I really love it when women research and come to their own decisions, in conjunction with their spouses and their care providers. But sometimes mothers ask me for sources of information. It's a fine line between providing the best resources I am aware of and sending information that might align with my personal philosophy (because these two things are usually one and the same!) One of a doula's jobs is to provide information. But my goal is not to have women agree with me; it's for them to know as much as they can about risks, benefits, and alternatives, and to make the choice that is right for them as a mother and woman for their unique birth. And I believe the best way to do that is to know about evidence-based birth practices.
So, maybe you found this site looking for information. Maybe you are a client and are already researching. I could provide all the sources, but I'd rather you become aware of where you can begin to look!
The American Congress of OB/GYns (ACOG) publishes practice bulletins. That is a good place to get an idea of what practices they suggest your care provider follow. The American College of Nurse Midwives also publish articles.
PubMed, The British Medical Journal, and the Cochrane Review database are huge online sources of scholarly studies and articles. It's where I usually begin my hunt.
Finally, websites such as www.scienceandsensibility.org and evidencebasedbirth.com are wonderful blogs that work to review the scholarly literature and summarize it in terms that don't require advanced training in statistics.
Many, many websites exist that give advice. When you're browsing the internet, try to be aware of bias in tone, conclusion, or limited evidence. Make sure the sources for information are listed, and go read the sources or studies yourself!
Happy New learning!
Professional birth services for Central Pennsylvania, including State College, Altoona, Lewistown, Dubois, Huntingdon, Williamsport, and Johnstown.
