January 2020 Webinar
Supporting Survivors During Pregnancy & Childbirth
Pregnancy and childbirth can be transformative experiences for many women. For some, it can also be frightening and overwhelming due to a current or past history of trauma or abuse. Pregnant survivors of domestic violence or sexual abuse can benefit greatly from trauma-informed birth support that improves their childbirth experience and long-term health outcomes, increases their healing and resiliency, and promotes bonding with their newborns.
Join us to discuss the impact of domestic violence and sexual assault on pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting during postpartum recovery.
This webinar will discuss practical strategies to engage pregnant survivors in meaningful, trauma-informed ways. Educating victim advocates and birth workers (e.g., doulas, childbirth educators, lactation consultants, midwives) about the dynamics of intimate partner violence and related health impacts can lead to enhanced safety and support for pregnant survivors and their children. Self-care for those providing this support will also be discussed.
Participants can expect to:
Understand the dynamics and tactics of abuse specific to women during the childbearing years
Hear about research on the impact of trauma, domestic violence, and sexual assault on pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum healing
Learn trauma-informed strategies to engage survivors who may be triggered during pregnancy and childbirth
Identify self-care strategies to manage their own healing, resilience, empathy, and caregiving
After attending a similar session, doulas have reported more confidence and empathy in their role and more knowledge gain about the signs of abuse, trauma, and survival. One attendee said, “Kenya strengthened my overall knowledge of providing doula support while giving me knowledge and strategies around supporting survivors.”
Free for members / $25 for non-members
Speaker
Kenya M. Fairley, MSEd, CD(DONA), CD(CHB) is a birth doula and federal policymaker residing in Washington, D.C. Her professional experience and passion centers around ending violence against women and girls through victim advocacy, shelter management, training and technical assistance, leadership development, and systems change. Kenya's self-published book, With Harp & Sword: A Doula’s Guide to Providing Trauma-Informed Birth Support provides practical strategies for supporting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault during pregnancy and childbirth. She has also written many blogs and articles on this topic.