Happy International Day of the Midwife! This year's theme marks the establishment, 100 years ago, of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM). Learn more at Internationalmidwives.org. Current data shows that Midwives can provide about 90% of the sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, and adolescent health (SRMNAH) care needed. Yet, they account for less than 10% of the global SRMNAH workforce.
Learn more about midwifery care around the world in a newly published report, The State of the World’s Midwifery 2021.
This report highlights:
Midwifery shortage and current needs
Key investments
Equity in access to midwifery care
Enabling and empowering midwives
Progress and ongoing challenges
Another great resource published today was from Evidence Based Birth. In this podcast episode on the Evidence of Midwives, the podcast highlights the evidence on how midwives save lives and impact outcomes around the globe. This is an excellent podcast on the historical perspective and data of midwifery care in the U.S compared globally and defines different types of midwives as licensure and regulations vary across the U.S. They do offer a content warning to its listeners as they discuss statistics of newborn and maternal mortality and the effects of racism and mistreatment in obstetric care.
Today, we want to recognize the midwives who provide care to families on the Central Coast in community births and hospital birth. Beyond that, the evidence shows midwives save lives, improves health, and strengthens health systems. The Central Coast has a growing practice of midwives who provide care for community births. According to CALM, California Association of Midwives, a community birth "refers to childbirth that is planned to take place in your home or a freestanding birth center and is attended by a licensed health care provider. Community birth is also referred to as planned home birth and/or birth center birth. In a quick search to see which local hospitals had midwifery attended births, we found out only 50% of 6 local Central Coast hospitals had midwifery supported birth services. See below to see which hospitals having practicing midwives.
Below are current #CCCNMembers who support CCCN's Mission, Vision and provides midwifery services to parents and families on the Central Coast from San Luis Obispo to Northern Santa Barbara County. Thank you for providing essential services to parents and families on the Central Coast. We see you! We support you! We know there is much work to be done to increase access to midwifery care locally.
Parents: Below are additional resources about midwifery care and midwives on the Central Coast.
CCCN Member Directory- Current list of CCCN Members who provide services on the Central Coast.
Learn more about home birth with Alia Clark, LM, CPM (Video)
Learn more about midwifery care and home birth with Central Coast Home Birth Midwives Alia Clark, LM, CPM and Justine Waldram LM, CPM from CCCN October 2020 Birth & Family Expo. (Video)
Birth tour of Intimate Journey Birth and Wellness on our IG page.
Look up a California Licensed Midwife at CALM.
Great Podcast and information at Evidence Based Birth. Click here for recent podcast Episode 175: Evidence on Midwives
Current there are only three hospitals who provide Midwifery services in San Luis Obispo County & North Santa Barbara County: French Hospital, Sierra Vista Hospital, and Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital . Currently, there is no midwifery services at Marian Regional Medical Center, Twin Cites Community Hospital, or Lompoc Valley Medical Center as of May 5th, 2021 (Personal communication, May 5th, 2021).
Free Standing Birth Centers: Santa Lucia Birth Center (SLO County), Intimate Journey Birth and Wellness in Arroyo Grande, CA Santa Barbara Midwifery and Birth Center (Santa Barbara County)
Certified Nurse Midwifery practices in San Luis Obispo County: Creating Harmony Women's Healthcare, and Advanced OB/GYN and SLO City Midwives
Please follow along as Central Coast Childbirth Network celebrates midwives locally and globally while raising awareness of the value of midwifery care, an often underutilized key investment in the United States in sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, and adolescent health.
*Use of this blog is for informational purposes only. CCCN does not offer medical advice. Please seek a professional healthcare provider for healthcare assessment, diagnosis and treatment.
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