Our Organization
The International Childbirth Education Association, a nonprofit organization founded in 1960, is an autonomous certifying body governed by an elected volunteer board of directors. ICEA certified professionals are trained to provide family-centered perinatal care and to promote the freedom of choice based on knowledge of alternatives in childbirth.
Mission
We educate, certify and create a community of professionals working to increase global access to safe, culturally respectful family-centered perinatal care.
Vision
A world where perinatal professionals are recognized and valued in the healthcare community for their specific skills and training to prepare and support all families.
These professionals create a culture where expectant families are safe, respected, and able to make informed decisions based on best evidence.
ICEA Philosophy
In 1986 ICEA adopted the McMaster University definition of FCMC: (See ICEA Position Paper – Family Centered Maternity Care)
Philosophy: The birth of a baby also represents the birth of a family. The woman giving birth and the persons significant and close to her are forming a new relationship, with new responsibilities to each other, to the baby, and to society as a whole. Family-centered reproductive care may be defined as care which recognizes the importance of these new relationships and responsibilities, and which has as its goal the best possible health outcome for all members of the family, both as individuals and as a group.
Family-centered maternity care consists of an attitude rather than a protocol. It recognizes birth as a vital life event rather than a medical procedure. It appreciates the importance of that event to the woman and to the persons who are important to her. It respects the woman's individuality and her sense of autonomy. It realizes that the decisions she may make are based on many influences of which the expertise of the professional is only one. It requires that all relevant information be made available to the woman to help her achieve her own goals, and that she be guided but not directed by professionals she has chosen to share the responsibility for her care.
Practice: The practice of family-centered maternity care is founded on this philosophy and encompasses birth practitioners, birth places, and maternity-newborn care, as determined by the needs and decisions of each woman and her family.
Core Values
Help us ensure that every person has access to respectful, family-centered perinatal care.
We're creating a culture where expectant families are safe, respected, and able to make informed decisions. Join us!
