5. How the proposed research is relevant to ICEA's mission and goals.

   Jessica Mitford, in The American Way of Birth, declared Montgomery, Alabama the most dangerous place in America to give birth. That was in 1990, and since then there has been little improvement. Alabama has higher infant mortality rates, higher C-section rates, lower VBAC rates, and higher rates of low birth weight babies as compared to the rest of the nation. The applicant believes this is due, in large part, to a lack of independent childbirth education and information. The results of this study will be used to demonstrate the positive effects of "freedom of choice based on knowledge of alternatives in family-centered maternity and newborn care," with a focus on the midwife as a choice that is not currently, but should be, legally available in Alabama as an alternative maternity care provider.

Sources of information:

Alabama Center for Health Statistics website

Births by Method of Delivery and Hospital of Occurence with Cesarean Section and Vaginal Birth after Cesarean Rates - Alabama, 2001 -
Alabama Center for Health Statistics

Natality Query - Alabama Center for Health Statistics (1990 - 2001)