Open Arms Perinatal Services

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Open Arms Perinatal Services

If you're looking for birth support visit our website. We carefully pair clients with trained doulas who are a cultural and/or language match whenever possible.

We support new and expecting parents with compassion, encouragement, education, and culturally-aligned doula and lactation support so that families succeed and children thrive. Working in the Puget Sound region since 1997, Open Arms Perinatal Services is a nonprofit focused on strong community-based support for women through pregnancy, birth, and early childhood. We currently support 17 different

languages, and serve over 300 new mothers and over 200 babies each year. Open Arms has served over 2,500 clients and conducted over 18,000 home visits to help improve maternal and infant health, as well as build healthy foundations for early learning. Open Arms is the only non-profit providing doula services specifically for low-income women in Washington State.

09/04/2026

This is what workplace lactation support looks like. 💜

Here’s one of our own team members enjoying a quiet moment in our lactation room after feeding her son. Our team uses the same lactation spaces we welcome families into. Every parent deserves a private, comfortable space to feed their baby or pump during the workday.

09/01/2026

It’s Workplace Lactation Week!

This year's theme, "Work. Pump. Advance. Empowering the modern parent,” highlights the vital role working and body-feeding parents play in the workforce. 💜🍼

Breast/chestfeeding parents are leaders, innovators, caregivers, educators, healthcare workers, entrepreneurs, and changemakers. By supporting lactation in the workplace, we empower talented employees to thrive at work while meeting their family's needs. We celebrate the contributions of breast/chestfeeding parents in the workplace. 🌟

08/29/2026

❓ Do you have a low output after you pump?
❓ Are your ni***es sore during or after pumping?

Correct fl**ge sizing is important for a successful pumping session! The standard sizes that come with pumps are most likely not your correct size.

Watch Markia demonstrate how to properly measure at home to get the correct fl**ge size.

When finding your correct size, make sure to measure your actual ni**le, not your ar**la. You may need a different size per ni**le.

📏 To measure your ni**le, you can use a ruler, measuring tape, or ni**le sizing tool in millimeters.

When pumping, it’s helpful to use a lubricant like coconut oil or ni**le balm.

If you’re looking for support with fl**ge sizing or other lactation support, please reach out to us! Contact us at [email protected] or call (206) 866-0729.

Week

08/28/2026

Let’s talk about pace feeding! 🍼

When pace feeding your baby:
1️⃣ Make sure your baby is sitting in an upright position.
2️⃣ Ensure the bottle is positioned upright to baby’s mouth.
3️⃣ Feed your baby 1-1.5 oz of milk at a time.
4️⃣ Take a break, burp your baby, and allow baby to take a rest.
5️⃣ Then, continue the duration of the feed.

⭐ The importance of pace feeding is that it makes baby work at the bottle as they would at the breast/chest.
🚼 When babies are not pace fed, they usually drink the entire bottle in 1-2 minutes or less. This will prompt the baby to want more and prompt you to think you need to supply more milk. When bottle feeding, parents often stretch their babies’ stomachs. Pace feeding prevents this issue and ensures healthy bottle feeding/pump sessions.

Next up, Markia will explain how to properly size a fl**ge!

Week

08/27/2026

Debunking myths about low milk supply ‼️ 🗣️️ with Markia Brinson, a Lactation Peer Support Counselor at Open Arms.
❓ Do you feel like your baby is not getting enough milk, your baby is fussy after feeds, or your baby is wanting to feed all the time?
❓ Do you feel like you’re pumping all the time?
❓ Do your breasts or chest always feel soft?

In the Black community, worries about low milk supply are common. But many of the things we associate with low supply can actually be a normal part of feeding.

Milk supply can decrease when milk isn’t being removed well or often enough. This may happen if baby is having trouble latching or transferring milk, or if feeds are spaced too far apart. Over time, your body may respond by making less milk.

😊 A successful feeding session looks like this:
💟 Baby is latched deeply to the breast/chest and feeding feels comfortable for you.
💟 You’ll see baby sucking and you may hear them swallowing.
💟 When the feeding ends, your baby should appear relaxed with open palms. They may be asleep or calmly awake, and your breast/chest may feel softer.

Tune in again tomorrow to hear Markia talk about pace feeding!
Week

08/26/2026

Markia’s own lactation journey with her third child brought her to Open Arms. Here, Shevonne, IBCLC, welcomed her and poured care into her and her baby. When she needed it most, Shevonne showed up for her.

Immediately, Markia knew she wanted to be that person for someone else. Now, as a Lactation Support Peer Counselor and IBCLC Candidate at Open Arms, Markia is giving back to the same community that held her. Because we all we got.

During , we are reminded of the strength of community care. At Open Arms, we match families with providers based on culture, ethnicity, preferred language, and region served. Culturally matched birth support has been proven to be a contributing factor to a higher prevalence of full-term, vaginal, and healthy-weight births.

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08/25/2026

This week is Black Breastfeeding Week and this year’s theme is We All We Got: 14 years of community, care, and collective power! 💪🏾💖

For 14 years, Black Breastfeeding Week has created a safe, empowering space to uplift Black birthing people, families, and babies.

We’re proud to stand with all Black families throughout their lactation journeys.

🔜 Stay tuned to hear wisdom and inspiration from Black lactation providers at Open Arms!

08/22/2026

This weekend, we celebrate Military Lactation and honor the strength of military families on their baby-feeding journeys. This year’s theme is Mission Ready Begins at Home. 💜

Each year, the Global Military Lactation Community brings families together worldwide for a three-day celebration of support, education, and connection.

Visit the link in our bio to explore valuable resources designed to help military families navigate baby-feeding across every branch of service‼️

08/17/2026

☀️ Open Arms will be closed August 31 – September 7 for our summer break. ☀️

The Baby Boutique will not be open during the break. It will reopen on Thursday, September 10.

For urgent needs, please email [email protected]. This email will be periodically checked during the closure.

Wishing everyone a lovely Labor Day weekend and end to the summer!

☀️ Estaremos cerrados del 31 de agosto al 7 de septiembre por las vacaciones de verano y el Día del Trabajo. ☀️

El Baby Boutique estara cerrado, reabrira el Jueves 10 de Septiembre.

Para asuntos urgentes, por favor envíe un correo electrónico a [email protected].

¡Les deseamos a todos un bonito fin de semana del Día del Trabajo y que disfruten mucho lo que queda del verano!

08/15/2026

It's Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Week! In 2021, the Asian & Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Task Force created this observance to decrease inequities and normalize chest/breastfeeding in AANHPI communities by improving chest/breastfeeding education and support practices. This year, the theme is “Better Data, Better Care for AANHPI Families.”

We support all AANHPI families as they navigate feeding their babies. ❤️

Some incredible local resources:
➔ Heng Ma, IBCLC, and staff at Body Enmotion Massage & Doula Care provide expert massage therapy and Traditional Chinese and Ayurveda doula care. Additional support options may be available for families who experience cost as a barrier.
➔ Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services supports Native American, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander families and babies (0-3 years old) in King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties.
➔ Pacific Islander Health Board of Washington provides cost-free childbirth education classes, pregnancy support groups, and connections to perinatal care for Pacific Islander birthing families in King County.

Address

2524 16th Avenue S # 207A
Seattle, WA
98144

Telephone

+12067236868

Website

https://www.openarmsps.org/

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