May
5
Mon
2025
19. Partnerships to promote midwifery: using the International Childbirth Initiative as a framework to encourage leadership and professional collaboration
May 5 @ 16:00 – 16:50
19. Partnerships to promote midwifery: using the International Childbirth Initiative as a framework to encourage leadership and professional collaboration @ Zoom

Speakers:  Ronny Valenzuela, Vicki Penwell & Vijaya Krishnan

Facilitator: Adebukunola Olajumoke Afolabi

Collaboration is a cornerstone of effective, safe, and respectful maternity care. The International Childbirth Initiative framework centers the role of midwives in the provision of respectful care and creates a space to allow for increased understanding and promotion of midwifery across countries where midwifery has not been integrated. The goal of the Initiative is to promote practices that allow for safe physiological birth, including promotion of the midwifery philosophy and access to continuous support. The need for midwives is greater than ever as globally we observe a trend of increasing maternal mortality and sharply increasing rates of cesarean birth.

This panel will introduce the Initiative, with midwives speaking from participating health facilities in Chile, India, and the Philippines about their experiences of collaborating with their community, physicians, nurses, administrators, and policy makers through the Initiative’s platform.