Roxanne Anderson, LM CPM IBCLC : Midwife & Lactation Support, DFW

08/15/2025

Midwife news!
First a little backstory:
The North Texas Midwives Association is a organization uniting midwife professionals in the DFW area. Membership is open to licensed midwives and students. NTM encourages members to participate in a spirit of humility, responsibility and accountability as we work to ensure the future of midwifery in the state of Texas.

I became a member of NTM back in the 1980s- yes it has been going that long! It was a place to hang out with other midwives, get the news, learn, grow and support each other. We've been through some ups and downs over the years, but this year has been an unique one, and it has brought many midwives back to our meetings. We had gone to quarterly meetings while things were slow, but we are now back to meeting the second Wednesday of each month except December and May.

If you are a midwife or a midwifery student and used to be a member or never got around to being a member, we'd love to have you! You can come check out our meetings with no obligation- we are inclusive not exclusive and love to meet more of our colleagues in the area.

What makes NTM special is we are a member based, member driven group- EVERY member has a voice and a vote, and is able to speak freely in our meetings.

Just as a sample, this is what we talked about at the meeting this week:

So excited to recap and follow up with North Texas Midwives (NTM) plans for data registry, specifically CBDR- Community Birth Data Registry.

What is cool about this registry is that it is under the same parent organization (FHCQ) as Smooth Transitions and designed to interface with it. We had a great presentation earlier this month on that from Carla Morrow. And the sample data she shared? That was from the CBDR stats from home birth midwives in WA.

(FHCQ is a non-profit, neutral entity that houses a suite of programs centered around quality improvement and patient safety.)

Another cool thing is that they also house the companion data collection program OB Care Outcomes Assessment Program (OB COAP). This program is essentially the hospital component of the CBDR also designed to interface with Smooth Transitions.
Which means if hospitals sign up with Smooth Transitions, that's another step toward encouraging them to collect exactly the same data points we will be collecting, making comparisons of outcomes apples to apples.

CBDR offers groups of midwives who wish to participate better prices than individuals, so NTM is currently discussing how to make this an opportunity for our members, and getting all the details some of which were shared at this month's meeting.

And why data entry anyway? Well, as we have all been hearing and discussing, this is an important step for us as Texas midwives to get accurate picture of our statistics in order hold ourselves accountable to appropriate standards of care. It is anticipated that this may be mandatory at some point in Texas as it is in WA- and this was the program designed to meet that need.

Currently there are two national data birth registries that collect date from home and birth center births, and they are the CBDR- which I have just described, and the PDR- Perinatal Data Registry. https://www.nacpm.org/data-collection-for-cpms
https://www.qualityhealth.org/cbdr/about-cbdr/
https://www.birthcenters.org/pdr

The American Association of Birth Centers is having a virtual informational meeting on Monday 18th about the PDR. In the same way that NTM is seeking to provide an easier entry to CBDR for its members, AABC offers its members a discount on AABC participation.

I was drawn to the CBDR both because it is more cost effective for small practices, and also because it interfaces with Smooth Transitions.

NTM members, please plan to attend the September meeting to have a voice in our decision making! We are working hard behind the scenes to be past the discussion stage to the voting stage at that time.

05/05/2025

May 5th is International Midwives' Day!

04/09/2025

Joint Statement from NACPM and ACNM on the Closing of the CDC’s PRAMS Program

The National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM) and American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), strongly opposes the forced leave of the the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) National Center for Disease Control staff that oversees the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). This action will have profound consequences for mothers and babies, increasing the already unacceptable rate of maternal and newborn mortality in the US. PRAMS is widely recognized as the ‘gold standard’ maternal mortality database and monitoring system.

Since 1988, PRAMS has been an essential public health tool, providing critical data on maternal and infant health outcomes. It has allowed researchers, policymakers, and healthcare providers to identify high-risk populations, monitor health trends, and implement evidence-based interventions that save lives. Its abrupt suspension threatens maternal and infant health nationwide by eliminating one of the most comprehensive data sources available for tracking disparities, guiding public health efforts, and improving care. This data is essential for driving quality improvement initiatives, holding all maternal health professionals —including obstetricians and midwives—accountable and able to continue to deliver safe, effective, and culturally sensitive care rooted in evidence based practices.

Data saves lives. NACPM and ACNM have long recognized that continuous, high-quality data collection is fundamental to reducing maternal mortality, addressing racial and economic disparities, and strengthening the maternal healthcare workforce. PRAMS has been instrumental in advancing health by documenting the impact of social determinants of health, including income, housing stability, and access to care. Without PRAMS, our ability to track progress and hold systems accountable for addressing disparities is severely compromised.

The United States already has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among high-income nations—(given US rates and some other countries) this decision only further undermines efforts to improve outcomes and address this ongoing crisis. Without PRAMS data, states lose a vital tool for allocating resources effectively, evaluating the impact of public health programs, and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are invested in policies proven to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. Data-driven public health initiatives help prevent costly complications, reduce unnecessary medical interventions, and support programs that improve long-term health—ultimately saving money while saving lives.

PRAMS data has directly led to critical policy advancements, including saving money by supporting, with data, the need to expand Medicaid postpartum coverage, integrate doula services, improve lactation support, and enhance mental health screenings for new parents. Additionally, this data has been instrumental in efforts to advance midwifery integration into the healthcare system, providing the evidence needed to support licensure, equitable reimbursement, and the inclusion of midwives in maternal healthcare policies. The loss, even if temporary, of this data not only undermines current policy efforts and if the data is scrubbed of information related to vulnerable populations sets back decades of progress in maternal and infant health, limiting our ability to build a more integrated, evidence-based, and patient-centered system of care.

We urge the CDC and federal policymakers to immediately reinstate PRAMS with no changes to the collection or publication of data and ensure that maternal and infant health remains a national priority. Without it, we lose the ability to make informed decisions that protect the health and well-being of families during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.

Signed,

National Association of Certified Professional Midwives (NACPM)

American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM)

03/17/2025

Helpful chart

02/28/2025

Absolutely!

Mothers should never feel ashamed to breastfeed their babies

From a glass of water, a chat with a friend, or a comfortable space, we can all help respect the rights of mums to breastfeed anytime, anywhere.

Let’s all step up to support breastfeeding mums!

02/17/2025

The breastfeeding mom version 🤣

10/23/2024

10/20/2024

Made it to the Topaz Film Festival for Women in Film today and saw some amazing and creative short films made by and about women on topics ranging from women in the workplace to infant loss, to gender to SA, to aging to marriage to race and of course... birth. Congratulations to filmmaker and producer Azul Sordo and my midwife friend Sabrina Elliott, Sweet Embrace Midwifery on their film Country Midwife.

10/07/2024

It's National Midwifery Week!!! Post a fun memory about your midwife!

A midwife is clinically trained to provide safe, quality medical care to mother and child before, during and after delivery. They provide total care to ensure the health and education of the family. National Midwifery Week celebrates the care and professionalism provided by midwives to the mothers and babies. 💕🥳

This year's theme is "Midwives Looking to the Future." Rigorous scientific evidence demonstrates that care provided by midwives improves birth outcomes and patient experiences. The evidence also supports the importance of the integration and expansion of midwifery to the improvement of health outcomes across states and nations. The profession of midwifery is rooted in the past but essential to the future.

09/28/2024

Continuity of care for the win! For clarification that means when a person sees the same midwife throughout her care. ❤️

09/20/2024

September is Su***de Prevention Awareness Month. Be aware of additional risk factors including a family member who has committed su***de and guns in the home. Please reach out if you need help.