Birthing Resources
The American Association of Birth Centers, nation’s most comprehensive resource on birth centers, is a multi-disciplinary membership organization comprised of individuals and organizations who support the birth center concept.
The mission of BirthNetwork National is to promote the awareness and availability of Mother-Friendly maternity care.
BirthNetwork National is leading a grassroots movement based on the belief that birth can profoundly affect our physical, mental and spiritual well-being. BirthNetwork National advocates Mother-Friendly care, as defined by the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI). By making informed choices and having confidence in the process, families can experience safe and satisfying childbirth.
Welcome to ChildbirthConnection.org, your source for trustworthy up-to-date evidence-based information and resources on planning for pregnancy, labor and birth, and the postpartum period. Founded in 1918, Childbirth Connection is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of maternity care. We promote safe, effective and satisfying evidence-based maternity care for all women and families.
Choices in Childbirth is a non-profit organization that strives to improve maternity care by helping women make informed decisions about where, how and with whom to birth. Through education, outreach and advocacy, we provide information to the public about women’s rights and options in birth.
Citizens for Midwifery – the only national consumer-based group promoting the Midwives Model of Care! CfM works to provide information and resources that promote the local midwife, as well as midwives and midwifery care across the country!
Women across the globe appreciate and value the experience of having a doula – a knowledgeable, experienced companion – who stays with them through labor, birth and beyond. Birth doulas offer emotional support, encouragement and wisdom throughout labor and birth. Postpartum doulas support women and families through the transformation that a new baby brings to a family.
With over 7000 birth and postpartum doula members and growing, we are the largest doula association in the world. We support doulas by providing quality training and meaningful certification. We serve mothers and families by providing access to information and research about doulas, childbirth and the postpartum experience. DONA International certification sets the bar for doula education and professional development. It indicates to families that a doula has achieved a high level of training and professionalism.
GotMom.org was created by the American College of Nurse-Midwives to provide breastfeeding information and resources for mothers and families.
International Cesarean Awareness Network
The International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve maternal-child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery and promoting vaginal birth after cesarean. There are over 130 ICAN chapters worldwide which hold educational and support meetings for people interested in cesarean prevention and recovery.
La Leche League is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to help mothers worldwide to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, education, information, and encouragement, and to promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother.
The La Leche League site represents Groups, Leaders, and events of La Leche League in the United States of America. For breastfeeding information or to learn more about La Leche League, visit the La Leche League International Web site.
Lamaze promotes a natural, healthy and safe approach to pregnancy, childbirth and early parenting. Knowing that pregnancy and childbirth can be demanding on a woman’s body and mind, Lamaze serves as a resource for information about what to expect and what choices are available during the childbearing years.
Mothers Naturally is a public education program from the Midwives Alliance of North America. The goal of Mothers Naturally is to increase the number of safe and positive births by educating and informing the public about natural birth options and empowering women to make pregnancy and birth choices appropriate for their lives. Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) was formed in 1982 to unify and strengthen the profession of midwifery, thus improving the quality of health care for women, babies and communities. As a leader in midwifery, MANA has been at the forefront of developing midwifery credentialing and educational organizations.
The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS)
The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) is a coalition of individuals and national organizations with concern for the care and well-being of mothers, babies, and families. Our mission is to promote a wellness model of maternity care that will improve birth outcomes and substantially reduce costs. This evidence-based mother-, baby-, and family-friendly model focuses on prevention and wellness as the alternatives to high-cost screening, diagnosis, and treatment programs.
The evidence-based Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (MFCI) evolved from the collaborative effort of many individuals and more than 26 organizations focused on pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding during meetings spanning nearly three years in the 1990′s. The MFCI – the cornerstone of our mission – is the first and only consensus document on U.S. maternity care. The MFCI is recognized as an important instrument for change both in this country and abroad. Acknowledging the need to ensure the ongoing education and promotion of the Mother-Friendly childbirth model of care defined in the MFCI, CIMS was established as a non-profit corporation in 1997.
CIMS is at an exciting time in its development. As CIMS moves forward in its second decade, our focus is on supporting both “bottom-up” and “top-down” advocacy for Mother-Friendly Care. From the powerful work of the Grassroots Advocates Committee’s The Birth Survey project, which is mobilizing mothers and volunteers across the country, to the significant contributions of research on the evidence basis for Mother-Friendly Care, CIMS remains committed to providing the guidance and collaboration needed to support the maternity care community and ensure that mothers receive the care they deserve.
CIMS’ membership in the National Quality Forum (NQF), a public-private partnership created to develop and implement a national strategy for health care quality and measurement, reflects our commitment to bring about national change. Through the NQF’s Consumer Council, CIMS lends its voice to the needs of birthing women in the ongoing national debate about how best to improve maternity care.
CIMS is also an active member of the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee (USBC), a collaborative partnership of organizations dedicated to improving the nation’s health by protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding.
