Working document of considerations for
creating and implementing
a disaster-mandated dedicated birth place

Giving Birth in the Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.
An informational video for expectant parents. Click here.

Birth Advocacy in the Time of COVID-19 slides
Let me know if you want me to present over Zoom.

Send letters! Here's a sample:
Sample letter asking for help establishing a separate place for birthing women during the COVID-19 crisis

The Importance of Partner's Presence in Labor
Redshaw, et al.; “Fathers’ Engagement in Pregnancy & Childbirth: Evidence from a National Survey” ;  BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2013;13(70) © 2013 BioMed Central, Ltd. www.medscape.com

Know the current situation, watch this video:
Evidence Based Birth video: Birthing in the Time of COVID-19

World Health Organization
Q&A on COVID-19, pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding

Centers for Disease Control
 
Other US Government resources
 
New York State
March 21 Health Advisory: COVID-19 Guidance for Hospital Operators Regarding Visitation Updated Guidance regarding Obstetrical and Pediatric Settings

New York Midwifery Birth Center Conference Call February 18th, 2019

Midwifery Birth Center Services proposed Regulations

2019 changes to birth center laws page 9

Research
Many thanks to Amy V. Haas for all of the sources listed below. My apologies to her for not being able to format everything correctly in the need for swift posting.

Research on the safety of Out of Hospital Birth:

• Goer H., Obstetric Myths Versus Research Realities.Bergin-Garvey, 1995
• American Journal of Public Health 1992:82:450-453
• Birth 1994:21:141-148
• Johnson & Daviss, British Medical Journal, 2005;330:1416
• Romano, L.;  “A. Birth can safely take place at home and in birthing centers.”  J.Perinat Educ 2007;16(Suppl 1):81S-88S.16
• Fullerton, J., Navarro, A. and Young, S. (2007). Outcomes of planned home birth: An integrative review. Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, 52(4), 323-333.
• de Jonge A, van der Goes B, Ravelli A, Amelink-Verburg M, Mol B, Nijhuis J, Bennebroek Gravenhorst J, Buitendijk S. Perinatal mortality and morbidity in a nationwide cohort of 529 688 low-risk planned home and hospital births. BJOG 2009; DOI: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2009.02175.x.
• Jassen, et al; “Outcomes of planned homebirth with registered Midwife versus planned hospital birth with midwife or physician”. CMAJ 2009. DOI:10.1503/cmaj.081869
• Hutton, et al, “Outcomes associated with planned home and planned hospital births in low-risk women attended by midwives in Ontario, Canada, 2003 -2006: A retrospective cohort study”; Birth 36(3):180-89, 2009.
• Home Birth Annotated guide to the literature  2012
• Olsen O, Clausen JA. Planned hospital birth versus planned home birth. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2012,
  Issue 9. Art. No.: CD000352. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD000352.pub2.
• de Jonge, et al ; Severe adverse maternal outcomes among low risk women with planned home versus hospital births in the Netherlands: nationwide cohort study; BMJ 2013;346:f3263 http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f3263
• Catling-Paull, et al; Publicly funded homebirth in Australia: a review of maternal and neonatal outcomes over 6 years; Med J Aust 2013; 198 (11): 616-620.
• Cheyney, M., Bovbjerg, M., Everson, C., Gordon, W., Hannibal, D. and Vedam, S. (2014), Outcomes of Care for 16,924 Planned Home Births in the United States: The Midwives Alliance of North America Statistics Project, 2004 to 2009. Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health, 59: 17–27. doi: 10.1111/jmwh.12172
• For Low-Risk Pregnancies, Home Births Just as Safe as Hospital, 12/22/15
• Zielinski, et al; Planned home birth: benefits, risks, and opportunities; Int J Womens Health. 2015; 7: 361–377. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4399594/
• Hutton, E. K., Cappelletti, A., Reitsma, A. H., Simioni, J., Horne, J., McGregor, C., & Ahmed, R. J. (2015). Outcomes associated with planned place of birth among women with low-risk pregnancies. CMAJ.
• Goer, Henci; “Dueling Statistics: Is Out-of-Hospital Birth Safe?” Science & Sensibility, Jaunary 5th 2016. http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/homebirth-safety/
• Planned home birth. Committee Opinion No. 669. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Obstet Gynecol 2016;128:e26–31. http://www.acog.org/Resources-And-Publications/Committee-Opinions/Committee-on-Obstetric-Practice/Planned-Home-Birth?IsMobileSet=false
• Johnson & Daviss; International data demonstrate home birth safety; AJOG April 2011Volume 204, Issue 4, Pages e16–e17  https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(11)00073-1/fulltext

Zohar & DeVries; Study Validity Questioned;  AJOG April 2011Volume 204, Issue 4, Page e14  https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(10)01107-5/fulltext
Janssen & Klein; Time for improved standards for studies of home birth; AJOG November 2010Volume 203, Issue 5, Pages e11–e12  https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(10)00558-2/fulltext

• Is Hospital Birth Safer Than Out-of-Hospital Birth?

 

• Out-of-Hospital Birth Shown to Be Safe & Effective . . . Again. (Henci Goer – 2017)

 

•     Campbell, K., Carson, G., Azzam, H., & Hutton, E. (2019). SOGC CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINE: No. 372-Statement on Planned Homebirth. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, 41, 223–227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jogc.2018.08.008. Science & Sensibility

 

• SOGC and Canada Embrace Homebirth – Why is the USA So far Behind?  January 17th, 2019; https://www.scienceandsensibility.org/blog/sogc-and-canada-embrace-home-birth---why-is-the-usa-so-far-behind?source=1&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+science-sensibility+%28Science+%26+Sensibility%29

 

• Eileen K. Hutton, Angela Reitsma, Julia Simioni, Ginny Brunton, Karyn Kaufman. Perinatal or neonatal mortality among women who intend at the onset of labour to give birth at home compared to women of low obstetrical risk who intend to give birth in hospital: A systematic review and meta-analyses. EClinicalMedicine, 2019; DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2019.07.005 https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(19)30119-1/fulltext

 
Research on the safety of Birth Centers:

• Coyle, K. L., Hauck, Y., Percival, P., Kristjanson, L. J. (2001). Normality and collaboration: Mothers' perceptions of birth centre versus hospital care. Midwifery, 17(3), 182–193.
• David, M., von Schwarzenfeld, H. K., Dimer, J. A., Kentenich, H. (1999). Perinatal outcome in hospital and birth center obstetric care. International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, 65(2), 149–156.
• Fullerton, J. T., Severino, R. (1992). In-hospital care for low-risk childbirth. Comparison with results from the National Birth Center Study. Journal of Nurse-Midwifery, 37(5) 331–340.
• Jackson, D. J., Lang, J. M., Swartz, W. H., Ganiats, T. G., Fullerton, J., Ecker, J., et al. (2003). Outcomes, safety, and resource utilization in a collaborative care birth center program compared with traditional physician-based perinatal care. American Journal of Public Health, 93(6), 999–1006.
• Rooks, J. P., Weatherby, N. L., Ernst, E. K. (1992a). The National Birth Center Study. Part II—Intrapartum and immediate postpartum and neonatal care. Journal of Nurse-Midwifery, 37(5), 301–330.
• Rooks, J. P., Weatherby, N. L., Ernst, E. K. (1992b). The National Birth Center Study. Part III—Intrapartum and immediate postpartum and neonatal complications and transfers, postpartum and neonatal care, outcomes, and client satisfaction. Journal of Nurse-Midwifery, 37(6), 361–397.
• Walsh, D., Downe, S. M. (2004). Outcomes of free-standing, midwife-led birth centers: A structured review. Birth, 31(3), 222–229.

Tracy, et al. ; Birth Centers in Australia: A National Population-Based Study of Perinatal Mortality Associated with Giving Birth in a Birth Center;    Birth, Volume 34, Number 3, September 2007 , pp. 194-201(8)

Birth outcomes for women using free-standing birth centers in South Auckland, New Zealand.
Bailey DJ1. Birth. 2017 Sep;44(3):246-251. doi: 10.1111/birt.12287. Epub 2017 May 2.
 
Alliman, J. and Phillippi, J. C. (2016), Maternal Outcomes in Birth Centers: An Integrative Review of the Literature. Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health. doi: 10.1111/jmwh.12356