Resources

These websites are great resources for additional information on maternal health:

American College of Nurse-Midwives

American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) is a professional association in the United States for certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs). The mission of ACNM is “to support midwives and advance the practice of midwifery in order to achieve optimal health for women through their lifespan, with expertise in well woman and gynecologic care, promoting optimal pregnancy, physiologic birth, postpartum care, and care of the newborn.”

Association of Midwifery Educators

Association of Midwifery Educators (AME) is a non-profit organization, which is committed to strengthening midwifery educators, schools, and administors through connection, collaboration, and coordination. Everyone has the common goal of “providing the best possible midwifery education through multiple pathways to provide a highly-competent midwifery workforce to address the needs of childbearing families.” AME mission is to “support the people, systems, and processes that provide midwifery education to serve the diverse needs of students and communities.”

The Business Of Being Born 

Created by Jill Arnold, blogger and main author of the The Unnecesarean, this site provides a snapshot of publicly available U.S. cesarean rate data. Jill’s website compiles the most current hospital-level data accessible to the public online, whether reported directly by a state’s department of health or gathered from state hospital association web sites.

Childbirth Connection

Childbirth Connection was originally established in 1918 under the name of Maternity Center Association. A nonprofit organization, Childbirth Connection upholds its mission to “improve the quality and value of maternity care through consumer engagement and health system transformation”  Its website is a valuable source of reliable evidence-based information for families, health care providers, and other stakeholders interested in “Transforming Maternity Care.”

Choices in Childbirth

Choices in Childbirth is a non-profit organization that promotes safe and healthy childbirth through consumer advocacy and outreach for women and their families. On their website you may find information about choosing a health care provider, identifying pregnancy and childbirth educators and informational materials, building a birth support team, planning the postpartum transition and more.

International Cesarean Awareness Network

International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is “to improve maternal child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery, and promoting Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC).” ICAN works to support women who have had cesareans, women who are trying to prevent an unnecessary cesareans, and women who are pursuing a VBAC.

The International Childbirth Education Association

The International Childbirth Education Association (ICEA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is a “professional organization that supports educators and health care professionals who believe in freedom to make decisions based on knowledge of alternatives in family-centered maternity and newborn care.”

National Association of Certified Professional Midwives 

National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM) is membership organization in the United States for Certified Professional Midwives (CPM). NACPM “directs its influence toward improving outcomes for childbearing women and their infants, developing and strengthening the profession, and informing public policy with the values inherent in CPM care.”

Science & Sensibility

This is a “research blog about healthy pregnancy, birth, and beyond” maintained by Lamaze International.  Blogs are posted by regular and guest contributors. They generally present “up-to-date, evidence-based research” as well as interviews with birth professionals and researchers who support and promote safe and healthy childbirth.