Research and resources for perinatal professionals.
December 28, 2022 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
This month’s Brilliant Activities for Birth Educators is all about the “grab bag.” December is a gift giving time of year for many cultures around the world, this post will take a fresh look at different childbirth education ideas that involve students picking an item out of a bag and providing discussion opportunities around a variety of themes. For free access to all the Brilliant Activities for Birth Educators ideas, follow this link.
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December 21, 2022 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
It is with great sadness that I invite you all to join me in saying good-bye to Cara Terreri, the community manager for Giving Birth with Confidence (GBWC) - the Lamaze International consumer blog for families. Cara has held this position since the blog started in 2009. Over the past years, Cara has shared information, encouraged families, provided valuable resources and been a steady rock for so many people around the world, helping them to navigate pregnancy, labor/birth, feeding, postpartum and parenting with confidence, evidenced based information, and encouragement. It is estimated that Cara has written over 2000 posts for the GBWC blog. Sharon Muza interviews Cara about her 13 plus years in the community manager role.
December 14, 2022 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
December is a gift-giving season in many cultures and places around the world. Today’s seasonal blog post is about gifts that any childbirth educator might like to receive themselves, and some suggestions on where to make end of year gift donations to nonprofit organizations that support families in important ways.
November 30, 2022 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
This month’s Brilliant Activities for Birth Educators is less a structured activity and more of a technique that creates offers many benefits. It provides the educator with opportunities to reinforce best practices, creates community in the class, positions expectant people as the expert in their own care and helps exercise their “self-advocacy muscles” which are critical for a positive birth experience. To find all the Brilliant Activities for Birth Educators activities for free on Connecting the Dots, follow this link.
November 16, 2022 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
Tranexamic acid is a medication that is being used with more frequency to resolve postpartum hemorrhage due to its effective ability to control bleeding post-birth. This life saving medication is a welcome tool and is being used globally to help save the lives of birthing people. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recently published a special report that brought up a concerning and tragic issue as the use of tranexamic acid has increased.
November 09, 2022 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
Inviting guest subject matter experts into your childbirth classes is a winning proposition for everyone involved - the childbirth educator, the families in their classes and the specialists who share their expertise. Having guests join you for specific sections helps liven up classes and makes them more interesting for attendees. If you are a childbirth educator, consider where you can enhance the information your families receive by inviting guest speakers to your classes and help families make connections with people who can be a resource for them during pregnancy and also after the birth.
November 02, 2022 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
Lamaze International shared a number of positive, informative updates in their 2022 Annual Meeting held virtually on November 2, 2022, for all current Lamaze members. During this meeting, Lamaze members had a chance to say hello to the new Executive Director Sil Quevedo who is attending her first Annual meeting since being appointed earlier in 2022. You can find out all the details of the 2022 Member Meeting on Connecting the Dots.
October 19, 2022 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
The Lamaze International 2022 Virtual One-Day Conference is tomorrow, October 20, 2022. Conference organizers and presenters are excited for registrants to be attending virtually during the live presentation. Additional attendees will watch asynchronously during the time period that the conference material is available for post conference viewing.
Regardless of whether this is your first virtual conference or you are a pro at the virtual conference routine, here are some tips to get the most out of your time attending this year’s virtual presentations.
October 12, 2022 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month is observed during the month of October in the United States and in many other parts of the world. One in four pregnancies end in loss, one in 160 pregnancies that reach 20 weeks or beyond end in loss and 1 baby is born still at term for every 1000 live births. Approximately 5 babies die in their first year (infant mortality) for every 1000 live births in the United States. People of the Global Majority (BIPOC) are disproportionately impacted.
October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetime and this rate increases during pregnancy. Rates are highest when a pregnancy is unintended.
October 05, 2022 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
Meet Hillary Melchiors, PhD, MPH, LCCE, CD(DONA). Dr. Melchiors is a presenter at the 2022 Lamaze International Conference taking place virtually on October 20, 2022. Dr. Melchiors will be presenting "Obstetric Violence: The Role of the Childbirth Educator" and speaking to childbirth educators and others working with pregnant, birthing and new families about specific ways that childbirth educators can help students not only recognize obstetric violence but also advocate for themselves. If you have not yet registered for this conference packed with amazing speakers such as Dr. Melchiors, you can do so here on the conference page. Valuable continuing education hours, updated relevant information and an opportunity to connect live or watch the sessions recorded for a period of time are all part of this year's event. I appreciate the opportunity to interview Dr. Melchiors in advance of her session and share that interview with you here. - Sharon Muza, Community Manager, Connecting the Dots.
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