Research and resources for perinatal professionals.
September 16, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
September 15th through October 15th is National Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States. The purpose of National Hispanic Heritage Month is to recognize the achievements and contributions of Hispanic Americans.
Hispanics (or Latinos - read more about these terms here) currently make up nearly 20 percent of the population in the United States and this number is projected to grow significantly in the next 20 years. It is important to have perinatal resources and information available for the Hispanic families in your classes who would prefer to use Spanish language materials.
Here are some resources that educators and others can share with Hispanic families in their classes and access for themselves if they teach in Spanish. Lamaze International has many Spanish speaking educators and there are several Latino Lamaze programs that train educators in Spanish.
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September 14, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
Today, as part of the Series: Why I Advocate, I take the opportunity to share the top ten reasons that I advocate for families and help families to learn how to be strong self advocates for their own care. This is a weekly series leading up to the Lamaze International 2021 Virtual Advocacy Summit on September 27-29. The virtual summit is an opportunity to connect with your fellow Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educators from around the world, who will be meeting to address the most critical and timely policy issues that affect prenatal care and childbirth outcomes. In this series, blog readers will have an opportunity to meet perinatal professionals and read their personal essays on why they advocate for evidence based care, improved policies and funding that impact birth outcomes. You can find the entire "Why I Advocate" Series here.
I have been advocating and helping families to become better advocates for their own perinatal care for almost 20 years. Here are my top ten reasons I believe this is important. Maybe your reasons are similar to mine?
September 09, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
September is Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Awareness Month. Families do not plan or expect to end up in the NICU with their baby, but premature births, or medical conditions at birth, mean that a baby will need specialized care for a period of time that could be just a few hours after birth or extend many months, until a baby is healthy enough to go home. Here are resources that you may want to share with families, in case they find themselves in the NICU.
September 07, 2021 | by: Catherine McWherter
"I advocate because the USA has the highest maternal morbidity and mortality rates compared to similar countries.
I advocate because race, ethnicity, religion, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other factor should not affect birth outcomes.
I advocate because evidence-based childbirth education should be accessible to everyone.
I advocate because I want to be part of the change."
September 02, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
The American Academy of Pediatricians just a released an updated list of answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on the topic of bodyfeeding. There were several questions and answers that were updated and I think that perinatal professionals serving in all capacities might find this information helpful when working with new families. You can find the new statement with all of the questions/answers here.
August 30, 2021 | by: Tonya Daniel
On February 7, 1999, while almost six months pregnant, I lost my second child to a preterm birth. That was one of the hardest things I ever had to endure. The months before were spent preparing for the birth, planning out how to parent two children and building my life with the love of my life were the highlights of my existence. I would have never thought that all that planning would come crumbling down in an instant.
August 26, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
In perinatal classes, it is important to provide information and present bodyfeeding as a normal event that occurs ideally within the first hour after birth and continues for as long as both parent and baby desire. In reality, I often say that bodyfeeding is the next big challenge after birth. We know that while “natural,” it is often something that a new baby and a new parent need to learn as a dyad and there can be challenges during the early days and weeks.
Some of those challenges require the use of specialized equipment or tools, while other situations may arise where new parents find it helpful to have some things on hand to help things go more smoothly. Many of these items are completely unfamiliar to parents especially those having their first baby. Families appreciate the Lactation Station activity and leave with more familiarity about what items might be handy to have around when lactation is getting started or facing some hurdles
August 23, 2021 | by: Brenda Kirkpatrick, AIMI, CD(DONA), LCCE, FACCE
"I teach both in a hospital environment and directly to parents who are planning on giving birth in a variety of settings. In either case, I always ask, “What is your fantasy birth?” In other words, if you knew that no matter what you and your baby would both be safe, what kind of birth story would you like to tell? It should be shocking to realize how low of a bar most people have set for their expectations." - Brenda Kirkpatrick
August 19, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
A study published in the July 2021 issue of Birth, Fear of childbirth, nonurgent obstetric interventions, and newborn outcomes: A randomized controlled trial comparing mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting with enhanced care as usual examined the impact of a childbirth education course focused on mindfulness on the rate of cesarean births in The Netherlands. The researchers hypothesized that if they could use a mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting (MBCP) program for pregnant people who had a high fear of birth , it would help to decrease their fear, and improve outcomes. It would also decrease the use of epidurals and the number of cesarean deliveries.
August 16, 2021 | by: Blake Slusser
While pregnant, I found myself scouring books and articles to fully understand all aspects of birth. I researched childbirth classes and jumped in feet first. I was well informed and advocated for myself during labor, birth, and postpartum. As a result, I experienced many things that were very uncommon 12 years ago that we know are healthier for babies like spontaneous labor, uninterrupted skin-to-skin, delayed cord clamping, and breastfeeding in the first hour, to name a few.
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