The Role of the Childbirth Educator in Supporting Vaginal Birth and Reducing Primary Cesareans: Highlights From the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative Toolkit

Maternity care organizations, including the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, have identified reducing the rate of primary cesarean births as an urgent health-care priority. Particular emphasis is placed on reducing the cesarean rate for nulliparous women who are at term with a singleton baby in the vertex position. The California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative recently published an evidence-based, comprehensive Toolkit to Support Vaginal Birth and Reduce Primary Cesareans for this population. This article highlights the recommended strategies from the Toolkit of particular interest to childbirth educators.