Safe, respectful birth: The exception to the rule?

If you’ve been paying any attention to the state of our maternity care system in the USA lately, you will not be shocked to hear that it is in dire need of help. Maternal deaths have sharply increased from 2018 to 2021, with approximately 80% of those deaths being preventable. The CDC recently reported that 1 in 5 women reported mistreatment while pregnant or postpartum and 1 in 3 women were Black, Hispanic, or multiracial. We could cite many reasons for this sharp uptick in maternal deaths in recent years. Staffing shortages, lack of resources (including medications and supplies), maternity care deserts in rural and inner city areas, hospital closures, and the list goes on and on. 

I believe that a huge part of this problem is that across the country, women are not being respected or heard during their maternal care. Over 20% of women surveyed reported mistreatment in the form of being shouted at, ignored, threatened, and having their privacy taken away. Women often face demeaning prenatal appointments, providers who gaslight them, and hospital staff who abuse their power during a woman’s most vulnerable time. This MUST stop. The numbers do not lie. We as women MUST start demanding respectful, competent prenatal and maternal care. This should never just be a perk. This MUST become the standard across our country. But what are ways we can practically work to correct these problems?

First, we need to stop allowing ourselves to be treated this way. I don’t care what type of insurance (or lack thereof) you have. You deserve a competent, compassionate provider who will take the time to listen to you and respect you as a person. Make some noise if you are not getting this care!

Second, educate yourself. Find an evidence-based childbirth education course that teaches evidence-based practices. Learn what your rights are as a birthing woman, what your birth place’s policies are surrounding birth, common interventions and procedures, and how your body works during and after pregnancy. 

Third, advocate for change in your local community. Learn what your laws are surrounding birth. My own rural community has recently lost our maternity services, officially making us a maternity care desert. New York State laws have prohibited community midwives from legally practicing in this state. This has forced many women to drive well over 50 miles to birth their babies. We are working to get legislation passed to change this. You can become part of the force to enact change wherever you are!

These statistics are bleak. It can be overwhelming thinking of all the change that needs to happen in our country just to make pregnancy and birth safe. But if enough voices band together, it will become louder and louder. We CAN work to do something about this. Be the change you want to see in the world.