Research and resources for perinatal professionals.
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
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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 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 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.
April 17, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW21) ends today, but perinatal professionals need to acknowledge that this focus is not something that should be elevated one week a year. The atrocious maternal morbidity and mortality rate faced by childbearing Black people demands attention and action every single day. There is simply no time to rest, as people are dying while trying to grow their families.
Here are some amazing Black perinatal organizations that are uniquely qualified to serve Black families. This list is just a small compilation of resources, and identifies those organizations with a national presence. You should identify similar groups that are local to your community, so you can include that information as well and make it easier for Black families to identify the right resources for them.
April 09, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
April is Cesarean Awareness Month (CAM) around the world. For some global locations, there are too few cesareans performed and pregnant/postpartum people and/or their newborns are dying or experiencing significant morbidity issues. (In the sub-Saharan region of Africa the rate of cesarean section is 4%.) In other locations, including in the United States, there are too many cesareans performed and pregnant/postpartum people are dying or suffering from significant morbidity issues. (Some Latin American countries have a cesarean rate around 60%, the USA’s cesarean rate is just shy of 32%.) It is estimated that about six million unnecessary cesareans are done each year, half of them in Brazil and China (Boerma, T., et al, 2018.) It is believed that approximately 60% of cesareans are not clinically necessary. Research has indicated that 25 percent of countries underuse cesarean sections, while 60 percent of countries were found to overuse the procedure (Wiklund, I., 2018.)
April 06, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
In 2019, 754 people lost their life from maternal causes in the United States. The maternal mortality rate for 2019 was 20.1 deaths per 100,000 live births. In 2018, 658 people died from maternal causes and the maternal mortality rate was 17.4 per 100,000.
2019 brought 96 more deaths and a significantly higher maternal mortality rate.
The United States continues to have the worst maternal mortality rate of all the world’s industrialized countries. It is estimated that 66% of the maternal deaths that occurred in 2019 were preventable.
March 31, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
As I write the Brilliant Activities for Birth Educators post for March 2021, I am both stunned and not totally surprised that much of the world continues to be heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and virtual perinatal classes are still the norm. I am curious and unsure when it will be considered safe to once again hold in-person classes for those families expecting a baby. I do believe that even once in-person classes return, there will continue to be a consistent demand for live, virtual classes as well. Today’s Brilliant Activities for Birth Educators post is all about having a meaningful way to end your virtual childbirth class. You can find all the Brilliant Activities for Birth Educators posts in the series by following this link.
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