Episode 8: Labor, Delivery, and The Evolution of Obstetrics

Having children means that you can always expect the unexpected. One of my first big surprises becoming a mother was just how confusing it was to have kids in the first place. There were decisions to make that I didn’t quite understand, options that I didn’t know I had, and ways of doing things that I look back and wish I knew. 

Here in the U.S., the vast majority of babies are delivered by an obstetrician, one of the hardest working doctors in the field. But it wasn’t always that way. Babies used to be birthed without the need for medical intervention, in the company of other women. As healthcare became more sophisticated, midwives dominated the delivery scene. But now, obstetricians, who are trained surgeons, have become primarily responsible for bringing babies into the world - or into the United States at least. 

So why is that? What has changed that has led for birth to become so medically focused and less about the force of nature that is giving birth? Let’s find out. 

On the show today is Dr. Cara Delaney, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and a Practicing Physician with UCONN Health. Cara received her medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine and trained in Chicago and Boston.  She works as an academic OBGYN alongside residents and medical students as well as patients, specializing in complex family planning, early pregnancy loss, and miscarriage management. She’s passionate about reproductive justice and patient-centered care and we are thrilled to have her here on the freemom podcast.