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Empower
/em-pow-er/
(verb)
to give someone the power to do something
Empowered
/em-pow-ered/
(adjective)
having the knowledge, confidence, means, or ability to do things or make decisions for oneself
About Us
EMPWR was founded in 2020 by Arlene Oram (she/her), a queer Midwife providing midwifery services during pregnancy dedicated to those identifying as part of the LGBTQIA+ community in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland New Zealand
In 2021, a childbirth education course created by Arlene and friend Lou Kelly (they/them) begun. Lou was a trans non-binary midwife and childbirth educator with a passion for creating accessible antenatal education for pregnant people. These antenatal classes are grounded in a celebration of queer families, not just a tickbox for the diversity policy and not merely being inclusive, but in creating classes by queer people for queer people means they are a product of love, care and deep passion to improve equity for pregnant queer families.
In 2024, EMPWR expanded to teaching in person antenatal classes in Te Whanganui-a-tara, Wellington, New Zealand with midwives Jess and Amy.
A digital, pre-recorded online antenatal course is now available to families needing access to evidence based antenatal education that is queer celebratory worldwide.
About us
Our Philosophy
We believe that every pregnant person has the right to access education from a qualified practitioner providing them with unbiased information so that they can make the right choices for their family.
Most antenatal classes are taught by childbirth educators, who do not have years of hands on experience or knowledge that a health professional has gained from being alongside hundreds (if not thousands) of parents birthing their babies. With real life experience of unmedicated water births at home, induction of labour for high risk pregnancy complications and elective caesareans for parental choice; we do not believe that there is any one "right" way to grow, birth or parent your pēpi.
EMPWR's antenatal classes will provide you with the knowledge and power to make informed decisions. We teach you the tools you need to navigate the healthcare system; regardless of your family dynamic. Solo parent by choice; sex worker; same sex couple; polyamorous families and anyone that identifies as LGBTQIA+ Takatāpui is welcome at EMPWR.
Our Philosophy
Arlene (she/her)
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Originally from the UK, Arlene's passion is to improve equity for anyone in the rainbow community, and increase awareness of rainbow-safe and centred care for those navigating the heteronormative system of pregnancy care.
Arlene is a queer, cis-gendered woman and acknowledges the privileges she has; hoping to hold a safe space for those more marginalised than her. She has extensive experience in high risk pregnancy care, but is also passionate about physiological birth including home births, having worked in a busy NHS hospital in the UK, as a full time labour & birthing midwife at Auckland City Hospital and as a self-employed midwife in central Auckland.
These antenatal classes were created to ensure that people could access unbiased, evidence based information from a registered and practising midwife to help inform their decisions.
Amy Taylor
Midwife
Naturopath and medical herbalist
Amy (they/them)
Amy is a queer, non-binary and neurodivergent midwife with a passion for supporting marginalised groups to navigate their perinatal journey. Amy worked as an LMC for four years in te Awakairangi, Hutt Valley; they are currently working on a Master's in Midwifery and providing backup for midwives in the region.
Amy believes that birth is a normal everyday event; even when complexities arise, there is much that can be done to support normal physiology. As a midwife, Amy has worked in a wide range of birthplace settings including homebirth, birthing units and the hospital. They are also a trained naturopath and medical herbalist.
Jess (she/her)
Jess is a midwife based in Te Awakairangi/ Lower Hutt, Wellington NZ where she lives with her wife Hillary and their current foster-greyhound, Dark. She's an enthusiastic tramper, scuba diver, culture consumer and cross stitcher.
As a midwife, she's passionate about providing individualised, empowering, and evidence-based care across the pregnancy, birth and postpartum continuum. She has spent the last few years working as an LMC midwife supporting her clients to birth where they felt best, be that in the comfort of their own homes, the local birthing centre, or hospital.
She is currently employed as a full-time labour/birthing midwife at Hutt Hospital, so you may see her on the ward!
Lou Kelly
Co-Founder of EMPWR, Midwife, Childbirth Educator trained in Traditional Chinese Acupuncture and Massage
Lou Kelly (they/them)
Lou Kelly was a queer, non-binary Midwife and antenatal educator trained in traditional Chinese medicine, who passed away in February 2023.
Navigating the midwifery workforce and the healthcare system, Lou saw how the structures of gendering and heteronormativity within reproductive health created inequitable outcomes for those who lived outside the boxes of heterosexual or cisgender.
This insight, both firsthand as a patient, and in a professional capacity led them to embark on work centred in dismantling those structures, and welcoming in all birthing and parenting bodies to their practice.
Lou's hope was that by doing the work they did to change the system at its very root, was that birthing families wouldn't have to bear the burden of that work. They supported birthing people to have a joyful and empowered experience of pregnancy, birth, and early parenthood.
Lou's work will continue to be championed by Arlene and EMPWR and their death has only fuelled the fire in many to improve equity and access to gender affirming healthcare for trans and non-binary people in Aotearoa and around the world.
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