May 6th through 12 is Nurses Appreciation Week. Nurses touch the lives of many pregnant, birthing and postpartum families and are often the first point of contact when a person goes into labor or arrives at the hospital. 10,000 people give birth daily in the United States! Since only 6% of birthing families in the USA have a doula in attendance during their birth, labor and birth nurses juggle many clinical responsibilities along with providing emotional support. Thank you to the nurses who work day and night, every hour to help promote healthy parents and newborns. The 4 million people who give birth each year in the USA would be without high-quality nursing care if there were no nurses. There are approximately 350,000 reproductive health, obstetric and neonatal nurses. Without these people, we would be without key players who influence critical decisions, evidence-based guidelines, take part in quality research, mobilize teams and keep patients safe.

Lamaze International Board Member and research sociologist Christine Morton, Ph.D.wrote a post for Science & Sensibility a few years ago, "Preventing Cesarean Delivery: What is the Nurses' Role" that shares how impactful the labor and birth nurse can be in determining how a birth might end up. Often the nurse's role is overlooked and underappreciated.

Lamaze International honors all of the nurses across the world who help to improve birth safety and satisfaction. Many Lamaze International members are nurses and LCCE educators. We appreciate their contributions to maternal- infant health. During Nurse Appreciation Week 2017, we would like to additionally recognize the nurses who serve on our AP (Approved Provider) Unit, and help us to develop and provide continuing nursing education activities.

• Susan Givens, BSN, RNC-OB, MPH, LCCE
• Denise Hancock, MSN, PhD, CNM, LCCE
• Stephanie Trueblood, BSN, MSN, LCCE
• Gladys Vallespir Ellett, RN, MA, CLC, LCCE
• Kathryn Konrad, MS, RNC-OB, LCCE, FACCE
• Jessica Deeb, MS, WHNP, IBCLC, LCCE
• Cathy Narcavage-Bradley, MSN, BSN, APHN-BC, SANE-A, SANE-P, LCCE

To explore some of these activities and earn Lamaze Contact Hours and Continuing Nursing Education, check out our online education portal!

Take some time out of your week to let obstetrical and neonatal nurses know how much we appreciate them and all they do to help families to have safe and healthy births.

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