A special episode with Dr Lucia Rocca Ihenacho on The Midwifery Teabreak thelovelymaeve.substack.com/p/why-midwif...
Why Midwifery-Led Birth Centres Matter
In conversation with Dr Lucia Rocca-Ihenacho
thelovelymaeve.substack.com
QMNC Research Alliance
@qmnc-research.bsky.social
We are an alliance of researchers, clinicians, advocates, and policymakers working together to foster and support research to improve quality maternal and newborn care.
Community birth midwives show up for their clients through long labors, late-night calls, and care that doesn't stop at the birth itself. And the outcomes speak for themselves: excellent, consistent, and with lifelong impact. Reimbursement for that work should reflect its true value. [1/3]
Aug 27: Calabash Café: Birth in Every Culture with Dr. Lauren Anita Arrington, Midwife and A/Professor at Georgetown, on how grassroots movements in Africa & the Diaspora teach us liberatory, equitable perinatal care for Black birthing people. Free! Register or Join @ QMNC.org #birthresearch #QMNC
The "Provider Attitudes to Planned Home Birth" (PAPHB) scale can be used to assess similarities and differences among types of providers in readiness to offer community birth services or collaborate with community birth providers.
QMNC Research Alliance members interested in Research Priority One! Don’t miss our open meeting tomorrow/Aug 12 (two times.) Log in and RSVP! qmnc.org/events/282634 Are you a #birthresearcher but not a #QMNC member? Learn more at QMNC.org.
When power is rooted in disinformation, data become a threat. apnews.com/article/eeoc...
US civil rights agency moves to end demographic data collection after 60 years
The Trump administration is seeking to toss aside a 60-year-old requirement for tens of thousands of private sector employers to submit workforce demographic reports each year to the Equal Employment ...
apnews.com
In this study, midwives in Gaza describe working under unimaginable conditions. Their experiences highlight the resilience, compassion, and professionalism of midwives in humanitarian crises, while underscoring the urgent need for better preparedness, training, & resources. Read more: zurl.co/Q3xcC
Birth in shelters: Midwives’ lived experiences in providing childbirth care amidst war in Gaza
Background The warfare against the Gaza Strip in the occupied Palestinian territory, starting in October 2023, caused massive destruction of infrastructure, including homes and hospitals. Within two years (October 2023 to October 2025), most of the 2.1 million inhabitants were displaced, and more than 69,500 people were directly killed, of whom more than 70% were women and children. To enhance preparedness in maternal care during war, it is important to understand how midwives respond to emergencies in conflict zones. This study seeks to explore the experiences of midwives in delivering childbirth care to women in Gaza within shelters, tents, and amidst the rubble during wartime. Materials and methods We employed a descriptive qualitative phenomenological design. We used a purposeful snowball sampling approach to identify midwives who had assisted women in giving birth in shelters or tents during the war. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with nine midwives between January and April 2025, and underwent reflexive thematic analysis. Results An overarching theme was identified: “Midwives torn between fear and professional compassion while struggling for humanity in a ruthless war”. Three additional themes were developed: “Unprotected in ruthless warfare”, “Professional role and contradictive emotions”, and “Challenges and potentials for midwives during war and emergencies”. Conclusions The study recommends the development of clear preparedness policies aligned with midwives’ scope of practice that support their professional role when caring for pregnant women in war, emergency, and humanitarian contexts. Given the volatile context of the oPt, Palestinian midwives should be actively involved in preparedness strategies for emergency response. They need guidance, support, necessary supplies, connection to backup resources, and training to assist births safely outside hospital settings.
journals.plos.org
Touching on sustainability, building with natural materials, and designing spaces made with the physiology of birth, Anka Dür discusses what integrity in birth room design means to them in this clip from the JEPS seminar...(1/2)
Epistemic Justice ILBRC 2025 Reprise with Liz Kukura and Liz Newnham qmnc.org/events/278703 Free to members. QMNC is free to join: QMNC.org #birthresearch #midwiferyresearch
Epistemic Justice ILBRC 2025 Reprise with Liz Kukura and Liz Newnham
In fall 2025, the International Labour and Birth Conference (ILBRC) hosted two landmark presentations on epistemic injustice in maternity care. We are bringing these sessions to the QMNC global commun...
qmnc.org
We at QMNC join the global maternal and newborn care community in mourning the passing of Dr. Michael C. Klein, Order of Canada recipient, physician, researcher, and tireless champion of evidence-based maternal and newborn care. …/2
Caesarean birth rates are rising fast, but outcomes for women and newborns aren’t improving as a result. Midwives reduce unnecessary interventions and support physiological birth through personalised, safe care. This #IDM2026, sign the petition: zurl.co/WnEWE
We’re bringing this case study to life in this month’s Calabash Cafe. Join us! Free for members. And as always it’s free to join. qmnc.org/events/174022 #BirthResearch #QMNC
Birth in Every Culture: A Northern Uganda Birth Center Puts the QMNC Framework into Practice
Hosted by Micknai Arefaine Speakers: Harriet Akello | Rachael Zaslow | Michelle Telfer Topic: A case study of the Atiak birth centre in Northern Uganda, exploring how the QMNC framework translates in...
qmnc.org
QMNC Research Alliance@qmnc-research.bsky.social · 7mo agoA case study analysis of a successful birth center in northern Uganda - Telfer - 2024 - Birth - Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #birthresearch #qmnc
The moments after a birth at home. A midwife charting in a client's kitchen. A family in a birth center, siblings meeting their baby for the first time, right there in the room. Those moments are real, and they're hard to find. When we need images to tell the story of community...[1/3]
Zero maternal deaths. 20,000+ births. Neonatal mortality rate of 11/1000, far below Uganda's average. From a midwife-led birth center in post-conflict Uganda. Join us April 27 for Birth in Every Culture, a new #QMNC Calabash Café series. Free for members: qmnc.org/events/174022 #BirthResearch
Until recently, what we knew about fetal macrosomia and the outcomes associated with it came almost entirely from hospital birth populations. A 2020 study published in Birth changed that. [1/7]
The three winners of the One Million More contest have truly elevated the petition and brought together communities to advocate for midwives! Congratulations Farha, Jeffthanie and Phillip – we can't wait to see you at Congress👏 Curious about the other contestants? Stay tuned!
A case study analysis of a successful birth center in northern Uganda - Telfer - 2024 - Birth - Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/... #birthresearch #qmnc
A case study analysis of a successful birth center in northern Uganda
Dramatic perinatal outcomes in birth center where nurse midwives and traditional midwives work together in community.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
QMNC will be at the International Normal Labour and Birth Research Conference in Berlin this September. Join us. Abstracts are due Feb 21. qmnc.org/topics/48460... #BirthResearch #QMNC
QMNC @ NLBC Berlin 2026
QMNC @ NLBC Berlin 2026 Description: This group brings together QMNC Research Alliance members who are attending the International Normal Labour and Birth Research Conference in Berlin 2026 It’s a sp...
qmnc.org
Generations of Black Midwifery Care. This Black History Month, we honour the enduring legacy of Black Midwives and their continued impact on maternity care. 🔗 Read the article: bit.ly/30YearsBHMCanada @ubcfamilypractice.bsky.social @ubcmedicine.bsky.social
Help gather signatures for the #OneMillionMore campaign and enter to win free registration for ICM Lisbon 2026!
International Confederation of Midwives@internationalmidwives.org · 8mo agoIn Ethiopia, a midwife is hanging giant posters at the entrance of different teaching institutions and directly engaged students to mobilise support and signatures for #OneMillionMore. Win a chance to join us at Congress this June: zurl.co/zjtqE
Our newest QMNC Research Roundup is out! Members are sharing work on power in maternity care, physiologic birth, respectful care, home birth, monitoring practices, and tools to advance quality maternal & newborn care. 🔗 qmnc.org/news/11459784 #QMNC #BirthResearch
January QMNC Research Roundup
This month, QMNC members’ research invites reflection on who holds power in maternity care, whose knowledge counts, and how systems can better support physiologic, respectful birth. Members shared res...
qmnc.org
🌱 What if every birthing person could access community-based midwifery care? We're gathering midwives, advocates, researchers, and changemakers to envision the future we know is possible—where physiologic birth is honored, and community midwifery care is universally accessible. [1/4]
Spots are filling up fast! Join our Virtual Writing for Publication workshop for practical guidance w/in QMNC's supportive community. Free for QMNC members. Register for one of two dates/times: qmnc.org/page/upcomin... Free to join: qmnc.org
A recent study in Italy offers important insights into how mental health screening and support during pregnancy and postpartum are being perceived and delivered — highlighting both challenges and opportunities for midwives and maternity care. Read the full article: zurl.co/y9KzN
Midwives’ perspectives on exploring emotional well-being during prenatal and postnatal care in the Italian contest: a qualitative study (the BEN_EM_OS study)
Perinatal mental health issues, including depression, anxiety disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder, affect 10-20% of women during pregnancy a…
sciencedirect.com
So much powerful work shared by the QMNC community this month ✨ From birth environments and mental health to rural care, systems design, community prevention, and the language of midwifery itself: research shaping quality care worldwide. qmnc.org/news/11445582 #QMNC #BirthResearch #Midwifery
December QMNC Research Roundup
QMNC members shared a wide-ranging and timely collection of research this month, spanning measurement and evaluation of birth environments, organisation of maternal and newborn care systems in high in...
qmnc.org
Midwives across the country are building something powerful through the Community Birth Data Registry (CBDR)—and 2026 will take this work even further. In the coming year, we will: ✨ Expand into more states, so even more midwives can access a unified, trusted home for their data. (1/3)
[1/4] This November, Birth Place Lab Member Prisha Vaidya presented on preliminary RESPCCT findings in her talk "Voices Between the Lines: Storytelling Lived Realities from Perinatal Healthcare Service Users in Canada" at the World Anthropological Union Congress 2025.
Birth Place Lab's Dr. Vedam attended the New Zealand College of Midwives conference as a speaker and panelist. Dr. Vedam encourages you to explore the Tūranga Kaupapa - a framework gifted by Ngā Maia Māori Midwives and adopted by the NZ College of Midwives as a guideline for cultural competence.
