ImprovingBirth

Happy International Day of the Midwife! Let us hope for the coming year to be full of greater access to midwifery care, breaking down barriers to out-of-hospital birth options, increase support for Black and brown midwives, and nationwide support for autonomy in practice.

Happening now! @PostpartumHelp (Postpartum Support International) Support Group Leaders are talking about how Black history impacts perinatal mental health for Black mothers today. fb.watch/3U1n71Yrxw/

"I will know what I need to do and will communicate my needs clearly." Excellent reminder from motherboardbirth.com! 📸: Lane B. Photography

Want to be informed about your prenatal, labor, birth, and postpartum options? Check out this list of virtual childbirth education options for expecting parents and pregnant people. Be informed decision-makers in your birth and postpartum experiences. bit.ly/covidchildbirt…

Want to join in supporting a good cause? Your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate $5 or $500. Every little bit helps. Thank you for your support. #givingtuesday facebook.com/donate/8945482…

#GivingTuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past 8 years, this idea has grown into a year-round global movement that inspires millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. facebook.com/donate/8945482…

How do you feel about this? The revised Hippocratic oath “asks physicians to eliminate their personal biases, combat disinformation to improve health literacy and be an ally to minorities and other underserved groups in society.” npr.org/sections/healt…

~ A Writer's Thoughts 9/18/2020 . . . 🖼: Antti Eklund #rbg #birthoptions #improvingbirth #truth

I would not ignore this. It is my observation that there is a collective howl of anguish happening right now from mostly women (some men, but overwhelmingly women) that, if things were truly just in the U.S., would not be happening. I would not ignore this."

Rest in peace, tRuth. . . . "I would not, if I were a man, ignore the collective howl of anguish and despair coming from your female friends, wives, daughters, granddaughters, sisters, coworkers, bosses, elected officials, editors, dentists, doctors, cousins, grandmothers...

Discuss. We want to hear your thoughts. "The researchers concluded the difference in mortality rates can be attributed to 'racial concordance between the physician and newborn patient.' " - @thehill thehill.com/policy/healthc…

"While modern obstetrics and emergency medicine are valuable and necessary components of 21st-century birth practices, they should not be viewed as exclusive or incompatible with midwifery care."

"...The degradation of the midwife has coincided with the rise of a health-care system that is expensive, ineffective and unequal, and has left the United States with a higher infant mortality rate than any of the other wealthy countries..."

"Over the past three centuries, midwives, once the main source of maternity care, have been degraded as a profession and excluded from the health-care industry." washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/0…

Happy International Day of the Midwife! Let's hear about your experiences with midwives who have impacted your lives. Feel free to share your story or leave a shoutout. #midwivesmatter #midwiferymatters instagram.com/p/B_07vDxJAdp/…

As Matrescence Birth&Postpartum Support noted, if this can be done in New York, there is absolutely no excuse for the rest of the country systematically depriving laboring people of independent advocates consistently shown by evidence to improve outcomes. governor.ny.gov/news/secretary…

...and also that "doulas are considered an essential part of the support care team and should be allowed to accompany a pregnant individual during labor and delivery as an additional support person."

n New York, Cuomo issued an executive order accepting in full the recommendations of a COVID-19 maternity task force, which included among other things a clarification to the earlier executive order forcing hospitals to allow partners...