Research and resources for perinatal professionals.
January 26, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology published a study, “Pandemic-related pregnancy stress and anxiety among women pregnant during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic” that found that anxiety and stress was more common than it had been before with the combined stressors of pregnancy and new parenting and the complications of dealing with COVID-19 pandemic concerns.
One of the ways that this increased stress and impact of PMADs can be moderated is by information, awareness and screening. Childbirth classes are a great source of all three of these components that contribute to lower PMAD rates. Unfortunately, the number of people currently attending childbirth classes is reduced due to restrictions on public gatherings and appropriate concerns for personal safety and health. People may not be aware that many childbirth classes have moved to virtual platforms and are still available.
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January 20, 2021 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
Childbirth educators and other perinatal professionals are being asked time and time again by pregnant and lactating people if it is appropriate and safe to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Initial testing for the vaccines did not include pregnant or lactating volunteers and there is limited information on efficacy, safety, impact on the fetus or human milk. Resources to help you answer these questions today on the blog.
January 20, 2021 | by: Katie McGee, PT, DPT
Tearing during childbirth is one of the most common concerns of pregnant people. While over 90% people birthing through their vaginas for the first time do develop some tearing, most tears are not serious and heal on their own or with a few stitches (Smith et al., 2013).
But what about those more significant tears? It is true that large tears do happen. Fortunately, research has shown us that there are ways to reduce the risk of tearing during a vaginal birth. Some of these ways of preventing tears can be done before childbirth, while others are done during childbirth.
January 05, 2021 | by: Andrea Lythgoe, LCCE
Today, please enjoy the seventh and final post in the series: Better Childbirth Education By Design, a special Connecting the Dots series written by skilled educator LCCE Andrea Lythgoe. Andrea has been a frequent contributor to Connecting the Dots over the years with some very popular and informative posts. Instruction design is a field that applies systematic approaches to planning education. Lots has been written about its use in a wide variety of fields, from K-12 education to higher education, corporate training and even the US military. In this series - Better Childbirth Education by Design, Andrea introduces readers to a very common model of instructional design, called ADDIE, and demonstrate how childbirth educators can use this process to create and refine your childbirth classes. Today, Andrea discusses evaluating your course offerings to help you evaluate and adjust your curriculum. To find the entire Better Childbirth Education By Design series, follow this link. - Sharon Muza, Connecting the Dots Community Manager.
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.
December 03, 2020 | by: Andrea Lythgoe, LCCE
Today, please enjoy the sixth post in the series: Better Childbirth Education By Design, a special Connecting the Dots series written by skilled educator LCCE Andrea Lythgoe. Andrea has been a frequent contributor to Connecting the Dots over the years with some very popular and informative posts. Instruction design is a field that applies systematic approaches to planning education. Lots has been written about its use in a wide variety of fields, from K-12 education to higher education, corporate training and even the US military. In this series - Better Childbirth Education by Design, Andrea introduces readers to a very common model of instructional design, called ADDIE, and demonstrate how childbirth educators can use this process to create and refine your childbirth classes. Today, Andrea discusses using a modular way of activity planning to help you select activities and adapt on the fly when necessary. To find the entire Better Childbirth Education By Design series, follow this link. - Sharon Muza, Connecting the Dots Community Manager.
November 30, 2020 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, CD/BDT(DONA), LCCE, FACCE, CLE
November 2020 was the eighth consecutive month that I, like many of you, have been teaching all my childbirth classes virtually. I am fully planning that the first half of 2021 will remain virtual. With that in mind, for the November 2020 Brilliant Activities for Birth Educators idea, I thought I would revisit Jeopardy, a fun online game that has been in use as a learning tool for many years. The longtime host of Jeopardy, Alex Trebeck, passed away this month at the age of 80, after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Jeopardy, the popular game show that requires the answer to be in the form of a question translates very well to a childbirth class activity. For a wide variety of activities , please browse all 66 previous Brilliant Activities for Birth Educators ideas, by following this link.
November 17, 2020 | by: Sharon Muza, BS, LCCE, FACCE, CD/BDT(DONA), CLE
Today, November 17th, is World Prematurity Day. Globally, this day is set aside to recognize the signs and risks of premature birth and to understand the impact that premature birth has on babies and families. . One in ten babies are born prematurely around the world. The most recent rate in the United States is 9.7 and that is an increase from the year before. You can find out more global current stats here. Being born prematurely impacts the health and well-being of babies from the moment of birth and throughout their entire life. Additionally, the medical dollars dedicated to caring for premature babies from the time of birth and often continuing for their entire life is immense.
November 10, 2020 | by: Andrea Lythgoe, LCCE
Better Childbirth Education by Design, Andrea introduces readers to a very common model of instructional design, called ADDIE, and demonstrate how childbirth educators can use this process to create and refine your childbirth classes. Today, Andrea discusses creating the "chunks" of time and planned activities that make up your time together with your families.
So you know what your learners want and need, you know what you want to do with your class, and you’re ready to start pulling together a curriculum and planning how you’re going to teach. Start thinking about your strategies for teaching and plan a variety of activities and materials to support your objectives.
October 20, 2020 | by: Sharon Muza
As childbirth educators, we should be sharing information with families about the tests and assessments that newborns undergo in the first hours, days and weeks of their lives. Rather than being viewed as more unnecessary interventions often delivered as part of maternal and neonatal care in 2020, these screenings are making a real difference in the lives of babies and families. Newborn Screening is one of the most effective public health campaigns ever initiated. Through early detection, there has been a positive impact on infant health across diverse geographic, racial/ethnic and socioeconomic differences.
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