Midwifery News + Research

July 2024

MIDWIFERY AND MATERNAL HEALTH IN THE NEWS Editorial: Midwives can help solve Pa. maternity care crisis — if we let them Midwife care is associated with overall better health outcomes for both mother and baby, with significantly lower rates of emergency c-sections, episiotomies and preterm births. Taken together, the facts about outcomes and other nations’ standards of care expose American attitudes toward midwives, often considered heedless or amateurish, as uninformed — and, often, rooted in sexist assumptions about women’s abilities and wisdom. I'm a midwife and the ancient practice of midwifery has stood the test of time for mothers Research consistently demonstrates that when midwives play a central role in providing maternal care, patients are more satisfied, clinical outcomes for mothers and infants improve, and costs decrease. The Commonwealth Fund determined the use of midwives was associated with fewer cesarean sections, lower preterm birth rates, lower episiotomy rates, higher breastfeeding rates, and a greater sense of respect and autonomy for the patient.    VIDEO: Midwives ready to go for Qld's first home birth backed by the state (International News) Midwives on the Sunshine Coast are waiting for a call to help support the first mums in Queensland to deliver their babies at home with the full backing of the state's health department. Inside the Fight to Bring Midwives Back to Massachusetts For the past century, lawmakers have blocked policies concerning birth center regulations, midwife licenses, and paying for midwife-led births through MassHealth. This has led many expecting parents to have no option but to give birth in a hospital. Tired of operating in the margins of the healthcare system, Massachusetts midwives have been fighting tirelessly for birth equity. The death of a beloved former Kansas City Chiefs cheerleader spotlights maternal mortality The most recent data from the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that the number of people who died from pregnancy-related causes dropped in 2022, to 817 from 1,205 women in 2021. Still, those numbers are higher than the 658 deaths recorded in 2018 and the 754 deaths recorded in 2019. Overall, maternal mortality dropped from a rate of 32.9 per 100,000 live births in 2021 to 22.3 in 2022. But experts say those numbers are abysmal when compared to maternal mortality in other modern nations. Midwives can play key role in aiding America’s maternal mortality crisis According to the World Health Organization, including midwifery in family planning could help avert more than 80% of all maternal deaths, stillbirths and neonatal deaths. Zephyrin’s team found that the U.S. has the second lowest number of midwives for every 1,000 births, and that most countries with the lowest mortality rates rely heavily on midwives. RECENT RESEARCH Listening to Black Women's Perspectives of Birth Centers and Midwifery Care: Advocacy, Protection, and Empowerment Black women in Texas experience high rates of adverse maternal outcomes that have been linked to health inequities and structural racism in the maternal care system. Birth centers and midwifery care are highlighted in the literature as contributing to improved perinatal care experiences and decreased adverse outcomes for Black women. However, compared with White women, Black women underuse birth centers and midwifery care. Black women's perceptions in Texas of birth center and midwifery care are underrepresented in research. Thus, this study aimed to highlight the views of Black women residing in Texas on birth centers and midwifery care to identify their needs and explore ways to increasing access to perinatal care. Insights into the U.S. Maternal Mortality Crisis: An International Comparison The United States continues to have the highest rate of maternal deaths of any high-income nation, despite a decline since the COVID-19 pandemic. And within the U.S., the rate is by far the highest for Black women. Most of these deaths — over 80 percent — are likely preventable.1 With policies and systems in place to support women during the perinatal period, several high-income countries report virtually no maternal deaths. As policymakers and health care delivery system leaders in the U.S. seek ways to end the nation’s maternal mortality crisis, these countries may offer viable solutions. Increasing the number of midwives is necessary but not sufficient: using global data to support the case for investment in both midwife availability and the enabling work environment in low- and middle-income countries Most countries are off-track to achieve global maternal and newborn health goals. Global stakeholders agree that investment in midwifery is an important element of the solution. During a global shortage of health workers, strategic decisions must be made about how to configure services to achieve the best possible outcomes with the available resources. This paper aims to assess the relationship between the strength of low- and middle-income countries’ (LMICs’) midwifery profession and key maternal and newborn health outcomes, and thus to prompt policy dialogue about service configuration. Prenatal Cannabis Use and Maternal Pregnancy Outcomes The relative lack of research on how prenatal cannabis use is associated with maternal health vs offspring health is notable. This study leveraged data from a large health care system to examine the associations between cannabis use during early pregnancy and maternal health, adjusting for clinical and sociodemographic factors. Prenatal cannabis use was associated with greater risk of gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, GWG outside of guidelines, and placental abruption and lower risk of GD. Prenatal cannabis use was associated with a greater risk of eclampsia, but the result did not reach statistical significance, possibly due to the rarity of this outcome. Associations were slightly stronger for most outcomes when examining cannabis use measured by toxicology testing vs self-report, but the pattern was similar across exposure definitions. © 2024 NACPM 8120 RESEARCH BLVD STE 105 PMB 140 AUSTIN, TX 78758 If you do not wish to receive further communication like this, unsubscribe here.

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