Childbirth and Disaster/Terrorism Readiness

The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), the nation¡ oldest women's health organization, has developed "Giving Birth in Place: Emergency Preparedness for Expectant Parents," a guide for those who may face an impending birth during a national disaster or terrorist attack. "Giving Birth in Place" is a free, online resource to ease the concerns of expectant parents, but is not intended to be a comprehensive, do-it-yourself program for birth at home in all situations or to substitute for the care of a health care professional.

Washington, DC (PRWEB) August 8, 2003 -- A year of heightened terrorism alerts and terrible natural disasters has underlined the need to be plan ahead. Expectant parents need a readily available resource that can help them give birth in the event that they cannot gain access to a healthcare professional.

The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), the nation's oldest women's health organization, has developed "Giving Birth in Place: Emergency Preparedness for Expectant Parents," a guide for those who may face an impending birth during a national disaster or terrorist attack. "Giving Birth in Place" is a free, online resource to ease the concerns of expectant parents, but is not intended to be a comprehensive, do-it-yourself program for birth at home in all situations or to substitute for the care of a health care professional.

Located at www.midwife.org/focus/inplace.cfm, Giving Birth in Place includes easy-to-follow steps to manage a normal labor, and instructions for intervening in key emergency situations. It includes information on:

Getting assistance
Preparing the bed
When the baby is ready
Cutting the umbilical cord
The placenta
Taking care of baby/mom
Breastfeeding
Clean up
What to avoid
Supplies

"ACNM's goal is not to cause another run on duct tape and plastic sheeting," remarked Executive Director Deanne Williams, CNM, MS. "We want to do what midwives have always done, provide women and families with the information they need to make smart choices. All mothers have the inner strength they need to get through an unexpected birth experience; but, better emergency preparation can make it far less stressful."

Preparation, Not Panic. Giving Birth in Place is written to share knowledge about what to do if labor starts and the mother is unable to travel to the hospital or birth center. The choice of how to prepare for an emergency is a personal one. Fortunately, it is a choice that the public is better equipped to make thanks to the availability of responsible, accurate information.

For nearly 50 years ACNM has developed professional guidelines and standards in this area. More recently, international work in unstable areas where women regularly confront emergency conditions provided additional expertise utilized to produce Giving Birth in Place for American women.

Giving Birth in Place: Emergency Preparedness for Expectant Parents is available, free on the ACNM Web site www.midwife.org. For more information contact Shawn Farley by phone at 202-728-9876 or via email at sfarley@acnm.org.

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With roots dating to 1929, the American College of Nurse-Midwives is the oldest women's health care association in the U.S. ACNM's mission is to promote the health and well-being of women and infants within their families and communities through the development and support of the profession of midwifery as practiced by certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives. Midwives believe every individual has the right to safe, satisfying health care with respect for human dignity and cultural variations.