When Tina Cassidy set out to write her book “Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born,”in 2006, it was the first time in about 50 years an extensive work had been written on the subject, and the first by a woman. Birth is such an essential and important part of every life cycle, and all of us have been through it. Why haven't we seen more on the topic?

Tina Cassidy writes about women and culture. In addition to “Birth,” she is the author of “Mr. President, How Long Must We Wait? Alice Paul, Woodrow Wilson and the Fight for the Right to Vote,” as well as “Jackie After O: One Remarkable Year When Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Defied Expectations and Rediscovered Her Dreams.” A former journalist who spent most of her career at the Boston Globe covering business, fashion and politics, Tina is also the Chief Marketing Officer of GBH. 

She sits down with Greg to discuss the medicalization of the birthing process, birthing in different cultures and the uniqueness of human birth.

Giving Birth: From Home to Hospital

A midwife wouldn't necessarily be a professionally trained woman. It would just be, you know, someone's mother, aunt, neighbor from the village. Someone who had probably given birth herself and learned from other women who had attended births, right? And that started to change around a hundred years ago with the advent of pain relief drugs, where Queen Victoria was among the first to say that she wanted and needed this. And only a doctor could be smart enough to be able to deliver that pain relief. So that's why birth then began to move from the home to the hospital.

Childbirth is a reflection of culture

The way birth typically happens in any given culture is often a reflection of that culture.

Cultural differences in birthing around the world

The Dutch have had historically one of the highest levels of home birth anywhere in the world, even today. And if you think about the level of equality that Dutch women have in that society, it basically shows that people have faith in women giving birth. And that women have faith in themselves to give birth at home. 

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• Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born
• Mr. President, How Long Must We Wait?: Alice Paul, Woodrow Wilson, and the Fight for the Right to Vote
• Jackie After O: One Remarkable Year When Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Defied Expectations and Rediscovered Her Dreams