I have analyzed, summarized, and critiqued research for the Lamaze International community since 2004 as a columnist for The Journal of Perinatal Education and author of the quarterly e-News Research Summaries for Normal Birth. I also co-authored The Evidence Basis for the 10 Steps of the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative (pdf) and am currently co-authoring the second edition of Obstetric Myths versus Research Realities with Henci Goer (due out from University of Michigan Press in 2010). I am a mother of two little ones and a practicing midwife in Connecticut.

The more time I spend reading the obstetric literature, the more I realize that understanding “evidence-based maternity care” requires a certain proficiency in sorting out the good studies from the bad. Scientific evidence can help us clarify best practices, but much of the available evidence is limited, flawed, or even biased. I hope to use Science & Sensibility to spread the word about new important studies and to help maternity care reform advocates hone their ability to critically analyze research. With a better understanding of the research, we can improve the health and care of women and infants in pregnancy, birth and beyond.