Today’s podcast episode is focused on a very important topic— the Evidence on Midwives.
We’ve been asked by years to publish an article or podcast on the evidence on midwifery care, and we felt there was no better day to release a podcast episode on this topic than May 5th, International Day of the Midwife!
In this episode, I discuss the different types of midwives, the history of midwifery care (and how it was nearly eliminated in the U.S.) and the research on the better health outcomes that are seen when families are randomly assigned to receive midwifery-led care. We also talk about the effects of racism and mistreatment in obstetric care, and how midwives — especially midwives of color— are a critical solution to the maternal mortality crisis in the U.S.
With the theme of the 2021 International Day of the Midwife being, “Follow the data and invest in midwives,” we are honored in this podcast episode to talk about why we need more midwives of color, and to acknowledge the Black grand midwives who have recently transitioned from elders to ancestors.
Content warning: In this episode we talk about miscarriage, fetal loss, and racism.
