Continuity of midwifery carer improves outcomes, but there is significant variation in how such schemes are implemented and evaluated cross-culturally. The Angus home birth scheme in Scotland incorporates continuity of carer throughout pregnancy, labor, birth, and the postnatal period. Manual maternity case note review to evaluate the 80% continuity of carer and 3% planned home birth rate targets. Of 1466 women booking for maternity care, 69 joined the scheme. Forty-four had a planned home birth (3% overall), of whom seven were originally deemed ineligible. Of the 44, eight (18%) also achieved 80% continuity of carer with the primary midwife; by including a home birth team colleague, the continuity rate rose to 73%. Women whose care achieved home birth and continuity targets had lower deprivation scores. Eligibility issues, women's changing circumstances, and data recording lapses were complicating issues. Targets must be both feasible and meaningful and should be complemented by assessing a broad range of outcomes while viewing the scheme holistically. By expanding eligibility criteria, the home birth rate target was met; including input from a home birth team colleague in the calculation meant the continuity target was nearly met. With dedicated and competent staff, adequate resource and political support, and when considered in the round, the scheme's viability within local services was confirmed. Other generalizable learning points included the need to standardize definitions and data recording methods. Comparability across schemes helps grow the evidence base so that the links between processes and outcomes can be identified.

BackgroundIt has been suggested that women admitted for delivery should have universal PCR testing for SARS‐CoV‐2. Yet, the considerable difference in the incidence of COVID‐19 between different geographic regions may affect screening strategies. Therefore, we aimed to compare questionnaire‐based testing versus universal PCR testing for SARS‐CoV‐2 in women admitted for delivery.MethodsA prospective cohort study of women admitted for delivery at a single center during a four‐week period (April 22‐May 25, 2020). All women completed a questionnaire about COVID‐19 signs, symptoms, or risk factors, and a nasopharyngeal swab for PCR for SARS‐CoV‐2. Women who were flagged as suspected COVID‐19 by the questionnaire (questionnaire‐positive) were compared with women who were not flagged by the questionnaire (questionnaire‐negative).ResultsOverall, 446 women were eligible for analysis, of which 54 (12.1%) were questionnaire‐positive. PCR swab detected SARS‐CoV‐2 in four (0.9%) women: 3 of 392 (0.8%) in the questionnaire‐negative group, and 1 of 54 (1.9%) in the questionnaire‐positive group (P = .43), yielding a number needed to screen of 92 (95% CI 62‐177). In 96% of the cases, the PCR results were obtained only in the postpartum period. No positive PCR results were obtained from neonatal testing for SARS‐CoV‐2. The sensitivity of the questionnaire was 75.0%, and the negative predictive value was 99.7%.ConclusionsAlthough the rate of positive PCR results was not significantly different between the groups, the number needed to screen is considerably high. The use of questionnaire‐based PCR testing in areas with low incidence of COVID‐19 allows for a reasonable allocation of resources and is easy to implement.

Pregnancy and birth entail many bodily changes, including changes in sexual activity. The postpartum period is a time of considerable recovery and adaptation for women, yet women do not always receive adequate information, especially in countries where such topics may be considered taboo. The purpose of this project was to explore the sexual educational needs of Jordanian women after giving birth. A qualitative, phenomenological approach was used. A purposive sample of 25 women were recruited from two health care centers. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted in person in Arabic between August and November 2015. Transcripts were independently analyzed and coded by each researcher. Two major themes with six subthemes emerged. Theme 1, sexual education, included discussions about the women's needs for scientific information and the husband's involvement, and their psychological needs. Theme 2, professional approaches, involved discussions about the most appropriate person to deliver education, preferred place and time for education, and effective educational approaches to be used. Congruent with previous studies, findings indicated that issues related to sexuality are often ignored in this population. Jordanian women have many unmet educational needs with respect to sexuality after giving birth. More efforts are needed from health care professionals and other stakeholders to help improve Jordanian women's sexual health education after giving birth. These should include greater access to classes, websites with scientific information, and informational handouts that target husbands, and postpartum women themselves.

To determine the risk factors for receipt of emergency room (ER) care and rehospitalization among opioid-exposed newborns in Massachusetts. We analyzed two linked data sets from 2002 to 2010: (a) Massachusetts Pregnancy to Early Life Longitudinal Data System and (b) Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Abuse Services Management Information System. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess the independent association of maternal and infant characteristics with ER use and rehospitalization in the first year of life. Four thousand and five hundred and twenty-four maternal-infant dyads affected by OUD were included in the analysis. In adjusted analysis, risk factors for receipt of ER care included Hispanic ethnicity (aOR 1.63 [95% CI 1.30-2.05]), lower education levels (aOR 1.54-1.69 [95% CI 1.12-2.31]), nonprivate insurance (aOR 1.44 [95% CI 1.11-1.86]), and presence of maternal chronic conditions (aOR 1.14 [95% CI 1.01-1.29]). Risk factors for rehospitalization included prematurity (aOR 1.44 [95% CI 1.14-1.82]), low birthweight (aOR 2.02 [95% CI 1.63-2.49]), and nonprivate insurance (aOR 1.58 [95% CI 1.13-2.22]). Prolonged infant birth hospitalization was protective against both ER use (aOR 0.84 [95% CI 0.73-0.96]) and rehospitalization (aOR 0.63 [95% CI 0.53-0.75]). Clinical and sociodemographic characteristics are risk factors for receipt of ER care and rehospitalization among opioid-exposed newborns in Massachusetts.

The measurement and interpretation of patient experience is a distinct dimension of health care quality. The Midwives @ New Group practice Options (M@NGO) randomized control trial of caseload midwifery compared with standard care among women regardless of risk reported both clinical and cost benefits. This study reports participants' perceptions of the quality of antenatal care within caseload midwifery, compared with standard care for women of any risk within that trial. A trial conducted at two Australian tertiary hospitals randomly assigned participants (1:1) to caseload midwifery or standard care regardless of risk. Women were sent an 89-question survey at 6 weeks postpartum that included 12 questions relating to pregnancy care. Ten survey questions (including 7-point Likert scales) were analyzed by intention to treat and illustrated by participant quotes from two free-text open-response items. From the 1748 women recruited to the trial, 58% (n=1017) completed the 6-week survey. Of those allocated to caseload midwifery, 66% (n=573) responded, compared with 51% (n=444) of those allocated to standard care. The survey found women allocated to caseload midwifery perceived a higher level of quality care across every antenatal measure. Notably, those women with identified risk factors reported higher levels of emotional support (aOR 2.52 [95% CI 1.87-3.39]), quality care (2.94 [2.28-3.79]), and feeling actively involved in decision-making (3.21 [2.35-4.37]). Results from the study show that in addition to the benefits to clinical care and cost demonstrated in the M@NGO trial, caseload midwifery outperforms standard care in perceived quality of pregnancy care regardless of risk.

Over the last decade, induction of labor (IOL) in postterm pregnancies has increased. Studies have shown the medical advantages of postterm IOL, but less is known about the perspectives of the pregnant women. This review aimed to summarize the current qualitative evidence on women's experience of postterm IOL. A systematic literature search was performed in three databases. A total of 3193 publications were identified, but only eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis guided the data extraction and synthesis. The Confidence in the Evidence for Reviews of Qualitative research (CERQual) approach was used to assess confidence in the findings. Three major findings were identified. First, for some women, IOL required a shift in expectations because the hope of spontaneous labor had to be given up. Second, the IOL decision was considered a recommendation from health care professionals and was experienced as a nondecision. Finally, the induction process was experienced as a sequential set of steps where the women were expected to fit into the existing hospital organization. The CERQual assessment suggested moderate confidence in all findings. The negative experiences identified in this review can be greatly reduced by a communicative and patient-centered approach. To support informed choice and shared decision making, women need high-quality, unbiased information about IOL, alternative options, and potential outcomes, in addition to time for reflection on their personal values and preferences. Women may need a professionally initiated and supported opportunity to re-evaluate their hopes and expectations before IOL.

Enhanced placental transfusion reduces adverse neonatal outcomes, including death. Despite being endorsed by the World Health Organization in 2012, the method has not been adopted widely in practice. We performed a systematic literature search and included quality improvement projects on placental transfusion at birth and studies on barriers to implementation. We extracted information on population, methods of implementation, obstacles to implementation, and strategies to overcome them. We screened 99 studies out of which 18 were included in the review. The preferred methods of implementation were protocol development (86% of studies) reinforced by targeted education (64% of studies) and multidisciplinary team involvement (43% of studies). Barriers to implementation were mentioned in 12 studies and divided into four categories: general factors such as lack of staff awareness (5 studies) and professional resistance to change (5 studies); obstetrician-specific concerns, including the impact during cesarean (3 studies) and the risk of postpartum hemorrhage (3 studies); pediatrician-specific concerns, including the need for resuscitation (5 studies), risk of jaundice (3 studies), and polycythemia (2 studies); and logistical difficulties. The main strategies to facilitate placental transfusion at birth included effective multidisciplinary team collaboration, protocol development, targeted education, and constructive feedback sessions. Placental transfusion implementation requires a multidisciplinary approach, with obstetricians, midwives, nurses, and pediatricians central to adoption of the practice. Understanding the obstacles to implementation informs strategies to increase placental transfusion adoption of practice worldwide. We suggest a stepwise approach to implementation and enhancement of placental transfusion into practice.

In recent years, there has been increasing recognition of the importance of early maternal-newborn contact for the health and well-being of the newborn and promotion of breastfeeding. However, little research has investigated the association between early maternal-newborn contact and the mother's birth experience. As part of a large-scale prospective, cohort study (the First Baby Study [FBS]), nearly 3000 women who delivered in Pennsylvania (2009-2011) reported how soon after delivery they first saw, held, and fed their newborns. Birth experience was measured via telephone interview 1 month postpartum, using the FBS Birth Experience Scale, a 16-item scale which addresses women's feelings about the delivery. General linear models were used to measure associations between time to first maternal-newborn contact and birth experience, controlling for relevant confounders, including maternal age, race/ethnicity, insurance coverage, delivery mode, gestational age, and pregnancy and delivery complications. The sooner that new mothers first saw, held, and fed their newborns after delivery the more positive their childbirth experiences (all P-values<0.001). Women who delivered by cesarean were less likely to see, hold and feed their newborns shortly after delivery than those who delivered vaginally (all P-values<0.001), and reported less positive birth experiences (P<0.001). However, if they first saw, held, and fed their newborns shortly after delivery, they reported more positive birth experiences than those who delivered vaginally (P=0.010). Early maternal-newborn contact after delivery was associated with positive birth experiences for new mothers, particularly those who delivered by cesarean.