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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 Most recent page update: 12/11/2008
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© 2010 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 VBAC Guidlines
ACOG has just issued new Guidlines for VBAC. What changed? What continues? We've Moved!
On July 1, 2010, the Childbirth Connection office moved to 260 Madison Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10016. All other contact information is unchanged. New Pregnancy Video Library Available
Our new Video Library features links to a wealth of resources for health professionals as well as for women who are planning pregnancy, are pregnant or are new mothers. Visit the Video Library  "2020 Vision" and "Blueprint for Action" Reports Available Learn about Transforming Maternity Care project Read the "2020 Vision" Read the "Blueprint for Action" Read the Consumer Workgroup report Help implement Blueprint recommendations Listen to report release event audio, 1/2010 eNews Sign Up
Help Transform Maternity Care! Rising Maternal Mortality
Updated Maternity Care Statistics Available
US Cochrane Center (USCC)/Consumers United for Evidence-based Healthcare (CUE) Evidence-Based Maternity Care Report Released New Mothers Speak Out National Report Released New Content!
 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
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"This is the most difficult, underpaid job in the world...and the most rewarding! I love being a mother, and have even missed being pregnant!"
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