Friday, October 17, 2008

Historic Birth Summit

Historic Birth Summit To Be Held In Chicago

To make informed decisions, expectant parents need evidence-based information. November 8, a historic group of birth professionals will meet to counter recent non-research based proclamations.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRLog (Press Release) – Oct 14, 2008 – Nurses, physicians, midwives, childbirth educators, doulas and lactation consultants will be meeting November 8 at the O'Hare Hilton in Chicago, the home town of the American Medical Association.

This historical summit, called in response to the ACOG/AMA joint proclamation (resolution 205 A-08), will set the evidence-based record straight regarding midwifery care and childbirth in hospital settings in the US. According to the proclamation that sited no research or medical evidence studies, the ACOG/AMA stated that in their opinion our American Medical Association supports the recent American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) statement that "the safest setting for labor, delivery, and the immediate post-partum period is in the hospital, or a birthing center within a hospital complex, that meets standards jointly outlined by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and ACOG, or in a freestanding birthing center that meets the standards of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, The Joint Commission, or the American Association of Birth Centers".

Representatives from the American College of Nurse Midwives, Lamaze International, the International Childbirth Education Association, the Midwives Alliance of North America, Waterbirth International and others will be in attendance.

"The proclamation ignores the myriad of evidence that consistently shows that homebirth is safe for low-risk women," states Summit coordinator Connie Livingston. "Likewise, it ignores fact that there is no evidence showing that hospital-based births have better outcomes for low risk mothers. The United States ranks pitifully low on the list of countries as far as neonatal mortality/morbidity and ranks 41st in maternal deaths among all nations on the planet. The impact of birth interventions is directly related to the unbelievable lack of breastfeeding in our society as well."

Since the proclamation in the summer, physicians and other practitioners have been asking for the reasoning behind the AMA/ACOG proclamation. So far, none has been given.
A joint evidence-based announcement will be made pointing out the dangerous and inaccurate nature of the AMA/ACOG proclamation and the impact that such a proclamation, if enacted, would have on an expectant mother's right to choose her caregiver and place to give birth to her baby.
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About Perinatal Education Associates, Inc.: Consumer and professional advocacy for childbirth and womens health. The website is www.birthsource.com plus www.thebirthfacts.com

1 comment:

Michelle said...

Thank you for sharing about your birth experiences and book, Sophie.

I just visited your web page, and will check out your book shortly.

-Michelle