The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) provides research, administers and promotes continuing education programs, establishes clinical practice standards, and creates liaisons with state and federal agencies and members of Congress.
The mission of ACNM is to promote the health and well-being of women and infants within their families and communities through the development and support of the profession of midwifery as practiced by certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives. The philosophy inherent in the profession states that nurse-midwives believe every individual has the right to safe, satisfying health care with respect for human dignity and cultural variations.
Birthing Rights vary based on code of ethics of each hospital, professional organization and state statute. These sites can give you an idea of the level and kind of care you can expect - and demand - from healthcare providers belonging to such institutions.
The Rights of Childbearing Women
ACOG Code of Professional Ethics
Lamaze International and their blog, Science and Sensibility
Mother's ADVOCATE is a co-production of Lamaze and offers free materials for teaching Healthy Birth at www.mothersadvocate.org. YouTube videos and pdf handouts are available for free download.
Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS)
National Advocates for Pregnant Women
The Birth Survey helps people evaluate the goods and services they are shopping for in maternal/child health. Collectively, this information provides the public with a tool that will help women make maternity care decisions that are right for their individual needs. The Birth Survey was created by the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) and piloted in New York City by Choices in Childbirth. It became available nation-wide in the summer of 2008 and is online here.
The Assault on Normal Birth: The OB Disinformation Campaign
The history of Midwifery and Childbirth - A Time Line
History of Midwives - Canada
Home Birth Matters by Sheila Kitzinger
Home Birth: The rest of the story
The WORLD FACTBOOK
Central Intelligence Agency - world rankings of infant mortality rate
Waterbirth International offers a plethora of information concerning the safety of waterbirth.
Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC)
As the cesarean rate continues to climb year after year, it becomes increasingly important for women to have access to VBAC, and to more information about the benefits and risks of VBAC and repeat cesarean. The single most controversial issue regarding VBAC is the possibility of a uterine rupture, the separation of the uterine scar from a prior cesarean during labor or birth. The risk is less than 1% for women with one prior low-segment horizontal uterine scar, and 60 to 75% of mothers who choose VBAC successfully avoid a repeat cesarean. There is no evidence that routine repeat cesarean sections are safer than a planned VBAC.
www.ican-online.org
Lamaze International response to new ACOG Out-of-Hospital Birth Policy Statement
Family Medical Leave Act
You may be entitled to up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA"). This federal law applies to both women and men who work in a public agency, school or company with 50 or more employees with 75 miles. The leave can be used for pregnancy complications as well as for the birth and care of your newborn.
