Childbirth Education Center (CEC)

Neel Shah once again brings clarity

https://mavenpreprint.substack.com/p/stuck-in-the-nicu?fbclid=IwY2xjawPZ7UtleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFmbUl1b3dJTmt4Tmcyb0c1c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHqTbI_iAO5sqnJRZfvLeD3eKQX12yt4_YUUydizFcpkynl53bBuoyhan4KUc_aem_WiXXxt8mVOih4r3JiUkkDg

Stuck in the NICU How low risk babies became the hospital’s most profitable patients.

It has been known for a long time that CTG is not more effective than intermittent auscultation. This is the newest study to indicate that even an initial baseline CTG is unnecessary in low risk scenarios (ie: most scenarios).

High-quality systematic review finds no value to "admission strip" CTG.... "Routine admission CTG in low-risk term pregnancies demonstrated no improvement in maternal or neonatal outcomes... These findings support current recommendations favouring IA [Intermittent auscultation] over routine admission CTG in low-risk pregnancies..." Full text at https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-0528.70047 Or as Henci Goer says "Just say no to routine CTG"... https://hencigoer.com/just-say-no-to-routine-continuous-fetal-monitoring/

Pregnancy is an opportunity to be proactive about all of your health needs.

Health Issues in Middle Age Can Be Linked to Pregnancy Years Earlier Women with common pregnancy complications are at increased risk for cardiovascular and metabolic health problems later in life. But many patients remain unaware of the connection.

Unnecessary routine interventions can cause a cascade of other problems

Giving IV fluids is thought to be a harmless replacement for eating and drinking in labor. It’s not. Watch this reel to see the problems it can cause. #EvidenceBasedBirth #InformedBirth #BirthEducation #MaternityCare #BirthAdvocacy #LaborAndDelivery #BirthMatters #EmpoweredBirth

This is the kind of information that has been included in CEC's Birthing Your Baby class and private consultations for 30 years.

Re: EFM/CTG/monitoring: "Decades of research have shown that the tool does not reliably predict fetal distress. In fact, experts say, it leads to many unnecessary surgeries as doctors overreact to its ever-changing readouts.

The obstetrics field has long ignored these problems. Now, it’s putting more trust than ever on the flawed technology, often prioritizing business and legal concerns ahead of what’s best for patients, The New York Times found."

"On rare occasions, the fetal heartbeat can reveal when something has gone wrong. The trouble is, healthy babies have highly variable heart patterns. "

"Electronic monitoring is no more accurate than periodic stethoscope checks, studies have shown."

The ‘Worst Test in Medicine’ is Driving America’s High C-Section Rate Round-the-clock fetal monitoring leads to unnecessary C-sections. But it’s used in nearly every birth because of business and legal concerns, The Times found.

What midwives have been doing for generations.

https://www.cochrane.org/about-us/news/strong-evidence-supports-skin-skin-contact-after-birth-standard-care?fbclid=IwY2xjawNs9k1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE4TTFMS1FmUE82ZTN0RGNaAR4pnlYTHHbgzVht96TLLTUVvtN48VXPOl0KnJxDP_h_7NxUCoVRpSjEkzyTNw_aem_XumXzS9jKq0TJN4keE_8rw

Strong evidence supports skin-to-skin contact after birth as standard care | Cochrane Wednesday, October 22, 2025 By Mia Parkinson Image Immediate skin-to-skin contact between newborns and their mothers offers a better start in life, improving a number of key health metrics, according to a newly-updated Cochrane review.The review found that babies who have skin-to-skin contact with t...

🟣 Another blog post updated and moved to my website!
This post is about routine vaginal examinations (VEs) during physiological birth ie. an uncomplicated birth without any medical intervention. A VE is a useful assessment in some circumstances, but its routine use in an attempt to determine labour progress is questionable. As birth knowledge evolves, and research challenges the current misdirected approach to labour progress, there is an opportunity to shift practice.

https://www.rachelreed.website/blog/vaginal-examinations-in-labour

Getting the hang of it!

Important reporting on cord blood banking

https://evidencebasedbirth.com/ebb-346-uncovering-the-facts-about-private-cord-blood-banking-with-journalist-sarah-kliff/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIa9HFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHUS1pvzBaEXiF70y73wHlwL0pKdIrfDT01ArruQf9FEjH3_1NJjvOyVfxw_aem_qAC_-nhpqzlR06_izrlw4Q

EBB 346 - Uncovering the Facts about Private Cord Blood Banking with Journalist Sarah Kliff - Evidence Based Birth® EBB 346 – Uncovering the Facts about Private Cord Blood Banking with Journalist Sarah Kliff by Rebecca Dekker | Feb 12, 2025 | Podcast Don’t miss an episode! Subscribe to our podcast and leave a review! iTunes | Spotify | Google In this episode, Dr. Rebecca Dekker and investigative journalist Sa...

Happy New Year! This one is appropriate anywhere in the world, but Japan seems to need it more.

https://hencigoer.com/just-say-no-to-induction-for-suspected-big-baby/?mc_cid=a37a99147b&mc_eid=693f715f0c&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR14JhGLFGjv6EJyhCX-1ojrVZzbwpIQV2bl6LF9khVTVXrxAj82NBSyL6I_aem_Zv8Nuk4lEE_FlnX4dkkmHQ

Just Say “No” to Induction for Suspected Big Baby - Henci Goer Doctors often recommend inducing labor with bigger babies to avoid a cesarean or injury to baby or mom during a difficult vaginal birth. Does it work?

A new government website that lists 96% of birthing facilities in Japan is now up and running. It is only in Japanese but google translate functions adequately. This is also the (limited) period for giving feedback on the site to make it more useful. Again, google translate is your friend. I encourage as many of you as possible to fill out the feedback form to let the government know what information to include to make your search for facilities and caregivers easier.
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/form/pub/mhlw01/birth-navi-survey
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/birth-navi/index.html

出産施設が探せるサイト「出産なび」　アンケートフォーム 本ウェブサイトをより良いものにするために、是非、ユーザーの皆様のご意見・ご要望をお聞かせください。