One of the valuable benefits for Lamaze International members is a subscription to Lamaze International's official journal - The Journal of Perinatal Childbirth Education (JPE). The mission of the JPE is to promote, support, and protect natural, safe, and healthy birth through education and advocacy. The journal publishes peer-reviewed articles and evidence-based, practical resources that childbirth educators and other healthcare professionals can use to enhance the quality and effectiveness of their care or teaching to prepare expectant parents for birth.

Through evidence-based articles, the JPE advances the knowledge of aspiring and seasoned educators in any setting-independent or private practice, community, hospital, nursing or midwifery school-and informs educators and other healthcare professionals on research that will improve their practice and their efforts to support natural, safe, and healthy birth.

The journal's content focuses on pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period, breastfeeding, neonatal care, early parenting, and young family development. In addition to childbirth educators, the JPE's readers regularly include nurses, midwives, physicians, and other professionals involved with perinatal education and maternal-child health care. Which highlighted below articles are the ones that you want to explore?

Consider joining Lamaze International to receive this member benefit along with other perks. There is value and benefit to all birth professionals in joining Lamaze and helping families have safe and healthy births.

This fourth quarter of 2017's publication is, as usual, chock full of useful information. Articles include:

In this Issue - The Winds of Change: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Recommends Limiting Interventions in Labor

Author: Judith Lothian

Abstract:

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recent committee opinion, 'Approaches to Limit Intervention During Labor and Birth,' reflects a shift in thinking that holds promise for sweeping changes in maternity care. This editorial puts the document in the context of the history of evidence-based maternity care and highlights the approaches suggested by ACOG including the use of intermittent auscultation, no routine amniotomy, or intravenous, delayed hospital admission, and freedom of movement throughout labor and birth. 'Approaches to Limit Intervention During Labor and Birth' signals winds of change in maternity care.

Celebrate Birth! - Remembering the Breaks: A Water Birth

Author: Katherine C. Moen

Abstract:

In this birth story, Katherine shares that she wanted an unmedicated birth. She planned a hospital birth with a midwife. During her pregnancy, she hired a doula and she and her husband, Corey, attended both natural childbirth classes and a natural comfort measures class. Katherine had an intense labor but was able to relax between contractions, and with the support of her husband and doula, she managed to cope with increasingly difficult contractions. Her commitment and hard work during labor, and the emotional and physical support she received, helped her achieve the unmedicated birth she wanted. Katherine and her husband welcomed their daughter, Clara Mae, into the world after 10.5 hours of labor.

Continuing Education Module - Kangaroo Mother Care 2: Potential Beneficial Impacts on Brain Development in Premature Infants

Author: Rebecca J Bear, David J Mellor

Abstract:

Kangaroo mother care (KMC) involves infant skin-to-skin contact with the mother from as soon as possible after birth, exclusive breastfeeding, early discharge from the health facility, and supportive follow-up at home. Much evidence supports use of KMC clinically as an aid to mitigating some detrimental features of prematurity. This article - the second of two - explores impairments in brain development because of uncongenial inputs from the postnatal therapeutic environment of premature infants, not encountered in utero, and some of their negative neurobehavioral, psychosocial, sociocultural, and economic implications. It is concluded that evidence favoring the use of KMC in stable preterm infants is very strong and that, as noted by others, barriers to implementation of KMC, apart from infant infirmity, are mainly because of hesitancy from parents, health-care professional, and/or institutions, which may be unfounded.

Value of Specialty Certification as a Kangaroo Caregiver

Author: Aniko Kukla, Susan M Ludington-Hoe

Abstract:

Kangaroo care (KC), also known as skin-to-skin contact, saves lives, but fewer than 50% of newborns and mothers in U.S. hospitals receive KC because of lack of knowledge and skill competency. Because nurses can increase knowledge and skill competency through a certification course, the value of certification as a kangaroo caregiver and administrative incentives for certification as a kangaroo caregiver were evaluated in 71 neonatal intensive care and maternal-newborn unit nurses who completed an electronic questionnaire and the Perceived Value of Certification Tool. Nurses highly valued their KC certification, agreeing with 17 of 18 positive value statements. KC certification increased salary for a few, but institution-based incentives for KC certification are still limited and recognition of KC certification is needed.

Identifying and Exploring the Informational and Emotional Support Needs of Primipara Women: A Focus on Supportive Communication

Author: Romina Fakhraei, Jenepher Lennox Terrion

Abstract:

Primipara women may require greater informational and emotional support than multipara women. Supportive communication, including informational and emotional support, can help to build a strong caregiver-patient relationship and can alleviate the difficulties associated with first-time birth. The objective of this study was to explore first-time mothers' experiences of labor and birth. Three hundred primipara women completed self-report questionnaires. Qualitative analysis of one open-ended question about the women's experience was conducted. Nine themes emerged from the data. Eight themes reflected informational and emotional support needs, whereas the final theme reflected instrumental support needs. The study concluded that informational and emotional supports are important factors of supportive communication and influence the birthing experience of primipara women.

Fathers' Worries During Pregnancy: A Qualitative Content Analysis of Reddit

Author: Pamela D Pilkington, Holly Rominov

Abstract:

Qualitative investigations into the emotional needs of expectant fathers have been limited by difficulties with recruitment. This study aimed to unobtrusively obtain insights into fathers' worries during pregnancy by analyzing the content of posts on the Internet forum Reddit. The majority of worries related to infant well-being (50.8%), particularly the potential for perinatal loss (23.0%). Concerns relating to partner well-being and the couple relationship were also common, comprising 17.0% of posts. Several posts related to individual factors, such as apprehension about the father role (16.3%). Finally, situational factors such as work-family conflict accounted for 15.9% of posts. These findings contribute to the growing literature on fathers' experiences of pregnancy and can inform the development of father-inclusive perinatal education.

The Anniversary of Birth Trauma: A Metaphor Analysis

Author: Cheryl Tatano Beck

Abstract:

The aim of this qualitative secondary data analysis was to identify the metaphors women used to describe their anniversary of their traumatic births. The existing data set that was reanalyzed was from a phenomenological study of the anniversary of birth trauma. Metaphor identification procedure was the method used to identify 8 different metaphors from the women's descriptions that provided a rich source of insight into their yearly struggles. These metaphors characterized the anniversary of traumatic birth as a great pretender, a lottery, a trigger, a clock watcher, a giant rubber band, a guilt trip, a sea of sadness, and bottled up anger.

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