Sex Birth Trauma with Kimberly Ann Johnson EP9: Tema Mercado on Midwifery, Xicana Cultural Legacies of Birth, and Postpartum Care
Tema Mercado is a Xicana mother of five children, wife and licensed midwife. I asked her to be on the Magamama podcast because I have had the privilege of watching her practice midwifery. I wanted to ask her about her dual practice in Tijuana and San Diego, to hear about how the birth center project in Tijuana is going, and also to talk about cultural appropriation in the birth community. I wanted to open dialogue for her concerns and desires for how we use the ancient technology in modern times, while being respectful.
In this episode Tema shares:
The differences between doulas, homebirth midwives, and certified nurse midwives
How she found creative ways to provide health care to Haitian migrants in Mexico
Thoughts on using ancient technology in modern culture
Tema shares what adequate postpartum care looks like
What you'll hear:
The realization of what Tema witnessed daily as a rape advocate and midwife (3:45)
What midwives take on that doulas don't (8:00)
The three different types of midwives (13:00)
The "Casa de La Salud" birth center (16:00)
Tema's main goals of helping the Haitian migrants (20:00)
Getting creative to provide prenatal care for Haitian migrants (25:00)
The paradigm shift in Mexican birth culture throughout the years (30:00)
The hypocrisy of the ancient technology being used today (37:00)
Tema shares how she creates her postpartum practices and courses for new moms (43:00)
Casa de la Salud birth center in Tijuana and the need for midwives in Mexico (50:00)
To contribute to the Birth Center:
https://www.youcaring.com/biancatemamercado-949385?fb_action_ids=10155176992783068&fb_action_types=youcaringcom%3Adonate
To contribute to the Amazon wish list: