The Lamaze International 2023 Year in Review is now available. Throughout 2023, Lamaze remained committed to the mission to advance safe and healthy pregnancy, birth, and early parenting through evidence-based education and advocacy. Thanks to member engagement, key industry partnerships, global educational access, and a commitment to advocacy, Lamaze continued to address the maternal health crisis in the United States and beyond, while maintaining our position as a trusted global leader. Before you read the full report, celebrate the highlights that contributed to Lamaze’s success in 2023.

Lamaze by the Numbers

2023 proved to be a noteworthy year for engagement across the organization. From a record number of volunteer applications to an increase in Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educators (LCCE) recertifications, these stats show a continued commitment to advancing safe and healthy pregnancy, birth, and early parenting through evidence-based education and advocacy. Check out some of highlights:

• Membership is comprised of 76% LCCE members and 21% student members, indicating a strong pipeline of future childbirth educators.
• Lamaze International is the professional home to 1,712 total LCCE educators representing 35 countries around the world.
• Seven hundred citations to the Journal of Perinatal Education (JPE) were included among 292 sources.
• Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn followers tally to a grand total of 20,188.
• Lamaze.org achieved more than 1.2 million page views.

Collaboration Is Key

From connecting with related organizations to receiving support from industry and corporate partners, Lamaze maintained key relationships and formed new ones throughout 2023, including:

• Collaborations with DONA International, March of Dimes, and International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA).
• Partnerships with TOMY, Prolacta Bioscience Foundation, Boppy, and Creating Healthier Communities (CHC) Black Birthing Initiative.

Education First

One of Lamaze’s key pillars focuses on evidence-based education, so it’s no surprise that educational advancement is top of mind for our mission each year. Here’s how education mapped out in 2023:

• More than 300 educators participated in over 700 continuing education (CE) offerings in the online education portal.
• Lamaze introduced 14 new continuing education courses to members.
• Eighteen Lamaze childbirth educator programs made up of nearly 200 aspiring educators operate in Australia, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Bahrain, India, Kuwait, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, the United States, and more.

Because of this commitment to education, more than 13,000 parents viewed the free Labor Confidence With Lamaze class or purchased a Lamaze online class.

Advancing Advocacy

Lamaze advocacy was present on the legislative, regulatory, and stakeholder fronts in 2023. With the support of the Advocacy + Collaboration Committee, Lamaze advocated for access to childbirth education and recognition of Lamaze childbirth educators through the following forums:

• A virtual roundtable on “Demonstrating the Case for Childbirth Education as a Cost-Effective Method for Improving Childbirth Outcomes.”
• Submitting regulatory comments during public comment periods.
• Advancing maternal health bills.
• Working with stakeholders to increase federal funding for maternal health initiatives.

Lamaze also provided a variety of scholarships and grants through the Expand Equity Scholarship Program, as well as Learning Guide scholarships and Certification Exam scholarships for LCCE candidates.

Lamaze Ahead

As we embark on our goals for 2024, we reflect on the achievements made over the past year. on Lamaze Ahead, the organization’s collaborative, strategic framework, These achievements include:

• Diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts such as providing scholarships to individuals from underrepresented populations, expanding international membership efforts, offering evidence-based childbirth education across multiple languages, and more.
• Leadership and governance successes, such as increasing member volunteer applications by 31% and updating election and voting policies.
• Focusing on our revenue and business model by conducting a brand awareness survey and receiving $40,000 in grant support.

Thank you, Lamaze members, parent advocates, and partners, for your support in achieving these goals. Lamaze International’s success includes advancing the profession of childbirth education and increasing access to evidence-based resources and education for all parents to ensure safe and healthy birth outcomes.

Access the full Lamaze 2023 Year in Review report.

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