
Speakers: Melissa Cheyney, Micknal Arefaine, Allison Cummins
Facilitator: Jane Houston
The Quality Maternal and Newborn Care (QMNC) Research Alliance works to transform global knowledge production by addressing fundamental questions of epistemic justice: whose voices count and who participates in creating knowledge. Emerging from the 2014 Lancet Series on Midwifery, the Alliance recognizes that research inequities persist globally, with dominant narratives often excluding critical perspectives from diverse practitioners and communities.
QMNC’s collaborative approach deliberately centers LMIC voices, particularly emphasizing the integral role of midwifery knowledge. By fostering international partnerships across researchers, clinicians, advocates, and policymakers, the Alliance creates pathways for equitable participation in knowledge creation and dissemination. This model challenges traditional hierarchies that have historically privileged certain forms of expertise while dismissing others.
Through its mission to promote research that helps all childbearing families “survive, thrive, and transform lives,” QMNC demonstrates how epistemic justice serves as a foundation for improving maternal and newborn outcomes worldwide.

Speakers: Angelica Mercedes Lozano Rivera, Marlene Magallanes Corimanya & Lalescka Araceli Soria Gonzales
Facilitator: Marcela Mendoza
Introduccion: La anticoncepción postaborto es vital para reducir embarazos no deseados y prevenir la mortalidad materna.
Objetivo: Determinar si la nacionalidad y la edad están asociadas con el uso de anticonceptivos prescritos en el postaborto, tras un seguimiento de seis meses.
Metodos: Se realizaun estudio observacional analitico con mujeres que aceptaron un mettodo anticonceptivo inmediatamente despues de un aborto en un hospital publico peruano (N = 399). De ellas, se contactó telefónicamente a 175 participantes seis meses después.
Resultados: Solo el 39,42% de las mujeres mantuvo el uso del método anticonceptivo. Se hallo una asociacion significativa entre la edad (p = 0,049) y la nacionalidad venezolana (p = 0,043) con el uso de metodos anticonceptivos seis meses despues del aborto.
Conclusion: Seis meses después del alta hospitalaria, se observa una asociación entre el uso de métodos anticonceptivos postaborto y las variables edad y nacionalidad.
Introduction: Post-abortion contraception is vital to reduce unwanted pregnancies and prevent maternal mortality.
Objective: To determine whether nationality and age are associated with the use of prescribed contraceptives in the post-abortion period, after a six-month follow-up.
Methods: An analytical observational study was conducted with women who accepted a contraceptive method immediately after an abortion in a Peruvian public hospital (N = 399). Of these, 175 participants were contacted by telephone six months later.
Results: Only 39.42% of the women continued using the contraceptive method. A significant association was found between age (p = 0.049) and Venezuelan nationality (p = 0.043) with the use of contraceptive methods six months after the abortion.
Conclusion: Six months after hospital discharge, an association was observed between the use of post-abortion contraceptive methods and the variables age and nationality.
Check time in your country https://bit.ly/VIDM25-session-05

Speaker: Red Miller
Facilitator: Linda Deys
As a home birth midwife with nearly 2 decades of experience working the continuity of care model, I have found the word that most relates to my practice style is Biodynamic Midwifery. In my practice, I also have a strong focus on addressing fears to create space for ultimate outcomes.
Fear exploration is such an essential process for the birthing women and also the birthing partner, the older sibling, the grandparents, the doulas, whoever will be present and surrounding the mother at the time of birth.
This presentation will explore:
- the word biodynamic and introduce the concept of biodynamic midwifery.
- An introduction to the concept of relational field dynamics and explore how to hold a field of integrity and trust.
- An exploration of the role we carry as midwives to help shift a family from fear to love, including practical, applicable tools for self-exploration as well as for use with the families. We will explore how this practice is the fastest way to return a mother to their intuition.
I want to leave the participants with a renewed sense of passion for this sacred work and give them new ways of BEING within it!

