Birth Care Providers

Our Bodies Ourselves celebrated International Day of the Midwife with the Bay State Birth Coalition on May 5, 2026.

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

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

In the 19th century, the US and the UK had similar rates of midwife-attended births. But over time, this changed. Ellie Rose Mattoon explores the history of midwifery care in the two countries.

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.

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

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

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

This blog post, from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, celebrates the unsung work of African American birth workers, including doulas and midwives.

This podcast episode from Sexing History explores the history of advocacy of Black doulas, midwives, and other birth attendants.

This timeline, developed by Black midwife Shafia Monroe, provides a brief overview of the long history of Black midwives, from the Biblical Shiphrah and Puah in approximately 1500 BCE.

Jennie Joseph, a Black certified professional midwife, an educator, and a Time 2022 Woman of the Year, discusses her calling to midwifery.