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Nicette Jukelevics
e-CIMS Editor
1500 Sunday Dr
Ste 102
Raleigh, NC 27607
Tel 1: 888-282-CIMS
Tel 2: 919-863-9482
Fax: 919-787-4916
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A portion of the proceeds from sales support CIMS.
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CIMS' The Birth Survey now available nationwide!
For years, consumers have enthusiastically shared online reviews of movies, restaurants, products and services, but readily available information about maternity care providers and birth settings was nearly unattainable. No longer. As part of the Transparency in Maternity Care Project, the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) developed The Birth Survey as an online resource for new mothers to share their consumer reviews of doctors, midwives, hospitals, and birth centers, learn about the choices and birth experiences of others, and view data on hospital and birth center standard practices and intervention rates. The Birth Survey is now available throughout the United States.
The Birth Survey is free and available 24/7. Women who have given birth within the past three years can take the anonymous online consumer feedback survey. The survey asks mothers a variety of questions about their satisfaction with their maternity care providers and birth setting, and includes their feedback in the results, allowing other women to benefit from their experiences. In addition to the consumer data, the website will begin to list obstetrical intervention data for each hospital as provided by state Departments of Health. The Birth Survey is designed to help women find quality providers and birth settings that are the best match for their needs and lifestyles. Providers and facilities will also be able to utilize The Birth Survey as a consumer feedback and quality improvement tool.
Help spread the word about The Birth Survey!
Thank you to all the tireless volunteers who have worked so hard since 2006 to make this project a reality. And thank you to all our new project ambassadors and friends who are helping to make the Transparency in Maternity Care Project: The Birth Survey a reality.
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| BOLD productions raise funds and awareness for Mother-Friendly Care
It's time to be BOLD and support childbirth choices that work for mothers. And that's exactly what BOLD, the arts-based global movement that includes performances of Karen Brody's documentary-style play "Birth," is doing again in September 20008. Brody has donated her script of "Birth" to birth advocates worldwide. Volunteer productions raise funds for many birth advocacy organizations, including CIMS. Receipts from the 2007 productions by BOLD Boston, BOLD Maine, and BOLD Austin provided scholarships for more than 25 attendees to participate in CIMS' Annual Mother-Friendly Childbirth Forum.
"Birth" was recently hailed "The Vagina Monologues of birth" by well-known women's health expert Dr. Christiane Northrup. In addition to their BOLD Performances and Talkbacks, BOLD programs include BOLD Red Tents and the BOLD College Campaign.
It's now BOLD's third year bringing communities around the world performances and talkbacks using a theatre-for-social change model to raise awareness and money to improve childbirth for mothers. We encourage you to check out BOLD online, volunteer to help one of their local productions and go see a BOLD performance of "Birth" this September.
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Report provides in-depth look at women's postpartum experiences
Childbirth Connection recently released the newest report in its "Listening to Mothers" series, examining the experiences of U.S. women with children under the age of 18 months. "New Mothers Speak Out" reports on the physical and mental health challenges faced by new mothers. It gives us insight into their breastfeeding experiences, their relationships with their husbands, partners, and others, and their experience of transitioning back to employment or staying home with their children. Highlights of the report include the first national data about post-traumatic stress and women's childbirth experiences, and information on the results of two validated postpartum depression screening tools.
More than three out of four mothers rated their child's health as excellent, but the report highlighted that at least one-half of mothers experienced physical exhaustion, stress, sleep loss, and sore nipples at two months after birth. One in three reported that their emotional health interfered at least some of the time with their ability to care for their baby.
At six months, about four out of 10 mothers still felt stressed from their childbirth experience and 18 percent of women who gave birth by cesarean section reported feeling pain at the incision site. Mothers who had a cesarean were much more likely to say that physical problems interfered with caring for their baby. Notably, overall 18 percent of mothers suffered from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and 9 percent met all of the criteria for PTSD in relation to their childbirth experience. Access the report and other related resources at www.childbirthconnection.org.
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March of Dimes extends & expands Prematurity Campaign
The March of Dimes announced at the Surgeon General's Conference on the Prevention of Preterm Birth in June that it will extend its Prematurity Campaign for another decade, continuing to address preterm birth issues until 2010. The March of Dimes is concerned that increasing inductions and planned cesareans may be contributing to the rising number of babies born preterm. According to the March of Dimes, late preterm births account for 70 percent of all premature births in the U.S. and are the fastest growing subgroup of premature babies. Research by the March of Dimes and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that cesarean sections accounted for nearly all of the increase in U.S. singleton preterm births (1996 to 2004).
As part of their Prematurity Campaign, the March of Dimes will issue an "annual report card" grading the U.S. and each individual state on preterm birth rates and comparing those rates to the Healthy People 2010 goals. These reports will also spotlight contributing factors to preterm birth, including public policies on healthcare access for women and children. The first report card, expected in November 2008, will coincide with March of Dimes Prematurity Awareness Day. To learn more, visit the March of Dimes Web site. | |
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