385,000 babies are born a day according to one UN study — which means around 385,000 women are going into labor every single day. Despite that number, people talk about the actual birth in hushed tones or not at all. But Invisible Lions has always been about talking about the brave things that we don’t always talk about — and the stories you’ll hear definitely fit that description. In this 2-part episode, you’ll hear three different women talk about all things birth, the female body, and the healthcare system.

Note: this episode is not about promoting or shaming anyone for their experience or lack of. It’s about honoring the bravery of choosing what’s right for YOUR body. Spoiler alert: women are incredible, the human body is amazing, and a baby making its entrance into this world is just plain miraculous.

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Show Notes:

I have a confession to make. 

When I set out to create this episode about women, birth, and doulas, I had NO idea how much I didn’t know about my own body.

Courtney, Simone, and Tessa (all fake names) were so generous with their storytelling. All three had me riveted throughout their interviews. In fact, you’ll hear my gasps and nervous laughter a lot in the background because I forgot many times that I was conducting an interview.

After listening, I hope that like me, you’ll have a greater appreciation for the woman who brought you into this world and the incredible bravery it takes for women to speak up for what they need. We’ve got work to do as a society around race and gender equality, but I’m hopeful that by hearing stories like these, we’ll make the changes necessary.

Thank you so much for listening. I’m so honored that I get to share this art with you.

— Laura

Links:

• Birth Manifesta — This is the doula services company that Simone (whose real name is Tanzye) owns and runs. If you’d like to work with her or want to support what she’s doing in the world, be sure to contact her and let her know I sent you.
• National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC) — NBEC does research and racial equity training to promote healthier birth experiences and outcomes in hospitals. Please join me in supporting their important work!
• The Health Gap BBC series — This series from 2018 dives into the different ways that gender bias affect modern-day healthcare systems. 
• The Health Gap column — It appears that the above series was so successful, that BBC created a regular column on these issues. I found many of the articles fascinating and I think you will too.
• The Case for Renaming Women’s Body Parts — This BBC article goes into detail about the patriarchal history around naming female body parts.
• CDC 2019 press release — This press release details the report I mentioned in the episode that states, “Black, American Indian, and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women – and this disparity increases with age.”