Resources for Safe Birth

Birth Rights Advocacy Organizations and Resources
The Big Push for Midwives
Birth Monopoly
Birth Rights Bar Association
Cesarean Rates.com
Childbirth Connection
Evidence Based Birth
Human Rights in Childbirth
Improving Birth
The Leapfrog Group Maternity Care 
Leapfrog Group 2017 Maternity Care Report
National Advocates for Pregnant Women
The Rights of Childbearing Women

ACOG Committee Opinions and Guidelines
Approaches to Limit Intervention During Labor and Birth, 2017
Definition of Term Pregnancy, 2013 (reaffirmed 2017)
Delayed Umbilical Cord Clamping After Birth, 2017
Mode of Term Singleton Breech Delivery, 2006 (reaffirmed 2016)
Quality Patient Care in Labor and Delivery: A Call to Action, 2011
Refusal of Medically Recommended Treatment During Pregnancy, 2016
Safe Prevention of the Primary Cesarean Delivery, 2014 (reaffirmed 2016)

Midwifery Organizations
Association of Independent Midwives of Maryland (AIMM)
Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA)
National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM)
North American Registry of Midwives (NARM)

Maryland Licensed Midwives
Licensed CNMs in Maryland – Select “Nursing” in “Profession” field and “Certified Reg. Nurse Midwife” in “License Type” field, and then click the Search button to see a list of all CNMs in Maryland.  Only a few CNMs support home births.
Licensed DEMs in Maryland – Select “Direct Entry Midwife” in both “Profession” and “License Type” fields, and then click the Search button to see a list of all licensed Direct Entry Midwives in Maryland.

Other Maryland Birth Resources
Baltimore Birth Circle
Birth Circle of Baltimore – request to join the FB group
Birth Options Alliance
The Birthing Circle – chapters in Frederick, Montgomery, and Carroll counties
Maryland Birth Network

Maryland Stats and Facts
Maryland Health Care Quality Reports – Childbirth
Maryland hospitals by county 2014
The Truth about VBAC: Maryland Families Need Access – MFSB YouTube video
US Dept. of Health and Human Services Health Resources Administration – Title V Maternal & Child Health Services Block Grant Program data on state funding, population served, performance measures, and outcomes

Home Birth and Home vs. Hospital Birth Information
Home Birth Rates by State 2012
Home Birth Summit
The Myth of a Safer Hospital Birth for Low-Risk Pregnancies
Outcomes by planned place of birth – 2011 BMJ abstract for Birthplace in England national study
Outcomes of Planned Home Births with CPMs in North America
Your biggest C-section risk may be your hospital

VBAC – Vaginal Birth After Cesarean
Access to VBAC: Restrictive Policies – William and Mary Journal of Women and the Law 2014
ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) – search for local chapters in the Maryland and mid-Atlantic area!
Maryland Cesarean Rates 2015
VBAC Facts – many excellent blog posts and resources
VBAC Rates by State 2014

Breech Options
Birthing Instincts and Dr. Stuart Fischbein
C-section not the best option for Breech birth – article
International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) and the Webster Technique
Spinning Babies

Birth Trauma and Postpartum Support
Accountability Toolkit: A Guide to Filing a Formal Grievance After a Difficult Childbirth
Exposing the Silence Project
Pathways to Healing: A Guide to Emotional Healing After a Difficult Childbirth
Postpartum Support International

Other Articles
Rising US Maternal Mortality Rate
What to Reject when you’re expecting