09/08/2021
Check out She Right Collective’s most recent collaborative essay “Decolonizing Natal Care in Trinidad and Tobago”. See link below.
“Obstetric birth was introduced largely over the course of the 20th century. In doctor-facilitated birth, the doctor’s needs are often prioritized over the mother’s comfort. The ubiquitous practice of women delivering on their backs prioritized doctor’s access to women’s bodies, rather than encouraging mothers to move around and find a position that is comfortable for them. Obstetricians are trained medical doctors who specialize in pregnancy, labor, and delivery and the medical interventions and surgeries that can be used. Midwives are trained to address the issues of standard, healthy pregnancies. In best practice, obstetricians are focused on treating high-risk patients while midwives support low-risk patients. In reality, in hospital wards, women with low-risk births are expected to be on their backs in hospital beds, connected to IVs, and are not allowed to eat, just in case they need to be anesthetized for surgery. They are often isolated and under bright hospital lights alongside beeping machines and are in close quarters with others. Doctors lead the activity on the wards, and midwives are expected to follow their instructions. Doctors, nurses, and midwives come and go to care for the patients. Hospital wards are consistently described as stressful environments, and women are expected to follow the instructions of doctors and midwives. They don’t have the option of directing their experience. While many women have described very positive experiences in hospitals, others have described verbal abuse, neglect, and medical malpractice.”
Decolonizing Natal Care in Trinidad & Tobago. Text by Tammy Kremer and Amanda McIntyre, Illustrations by Karla Claudio-Betancourt.
Medically-managed birthing practices in Trinidad and Tobago are bound to the country’s colonial history. A contemporary resurgence of home births attended by midwives marks an important period in c…