Canaries in the Mine: Latham Thomas on Doula Work and Maternal Mortality Rates in the U.S.

We are a country built upon a foundation of slavery, and the truth is that that has affected every aspect of our culture. We live in an era of #blacklivesmatter and #metoo, spurred by the need to, once and for all, stare down the face of inequality, of institutionalized racism, sexism and fear – issues that should have been resolved years ago but still lurk in every strata of society. Even hospitals.

Maternal mortality rates in the U.S. are alarmingly high, having more than doubled since 1991. Even more alarming is the fact that women of color are over four times more likely to die in childbirth than white women. Latham Thomas is a doula who has made it her life’s mission to advocate for mothers and their babies, working to ensure safety and support for all families. Period.

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Big Ideas

- The institutionalized racism intrinsic in hospital culture and how to teach newer generations a more inclusive way of working with patients. [13:05]

- Doulas. Not just for the rich or the hippies! [17:01]

- The ways in which midwifery within American slavery informed modern medical practices. [19:17]

Links

New York Times articles on the link between race and maternal mortality rates
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/07/health/pregnancy-deaths-.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/11/magazine/black-mothers-babies-death-maternal-mortality.html

Irth App https://birthwithoutbias.com/who-we-are

NY Bill A364B https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?bn=A00364&term=&Summary=Y&Actions=Y&Votes=Y&Memo=Y&Text=Y

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