ImprovingBirth.org

12/01/2023

Researchers at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital would like your help!

If you have experienced a cesarean delivery in the last 12 months, please consider taking this brief survey which is part of the PARTNER Study (Patient and provider priorities, attitudes, and beliefs regarding pain and other dimensions of cesarean delivery experience).

You do not have to have delivered at their hospital and the survey should only take 5-10 mins.

08/21/2023

📣 Save the Date: Live Q&A with ImprovingBirth & Birthify Founder! 🗓️

Get ready for an engaging and informative session! Join us for a live Q&A with Dawn Thompson, the visionary founder of Birthify. 🌟 She'll share insights about our journey, mission, and the remarkable results from our beta tests.

🗓️ Date: August 23rd
⏰ Time: 10 am Pacific Time
📍 Where: Zoom (Link in Bio)

Don't miss this chance to be part of the conversation reshaping maternal care! Mark your calendars, set your alarms, and come armed with your questions. Let's create a brighter future for pregnancy, birth, and beyond together.

08/18/2023

Hello, incredible ImprovingBirth community! It's been a while, and we've missed connecting with you. But guess what? We've been working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring you something truly groundbreaking and staying with tradition; the soft launch for our new baby is LABOR DAY!

After two years of dedication, collaboration, and innovation, we're beyond thrilled to introduce Birthify – a game-changer in the world of maternal health support. Our journey has been fueled by the desire to empower expecting parents and doulas, revolutionizing how we approach pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care in the United States and we NEED YOU!

🌟Check out the link to learn more🌟

05/06/2023

"For the last 6 years since the release of the ARRIVE Trial I have been saying to anyone who would listen that it would not reduce the c-section rate but in fact increase it.

I'm so grateful that others like Lisa Kane Low, are in a place to produce more research to prove what we know is true, instead of keeping up a narrative that works for the bottom line and patient management.

We typically all grow up with a “doctor knows best” mentality but providers have a serious conflict of interest, because normal physiological birth is not good business. They too are working within a broken system that is built on fear of liability, a system that has significant financial motivators and a system that has come to the conclusion that more interventions solve both of those issues.

This is why I created Birthify. I firmly believe that many pregnant families would makes different choices if they had true informed consent which includes the risks, benefits and alternatives to all procedures.

If you are pregnant or know someone who is, please encourage them to educate and advocate for themselves and please share this article with then as it seems EVERYONE is being encouraged to induce labor at 39 weeks." - Dawn Thompson, President

A statewide study in Michigan suggests that inducing labor at the 39th week of pregnancy for single baby first births in a head down position, or at low risk, won’t necessarily reduce the risk of caesarian births. In fact, it may even have the opposite effect if hospitals don’t take a thoughtful...

08/09/2022

ImprovingBirth will again partner with Mom Congress. consider joining us for this truly impactful event in September. https://fb.watch/eNiuU1qg6t/

05/05/2022

Breaking news!

From Charles Johnson and 4Kira4Moms:

Some times you have to punch the bully in the mouth 👊🏽

“There is no doubt in my mind that Kira would be here today if she were a white woman,” said Kira’s widower, Charles Johnson. “What happened to Kira at Cedars Sinai is a gruesome illustration of how racism in health care manifests itself. Sadly Kira is not an outlier. The things that we have learned during this discovery process makes it clear that racism was the biggest risk factor that Kira faced at Cedars-Sinai. Enough is enough. Institutions must be held accountable for enabling cultures of racism and bias that have fatal consequences for Black and brown mothers. My hope is that by filing this suit we will send a clear message to institutions who have failed our families for far too long that we will no longer tolerate racism in the medical treatment we receive.”

03/03/2022

Congratulations, Jennie! We are so happy for you!!

TIME's 2022 Women of the Year list is out. I'm extremely proud and honored to be a part of this group: time.com/woty

02/14/2022

While we can imagine this has a positive impact on postpartum mood disorders, don’t you think birthing people and families should be able to feel supported and taken care of with paid parental leave for several months after welcoming a new being into their family?

Our Babies to Work Program at Randolph County Health Department welcomes our 4th mom and new baby! Pauletta is now working with WIC and just returned after maternity leave. When asking Pauletta about the benefits of the program she said it was much easier coming back to work knowing that she could continue to bond with her son, Jaylon, and continue to work at the same time. The Babies to Work program supports a positive work/life balance and shows that the department practices what we encourage in our communities; supporting parent and infant bonding, parental well-being, healthy infant development, and breastfeeding.

02/11/2022

Birth Justice is Black Midwifery: The History of a Movement
Thursday, February 24, 2022 1:30-3:00 ET

Upcoming webinar with National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM)!

“There is a growing body of work that suggests that Birth Justice has become not only a framework but also a movement that fuses social justice and birth work. Birth Justice is a manifestation of the grassroots efforts of BIPOC midwives, most specifically of Black midwives in the southern United States in recent history.

As a framework, Birth Justice is a cohesive answer to the obstetric violence and oppression plaguing Black and Indigenous birthing people. It is particularly rooted in intersectionality and reproductive justice as it seeks to identify and implement solutions to the root causes of pregnancy and birth disparities.

Following on NACPM’s October 2021 webinar, A History of the Reproductive Justice Movement for Midwives, we are most pleased to welcome Jamarah Amani, LM, to present Birth Justice is Black Midwifery: The Hxstory of a Movement. This webinar is an introduction to the history and timeline of Birth Justice. It will elucidate the root causes of the decline of Black and Indigenous Maternal Health and describe ways forward towards justice for all birthing people.”
TO REGISTER: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3678490238493554701

02/07/2022

A note from Dawn: "Every birth professional I know has been watching in horror over the past 5 years as 39 week inductions skyrocketed based on this incredibly flawed trial. Call me cynical, but I think the damage has been done. And it will take many years before the pattern stops. I am grateful for some commonsense here at least."

Do you feel the same about the ARRIVE trial??

In 2018, the ARRIVE trial (Grobman et al. N Engl J Med. 2018) reported that 39-week elective labor induction in nulliparas decreased cesarean birth and pre-eclampsia rates compared with expectant management. Our hypothesis was that this publication had an immediate impact on induction practices and....

02/05/2022

Were any of you who had a cesarean supported in your preference for delayed cord clamping??

A little delayed cord clamping in the OR during a caesarean birth. The baby still benefits from a little extra time.