by Jennifer Hickey
Image via Pixabay
“Many of our problems in US maternity care stem from the fact that we leave no room for recognizing when nature is smarter than we are.”
― Ina May Gaskin, Birth Matters: A Midwife’s Manifesta
INTRODUCTION
“The United States was recently dubbed “the most dangerous place in the developed world to give birth.” Over seven hundred pregnant women or new mothers die in the United States each year. Infants are dying at an alarming rate as well. Our shockingly high and ever-increasing rate of maternal mortality, particularly among Black women, has garnered significant national attention. Further, many women experience mistreatment at the hands of their health care providers, including the imposition of unnecessary or unwanted medical interventions during birth. Aside from causing emotional and physical trauma, such interventions have been directly linked to increased maternal mortality.
Continue reading Nature Is Smarter Than We Are: Midwifery and the Responsive State