Research and resources for perinatal professionals.
April 14, 2022 | by: Tanya Cawthorne, LCCE, FACCE
National Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW) is from April 11-17 and I would like to dedicate this month’s Inside Lamaze newsletter to sharing information about this important event and how we as Lamaze members can become more involved. The topic of how we collectively work to promote equitable maternal health and outcomes and make it accessible to underserved communities is one of high importance to Lamaze.
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April 11, 2022 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
Black Maternal Health Week is observed annually every April 11 through 17th since 2018. This week of awareness and activism was founded by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA) to bring attention to the increased maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality rates that impact Black birthing people and their babies at significantly higher rates than non-Black families.
The theme of this year’s Black Maternal Health Week is “Building for Liberation: Centering Black Mamas, Black Families and Black Systems of Care.” Black families deserve to have access to Black care teams, and that includes childbirth educators. We know that outcomes are better when a Black parent can receive perinatal care from a Black midwife or doctor. As a childbirth educator, there are several things that you can do to center Black birthing families and help Black. You can use this checklist to see where you can implement or change how you practice. This is an opportunity to increase your efforts if you already have some of the suggestions below in place.
June 03, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
The New Yorker and the Retro Report created a new short film, “Bearing the Burden: Black Mothers in America,” that discusses how health care providers are returning to the midwife to meet the maternity care needs of Black people who are growing their families. A century ago, Granny Midwives were responsible for the majority of births of Black families and poor white families. Doctors created unwarranted concerns about the safety practices and skill levels of the Black midwives and forced them to stop practicing. “Can Midwives Bridge the Gap?” Is the accompanying article that goes along with the documentary.
April 17, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW21) ends today, but perinatal professionals need to acknowledge that this focus is not something that should be elevated one week a year. The atrocious maternal morbidity and mortality rate faced by childbearing Black people demands attention and action every single day. There is simply no time to rest, as people are dying while trying to grow their families.
Here are some amazing Black perinatal organizations that are uniquely qualified to serve Black families. This list is just a small compilation of resources, and identifies those organizations with a national presence. You should identify similar groups that are local to your community, so you can include that information as well and make it easier for Black families to identify the right resources for them.
April 06, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
In 2019, 754 people lost their life from maternal causes in the United States. The maternal mortality rate for 2019 was 20.1 deaths per 100,000 live births. In 2018, 658 people died from maternal causes and the maternal mortality rate was 17.4 per 100,000.
2019 brought 96 more deaths and a significantly higher maternal mortality rate.
The United States continues to have the worst maternal mortality rate of all the world’s industrialized countries. It is estimated that 66% of the maternal deaths that occurred in 2019 were preventable.
February 11, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
If you are a perinatal professional who wants to learn more about how to be an anti-racist and an ally to Black people, and you want to understand the impact that racism and systemic oppression have on Black families during the childbearing year, I have collated a few no-cost trainings and activities that you can participate in during Black History Month 2021. Please take a look and join me in learning how important this work is to Black parents and babies and to all of us.
December 29, 2020 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
Black birthing people are more likely to die in childbirth and postpartum than their white counterparts. Black babies are less likely to reach their first birthday. It’s a big problem with some simple ways for us to help combat it. Encourage Black Lamaze Childbirth Educator Candidates to submit their books lists to The Doula Book Project. Consider finding a childbirth educator, doula, or midwifery student in your area to support.
July 02, 2020 | by: Molly Giammarco, MPP
Lamaze International is pleased to announce its coordination with the Congressional Black Maternal Health Caucus (BMHC) to present a webinar, Evidence-Based Childbirth Education: A Critical Strategy to Improve Birth Outcomes and Reduce Maternal Health Disparities. The webinar will take place on Thursday, July 23, 2020, at 11am CDT/12pm EDT and is free to all. All Lamaze members, parents, supporters, and Congressional staffers are welcome to attend.
June 11, 2020 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
Connecting the Dots wants you to know about The Grand Challenge. The Grand Challenge was founded in 2012 by Jennie Joseph, the late Claudia Booker and Vicki Penwell. The goal of the program "is to connect Birth Workers who desire to work in maternity care fields in America with programs of education and individuals that can offer help." They are "matching scholars to scholarships to reduce birth disparities."
June 05, 2020 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
As a follow up to Lamaze International's statement indicating our organization stands against inequality and injustice, I wanted to share a rich resource just brought to my attention that is designed for health care providers and perinatal professionals. The Birth Place Lab in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada as an information page directed at actions that people can take now to fight racism against Black people. There are also added resources discussing the oppression on Indigenous people, and the LGBTQIA+ community.
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