The International MotherBaby Childbirth Initiative: Working to Create Optimal Maternity Care Worldwide

This article tells the story of the creation of the International MotherBaby Childbirth Initiative (IMBCI): 10 Steps to Optimal MotherBaby Maternity Services, a global initiative designed to improve childbirth care and birth and breastfeeding outcomes for all women, and of the organization and the individuals behind it. This initiative arose from a dream and is well on its way to becoming a reality grounded in a strong evidence basis and in a clear human rights framework. The specifics of this initiative and the process of its creation form the subject matter of this article. In telling this story, we hope to offer a template for positive change—a template that builds on the prior work of many others, created by and for the birth-giving women of the world.