Journalist Rebecca Grant author of “Birth: Three Mothers, Nine Months, and Pregnancy in America” discusses her book. She describes the current state of maternal care in America, how midwifery factored into early American birth care, and how the rise of doulas can minimize harm during pregnancy and birth. Racial, social, and economic roadblocks create a system in maternal health defined in part by discrimination, judgment, and disparate treatment. But while things can seem desperate, there is hope as birth clinics and other community-based support groups from to advocate and nurture mothers through this process.
Rebecca Grant is a freelance journalist based in Portland, Oregon, who covers reproductive rights, health, and justice. Her work has appeared in NPR, The Atlantic, VICE, The Nation, The Washington Post, Mother Jones, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, HuffPost, and The Guardian, among other publications.