RESOURCES: Evidenced Based Maternity Care

Consumer Reports
When it's time to bring a new baby into the world, there's a lot to be said for letting nature take the lead. The normal, hormone-driven changes in the body that naturally occur during delivery can optimize infant health and encourage the easy establishment and continuation of breastfeeding and mother-baby attachment. Read more...

Study: Two-Thirds of OB-GYN Clinical Guidelines Have No Basis in Science
Majority of ACOG Recommendations for Patient Care Found to Be Based on Opinion and Inconsistent Evidence, Read More....

Birth Advocates are always saying that obstetricians shouldn't be doing such-and-such routine procedure anymore, because it is not the best for mother and baby.  Complete with references, here are 10 Common Obstetric Procedures Not Supported By Science, Read More...

Childbirth Connection
Despite good intentions of many dedicated health professionals and very large expenditure of resources, the U.S. maternity care system has many shortcomings. Many women and babies receive poor quality maternity care, including many procedures, drugs and tests that are not needed — "overuse" — and failure to get many beneficial forms of care — "underuse". Read more...

World Health Organization, Care in Normal Birth
The report addresses issues of care in normal birth irrespective of the setting or level of
care. Its recommendations on those interventions which are or should be used to support the processes of normal birth are neither country nor region specific. Enormous variations exist worldwide as to the place and level of care, the sophistication of services available and the status of the caregiver for normal birth. This report aims simply to examine the evidence for or against some of the commonest practices and to establish recommendations, based on the soundest available evidence, for their place in normal birth care. Read more....

Mother Friendly Childbirth - Highlights of the Evidence
Citizens for Midwifery and BirthNetwork National have developed this summary of the research findings regarding the Ten Steps of Mother‐Friendly Care. Read more...

The Journal for Perinatal Education
In this column, the author presents summaries of four current research studies that further support the benefits of normal birth. The topics of the studies address the benefits of the hands-and-knees position in labor, postmenopausal urinary incontinence, the impact on perinatal outcomes of coached versus uncoached pushing during the second stage of labor, and the impact of the duration of breastfeeding on the likelihood of developing type-2 diabetes later in life. Read more...

Our Bodies, Ourselves
The existence of two separate approaches to the care of pregnant women began in ancient history; ultimately it led to the development of the two professions of midwifery and medical obstetrics. Each of these disciplines is based on a different understanding of the nature and significance of pregnancy and childbirth. Read more....

Practice guidelines by specialist societies are surprisingly deficient Read more...

A note about our "Resources" pages: We offer these resources as one step of your informed decision-making process.  Each mother and each circumstance are unique.  There is no one "right" way.  One article or study does not an informed decision make.  Read more.  Research more.  Talk openly with your carefully chosen care provider and those who will support you.  Then, make the decision that is right for you.