The Lamaze Childbirth Education Research Initiative was developed in 2017 to facilitate research into childbirth education that investigates:

• Evaluation of childbirth education accessibility, effectiveness, acceptability, return on investment and quality
• Best practices for delivering and receiving childbirth education
• Parent knowledge of evidence-based birth and breastfeeding practices

• Tracking research and monitoring outcomes and measures related to childbirth education in an annotated bibliography 
• Identifying data sources for childbirth education researchers
• Partnering with other groups and individual researchers who are making headway in improving childbirth and maternal outcomes such as Childbirth Connection, the California Quality Initiative, and the March of Dimes
• Collaborating with hospitals (i.e., Magnet designated), academic institutions (i.e. schools of nursing, midwifery, advanced practice nursing, public health, social work, physical therapy) to promote research into childbirth education research topics

See who is involved in the Research Initiative Work Group roster.

Additional Resources for Researchers

Understanding Research

• Know the Science: 9 Questions to Help You Make Sense of Health Research
• Understanding Evidence-Based Research
• Observational Studies: Does the Language Fit the Evidence Association vs. Causation

Tools for Researchers

• Ten Simple Rules for a Good Poster Presentation
• Developing a Compelling Grant Application
• Causal Inference: A Better Research Method for Studying Labor and Birth?
• Matchmaker for Researchers

Research Specific to Pregnant Women and Lactating Women

• Pregnancy Registries
• Research Specific to Pregnant Women and Lactating Women Task Force (PRGLAC)
  • See also: Research Specific to Pregnant Women and Lactating Women Task Force Recommendations Finalized

Resources and Partners

• PregSource
• Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)
• CDC Vital Statistics
• Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative
• World Health Organization
• National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
• PeriStats from the March of Dimes Perinatal Data Center

Potential Funding Opportunities for Childbirth Education Research

• NIH Grants
• New! Research Grants: To be awarded at the Annual Membership Meeting taking place at LamazeLIVE! 2019.
  • Grant Winners:

Dainah Wanja Kariuki
Maternal Outcomes Of Structured Childbirth Education At Kiambu County, Kenya: Aquasi Experimental Study
 

Kristen Hands
The Effect of Hospital Childbirth Class Attendance on Patient Outcomes: Rates of Primary Cesarean and Preterm Birth, Labor Induction, Length of Stay and Patient Satisfaction