Te-Ana Souffrant
2 min readApr 20, 2022

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Community Means...

A vision, A Dream, The Arch (“connection” across state lines — circa 2016)

When building The Arch, I envisioned arches across states and countries, connecting from one place to another. All of us, collectively, touching each other, reaching our hands across states, working together to envelop families, parents, and pregnant people.

The Arch was created on these 4 pillars: preparation, education, connection and community. Direct access, support, resources and information, diminishing unnecessary competition, and putting the power into the hands of those who don’t see us, but may need us (visibility) are our immediate goals.

Societal changes, family constraints, and the responsibilities of today have made it nearly impossible for family members to support one another in a way that is truly fulfilling, financially sound, and easy to coordinate. The Arch is where access and support meet. We are a place where families can connect and reconnect to the larger community of support and to each other. We bring that familiarity and comfortability of the “family” to people across the country and worldwide.

For us, The Arch means creating a space where people can finally take control and take charge of their birthing and postpartum experiences, where suffering in silence ceases. It means empathy and understanding. It means support. It means lower incidences and the eventual eradication of maternal mortality. It means bringing more awareness and access. It…

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Te-Ana Souffrant

We connect parents to support (Doulas, Lactation), education and resources from preconception through the 4th trimester.