Midwifery care during labor and birth in the United States.

The intrapartum period is a crucial time in the continuum of pregnancy and parenting. Events during this time are shaped by individuals' unique sociocultural and health characteristics and by their healthcare providers, practice protocols, and the physical environment in which care is delivered. Childbearing people in the United States have less opportunity for midwifery care than in other high-income countries.

Does the ARRIVE trial merit changing obstetric practice? Some reflections four-year postrelease.

Background: It has been 4 years since the release of the study Labor Induction versus Expectant Management in Low-Risk Nulliparous Women, also known as the ARRIVE trial. As researchers and speakers who frequently present to the United States and international audiences about models of care and strategies to support normal physiologic labor and birth, we have had ample opportunity to engage with practitioners who consistently ask about our perspectives on the ARRIVE trial's findings and methods. Many note the marked increase in pressure they feel to induce at 39 weeks since the study's publication in 2018.

The impact of systemic racism on health outcomes among Black women: Recommendations for change.

Black women suffer disproportionately from healthcare inequities in comparison to their White counterparts. Using the Public Health Critical Race framework, this article explores the lasting effects of systemic racism on the health outcomes of Black women across the lifespan. A case study and specific strategies are presented to examine how clinicians, educators, and policymakers can work with Black women to mitigate and eliminate health inequities.

Developing Tools to Report Racism in Maternal Health for the CDC Maternal Mortality Review Information Application (MMRIA): Findings from the MMRIA Racism & Discrimination Working Group.

Purpose: The purpose of this report from the field is to describe the process by which an multidisciplinary workgroup, selected by the CDC Foundation in partnership with maternal health experts, developed a definition of racism that would be specifically appropriate for inclusion on the Maternal Mortality Review Information Application (MMRIA) form.

Description: In the United States Black women are nearly 4 times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death. Recent evidence points to racism as a fundamental cause of this inequity.