The JJ Way

NEW! 2007 Study results of The JJ Way in action!

NO low birth weight or premature babies among African American or Hispanic patients at The Birth Place!. Download the report.

What is The JJ Way™?.

The JJ Way™ is a system of maternity care that has proven itself over time as a valuable tool in being able to help women and families reach their goal of a full term healthy baby and a positive pregnancy experience. Jennie Joseph (hence the JJ) an experienced and accomplished midwife, designed her system in order to enable the women in her practice to participate fully in their pregnancy and birth. By involving the entire family whenever possible and encouraging a team approach, she has seen the improvement not only in better outcomes but in over-all satisfaction with the total childbearing experience. Jennie’s practical steps, simple techniques and non-medical interventions help move her clients towards the most fulfilling, rewarding and safest experience possible.

Jennie Joseph has been developing a maternity healthcare system over the last ten years which has finally come to fruition and is currently being launched in the health care arena. Her system combines elements of a midwifery model of care but also encompasses her own special brand of healthcare delivery, aptly named The JJ Way™. The JJ Way™ has become renowned for its ability to bring forth optimal pregnancy outcomes and has established that no matter what the health status or situation of the mother, her best possible outcome can be achieved using this method. A recent study conducted on 100 of Jennie’s pregnant clients, who might have been considered to be at risk for a poor pregnancy outcome such as low birth weight or prematurity, revealed unparalleled results with an average birth weight of 7lbs 7ozs and 95% of babies being born at full-term.

The March of Dimes reports, “The preterm birth rate has increased more than 20 percent since 1990. The data can be found at www.cdc.gov/nchs

Prematurity is the leading cause of death in the first month of life, and even late preterm infants have a greater risk of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), feeding difficulties, temperature instability (hypothermia), jaundice and delayed brain development.

In 2005, preterm birth costs the nation more than $26.2 billion in medical and educational costs and lost productivity. Average first year medical costs were about 10 times greater for preterm than for term infants.” www.marchofdimes.com 2007.

Even in the absence of any particular risk factors Jennie’s method has impacted the level of enjoyment, confidence and satisfaction during one of the most pivotal times in a family’s life.
Key components of The JJ Way™ include listening to women, respecting and honoring their wishes, hearing their concerns and responding to their questions. Empowerment and involvement in their own healthcare enhances the experience of pregnancy, birth and parenting for women and their partners. The JJ Way™ particularly aims to fill in the gaps left by the traditional approach to maternity care where women can feel overwhelmed, ill-informed and scared by the ‘busy-ness’ of physicians offices and hospitals.
Jennie has set forth parameters and guidelines for care which can be easily duplicated and emulated by health professionals providing maternity care. The implementation of this healthcare delivery system is simple, cost-effective and rewarding. The outcomes speak for themselves.

BEST PRACTICE: Closing The Gap – The JJ WAY!

A model for reducing disparities and improving outcomes in perinatal health

Purpose. Disparities in perinatal health persist despite the national Healthy People objectives which call for the elimination of all disparities by the year 2010. Action continues on all fronts as researchers and public health agencies search for answers and methods to address these discrepancies. Sadly, the complexities of this situation continue as statistics stay the same or worse yet, increase. The JJ (Jennie Joseph) Way is a promising model that is showing much improved pregnancy outcomes in an at-risk population.

Jennie Joseph, a British–trained midwife now living and working in Florida has developed a model of maternity care that has greatly reduced the disparities in her practice. The goals and objectives are:

• To provide a model that is easy to duplicate which allows the healthcare provider to run an efficient, safe and productive system
• To provide training and organizational systems for medical establishments that wish to improve their patient and employee satisfaction, compliance, and loyalty along with reducing litigation
• On a corporate/ private level to engage organizations in the value of healthy women and thereby families and the importance of a new approach in providing that information
• On a community level to engage and educate families, business owners, ‘leaders’ and churches in the urgency of the problem and how they can help to be part of the solution.

Methodology

The JJ Way™ Model is effective in reducing disparities and improving outcomes because it operates from the premise that every woman wants a healthy baby and that every woman deserves one. The key components in our health care delivery are: prenatal bonding through respect, support, education, encouragement and empowerment. It is imperative that all staff work as a team and that all patients recognize and feel the support of the team. Additionally, patients and their family supporters (if any) are encouraged to operate the same way and are therefore invited in as an integral part of each prenatal visit. From the very first appointment the goal of a full-term healthy baby is emphasized and all subsequent measures stress that theme until safe arrival at that point.

Results

Outcomes have steadily improved over the past five years and we are currently conducting a one year research study on the impact of The JJ Way™ on improved perinatal health. Prenatal bonding has allowed us to engage not only the pregnant women but their partners, families and supporters as well. It has led to increased vigilance for risk factors, increased compliance with instructions and appointments, reduced fear of poor outcome and impending harm to mom or baby, increased sense of empowerment and control. For a minimum 'up-front' cost, countless heath care, remedial school care and ultimately criminal justice Dollars have been saved. The ultimate bonus however is the strong, vital connection of a fully bonded mother and baby, a connection which will carry forward into the future of the family, the community and society at large.

Conclusions

In the USA, despite ongoing research and discussion, perinatal health disparities are not improving in any great fashion, and in some areas the gap is actually widening. Newer interventions are focusing on more holistic approaches including looking at stress, environment and life-course approaches. The JJ Way™ is a simple, cost-effective model which can be easily emulated and adapted for any practice, and which has the potential to seriously impact the discouraging perinatal statistics that have become all too common.