Maternal and neonatal outcomes following waterbirth: a cohort study of 17,530 waterbirths and 17,530 propensity score-matched land births

Abstract Objective Investigate maternal and neonatal outcomes following waterbirth. Design Retrospective cohort study, with propensity score matching to address confounding. Setting Community births, United States. Sample Medical records-based registry data from low-risk births were used to create waterbirth and land birth groups (n=17,530 each), propensity score-matched on >80 demographic and pregnancy risk covariables Methods Logistic…

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Birth and the Big Bad Wolf: Biocultural Evolution and Human Childbirth, Part 2

Abstract In Part 2 of this two-part article, we further employ the lens of evolutionary medicine to explore similarities in premodern biocultural features of birth, arguing that these were an outgrowth of our common evolutionary heritage as bipedal primates. These practices grew out of the empiricism of millennia of trial and error and supported humans…

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Opposition to Waterbirth Is Not Evidence Based

Abstract No abstract available Find the full study Open source. To access this article, click here Citation Bovbjerg ML. Opposition to Waterbirth Is Not Evidence Based. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2020 Oct 2. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2020.8790. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33006506.

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Fetal macrosomia in home and birth center births in the United States: Maternal, fetal, and newborn outcomes

Abstract Background Fetal macrosomia is associated with negative outcomes, although less is known about how severities of macrosomia influence these outcomes. Planned community births in the United States have higher rates of gestational age‐adjusted macrosomia than planned hospital births, providing a novel population to examine macrosomia morbidity. Methods Maternal and neonatal outcomes associated with grade…

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Current Resources for Evidence-Based Practice, September 2020

Abstract An extensive review of new resources to support the provision of evidence-based care for women and infants. The current column includes a discussion of “spin” in scientific reporting and its effect on summaries and syntheses of the literature and commentaries on reviews about early versus late amniotomy as part of labor induction protocols and…

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Factors affecting third-stage management and postpartum hemorrhage in planned midwife-led home and birth center births in the United States

Abstract Background Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is a potential childbirth complication. Little is known about how third‐stage labor is managed by midwives in the United States, including use of uterotonic medication during community birth. Access to uterotonic medication may vary based on credentials of the midwife or state regulations governing midwifery. Methods Using data from the…

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Current Resources for Evidence-Based Practice, July 2020

Abstract An extensive review of new resources to support the provision of evidence-based care for women and infants. The current column includes a discussion of whether it is ethical not to offer doula care to all women, and commentaries on reviews focused on folic acid and autism spectrum disorder, and timing of influenza vaccination during…

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You’re From … Where, Again? A Critical Assessment of Institutional Diversity in the Society for Epidemiologic Research

Abstract The Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) has recently taken laudable steps toward increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the society, including participation in the annual meeting. In this essay, we argue that there is one critical piece of the diversity and inclusion equation that is, however, overlooked: institution. At the 2019 Annual Meeting, a…

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Current Resources for Evidence-Based Practice, May 2020

Abstract An extensive review of new resources to support the provision of evidence-based care for women and infants. The current column includes a discussion of a new National Academy of Medicine report on planned place of birth and implications during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and commentaries on reviews focused on anorectal sexually transmitted infections and feeding…

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