About Sunnyside
History
Sunnyside Up Youth Pregnancy Services emerged as a vision for Cicely Wilson in 2017 when she, a seasoned Newborn Care Specialist and Lactation Counselor with years of experience in her private practice CicelyCARES Birth Services, provided support to her first pregnant teen. This transformative experience fueled Cicely’s commitment to transition into aiding young pregnant families, recognizing a distinct lack of support for youth aged 13 to 21 who felt isolated, unsupported, or fearful during their childbirth experiences. With the belief that no one should face birth alone, in 2021, Cicely took a leap of faith and officially incorporated Sunnyside Up Youth as a non-profit organization. The goal was to expand support on a larger scale and in more communities, providing pregnancy support and new parent education. Sunnyside Up Youth, headquartered in Nashville, TN, offers in-person labor and postpartum support locally and virtual classes nationwide.
Operating with a dedicated volunteer support team comprised of trained, experienced, and certified full-spectrum doulas, lactation specialists, mental health professionals, and educators, Sunnyside Up Youth aims to offer physical, emotional, informational, and mental support to the youth and families it serves. The organization has developed a growing base of volunteers, including both new and experienced doulas, contributing to the Nashville community. Sunnyside Up Youth continues to expand its reach, supporting more families in Nashville each year.
The organization’s primary focus and goal are rooted in the understanding that when pregnant individuals receive support throughout the entire childbirth process, they feel empowered and confident in their ability to have a healthy, satisfying birth experience and navigate successful parenthood. Sunnyside Up Youth actively creates partnerships with local and national resources, demonstrating an ongoing commitment to providing optimal care for the youth in its community.
Mission
Empowerment through Education and Support
Sunnyside Up Youth Pregnancy Services is dedicated to providing comprehensive and compassionate support to youth aged 13-25 as they navigate the challenges of pregnancy and parenthood. Our mission is to empower young parents by offering in-person labor and postpartum support, breastfeeding services, mental health resources, and online educational classes. We strive to create a nurturing environment that fosters the well-being of both young parents and their children. Through community engagement, inclusivity, and a client-centric approach, we aim to contribute to the holistic development and self-sufficiency of the youth we serve in Nashville, TN.
Values
Compassionate Care
- We embody compassion and believe in showing kindness to all without judgment.
- We are dedicated members of the community who have an interest in volunteering our time to support families before, during, and after childbirth.
- We recognize and respect the needs of pregnant youth, ultimately trusting their journey and holding their desires without pushing our personal agenda.
- We care about those we serve as individuals, and value differences.
- We hold space for youth and each other to process intense experiences and to foster growth and recovery
Support
- We believe that no one should have to birth alone and we provide comfort and companionship to any pregnant person that requests support, including physical, emotional and informational support during prenatal, birth and postpartum periods.
- Our support is continuous, trustworthy, and mindful of the pregnant person’s needs
- We are accessible to all pregnant youth, resolving challenges that prevent people from obtaining the support they need and deserve
- We are dependable and accessible to the community and to each other.
- We strive to be a positive change-maker in the healthcare community for lower-income people.
Empowerment
- We believe that all pregnant youth are capable of achieving whatever they desire.
- We aim to decrease poor maternal and child outcomes by holding space for families, providing informational support, and expanding choice so that they can make informed and educated decisions about their health and pregnancy. This increases a person’s confidence in speaking up for themselves and their needs during labor.
- We foster courage and strength in our volunteers as they make sacrifices to support youth in need.
- We trust our volunteers to hold themselves to the highest standards, following our Scope of Practice, and seeking help when needed.
- We provide volunteers with high quality, ongoing training and opportunities for career advancement and development.
Community
- We make connections with hospital staff, nurses, clinics and other support services and connect families to community resources as needed.
- We strive to be a trusted and integral part of the birth team and community.
- We believe healthy families create strong communities.
- Through receiving support during their childbirth experience, youth will have an increased belief and trust in themselves and their innate ability to labor and birth
- We support and collaborate with the doula community connecting volunteers with prenatal and postpartum clients through partnerships and collaborations.
Goals
- Provide non-judgemental and inclusive care to all youth
- Support pregnant youth however we can, whenever we can
- Encourage natural childbirth and breastfeeding without pressure and guilt
- Leave no one in our care without the tools and resources they need to birth and breastfeed successfully
- Provide additional resources and support after receiving support from Sunnyside Up Youth
Commitment
We are committed to supporting expectant families between the ages of 13 and 25 as they prepare and recover from childbirth and begin to care for their newborns. We are committed to nurturing and educating these families during the first 16 weeks of the postpartum recovery period.
