We are back this week with an episode surrounding the topic of provider - specifically obstetric - abuse. While it is extremely common, normalized, and accepted, abuse is the leading cause of birth trauma. In this episode, we briefly discuss the history of obstetrics, including its racist and misogynistic roots. While midwifery is believed to be the "answer" to the mainstream abusive models of care, it is actually very much the same, since midwifery has been appropriated and regulated by the same entities which own and regulate obstetrics. We share abuse stories from women and hope to remind our listeners that the stories and experiences shared here are quite literally the tip of the iceberg. You know and love someone who has been abused by their provider(s), because essentially all women have. Please see the abuse highlights on Alicia's Instagram and Nicki's Instagram for some of the stories relayed in this episode and many, many more. 

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"Obstetric abuse is whatever a person who has been subjected to it believes it to be." -Sarah Leahy, Birth Uprising

Alicia Crews - Instagram

Nicki French - Instagram

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"You're gonna show up for your appointment and at the appointment, we'll let you know what's negotiable and what's not."