Birth Place Lab

Next Week! 🎤Join Birth Place Lab in welcoming Dr. JoLee Sasakamoose as a speaker for the Justice and Equity in Perinatal Services Hub Seminar Series on June 24th, 2026, at 12 PM PST/3 PM EST.

Learning objectives:
➡️ Understand how Indigenous governance frameworks shape culturally grounded models of perinatal care through Okawimaw Kanosimin (Mother’s Bundle).
➡️ Examine the Cultural Responsiveness Framework and its application within this model, recognized as a global best practice through the Nature Awards for Inclusive Health Research.
➡️ Identify practical strategies to improve trust, access, and continuity of care.

✅ Register right now here ➡️ qr.codes/IM6gYx

Free birth—birthing without outside intervention from the medical system or skilled birth care providers—is becoming more visible in the mainstream. A recent New York Times article highlighted some reasons why birthing people may seek out free birth, while elaborating on the potential risks and documented consequences, which can be unclear.

The Birth Place Lab's groundbreaking Giving Voice to Mothers study was cited in the piece, corroborating that mistreatment and disrespect continue to affect far too many individuals and may drive pregnant people to free birth. This context emphasizes that those concerned by the negative impacts associated with the rise in free birthing must also focus on promoting respectful care.

Read the article → https://vist.ly/57k4s

In Two Weeks! 🎤Join Birth Place Lab in welcoming Dr. JoLee Sasakamoose (Roots to Wellness Research Collaboratory) as a speaker for the Justice and Equity in Perinatal Services Hub Seminar Series on June 24th, 2026, at 12 PM PST/3 PM EST.

Learning objectives:
➡️ Understand how Indigenous governance frameworks shape culturally grounded models of perinatal care through Okawimaw Kanosimin (Mother’s Bundle).
➡️ Examine the Cultural Responsiveness Framework and its application within this model, recognized as a global best practice through the Nature Awards for Inclusive Health Research.
➡️ Identify practical strategies to improve trust, access, and continuity of care.

✅ Register right now here ➡️ qr.codes/IM6gYx

International Home Birth Day uplifts the right of pregnant people to choose and be supported in their place of birth. But how exactly do we ensure that everyone who wishes to birth at home has this access?

Today, we revisit a series of home birth summits, starting 15 years ago, which brought together stakeholders in perinatal care to discuss improved integration of services for all birthing people and families in the United States.

At those historic summits, these delegates (representing consumers, physicians, midwives, hospital administrators, legislators, and public health, research, ethics, payor, and liability specialists) articulated a shared vision of improving equitable access to safe, high-quality maternity care across all settings.

The resulting nine "Common Ground Statements" describe a perinatal care environment that respects autonomy, reduces health inequities, supports cross-professional collaboration and communication, promotes physiologic birth, expands research that includes the pregnant person in defining the elements of “safety," and accurately assesses the effects of birth place on outcomes and experience.

Learn more → https://vist.ly/56uzf

🎤Join Birth Place Lab in welcoming Dr. JoLee Sasakamoose as a speaker for the Justice and Equity in Perinatal Services Hub Seminar Series on June 24th, 2026, at 12 PM PST/3 PM EST.

Learning objectives:
➡️ Understand how Indigenous governance frameworks shape culturally grounded models of perinatal care through Okawimaw Kanosimin (Mother’s Bundle).
➡️ Examine the Cultural Responsiveness Framework and its application within this model, recognized as a global best practice through the Nature Awards for Inclusive Health Research.
➡️ Identify practical strategies to improve trust, access, and continuity of care.

✅ Register right now here ➡️ qr.codes/IM6gYx

In honor of Asian Heritage Month, we wanted to highlight the incredible contributions of our work-learn graduate research assistant Yiwei Chen (they/them), whose analysis of Chinese-speaking participants' responses to the RESPCCT study has deepened our understanding of their experiences.

With their Chinese language knowledge, which includes familiarity with different Chinese dialects, Yiwei goes beyond direct translation, sharing nuance that is not explicitly clear to someone without a similar cultural and linguistic background.

Swipe through to learn more.

[EN] 🎤 Join Birth Place Lab in welcoming Dr. Celina Solis Becerra and Dr. Raymonde Gagnon as speakers for the Justice and Equity in Perinatal Services Hub Seminar Series on May 28, 2026 at 11 AM PST/2 PM EST.
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Learning objectives:
By the end of this session, the audience will be able to:
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✅ Explain the relationship between cultural diversity aspects (e.g., ethnicity, immigration status, and racial differences) and equitable perinatal care.
✅ Determine the role of language in the study of cultural diversity and its interaction with other fields.
✅ Break down the phases and components of a qualitative analysis design.
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🔗 Register right now here: qr.link/UdLtGP

[FR] 🎤 Joignez-vous au Birth Place Lab pour souhaiter la bienvenue à la Dre. Celina Solis Becerra et la Dre. Raymonde Gagnon en tant que conférencières pour la série de séminaires sur la justice et l'équité dans les services périnataux le 28 mai 2026 à 11h00 HNP/14h00 HNE.
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Les objectifs pédagogiques:
À la fin de cette session, les participants seront capables de :
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✅ Expliquer le lien entre les aspects de la diversité culturelle (par exemple, l’origine ethnique, le statut d’immigration et les différences raciales) et l’accès équitable aux soins périnataux.
✅ Déterminer le rôle du langage dans l’étude de la diversité culturelle et son interaction avec d’autres domaines.
✅ Décrire les phases et les composantes d’une méthodologie d’analyse qualitative.
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🔗 Inscrivez-vous dès maintenant ici : qr.link/UdLtGP

May is Maternal Mental Health Month, drawing focus to mental health conditions that impact birthing people during the perinatal period. In the Birth Place Lab's groundbreaking Giving Voice to Mothers study, participants were assessed for health and safety concerns they had.

For all racialized birthing people, their top-rated concern was for their peace of mind/stress/mental health. This worked out to be:
🧠 50.9% of Black mothers
🧠 49.3% of Indigenous mothers
🧠 43.0% of Latina mothers
🧠 33.3% of Asian mothers
Additionally, 21.7% of all respondents shared that they had experienced depression during the before or during pregnancy, which tracks with statistics that demonstrate 1 in 5 mothers are impacted by a perinatal mental health condition.

Respectful perinatal care has the power to improve perinatal mental health outcomes, including by reducing the likelihood of experiencing birth trauma. It can also help those who are impacted by perinatal mental health conditions be screened and receive the support they need.

Access mental health support resources (h/t Postpartum Support International - Canada @/psicanada) → https://vist.ly/55jnp

This March, six Birth Place Lab team members and community members attended the Vitally Important Conference, hosted by Women’s Health Collective Canada. Attending as part of the Pan-Canadian Women’s Health Research Coalition on behalf of the Justice and Equity in Perinatal Services (JEPS) Hub, our team was able to showcase the work of the JEPS Hub and connect with healthcare practitioners, researchers, community organizers, and government representatives.
Birth Place Lab's PI, Dr. Saraswathi Vedam spoke in the panel “Closing Equity Gaps in Reproductive Health Outcomes,” moderated by Karen Lawford. The panel focused on the persistent disparities in reproductive health and the need to move toward implementation-based solutions; and focused on how more people and early-career scholars can find ways to engage with this work. Dr. Vedam spoke about how our current implementation projects build on findings from the RESPCCT Study, and how this work can help address and reduce equity gaps in care.

This conference was a valuable opportunity to share our work, connect with key stakeholders, and reinforce the importance of collaboration in advancing more equitable and inclusive perinatal health systems. We are looking forward to collaborating with new connections formed at the conference to advance our mission of reproductive freedom, safety, and justice for all.

To learn more about the JEPS hub, visit https://vist.ly/548cw