The Over-medicalization of Childbirth and the Role of the Doula

Abstract

We do not often think about how we began in this world. But for each of us, it was through birth. Today, the medical management model, and with it the focus on the pathological potential of pregnancy and delivery, has seeped into our society. The typical way the average person views birth, if they think about it at all, is something dangerous that doctors take care of for us. I am here to speak about the under-recognized over-medicalization of childbirth, its negative consequences, and my proposed potential first solution.