Research and resources for perinatal professionals.
October 21, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
The number of cesarean deliveries in the United States has hovered around 32% in the past decade. Cesarean birth is easily documented and the numbers are a benchmark for birth outcomes and best practice. Cesarean delivery by maternal request (CDMR), on the other hand, is very hard to quantify. It is hard to capture exactly how many cesareans are performed at the request of the pregnant parent. Difficulties in estimating the prevalence of CDMR has been attributed to the lack of an International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code for CDMR and to documentation inconsistencies that are recorded.
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October 15, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
October is Perinatal and Infant Loss Awareness Month in the United States and today, October 15th is World Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Miscarriage, stillbirth and infant loss has most likely touched all of us in one way or another, both professionally or personally or often both. In honor of the babies born too early, born still or who passed away after birth, people are asked to light a candle and burn it for an hour at 7 PM local time on October 15th as a way to spread light across the globe and inform, grieving families that they and their children remembered. Have you considered participating and inviting others to do the same.
October 13, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza
A few years ago, the Cuddle Cot, a product developed by Flexmort, a company located in the United Kingdom, was introduced in order to give families the gift of time with a baby who had passed prior to or shortly after birth. This discreet cooling system nestles into a bassinet or basket and creates a suitable location where a baby who has passed away can be placed, in order to remain in the hospital room or home of the grieving family.
October 08, 2021 | by: Molly Giammarco, MPP
Evidence-based childbirth education is a critical part of the prenatal care continuum, but too few are aware of, or have access to, this vital service. Lamaze members took this message to the Hill to educate Congressional staff on childbirth education’s critical role in improved outcomes and to advocate for increased access to their services.
October 05, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
October 3rd through 9th, 2021 is National Midwifery Week in the United States. This week of recognition is coordinated by the American College of Nurse-Midwives. Midwives play a key role in supporting people and women during their reproductive lifespan throughout the world. There are many kinds of midwives, from licensed midwives, to nurse midwives to traditional birth attendants. Midwives provide care for people who are birthing in hospitals, birth centers and at home. To celebrate all the ways that midwives contribute to supporting people and families, here are some remarkable facts about certified nurse midwives and certified midwives.
September 29, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
Whether you are using Zoom, WebEx, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams or any other virtual meeting platform, the chat function found in your chosen software can be a valuable tool for families. The chat box adds extra enrichment and engagement during class and even offers take-aways that can be referred back to long after classes have ended. The chat feature is an easy way to invite even the shyest, most hesitant participants to engage in a safe and non-threatening way. From the very first minutes of a new class, to the final closing activities, using the chat box enhances learning for the families you teach.
September 23, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
Early next week is the Lamaze 2021 Advocacy Summit and the final details are all coming together so that registrants from around the world can learn and network in a virtual environment that helps families be able to receive evidence-based care, improving outcomes for parents and babies.
If you are already registered for the Summit, you will want to read these ten tips in order to get the most out of this virtual conference opportunity. If you have not yet registered, you can still do so here, in order to be included in all of the activities.
September 21, 2021 | by: Sarah Paksima
"Do I advocate for others because in a moment of vulnerability I was able to ask for what I needed and advocate for myself and I feel compelled by unspoken rules of reciprocity to empower others who are on a similar journey? Do I advocate for improving health care and settings because I had a glimpse of what it was like to face language and cultural barriers to care and want to make sure others have a better experience? Or does my desire to advocate come from someplace darker, a misplaced sense of self-righteous moral obligation? So, is this experience really why I advocate? Maybe. I don’t know if anyone can ever point to a single reason for why we do what we do. Perhaps there isn’t an experience or an external reason at all." - Sarah Paksima
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.
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?
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