The Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit membership organization. The stated purpose of AWHONN is to promote the health of women and newborns.

History

AWHONN was created in 1969 . At that time, it was called the Nurses Association of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (NAACOG). AWHONN became a separate and independent organization in 1993.

Sections and Chapters

There are 52 AWHONN Sections (one for each state, plus one that represents Canada, and one that represents members in the US Armed Forces). Within each section, there are local chapters.

Standards and Guidelines

AWHONN publishes Standards for Professional Nursing Practice in the Care of Women and Newborns. These standards define the roles, functions and competencies of nurses caring for women and newborns and delineate the various roles and behaviors for which the professional nurse is accountable.
AWHONN also publishes multiple evidence-based nursing

Evidence-Based Nursing

Evidence-Based Nursing or EBN is a type of evidence-based healthcare, drawing on some of the traditions of evidence-based medicine. It involves identifying solid research findings and implementing them in nursing practices, in order to increase the quality of patient care. The goal of EBN is to...

 guidelines for use by nurses caring for women and newborns. These evidence-based guidelines cover topics like fetal heart rate monitoring

Cardiotocography

In medicine , cardiotocography is a technical means of recording the fetal heartbeat and the uterine contractions during pregnancy, typically in the third trimester...

, labor induction, neonatal skin care, care of the late preterm infant, breastfeeding

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with breast milk directly from female human breasts rather than from a baby bottle or other container. Babies have a sucking reflex that enables them to suck and swallow milk. It is recommended that mothers breastfeed for six months or...

, HPV counseling, neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, nursing staffing, and care of the patient in the second stage of labor.

Legislative Programs

AWHONN works with members of Federal, State, and local governments to advocate for the health of women and newborns. AWHONN also provides education for nurses on how to become involved in the legislative process.

Publications

Professional Journals:

• Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing
  Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing
  The Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing is a peer-reviewed nursing journal in the fields of obstetrical nursing, women's health nursing, and neonatal nursing...
  
  (JOGNN)
• Nursing for Women's Health

Consumer Publications and Websites:

• Healthy Mom & Baby
• Health4mom.org
• Health4women.org

Coalitions and Collaborations

AWHONN collaborates with other healthcare organizations that support health promotion and improvement for women and newborns.

• March of Dimes
  March of Dimes
  The March of Dimes Foundation is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies.-Organization:...
  
  
• National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
  National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
  The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development , created by Congress in 1962, supports and conducts research on topics related to the health of children, adults, families, and populations...
  
  
• Coalition for Patients' Rights
• Partnership to End Cervical Cancer
• Americans for Nursing Shortage Relief (ANSR) Alliance
• American Heart Association
  American Heart Association
  The American Heart Association is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas...
  
   (Go Red for Women Campaign)
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
  National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
  The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute is a division of the National Institutes of Health, located in Bethesda, Maryland...
  
  (The Heart Truth Campaign)

Research

AWHONN awards small research grants to members conducting research activities that are consistent with its mission.