Advanced Maternity Care

This website gives you information, tools and resources to become an active member of your maternity care team and active participant in your care. You may be surprised to know that being fully engaged in your maternity care can make all the difference in the care you get, your experiences and the well-being of both you and your baby.

Having the skills, knowledge and confidence to wisely navigate your maternity care is important because:

• The quality of maternity care varies a lot across providers and care settings. The care arrangements you make affect what happens to you and your health.
• There is broad agreement that cesareans and many other maternity practices are overused and can cause needless discomfort and harm. Becoming informed and following proven tips can help you avoid these problems.
• High-quality research points to many safer, more effective practices for you and your baby. But it can take many years before these practices are reliably provided to women and babies at the point of care. Knowing about and seeking best practices can make a big difference for both of you.
• Your baby is counting on you to advocate for her or his best start.

You are embarking on many years of responsibility for managing health care across generations. Pregnancy and birth is an ideal time to develop skills, knowledge and confidence for a lifetime. You’ve come to the right place!