The Building Respectful Integrated Doula Support as a Gateway for Enhanced Maternal Health Outcomes and Experiences Conceptual Framework for Integrating Doula Support in the Pregnancy Continuum.

Doulas, non-clinical companions trained to provide emotional, informational, and physical support throughout the pregnancy continuum, have emerged as cost-effective interventions to enhance maternal health. This article aims to review existing definitions, roles, outcomes, and theoretic frameworks surrounding doula support, culminating in the development of the Building Respectful Integrated Doula Support as a Gateway for Enhanced Maternal Health Outcomes and Experiences (BRIDGE) conceptual framework. The BRIDGE conceptual framework provides a comprehensive understanding of doula support and its potential to improve maternal health outcomes, underscoring the importance of integrating doula support into standard maternal health care practices.

Nurturing the Journey: Preparing for Breastfeeding and Beyond.

This article explores pregnancy, breastfeeding, and postpartum care, emphasizing preconception health, self-care, and informed breastfeeding decisions. It advocates for accessible resources, prenatal lactation education, and culturally sensitive assistance. Addressing challenges like maternal medications and systemic barriers, it supports diverse representation in lactation support.

Addressing Birth Inequity: A Guide for Nurses.

To achieve equity in obstetric care, nurses need to understand maternal and infant mortality rates, recognize biases, and work to reduce them. Understanding the differences between equity, equality, justice, and inclusion is vital for delivering quality, individualized care that meets each patient's unique needs. This article aims to offer a resource on equitable care principles and bias mitigation strategies in obstetric care.

Collaborative Training as a Conduit to Build Knowledge in Black Birth Workers.

Background: Black women have worse birthing outcomes in part due to perceived racism. Therefore, mistrust between Black birthing people and their obstetric providers is profound. Black birthing people may use doulas to support and advocate throughout their pregnancy.

Breastfeeding Sisters That Are Receiving Support: Community-Based Peer Support Program Created for and by Women of Color.

Substantial racial disparities accounted for 66% of non-Hispanic Black mothers initiating breastfeeding in 2015 compared with 83% of non-Hispanic white mothers and 87% of Hispanic mothers in Tennessee. Created in 2015, Breastfeeding Sisters That Are Receiving Support (BSTARS) uses key partnerships at monthly meetings that promote supportive environments with topics around breastfeeding education, support, and women's health issues. The BSTARS group helps rebuild the culture surrounding the health equity of Black women and women of color and their families by offering informational and emotional support, facilitate positive changes, and heal historical trauma.

Hormonal contraception, breastfeeding and bedside advocacy: the case for patient-centered care.

Postpartum contraceptive decision making is complex, and recommendations may be influenced by breastfeeding intentions. While biologically plausible, concerns about the adverse impact of hormonal contraception on breast milk production have not been supported by the clinical evidence to date. However, the data have limitations, which can lead providers with different priorities around contraception and breastfeeding to interpret the data in a way that advances their personal priorities.

A Qualitative Study of Social, Cultural, and Historical Influences on African American Women's Infant-Feeding Practices.

The purpose of this study was to describe cultural factors influencing African American mothers' perceptions about infant feeding. Analysis of six focus group discussions of diverse African American mothers yielded sociohistorical factors that are rarely explored in the breastfeeding literature. These factors are events, experiences, and other phenomena that have been culturally, socially, and generationally passed down and integrated into families, potentially influencing breastfeeding beliefs and behaviors.

Integrative Literature Review of Factors Related to Breastfeeding in African American Women: Evidence for a Potential Paradigm Shift.

Background: Human milk has widespread health benefits for infants, mothers, and society. However, not all populations of women, particularly African American women, engage in human milk feeding at high rates. Research aim: The purpose of this integrative literature review is twofold: (a) to examine factors that influence low rates of human milk feeding among African American women and (b) to introduce a need for a methodological paradigm shift to develop culturally relevant and effective interventions.

LVAD patients' and surrogates' perspectives on SPIRIT-HF: An advance care planning discussion.

Objectives: To describe LVAD patients' and surrogates' experiences with, and perspectives on SPIRIT-HF, an advance care planning (ACP) intervention.

Background: ACP is important for patients with LVAD, yet little is known about their experiences or those of their surrogates who have participated in ACP discussions.

Methods: We used qualitative content analysis techniques to conduct a secondary analysis of 28 interviews with patients with LVAD (n = 14) and their surrogates (n = 14) who had participated in an RCT pilot study of SPIRIT-HF.

Superwoman Schema, Stigma, Spirituality, and Culturally Sensitive Providers: Factors Influencing African American Women's Use of Mental Health Services.

Many African American women are heavily burdened by unmet mental health needs yet underuse mental health services. The superwoman schema (SWS) conceptual framework provides a new culturally sensitive framework to enhance researchers', providers', and educators' understanding of the barriers to mental health service use among this group. The "superwoman" role involves perceived obligations to (1) project strength, (2) suppress emotions, (3) resist feelings of vulnerability and dependence, (4) succeed despite limited resources, and (5) prioritize caregiving over self-care.