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.

Some highlights of today’s meeting included a positive financial statement by Board Treasurer Jessica Deeb, who shared that the most recent financial year, now being reviewed by the organization’s accounting firm, shows that Lamaze International had positive growth and financial gains from licensing royalties, educational offerings and membership.

Outgoing Board President Tanya Cawthorne reported that the fall 2022 Board meeting devoted a significant amount of time to making sure that actions and planning remained focused on the strategic framework and objectives of the Lamaze Ahead initiatives set in 2021.

The Accreditation Council reported that both in-person and virtual seminar options continue to be offered by 18 accredited programs. In the past year, more than 110 seminars were held and attended by participants from all around the world. Lamaze also received NCAA reaccreditation this year.

The Education Council shared that continuing education opportunities, webinars and home study opportunities were offered that provided accessible continuing education hours for attendees.  The Evidence-Based Labor Support workshop also received updates and the Learning Guide is going to be reviewed and updated in 2023. New LCCE Welcome Workshops are being held to orientate newly certified educators, with the most recent event held last week. Our robust online Parent Education courses are also scheduled for an update in the upcoming year. Mentorship opportunities were made available to people interested in becoming educators through the Prolacta BioScience Foundation Grant. Our 2022 One-Day Virtual Conference, held last month, exceeded expectations.

The Certification Council provided updates on several topics, including the fact that the 2022 Exam Administration window for both English and Spanish participants was extended to three weeks in 2022 and is planned to span a four week period in 2023, in order to be accessible to more LCCE candidates. 2023 dates are currently planned for May 10- June 7 and October 11-November 8, 2023. The LCCE Exam Development Process (a five year cycle) will be ongoing in 2023, including the comprehensive Job Task Analysis.  

The International Committee, composed of members from seven countries around the world, shared that they are working on a draft glossary of birth terms to help non native English and Spanish speakers to understand birth terminology. Details about the Linda Harmon grant are being finalized and collaboration with international maternal-infant organizations is ongoing..

The Advocacy & Collaboration Committee updated that the Lamaze organization commented on the Birthing-Friendly Hospital Designation Program, An Advocacy Roundtable on breast/chestfeeding was held in early August and committee members also focused on collaboration with Title V Maternal-Child Health Funding and the CDC’s Surveillance Emerging threats to Mothers and Babies Network efforts.  Members were also encouraged to be active on their state, provincial and local levels to further focus and attention on positive maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Outgoing Past-President Alice Turner shared thoughts on the state of Lamaze as she prepared to depart the Board of Directors:

“The strength and power of Lamaze is built on the membership.  As I finish out my term serving on the Lamaze Board of Directors, I am excited by the diversity of our membership and the enthusiasm of all the people who are members from around the world. You all are recognized as an important and vibrant part of our organization.”

There was also a call to action from organization leaders for people to step up and volunteer on committees and councils that interest them, as Lamaze values the voices and skills of all of the members. You can express your interest in volunteering here.

If you are a Lamaze International member, watch your email in the next couple of weeks to find out the details of a special meeting being called for all Lamaze members for the purpose of approving proposed by-law changes and voting for new Board of Directors members. This virtual meeting needs a quorum of members in attendance in order to hold a vote on these important issues. Your voice is important as these topics impact both day to day operations and forward momentum and vision of the entire organization.

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