Research and resources for perinatal professionals.
May 29, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
This month’s Brilliant Activities for Birth Educators idea is something that can be done both in person and in a virtual class format. As things begin to normalize in the United States and some other places around the world, educators may be dipping their toes back into an in-person format and looking for new ideas to introduce in to the classroom. I have even heard from a few educators that they are offering both in-person and virtual in the same class. That really levels things up! This Brilliant Activities for Birth Educators activity works for whatever format you are holding your classes and helps to create awareness and nurture decision making skills in expectant families. To find all the free Brilliant Activities for Birth Educators’ ideas that have been published on the blog, follow this link.
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May 25, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
Late last month, U.S. News & World Report announced that in the fall of 2021, they will be publishing the first of what will be a regular release of the “Best Hospitals for Maternity” in the United States. Pregnant consumers currently do not have easy access to information that can help them to make informed choices about which health care providers and facilities to choose to receive care from during their pregnancy, birth and postpartum period. Many expectant families make their decisions as a result of proximity to home or work, locations on a specific health insurance list, or a history of having received previous care from that person or hospital. Families are not easily able to find and use the information they need to select providers and hospitals based on the quality of care they and their baby(ies) are likely to receive.
May 20, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
May is 2021 Preeclampsia Awareness Month. May 22 is World Preeclampsia Day. Preeclampsia, or high blood pressure in pregnancy, affects approximately 5-8% of all pregnancies in the United States and is a leading cause of maternal mortality and morbidity. The 2021 campaign’s theme is Beyond Pregnancy. When a pregnant person experiences preeclampsia either during their pregnancy or after giving birth (which can happen even if preeclampsia was not present during the course of pregnancy) the impact of this serious disease lasts long after the birth and postpartum period are over
May 18, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
Many important perinatal topics are recognized during the month of May. It is a busy month in that regard as some topics have a day designated for them, others take place over a week and still others continue for the entire month. We cover many of these recognition periods here on the blog, In regards to birth and postpartum doulas, the period of time that doulas are “recognized” can be a bit confusing. In fact, some individuals and organizations recognize and honor doulas on March 22. Alternately, a full week beginning March 22 is celebrated. The entire month of May has often been called “International Doula Month” and now, I have just become aware that in the United States, the Senate just passed a resolution recognizing the Week of May 9th as “National Doula Week.”
May 13, 2021 | by: Molly Giammarco, MPP
Lamaze is excited to host a three-day virtual event focused on international, federal, and state advocacy September 27-29, 2021. Through educational content-offerings and meetings with Congressional representatives, Summit attendees will have opportunities to earn CEUs and advocate for federal maternal health bills in U.S. Congress.
May 12, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
May is Maternal Mental Health Month. This is an excellent time to check in and reevaluate what information you are currently sharing in your classes, when you share it and what resources you provide to families who might be dealing with a mood disorder related to their pregnancy or postpartum period. Childbirth educators are in a unique position to normalize perinatal mood disorders (PMDs) which impact up to 20% of pregnant or postpartum people. Untreated perinatal mood disorders impact quality of life and parenting experiences for the entire family including the children.
May 07, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control, National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System released a report: Births: Provisional Data for 2020. This report includes information on U.S births by age and race and Hispanic origin of mother/parent. Data on cesarean delivery and preterm births also are included. This preliminary information for 2020 covers a period when the entire world was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This report may provide insights into reproductive behavior under the time frame of the COVID-19 situation.
May 05, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
Today is the annual International Day of the Midwife. Every year on May 5th, global attention turns to the role of the midwife in helping families grow all around the world. This year’s theme is “Follow the Data: Invest in Midwives.” Lamaze International childbirth educators are committed to sharing evidence based information and best practices so families can make informed decisions about their perinatal care. The research on midwifery care demonstrates that midwives are critical to ending preventable deaths for birthing parents and newborns. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.1 is to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030, and globally, we are not on track to meet that target. If there is any hope to to reach this important benchmark, there will need to be more midwives, and a greater acceptance of the integrated role for the midwife in perinatal care around the world.
April 30, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
Here we are at the end of April, and virtual teaching for childbirth classes is still the norm as the world works to put this COVID pandemic behind us. With that in mind, here is another teaching idea that is very easy to do in a virtual format. This Brilliant Activities for Birth Educators is a twist on a fun idea I learned from Ildi Sebestyen, an LCCE colleague. I have taken Ildi’s in person activity and modified it to work virtually on many different online conferencing platforms. Helping families use the tools they will have at their disposal in their birth location of choice is important. This activities reinforces ideas for birth and peanut ball use during labor. You can find all the Brilliant Activities for Birth Educators for free here by following this link.
April 27, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
As maternal-infant health professionals, we must identify our own biases and the oppressive policies and systems in the environments and institutions that we work and practice in. I would like to recommend a very engaging and thorough free online Diversity Science course developed by Diversity Science titled ‘Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Project.” I recently had the opportunity to work through the three modules that make up the course and found it to be a well organized, thoughtful, and effective presentation that invited me to consider my beliefs and behavior. This work and course development is led by Rachel Hardeman, PhD, MPH, and Diversity Science, and is funded by the California Health Care Foundation in response to strong evidence of racial inequalities in perinatal care and outcomes.
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