Judith Lothian
Seton Hall University
Judith Lothian, PhD, RN, LCCE, FAAN, is a Professor at the College of Nursing at Seton Hall University. She is the Associate Editor of the Journal of Perinatal Education and the Chair of the Certification Council for Lamaze International.
Lamaze International took a bold step in 1995 to advance normal, physiologic birth when they developed a philosophy of birth that acknowledged women's inherent ability to give birth. The statement also highlighted the importance of childbirth education in assisting women to have confidence in their ability to give birth. In 2007, the organization, in the of Journal of Perinatal Education, published position papers on 6 evidence based care practices, based on WHO recommendations, that support normal birth. The papers were updated in 2014 (Amis, 2014; Ondeck, 2014; Lothian, 2014; DiFranco & Curl 2014; Crenshaw, 2014; Shilling, 2014 ). The six care practices (wait for labor to start on its own, freedom of movement, labor support, birth in non-supine positions, keeping mother and baby together, and no routine interventions) serve as a guide for childbirth educators in teaching women and families as they prepare for the birth of their babies.
This presentation will highlight the strategies Lamaze International has used over the past decade to advance normal birth. The strategies include education of childbirth educators so that they understand the value and importance of normal birth, a certification examination for childbirth educators that evaluates candidates knowledge of normal birth and its value and importance for women and babies, a peer-reviewed journal that advances normal birth, and two websites, with extensive resources, for both women and professionals that empower women and professionals to trust birth.
Discussion: Lamaze childbirth education is designed to increase women's confidence in their ability to give birth. It is also designed to give women the knowledge and skills to manage their labors and advocate for themselves in the maternity care system. A study by Rice-Simpson (2010) demonstrated that standardized, evidence based information about induction in a childbirth education class reduces the incidence of elective induction . A more recent study (2016) by Levitt et all found that childbirth education that included accupressure, massage, relaxation, massage, yoga, and breathing techniques for labor and birth reduced interventions, including augmentation and epidural, and reduced the rate of cesarean. The women also had shorter labors. There is a critical need for further research that demonstrates the outcomes of evidence based childbirth education.
Conclusion: Childbirth education that is designed to advance normal birth has the potential to decrease cesareans, increase vaginal births, decrease interventions, increase satisfaction, and enhance breastfeeding success. There is a critical need for research that demonstrates these outcomes and identifies the specific components of childbirth education that might account for the differences in outcomes. This session provides an opportunity brainstorm and to work together to collaborate on planning further research to determine outcomes of evidence based childbirth education.
1. Studies that integrate knowledge from a range of scientific approaches and/or perspecti , Studies of collaboration to improve maternal, infant, family, and maternity staff wellbein , The identification and examination of relevant outcomes relating to labour and birth , Educational aspects
