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…

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…

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.

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…

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…

Abstract Background Labor after cesarean (LAC) is an alternative to planned repeat cesarean delivery. The effect of hospital-level factors on LAC frequency and vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) has been relatively understudied. It was our goal to determine if hospital frequency of LAC (number of women undergoing LAC/number of women with previous uterine scars) is…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 a peaceful meadow with a…

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 the concept of overdiagnosis and implications for research and commentaries on reviews focused on exogenous progestogen to maintain pregnancies and cancer risk among children conceived using fertility treatments. Find the…

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 or perish” mantra remains in…

Abstract A review of new resources to support the provision of evidence-based care for women and infants. Find the full study Subscription only. To request a copy, contact us here. Citation Bovbjerg, Marit. (2019). Current Resources for Evidence-Based Practice, January 2020. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing. 49.

Abstract Although Apgar scores are commonly used as proxy outcomes, little evidence exists in support of the most common cutpoints (<7, <4). We used 2 data sets to explore this issue: one contained planned community births from across the United States (n = 52,877; 2012-2016), and the other contained hospital births from California (n =…

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 point technologies before the appearance…

Abstract Introduction Maintaining lactation after returning to work is imperative for overall breastfeeding success, yet mothers who return to full-time employment outside the home are unlikely to meet their breastfeeding goals. Breastfeeding-friendly worksites are one potential solution. Method Using semi-structured interviews with employees in one rural New England town (N = 18), we aimed to…

Abstract Introduction Breastfeeding-friendly worksites are associated with longer breastfeeding durations, yet currently there is a dearth of research exploring women’s experiences of workplace-based wellness programs designed to support continued lactation. Method Using semi-structured interviews with a voluntary sample of participants from one rural New England town (N = 18), we examined women’s experiences of returning…

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 Martin, UK.

Abstract BACKGROUND Recently WHO researchers described seven dimensions of mistreatment in maternity care that have adverse impacts on quality and safety. Applying the WHO framework for quality care, service users partnered with NGOs, clinicians, and researchers, to design and conduct the Giving Voice to Mothers (GVtM)–US study. METHODS Our multi-stakeholder team distributed an online cross-sectional survey…

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 is a qualitative study with…

Synopsis This stunning sequel to Brigitte Jordan’s landmark Birth in Four Cultures brings together the work of fifteen reproductive anthropologists to address core cultural values and knowledge systems as revealed in contemporary birth practices in Brazil, Greece, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Tanzania, and the United States. Six ethnographic chapters form the heart of…

Abstract The term out‐of‐hospital has long been used as a kind of shorthand to refer collectively to births that occur in birth centers or at home. However, this term has also been a persistent cause of concern among health care providers who attend births in these settings, and researchers and midwives are increasingly adopting the term community birth instead…

Abstract Reply: We welcome the opportunity to respond to the comments by Farr and colleagues in a Letter to Birth. Find the full study The full letter is available here. Citation Benyshek DC, Cheyney M, Bovbjerg ML. Reply to Farr et.al letter. [letter] Birth 2019 Mar; 46(1): 202-4.

Find the full study Subscription only. To request a copy, contact us here Citation Peters, L. and M. Cheyney. (2018) What is Big data? Vereniging voor epidemiologie. Pp. 6-7.

Abstract Abstract PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Human reproduction is a common process and one that unfolds over a relatively short time, but pregnancy and birth processes are challenging to study. Selection occurs at every step of this process (e.g., infertility, early pregnancy loss, and stillbirth), adding substantial bias to estimated exposure-outcome associations. Here we focus on…

Abstract The first five years of a child’s life represent critical windows in physiological, social-emotional, and cognitive development. Administrators of early childhood (EC) programs play a pivotal role in determining the quality of experiences that unfold for young children in center-based care. Using photovoice, semi-structured administrator interviews, and participant-observation, we aimed to identify the factors…

Abstract Despite decades of considerable economic investment in improving the health of families and newborns world-wide, aspirations for maternal and newborn health have yet to be attained in many regions. The global turn toward recognizing the importance of positive experiences of pregnancy, intrapartum and postnatal care, and care in the first weeks of life, while…

Abstract INTRODUCTION: Breastfeeding rates in the United States continue to fall short of Healthy People 2020 goals. Bedsharing has been promoted as a way of increasing breastfeeding durations. METHODS: We used prospectively collected Oregon Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) and PRAMS-2 data from 2276 women to explore whether bedsharing frequency predicts age at weaning.…

Abstract BACKGROUND: Approximately 22% of women in the United States live in rural areas with limited access to obstetric care. Despite declines in hospital-based obstetric services in many rural communities, midwifery care at home and in free standing birth centers is available in many rural communities. This study examines maternal and neonatal outcomes among planned…

Abstract This is the largest study to-date to report on outcomes of care for a national sample of doula-supported adolescent births (n = 1,892, birth years 2000 to 2013). Descriptive statistics were calculated for maternal demographics, risk profiles, labor/birth interventions and occurrences, and birth outcomes. In this national sample, childbearing adolescents and their neonates experienced improved…

Abstract This is the largest study to-date to report on outcomes of care for a national sample of doula-supported adolescent births (n = 1,892, birth years 2000 to 2013). Descriptive statistics were calculated for maternal demographics, risk profiles, labor/birth interventions and occurrences, and birth outcomes. In this national sample, childbearing adolescents and their neonates experienced…

Abstract Poor coordination of care across providers and birth settings has been associated with adverse maternal-newborn outcomes. Research suggests that integration of midwives into regional health systems is a key determinant of optimal maternal-newborn outcomes, yet, to date, the characteristics of an integrated system have not been described, nor linked to health disparities. METHODS Our…

Abstract Uganda has one of the highest obstetric fistula rates in the world with approximately 200,000 women currently suffering. Surgical closure successfully treats fistula in the majority of cases, yet there is a severe shortage of facilities and trained surgeons in low-resource countries. The purpose of this study was to examine Ugandan women’s experiences of…

Abstract BACKGROUND: There is little agreement on who is a good candidate for community (home or birth center) birth in the United States. METHODS: Data on n=47 394 midwife-attended, planned community births come from the Midwives Alliance of North America Statistics Project. Logistic regression quantified the independent contribution of 10 risk factors to maternal and neonatal…

Abstract BACKGROUND Women seeking VBAC may find limited in-hospital options. Increasing numbers of US women are delivering by VBAC out-of-hospital. Little is known about neonatal outcomes among those delivering by VBAC in vs. out-of-hospital. OBJECTIVE(S) To compare neonatal outcomes between women delivering via VBAC in hospital vs. out-of-hospital (home and freestanding birth center). STUDY DESIGN…

Abstract BACKGROUND The most consistently noted difference between unplanned cesarean and vaginal births is patient dissatisfaction or regret. This has been explored in multiple quantitative studies. However, the causes of this dissatisfaction remain elusive as a result of the limitations of survey instruments that restrict possible choices. METHODS Using open‐ended, semi‐structured interviews (n = 14),…

Abstract In the past month, two new studies have been released—one in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM; Snowden et al., 2015) and the other in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (Hutton et al., 2015)—comparing out-of-hospital birth outcomes to hospital birth outcomes. These studies join a growing body of literature that consistently shows high…

Abstract Birth is as safe as life gets. – Harriette Hartigan, direct-entry midwife What one deems “safe” is inherently subjective, involving a series of judgments and a relative weighing of multiple (and sometimes conflicting) factors. Find full study Subscription only. To request a copy, contact us here Citation Tilden, E., J. Snowden, A. Caughey and M.…

Abstract INTRODUCTION: Data on the safety of waterbirth in the United States are lacking. METHODS: We used data from the Midwives Alliance of North America Statistics Project, birth years 2004 to 2009. We compared outcomes of neonates born underwater waterbirth (n = 6534), neonates not born underwater nonwaterbirth (n = 10,290), and neonates whose mothers…

Abstract BACKGROUND: In the United States, the number of planned home vaginal births after cesarean (VBACs) has increased. This study describes the maternal and neonatal outcomes for women who planned a VBAC at home with midwives who were contributing data to the Midwives Alliance of North America Statistics Project 2.0 cohort during the years 2004-2009.…

ABSTRACT First, we question the underlying premise of this debate: that hospital birth is inherently safe. There has been much discussion regarding the ‘cascade of interventions’ that has become ubiquitous, at least in US hospital settings, and which culminates in caesareans—many of which are medically unnecessary—for over 30% of labouring women. Caesareans result in substantial…

Abstract The purpose of this study was to identify cultural models of breast cancer held by Saudi women and to explore how these may influence early detection and treatment-seeking behaviors. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with breast cancer survivors (n=20) from two Western cities in Saudi Arabia. Respondents were recruited through social networking, using…

Abstract In this commentary, I respond to an ethical analysis of a case study, reported by Jankowski and Burcher, in which a woman gives birth to an infant with a known heart anomaly of unknown severity, at home, attended by a midwife. Jankowski and Burcher argue that the midwife who attended this family acted unethically…

Abstract INTRODUCTION This article describes the process of developing consensus on a definition of, and best practices for, normal physiologic birth in the United States. Evidence supports the use of physiologic birth practices, yet a working definition of this term has been elusive. METHODS We began by convening a task force of 21 individuals from…

Abstract BACKGROUND: Previous studies report conflicting results regarding a possible association between maternal physical activity (PA) and cesarean delivery. METHODS: Seven-day PA recalls were collected by telephone from pregnant women (n = 1205) from North Carolina, without prior cesarean, during 2 time windows: 17 to 22 weeks and 27 to 30 weeks completed gestation. PA…

Abstract Women’s heightened interest in choice of birthplace and increased rates of planned home birth in the United States have been well documented, yet there remains significant public and professional debate about the ethics of planned home birth in jurisdictions where care is not clearly integrated across birth settings. Simultaneously, the quality of interprofessional interactions…

A letter to the Editor of Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health Find the full study Subscription only. To request a copy, contact us here Citation Cheyney, M. (2014). In Reply. Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health. May Jun;59(3):366-7. doi: 10.1111/jmwh.12210.

Abstract Nearly half of all women in the United States will have at least one abortion during their lifetime, and many will encounter economic, logistical, and/or social obstacles while attempting to undergo the procedure. The purpose of this project was to examine the abortion-seeking experiences of a volunteer sample of Oregon women, to identify key…

Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore the contested space of home-to-hospital transfers that occur during labor or in the immediate postpartum period, as a means of identifying the mechanisms that maintain philosophical and practice divides between homebirth midwives and hospital-based clinicians in the United States. Using data collected from open-ended, semistructured interviews,…

Abstract A recent study by Grunebaum et al examined the relationship between place of birth and adverse neonatal outcomes (Apgar of 0 at 5 minutes, and neonatal seizures or serious neurologic dysfunction—hereafter referred to as neonatal seizures) as reported in birth certificate data from 2007 to 2010 for term newborns (n  = 13,891,274) 1. Outcomes were analyzed by…

Abstract INTRODUCTION: In 2004, the Midwives Alliance of North America’s (MANA’s) Division of Research developed a Web-based data collection system to gather information on the practices and outcomes associated with midwife-led births in the United States. This system, called the MANA Statistics Project (MANA Stats), grew out of a widely acknowledged need for more reliable…

Abstract Breast is best. Both the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics agree that Baby needs no other foods or drinks, even water, for 6 months.1,2 Mother should then continue to nurse him (throughout this article, we refer to the child as “he” to distinguish him from his mother), while offering age-appropriate complementary…

Introduction In 1996, the World Health Organization called for the elimination of unnecessary intervention in childbirth, yet currently there are few resources to assist maternity care providers in achieving this goal. The purpose of this consensus statement is to explicitly identify key benchmarks of safe, healthy, and normal physiologic childbirth. This statement will assist maternity…

Abstract A better understanding of effective contraceptive use among Latinos is needed to reduce their high rate of unintended pregnancy. Most research has focused on urban Latinas and has overlooked the relationship context of effective contraceptive use. Interviews were conducted among a sample of 450 Latino women and men aged 18-25 in sexual relationships, who…

Abstract In this article, I examine the clinical practices engaged in by U.S. homebirth midwives and their clients from the beginning of pregnancy through to the immediate postpartum period, deconstructing them for their symbolic and ritual content. Using data collected from open‐ended, semistructured interviews and intensive participant‐observation, I describe the roles ritual plays in the…

Abstract I read with interest the “Voices From the Past” article that reprinted part of Dr. Spock’s book, Decent and Indecent: Our Personal and Political Behavior.1 The accompanying brief biography of Dr. Spock was intriguing as well—we should all aspire to speak so vocally and publicly about issues pertaining to health and social justice in the United…

Find the full study Subscription only. To request a copy, contact us here Citation Moreno-Black, G. and M. Cheyney (2010).  Food is More than Nutrition: Nutritional Counseling and the Language of Prenatal Diet in Midwifery and Obstetric Practice. Appetite 56(2): 538.

Abstract The randomized controlled trial (RCT) is considered the gold standard study design in clinical and public health research. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires numerous RCTs before approval of new drugs and devices. Systematic reviews or meta-analyses based on RCTs are considered the highest level of evidence by the U.S. Preventive Services Task…

Synopsis This is a book about women who choose to give birth at home against the wishes and indeed the interests of established medicine. It focuses on conditions in the US. It places the issue within the context of the continuing health care crisis in this country and poses surprisingly traditional alternatives to the mechanized…

Abstract It is generally acknowledged that pregnant women require healthy diets. However, the cultural idea of “eating for two” and what constitutes an “appropriate” diet during pregnancy have been contested grounds of research as guidelines have changed over the decades. Using a grounded theory approach, we examine how research on pregnancy nutrition is incorporated into…

Abstract BACKGROUND: The current rate of cesarean delivery in the United States is 31 percent. Previous studies have suggested that exercise during pregnancy may be associated with a lower risk of cesarean delivery, but sample sizes were small and methods often inadequate. This study examined whether or not an association exists between prenatal exercise and…

Abstract BACKGROUND: The current rate of cesarean delivery in the United States is 31 percent. Previous studies have suggested that exercise during pregnancy may be associated with a lower risk of cesarean delivery, but sample sizes were small and methods often inadequate. This study examined whether or not an association exists between prenatal exercise and…

Abstract PURPOSE The purpose of this research was to examine the effectiveness of a cultural competency training program designed to improve the knowledge and skills of health care providers and administrators engaging in cross-cultural, clinical encounters. METHODS We conducted an evaluation study among 43 health care professionals (health care providers and health administrators) who attended…

Find the full study Open source. To access the full article, click here Citation Cheyney, M. and C. Everson. (2009). Narratives of Risk: Speaking Across the Hospital/ Homebirth Divide. Anthropology Newsletter 50(3): 7-8.

Abstract In this article, I examine the processes and motivations involved when women in the United States choose to circumvent the dominant obstetric care paradigm by delivering at home with a group of care providers called direct-entry midwives. Using grounded theory, participant observation, and open-ended, semistructured interviewing, I collected and analyzed homebirth narratives from a…