Expectant parents, eager to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby, are often at a loss to find health care providers and resources in their communities that will promote a normal, healthy birth. In response, Birth Networks have started forming independently in at least nine states, Canada and Australia. These grassroots community organizations:

• Promote the Six Care Practices that Support Normal Birth,
• Endorse the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative,
• Provide support, education and evidenced-based information about normal birth for parents, and
• Serve as a resource for caregivers that support normal birth.

Lamaze International provides mini-grants to Birth Networks, a Birth Network Directory, and tools and resources for community-based Birth Networks.

Download the brochure, "The Lamaze Institute for Normal Birth: Supporting Independent Birth Networks" (PDF).