Reliable Sources

There is so much information out there about pregnancy, birth and postpartum  Between Google, books, social media, the news, friends, family, and sometimes total strangers who feel they need to give you advice, it can be challenging to know what is trustworthy or evidence based and what is not. 

I have some criteria I use to determine if information is trustworthy that I thought I would share.

• Is there money involved? I've found information being pushed by entities that are using that information to make money. I understand trying to sell a product, but I have issues with manipulating information to support a particular ideology whether it's related to immunizations, or getting your baby to sleep through the night.
• Are sources for the information shared or  are statements made relating to research or evidence without citing the sources? I am skeptical of any research or evidence based claims being made when the sources used for those claims aren't shared.
• One size fits all solutions or this is the only way to do it statements do not make me comfortable. We are all unique and what may work for one person may not work for someone else.
• If the information is based on a study, is there more than one study that got the same or very similar results? Having more than one study showing the same or very similar results indicates the results are reliable.

My favorite websites for pregnancy and birth related information are:

• Evidence Based Birth
• Dr. Sarah Wickham
• The National Institutes of Health
• Cochrane Review
• World Health Organization
• Stanford Health
• The Mayo Clinic
• The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine
• Pub Med

As we try to sort through all the information that is available at the touch of our fingertips online, I hope you find my criteria helpful for finding trustworthy, evidence based information. I would love to hear what  criteria you use. You can share your criteria in the comments.