Thanks to the Maternal Health Task Force for such a beautiful logo for the 2018 #IntlMHDay 2018 International Maternal Health & Rights Day!

I'm working on this blog post! Check back soon!

 According to a 2016 report by the United Health Foundation*, New Jersey (NJ) ranks 50^th in the US for cesarean deliveries for low-risk women, with a rate of 31.6%. This is significantly higher than the Healthy People 2020 goal of 23.9%.

In addition, 2015 data from NJ PRAMS**, show that mothers who did not receive childbirth education were 1.4 times or 40% more likely to experience a cesarean birth.  Since only 37% of first-time mothers reported that they received a childbirth education class during their pregnancy, this has strong implications about access and availability of childbirth education in our state and provides a strong argument for the need for it.

 * 2016 Health of Women and Children Report by United Health Foundation’s America’s

     Health Rankings

** Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring and Surveillance System