Our Go-To Web-Based Resources for Birth Workers
Delving into research, evidence, and inclusive information is an important aspect of birth work. AND we understand that is can be a bit overwhelming or hard to get started.
One of BADT’s collaborators, Cheyenne Scarlett, previously wrote How to Develop Critical Research Skills: A Guide for Birth Workers, and we wanted to offer a complementary piece that points folks to some solid starting points. We hope this list can benefit both birth worker and the families and individuals they are supporting.
*Note on Language: Some resources utilize gendered language. For the purposes of this guide, we have copied and pasted language directly from the featured websites. Please offer language disclaimers to make adjustments to content before sharing with clients.
Our Go-To Web-Based Resources for Birth Workers
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG): This is a professional membership organization for obstetricians and gynecologists. Note: We don’t think everything ACOG publishes is “right” or best practices, but birth workers can compare ACOG recommendations with hospital policy when this kind of advocacy is needed. Find the ACOG Clinical Guidelines here.
Cochrane Reviews: A Cochrane Review is a systematic review of research in health care and health policy that is published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed®): “The LactMed® database contains information on drugs and other chemicals to which breastfeeding mothers may be exposed. It includes information on the levels of such substances in breast milk and infant blood, and the possible adverse effects in the nursing infant. Suggested therapeutic alternatives to those drugs are provided, where appropriate. All data are derived from the scientific literature and fully referenced. A peer review panel reviews the data to assure scientific validity and currency.”
The Educated Birth: “The Educated Birth creates and curates inclusive reproductive health education and storytelling content. We create infographics and illustrations that reproductive health workers can purchase to use as teaching tools. We also publish educational information for the general public through writing, video, and audio — including but not limited to Life's Work documentary, and Everyday Birth Magazine.”
Evidence Based Birth: “Our mission is to help birth workers build the evidence based knowledge, skills, and power they need to protect families’ abilities to give birth with empowerment. The work we do goes on to impact families who are searching for accurate information to empower their prenatal, birth, and postpartum experiences!”
Fertility IQ: “FertilityIQ provides both educational courses and guides on every subject, as well as verified assessments on every US fertility doctor and clinic in the US. Our courses and lessons are built with experts from Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Johns Hopkins and more. These courses break down how experts approach each issue, decision, and controversy. The assessments you’ll find on FertilityIQ are provided by unsolicited fertility patients, the majority of whom have been verified. Our data includes assessments of doctors, nurses and clinics, as well as information on treatment plans, protocols and costs. To provide context, we include medical, demographic and psychographic data from each respondent.”
OUR BODIES OURSELVES TODAY: “Our materials are rigorously evaluated, carefully curated and regularly updated by panels of leading feminist health experts drawn from the fields of medicine, public health, academia, consumer activism, policy, and media. The content and analysis we provide is grounded both in diverse lived experiences and current political and cultural contexts. It is accurate, evidence-based, holistic, user-friendly, and available at no cost.”
Postpartum Support International: “It is the vision of PSI that every woman and family worldwide will have access to information, social support, and informed professional care to deal with mental health issues related to childbearing. PSI promotes this vision through advocacy and collaboration, and by educating and training the professional community and the public.”
Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART): “SART is the primary organization of professionals dedicated to the practice of IVF, or assisted reproductive technology (ART). The organization represents the majority of the ART clinics in the country. The mission of SART is to establish and maintain standards for ART so that you receive the highest possible level of care.”
World Health Organization– WHO recommendations on maternal and newborn care for a positive postnatal experience: “This guideline aims to improve the quality of essential, routine postnatal care for women and newborns with the ultimate goal of improving maternal and newborn health and well-being. This is a consolidated guideline of new and existing recommendations on routine postnatal care for women and newborns receiving facility- or community-based postnatal care in any resource setting.”
Join Us in Community
We’d love for you to join us in the BADT community! Sign up for our email list if you’re a birth worker or aspiring birth worker, so you’ll be first to hear about new courses, open enrollment periods, and scholarship opportunities. We have a community app where conversations and resource-sharing happens, if you;d like to dig deeper into this conversation (and so much more)!