas widely available to all families. When mothers are nurtured, they become better nurturers.

Breastfeeding

Endorse the Ten Steps of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative as developed by WHO-UNICEF that promotes breastfeeding success. Provide education, advocacy, and support so that mothers who want to breastfeed will have every opportunity to have a successful and joyful experience. Encourage all mothers to consider breastfeeding.

Equal Access

Reduce disparities and improve maternal-infant health outcomes for all families by ensuring equal access to education, resources, and services, regardless of ability to pay.

Unique Resources

Increase the availability of resources for the childbearing year that are unavailable locally or hard to find in the mainstream commercial and informational markets.

Community

Foster development of a supportive community of childbearing families and professionals who serve them. Provide a space for this community to thrive and encourage networking. Partner with other individuals and organizations with similar goals.

Joyful Service

Engage in joyful service to others within the organization itself, through community partnerships, and promotion of volunteerism.

Vision

To be recognized and respected, locally and nationally, for changing the lives of new and expectant parents through our comprehensive, cutting-edge programs.