Commentaries: Expanding the Conversation

New Largest Ever Waterbirth Study

Click here to learn more about the study. Click here to request a PDF of the full paper.

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Birth and the Big Bad Wolf: Biocultural Evolution and Human Childbirth, Part 1

Abstract Once upon a time, there were six little pigs who set out to seek their fortunes in the world (okay, we know that in the original story there were only three, but just bear with us here!). Far away from home they journeyed, until the first little pig spied…

Collaborative Research as Resistance: Successful Collaboration across Disciplines

Abstract Discussions abound at Oregon State University (OSU) and elsewhere regarding a greater emphasis on teaching and on the several hours per week of service to the field that all faculty are expected to dedicate in the promotion and tenure (P&T) process. Nonetheless, the clichéd (but no less accurate) “publish…

Late Upper Paleolithic Occupation at Cooper’s Ferry, Idaho, USA Shows Americas Settled Before ~16,000 Years Ago

Abstract Radiocarbon dating of the earliest occupational phases at the Cooper’s Ferry site in western Idaho indicates that people repeatedly occupied the Columbia River basin, starting between 16,560 and 15,280 calibrated years before the present (cal yr B.P.). Artifacts from these early occupations indicate the use of unfluted stemmed projectile…

Precision maternity care: Using big data to understand trends and to make change happen

Find the full study Subscription only. To request a copy, contact us here Citation Cheyney, M. and L. Peters. (2019). Precision maternity care: Using big data to understand trends and to make change happen. In Squaring the Circle: Researching normal childbirth in a technological world. S.M. Downe and S. Byrom, eds. Pinter and…

Temporal Themes in Periviable Birth: A Qualitative Analysis of Patient Experiences

Abstract Objective Periviable birth accounts for a very small percentage of preterm deliveries but a large proportion of perinatal and neonatal morbidity. Understanding parental experiences during and after periviable deliveries may help healthcare providers determine how to best support women during these medically complex, emotionally charged clinical encounters. Methods This…