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Birthing Instincts

#356 A Look Back at the History of U.S. Childbirth

Birthing Instincts

Dr. Stuart Fischbein + Midwife Blyss Young

Parenting, Kids & Family, Alternative Health, Health & Fitness

4.5 • 631 Ratings

🗓️ 10 April 2024

⏱️ 88 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Blyss responds to a comment about safety and mortality. There will always be disputes about what safety means and to know where we are we need to know where we were. Today Blyss & Dr. Stu look back at childbirth in America over the last 300 years and try to sort through the accomplishments and clarify the statistics.

In an episode that's both a history lesson and a call to action, we reflect on the transformative journey of childbirth practices. Venture through time with us, from the days of home births and midwives to the formalization of hospital deliveries and the controversial medical interventions that followed. We peer into the darker chapters of obstetrics, acknowledging the exploitation that has tainted its history, and celebrate the triumphs that have led to significant declines in maternal and infant mortality rates. 

This is a story of advancement and advocacy, of reclaiming agency and acknowledging the past to better navigate the present. Let's continue this dialogue and foster a future where the instincts of birthing and the wisdom of midwifery guide us toward a safer, more empowered experience for all.

Key highlights:

  • Birth Choices and Maternal Mortality
  • History of Obstetric Interventions
  • History of Childbirth Practices in America
  • Evolution of Obstetrics and Childbirth
  • Declines in Infant Mortality and Interventions
  • Maternal and Infant Mortality Trends

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome to the Burling Instincts Podcast.

0:05.0

I'm Dr. Stewart Fishbein, community-based practicing obstetrician and longtime advocate for birth choices.

0:10.0

And I'm Bliss Young, a licensed midwife.

0:13.0

Join us in our conversational style podcast where we talk about everything birth.

0:17.0

Sometimes we laugh, sometimes we cry, but we're happy that you're here. So here we go.

0:25.5

Hello.

0:27.2

Hello.

0:28.4

Hello.

0:29.9

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, and good evening.

0:32.1

And good middle of the night, blister.

0:34.9

You too.

0:35.7

Did you notice that my glasses are much better than the ones I had on

0:39.5

last week oh I know it's not a fair question to ask a dude I know I know it's really

0:46.6

unfair but um I did do I look in this dress crap great. I did do a live yesterday.

0:55.5

Don't say fine.

0:56.6

What?

0:57.1

I did a live yesterday that you jumped on to, which was fun to see you as one of my people who were just kind of there.

1:05.1

And I was like, I'm a student here.

1:07.6

Yeah, I have to tell you that you did a great job, by the way.

1:12.8

Oh, thanks. You did a great job. You were great by yourself. I do have a little bit of my own thing. I do. But it was an AMA, which do you know what an AMA is?

1:24.4

Advanced Maternal Age? American Medical Association? Ask me anything, which I learned from my

1:32.2

assistant scout, because we were like, how do we celebrate the 20K? I've done giveaways and stuff before,

...

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