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 As we entered the 21st century, Childbirth Connection (then known as Maternity Center Association) took a close look at the childbirth experience in the U.S. Our assessment highlighted serious concerns about the quality of maternity care. We found major gaps between the care that mothers and babies actually receive and the care that they should receive based on the best scientific evidence. We refer to this as the "evidence-practice gap." To address these concerns, Childbirth Connection launched a long-term national program to promote safe, effective, and satisfying care that is consistent with the best scientific research. Our program helps women, health professionals, policymakers, and the media understand the best available research, take steps to make care more consistent with the best research, and fill in gaps in knowledge about safe and effective maternity care. We support improved clinical decision making and changes in policy and education to ensure that childbearing women have access to high-quality care. Our program places special emphasis on helping women to:
Childbirth Connection's website, research, and other programs are recognized by a broad spectrum of health professionals and many key organizations as a leading national resource for evidence-based maternity care. Many health professionals are committed to practicing according to the best evidence and welcome Childbirth Connection's help with understanding the evidence-based paradigm, lessons from the best research on specific topics, and how to gain access to basic resources for evidence-based maternity care. And, many childbearing women rely on our resources for trustworthy, high-quality information to help them make informed maternity care decisions. To extend its reach and resources, Childbirth Connection collaborates extensively with a broad range of organizations and with many leaders in the field. Childbirth Connection works to promote safe, effective and satisfying maternity care through 4 major ongoing initiatives: Cesarean Alert Initiative, Listening to Mothers Initiative, Labor Pain Initiative and Labor Support Initiative. Inside Programs:Cesarean Alert InitiativeCesarean section is on the rise in the U.S. About 1 woman in 3 now gives birth by major surgery. Childbirth Connection carried out the first in-depth review of the relevant research to identify all adverse effects in mothers and babies that are more likely with a cesarean or a vaginal birth. A booklet based on the results, What Every Pregnant Woman Needs to Know About Cesarean Section, helps pregnant women understand the key results from this research and provides evidence-based tips for women who wish to avoid unnecessary cesareans. The goal of this initiative is to raise awareness and educate the public about the importance of using the best research to guide personal decision making, policy making and maternity care practice.Go to Cesarean Alert Initiative  Listening to Mothers InitiativeChildbirth Connection's ongoing Listening to Mothers Initiative is devoted to understanding experiences and perspectives of childbearing women and using this knowledge to improve maternity policy, practice, education and research. National Listening to Mothers surveys provide an unprecedented understanding of experiences that affect women, babies, and families in the United States during a critical period in human and family development. They enable us to compare actual experiences of childbearing women and newborns to mothers' preferences, as well as to optimal evidence-based care, optimal outcomes, and protections granted by law. Identified gaps present opportunities to improve conditions for over four million mothers and babies annually in the U.S. The Listening to Mothers I survey (2002) was the first time that women in the United States were surveyed about their childbearing experiences at the national level in the United States. Listening to Mothers II (2006) included many of the original questions and also covered some topics in greater depth and explored new areas. Six months later, we invited Listening to Mothers II participants to respond to a follow-up survey focusing on their experiences since giving birth. The resulting New Mothers Speak Out survey report (2008) provides a new understanding of lives of women with young children in the United States.Go to Listening to Mothers Initiative Labor Pain InitiativeLabor pain is a matter of great concern to the 4 million U.S. women who give birth annually, yet controversy and incomplete knowledge about methods to relieve it still exist. Many women lack access to valid and complete information and a choice among pain relief methods. Childbirth Connection's Labor Pain Initiative helps ensure that women and their caregivers have access to the best research on the safety and effectiveness of available methods for relieving labor pain, and that women have access to a full array of drug and non-drug pain relief methods.Go to Labor Pain Initiative Labor Support InitiativeContinuous support during labor offers women many benefits and has no known downsides. This initiative helps increase women's access to and understanding of the positive impact of continuous care from a supportive companion during labor. Childbirth Connection participated in a comprehensive study describing the experiences of nearly 13,000 women has found that women who receive supportive care from a companion throughout labor are more likely than women without such care to avoid cesarean birth and other major medical interventions and to be satisfied with their birth experience.Labor Support Initiative Related Links
© 2008 Childbirth Connection. All rights reserved.
Childbirth Connection is a national not-for-profit organization founded in 1918 as Maternity Center Association. Our mission is to improve the quality of maternity care through research, education, advocacy and policy. Childbirth Connection promotes safe, effective and satisfying evidence-based maternity care and is a voice for the needs and interests of childbearing families. |
News and Features
New Mothers Speak Out National Report Released
The latest report in Childbirth Connection's Listening to Mothers series is now available. Get an eye-opening look at the reality of life as a mother of young children in the United States, based on national surveys conducted by Harris Interactive. Learn more, get the report Read the Wall Street Journal story and listen to the podcast Download Quick Facts (PDF) Join Our New Maternity Quality Matters Campaign!  If mothers and babies matter to you, Maternity Quality Matters…and so does your support. Please join our efforts to make quality maternity care a top national priority. About the campaign Give generously today List of Supporters National Perinatal Performance Measures The National Quality Forum has recently released its draft report with a proposed measure set and priorities for additional measures. Public reporting of performance can help women choose care, purchasers buy services, and providers improve quality. Read Alert and joint letter Childbirth Connection In the News Washington Post:"Many Women Struggle with Challenge of a Newborn" Wall Street Journal:"Birth Trauma: Stress Disorder Afflicts Moms" HealthDay:"Many Women Struggle with Challenge of a Newborn" Get these links and more articles Blog Chatter Here are some entries mentioning Childbirth Connection or our work. Go to In the Blogs  Journey to Parenthood Full Book Available Online! A family-friendly book covering the trimesters, pregnancy resources, and the latest information on baby's first year of development. Available online (free) and for purchase in the Bookstore. Browse through Journey to Parenthood Buy this book and learn more New Content!
Cesarean Trends: Graphs and Links
Provides a graph of the rising c-section rate, and links for the latest resources for the rising cesarean section rate. Access our cesarean section resources Journey to Parenthood :: entire book available online We've made our popular pregnancy book available online for free. Start reading Journey to Parenthood Preparing for Pregnancy Preparing for pregnancy now can make all the difference as you are trying to conceive. Go to Preparing for Pregnancy Popular Pages
"Motherhood is awesome. A little trying at times."
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