Whereas perinatal nurses work with patients who are attempting to become pregnant, are currently pregnant, or have recently delivered; Whereas perinatal nurses provide prenatal care and testing, care of patients experiencing pregnancy complications, care during labor and delivery, and care of patients following delivery; Whereas perinatal nursing includes labor and delivery nurses, mother-baby nurses, and neonatal nurses; Whereas continuous support during labor from a registered nurse is critical to achieve improved birth outcomes; Whereas there has been a persistent shortage of nurses across all fields, while demand continues to grow; Whereas mothers are dying in the United States at the highest rate in the developed world, and the crisis is most severe for Black mothers; Whereas nurses are positioned to provide unique insight into patient care circumstances that may contribute to women’s deaths, thereby reducing the rate of and disparity in maternal mortality; Whereas October, the 10th month of the year, was chosen to celebrate National Perinatal Nurses Week to represent an Apgar score of 10; Whereas Apgar is the point system used to evaluate the health of a newborn baby, with 10 representing the healthiest possible score for a baby, and this score would be assigned and recorded by the perinatal nurse attending the birth; Whereas the 10th day of the month of October was chosen to begin National Perinatal Nurses Week to represent 10 centimeters dilated, the measurement used to evaluate a woman’s progress in labor; Whereas 10 centimeters dilated constitutes complete cervical dilation, the successful completion of the first phase of labor when a woman is ready to deliver her baby, and this progress would be supported and recorded by the perinatal nurse attending the birth