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birth

Birth, childbirth, parturition, labor and delivery all refer to the transformative process of giving birth to a new baby. Everyone giving birth has the full range of human rights, including the right to bodily autonomy, to be treated with care and respect, to make informed choices about our births, and to access high quality midwifery and/or obstetric care.

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Reflecting on Black Maternal Health

Pregnant Black woman with nurse at hospital

The Boston Neighborhood Network discusses racial inequities in Black maternal health care, and what we can do about this public health crisis.

Resources

Differences between Maternity Care Providers

A pregnant woman talks to another woman who is holding a clipboard

What are the differences among obstetrician-gynecologists (OB-GYNs), family physicians, and midwives?

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Black Pregnant Women Are Turning to Midwives for Personalized Care

A Black woman giving birth at home in a pool with a midwife

Photojournalist Karen Kasmauski documents the the work of Black midwives and doulas, who are making progress against staggering racial disparities in birthing outcomes.

Resources

Lighting the Lanterns: Birth as a Portal to Liberation

A close-up photo of a woman smiling

In this TEDx Talk, Nashira Baril, the founder of Boston's Neighborhood Birth Center, discusses how midwives shaped her personal birth experience and the benefits of birth centers.

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The Rise of Indigenous Doulas

Five Indigenous doulas from Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services sitting outside

A network of indigenous doulas in Washington shows how Indigenous knowledge and experience foster healthier pregnancies and birth outcomes within Native communities.

Resources

A Birth Story about Obstetric Racism

Five Black pregnant women are standing holding their bellies. The first one, who has her lock in a bun on the top of her head is wearing a hospital gown. The second woman who has a short haircut, is wearing a gray dress. The third woman, who has a short haircut is wearing a light pink tee shirt and gray pants. The fourth woman is facing left. She has on a green headwrap, a teal tee shirt and black shorts. Her shirt is hiked up and her stomach is visible. The fifth woman is facing front. She has a curly short haircut and wearing an orange tee shirt that is raised above her belly, and gray pants. Around her belly are two monitors.

Scholar, educator, and poet LeConté Dill collaborated with two doulas -- anthropologist Dána-Ain Davis and illustrator Cheyenne Varner to share this birth story about obstetric violence and medical racism.

Resources

Doulas & Midwives Can Help Latina Moms Reclaim Ancestral Birthing Practices

A Latina woman doula in a sweater and jeans lifts a pregnant woman's belly with a yellow rebozo, a Mexican garment. The pregnant woman is lying on a blue exercise ball and is wearing a white shirt and jeans.

BIPOC doulas Selena Maldonado and Lydia Harris discuss the benefits for Latine people of having a doula and/or midwife.

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8 Key Ways Doulas Support Cesarean Births

A doula taping a cesarean scar with kinesiology tape to help with recovery after birth. The birthing person's stomach is visible, and they are wearing blue floral shorts.

Court Harris's piece gives an overview of exactly how doulas -- also called companions -- support families during cesarean births, as well as other situations.

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A Feminist Script for Painful Cervical Exams During Labor

A doctor sits in front of a pregnant woman patient with her legs open and in stirrups. The patient is wearing a pink hospital gown.

Midwife Stephanie Tillman, a doctoral student in Health Care Ethics, blogs about how to navigate painful cervical exams during pregnancy. What would cervical exams be like if we used a feminist approach to care?

Stories & Conversations

A Personal Story of Premature Birth

A photo of Ben, Sarah, their toddler son, and their premature baby

A video about one couple’s experience having a premature baby.

Stories & Conversations

A Lonely Struggle: Motherhood and Mental Health

A Lonely Struggle

An interactive story in which mothers explain their feelings and emotions of dealing with parenthood.

Resources

Pregnancy and Birth: Get Involved

A Black woman, Alma Adams, stands at a podium at the U.S. House of Representatives. She is flanked by a group of people, including Kamala Harris. A poster near her reads "Black Maternal Health Momnibus."

Find groups and organizations fighting for the safety, dignity, and freedom of those who give birth.