We often confuse the trauma of childbirth with the trauma of a broken maternity care system. It’s far too common that women describe their births as traumatic and often, it isn’t the pain of childbirth that haunts them. It’s the way they were treated, how they were spoken to and sometimes, how they were ignored.

The medical system trains providers and staff to ask questions that steer people to a destination. They aren’t trained to listen and cultivate relationships through trust and disclosure and far too often, because of this construct, an unnecessary power struggle ensues when pregnant families work to make choices they feel are best for them.Find out more »

The United States has experienced increasing maternal mortality rates over the last 25 years. In fact, each year about 700 women die of pregnancy-related causes and more than 50,000 suffer severe complications but do survive. Women of color suffer at three times the rate of Caucasian women. This presentation will explore how increasing the numbers of midwives as well as the diversity of the midwifery workforce can contribute to improved outcomes. Strategies for attaining these goals will be presented.Find out more »

By many measures, the maternity care system in the United States is not meeting people’s needs during pregnancy and childbirth. Substantial evidence supports the midwifery model of care as a key strategy to improve outcomes, the experience of care, and at the same time, use resources more effectively. Yet, midwives remain an underutilized resource. This session will explore strategies for advocating for increased access to the midwifery model of care in the U.S.Find out more »

Objectives of this one hour session include:

• Participants will identify two sexual health concerns women have after treatment for cancer
• Participants will describe how to assess female cancer survivors for sexual health concerns
• Participants will identify two non pharmacologic interventions to address female sexual health concerns

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