011: Childbirth

Why do we keep early pregnancy a secret? How long have we been giving birth in hospitals? And why is childbirth so painful?

Today's guest is Tina Cassidy, author of the book “Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born.”

Citations and further reading: 

• The Miracle of Life (1983), by NOVA - Review by Inbar Maayan (2010)
• The Real Reasons Why Childbirth Is so Painful and Dangerous by Colin Barras, BBC Earth (2016) 
• Big Baby Boom: Supersize Deliveries Have Doctors Worried by Linda Carroll and Bill Briggs, NBC News (2013)
• Drife, J. (2002). The start of life: a history of obstetrics. Postgraduate Medical Journal.
• 31 surprising things you may not know about pregnancy by Lindsay Dodgson, Insider (2018)
• Hytten F. (2018). Blood volume changes in normal pregnancy. Clinics in Haematology
• Pregnancy week by week, Mayo Clinic (2020)
• ‌A Breakdown of Miscarriage Rates by Week by Rena Goldman, Healthline (2018)
• National Center for Health Statistics — Method of Delivery, CDC (2020)
• Rate Of C-Sections Is Rising At An 'Alarming' Rate, Report Says by Michaeleen Doucleff, NPR News (2018)
• Planned Home Birth. (2017). The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. 
• Why Is American Home Birth So Dangerous? by Amy Tuteur, New York Times (2016)
• Hospital births far safer for U.S. newborns than home births by Tamara Mathias, Reuters (2020)
• Collier, A. Y., & Molina, R. L. (2019). Maternal Mortality in the United States: Updates on Trends, Causes, and Solutions. NeoReviews.

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