BirthTracks Partners with University of Illinois Chicago Researchers

We are very excited to announce that we have partnered with a team of midwives and maternal health researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago to build a new feature in BirthTracks to log postpartum data.

This feature will support their efforts in testing a new model of maternity care that centers the voices and needs of the Black Birthing Community.

From Melanated Group Midwifery Care 

About the Project

In Chicago, pregnancy-related mortality rate is 6x higher for non-Hispanic Black women compared to non-Hispanic white women – this disparity is a direct consequence of structural racism and historical neglect of Black communities. Melanated Group Midwifery Care (MGMC) attenuates the impacts of structural racism by packaging four evidence based interventions. Birthing people enrolled in  MGMC receive concordant care from a Black midwife throughout their pregnancy, prenatal care in a group with other Black mamas, a Black nurse to help them navigate the health care system, and a community-based Black postpartum doula to provide in-home support for 12 full months after birth.

How can I support Melanated Group Midwifery Care?

We need your help! We are a year into this project and have found that many, if not most, of our moms struggle with basic necessities: housing, food, transportation and safety. Our project is working to address those needs and also find ways to celebrate Black motherhood. We want to send every Melanated mama enrolled in this study home with a new baby care package. Each donation will buy diapers, onesies and wipes to help our families get off to a good start. Our community-based doulas will bring these packages to the homes of our postpartum participants, helping to establish that trusting and nurturing connection.

About the New Features 

• Log postpartum encounters 

  • This feature was created to log data about postpartum doula home visits however it can be customized to track any important information from postpartum encounters. 

• Log a new birth to a repeat client
  • Due to popular demand, providers will now be able log more than one birth to a patient! We've also created a new section for pregnancy specific information.

Tutorial Videos can be found on our YouTube channel. 

If you're not tracking your births give BirthTracks a try and learn how easy it is to gain valuable information about your practice and births so you can advocate for the improved outcomes of your practice.