Spotlight on Midwifery: Intermittent Auscultation

The Midwives of NJ created NJ Symposium for Physiologic birth as part of our commitment to educate on and elevate evidenced-based, physiologic birth practices. This year the Symposium is pleased to announce that we will be hosting a webinar series a Spotlight on Midwifery showcasing the practices and wisdom of Midwifery.

The second webinar will discuss Intermittent Auscultation: Listening to Evidence and Expanding Safe Options for Physiologic Birth with Amy Romano, Founder & CEO of Primary Maternity Care and Lisa Lederer, President of the Midwives of NJ.

In this webinar, we will hear from Amy Romano as she discusses Intermittent Auscultation (IA) for monitoring babies’ well-being in labor.

Date: Monday, July 12th

Time: 12pm EST

1 Contact Hour is Available for Providers

Why is Intermittent Auscultation Such an Important Topic?

Most hospitals do not allow IA during labor.  All patients are put on the electronic fetal monitor (EFM) for the entirety of their time in labor until the baby is born. As any person who has given birth with a monitor strapped to their belly can attest, the monitor makes labor more uncomfortable than it already is. Most women are encouraged to stay in bed and lay on their backs or sides only because it makes the monitor work better!  Laying down is rarely chosen when a person is laboring without restrictions.  Continuous fetal monitoring prevents the instinctive maternal behaviors in labor that make labor progress and pain tolerable.  This intervention which so completely disrupts normal labor has NEVER been shown to improve birth outcomes in low-risk women. Alternatively, IA has been proven in studies to be a safe alternative to EFM.

The Webinar Will Explore the Following:

Introduction: Why listen when you can look? 

• Evidence for intermittent auscultation
• How IA supports efforts to reduce the cesarean rate
• Improving safety and reducing risk with IA
• Why do providers typically rely on EFM?

Barriers and Facilitators 

• Patient care factors
• Workforce factors
• Environmental factors
• Structural factors

Best Practices for Introducing and Improving IA Practice 

• Introducing IA where EFM is dominant
• Strengthening IA where it is already happening
• Common best practices

At the Conclusion of This Webinar, You Will be Able to:

1. Articulate the benefits of intermittent auscultation (IA) compared with continuous electronic fetal monitoring (EFM)
2. Identify barriers and facilitators to implementing intermittent auscultation in hospital settings
3. List effective strategies for introducing and strengthening intermittent auscultation for low-risk labor