Cochrane Database Review concludes women should have labour support

The Cocharane Collaboration has just published a review of Continuous support for women during childbirth. Following is part of the abstract:

ABSTRACT

Objectives:
Primary: to assess the effects, on mothers and their babies, of continuous, one-to-one intrapartum support compared with usual care.
Secondary: to determine whether the effects of continuous support are influenced by: (1) routine practices and policies in the birth environment that may affect a woman’s autonomy, freedom of movement and ability to cope with labour; (2) whether the caregiver is a member of the staff of the institution; and (3) whether the continuous support begins early or later in labour.

Main results:
Sixteen trials involving 13,391 women met inclusion criteria and provided usable outcome data. Primary comparison: women who had continuous intrapartum support were likely to have a slightly shorter labour, were more likely to have a spontaneous vaginal birth and less likely to have intrapartum analgesia or to report dissatisfaction with their childbirth experiences. Subgroup analyses: in general, continuous intrapartum support was associated with greater benefits when the provider was not a member of the hospital staff, when it began early in labour and in settings in which epidural analgesia was not routinely available.

Authors’ conclusions
All women should have support throughout labour and birth.

You can read the whole 72 page review by downloading it from the Childbirth Connection; a great source of pregnancy and childbirth information.

LOADS of breastfeeding information!

WOW, there are some fabulous questions and tonnes of great answers and info in the Globe and Mail's Dr. Jack Newman breastfeeding Q&A.

Dr. Jack Newman answers breastfeeding questions

My mother was (and still is!) a La Leche League leader. While I was growing up, I remember hearing the one sided conversations of my mom offering telephone support to other mothers with breastfeeding concerns.

I surprise myself when, as a doula, I'm asked for breastfeeding support and I hear those memories pop into my head "..... get naked with your baby and climb into a warm bath..... " How many times did I hear this advice!? How much of what I know about breastfeeding is simply an innate knowledge I acquired as a child while attending La Leche League meetings, conferences, family potlucks and picnics, etc. I an unusual and lucky in this culture that my knowledge of breastfeeding and solving it's minor hurdles is second nature to me. You can take a peek at my Breastfeeding BirthFAQ on my website.

If you weren't lucky enough to grow up with your own breastfeeding guru, don't worry, Canada has one of the world's best breastfeeding experts at their disposal. Dr. Jack Newman co-authored one of my favorite breastfeeding books.

In May 2007 the Globe and Mail initiated an online Q&A with Dr. Newman and they were swamped with the number of questions they got. So they're doing it again. Write in with your questions now and watch for the answers on August 16.