Providing evidence-based mother- friendly maternity care

Here is a leaflet provided by the The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS): 10 Steps for Mother-Friendly Care.

Provided by Citizens for Midwifery, the leaflet outlines the 10 steps, discusses outlines medical practices that are not evidence based, and summarizes the advantages of birthing at home.

• STEP 1: Offers all birthing mothers unrestricted access to birth companions, labor support, professional midwifery care.
• STEP 2: Provides accurate, descriptive, statistical information about birth care practices.
• STEP 3: Provides culturally competent care.
• STEP 4: Provides the birthing woman with freedom of movement to walk, move, assume positions of her choice.
• STEP 5: Has clearly defined policies, procedures for collaboration, consultation, links to community resources.
• STEP 6: Does not routinely employ practices, procedures unsupported by scientific evidence.
• STEP 7: Educates staff in nondrug methods of pain relief and does not promote use of analgesic, anesthetic drugs.
• STEP 8: Encourages all mothers, families to touch, hold, breastfeed, care for their babies.
• STEP 9: Discourages nonreligious circumcision of the newborn.
• STEP 10: Strives to achieve the WHO/UNICEF Ten Steps of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative to promote successful breastfeeding.

If you are a midwife, how does your midwifery practice rate against those steps?

If you are anyone other than a midwife, how does this rate against what you would want from a midwife or maternity service?

Image: 'Pat the Baby'
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