Crowning

Believe it or not, there was a time (from about 1920 to about 1980) that Fathers were not permitted to be present for the births of their children that took place in U.S hospitals.  Why, you you ask? Well, I'm not going to just say that here in the description, it's a bit complicated and quite frankly, I'd like you to hear this story in it's full glory. But that's not the best part. Why fathers were not permitted in hospital labor and delivery is interesting to say the least, and helps us understand the conditions of U.S childbirth leading up to and throughout the mid-twentieth century that our ancestrial mothers experienced, but the really inspiring part of this story is how fathers, mothers, doctors, nurses, magazine editors, feminists, and lawyers all fought through decades to find a way to bring families together as their children emerged into the world. This episode took me 3 months to put together, mostly with the help of the book Make Room For Daddy: The Journey From Waiting Room to Birthing Room written by medical historian Judith Walzer Leavitt. I apologize for the pops, bangs, volume blow-outs, and mouth clicking that can be heard. I really need an audio engineer to help me with this project but for now, it'll have to do. I did my best to edit the recording to a listenable quality and near the end I'm pretty much fighting for my life, as it took 4 hours to record lol. You can actually hear my voice get tired about halfway through. We're beginning our history of maternity care with a focus on men. Why? Because it is my belief that every revolution has required allies in order for the desired change to apply to enough people to see it through. Men have played a huge role in the history of U.S maternity care, not only as fathers, but also as medical practitioners, hospital administrators, board members, lawyers and judges. This episode spotlights the many ways, both positive and oppressive or harmful, that men have taken part in this human health experience. I also want it to be noted that when we hear the words 'maternity care' we often think of women first, when really, childbirth is a family event. As a baby and mother are bonded together, so is a family born. Our ancestors are playing a role in this story, especially our family tree branches that extend through the years of the Industrial Revolution. Childbirth is a family health matter that connects us to our past, as we deliver the future.    https://www.childbirthforyou.com/ For audio childbirth classes and more   This podcast is written, featuring, and produced by Kim Ambrose for Childbirth For You LLC Copyright 2024 Childbirth For You LLC     References:   https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/make-room-for-daddy-the-journey-from-waiting-room-to-birthing-room_judith-walzer-leavitt/612347/item/30565531/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=low_vol_backlist_standard_shopping_customer_acquisition&utm_adgroup=&utm_term=&utm_content=593118743925&gad_source=4&gclid=CjwKCAiA2pyuBhBKEiwApLaIO9rchmIxq1tGnMmIr8XzRiTZR37dukO3K0cRbavsg9emWvbA4Ny7GRoCGbAQAvD_BwE#idiq=30565531&edition=6272996 Make Room For Daddy: The Journey From Waiting Room to Birthing Room by: Judith Walzer Leavitt   https://bcmj.org/blog/father-s-day-look-back-fathers-birthing-room British Columbia Medical Journal - Article - On Father's Day: A Look Back At Father's In The Birthing Room   https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/06/18/532921305/this-fathers-day-remembering-a-time-when-dads-werent-welcome-in-delivery-rooms NPR   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1595296/ National Library of Medicine - Father's Experiences of Childbirth Education   https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/116291 How Did Men End Up In The Delivery Room - By: Judith Leavitt   https://www.britannica.com/topic/couvade Couvade - (from French couver "to hatch") ritual behaviour undertaken, usually by a man, during or around the birth of a child. Historically, couvade has been poorly defined; it has encompassed practices that are quite divergent in terms of timing, participants, activity, and cause.   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parturient Merriam Webster definition of parturient   https://www.dictionary.com/browse/parturient Dictionary.com origins of the word parturient   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7524830/ National Library of Medicine - National Center For Biotechnology Information - US Gov website - from the Springer Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics - Birth Experience From The Perspective of Fathers by Lena C. Vischer, Xenia Heun, Joscha Steetskamp, Annette Hasenburg, and Christine Skala   https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S026661382030293X Science Direct   https://www.pregnancymagazine.com/the-big-day/the-evolution-of-dads-in-delivery-rooms Pregnancy Magazine The Evolution of Dad's In The Delivery Room by Jeanne Faulkner   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2582410/ National Library of Medicine - The Journal of Perinatal Education: Where Have All The Midwives Gone? By Phyllis L Brodsky, RNC, MS   https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2066258/ Couvade - National Library: National Center for Biotechnology Information article Couvade syndrome: male counterpart to pregnancy by H. Klein   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couvade Couvade - Wikipedia   https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/downloads/t148fm592 An abstract on the thesis….1973….A Study of the Expressed Concerns, Feelings, and Needs of Expectant Fathers by Paula Ellen Sampson   https://www.nytimes.com/1970/06/21/archives/right-of-a-father-upheld.html New York Times - Federal ruling unconstitutional to deny a father the right to be in the delivery room - June 21st 1970 - Barry & Merle Gross   https://casetext.com/case/fitzgerald-v-porter-memorial-hospital Fitzgerald v Porter Memorial Hospital ruling 1975   https://angeloslaw.com/contact/thank-you/ Reached out to Peter Angelos Law Firm to inquire after the current laws concerning fathers' rights to be present in labour and delivery rooms   https://www.youhavealawyer.com/contact/eval2/thanks/ Reached out to inquire after the current laws concerning fathers' rights to be present in labour  and delivery rooms   https://www.findlaw.com/family/paternity/fathers-rights-before-birth.html Most recent U.S law concerning fathers' rights in labour and delivery   https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=legal+time+of+viability Whether the foetus is in the period of viability may have legal ramifications as far as the foetus' rights of protection are concerned. Traditionally, the period of viability referred to the period after the twenty-eighth week.   https://www.quora.com/What-are-fathers-rights-when-it-comes-to-seeing-their-children-being-born Quora - A place to share knowledge and better understand the world - it's like facebook but for people who want to be more smart than social, like pinterest or reddit you pick the topics you want to read people post about and build your algorithm from what you want to learn, rather than who's daily goings on you want to read everyday.   https://scocal.stanford.edu/opinion/justus-v-atchison-27990 Stanford Law School - Supreme Court of California ruling Justus v Atchison June 8, 1977   https://www.casemine.com/judgement/us/59149691add7b049345e3948 Hulit v St. Vincent's Hospital - March 25, 1974 - Supreme Court of Montana   https://books.google.com/books?id=LdiEEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA196&lpg=PA196&dq=Barry+and+Merle+Gross+delivery+room&source=bl&ots=x_7Z141f1g&sig=ACfU3U0-XdVlhVlyOqdJYmEtUrVobp-fvA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwijtbLY6tCDAxW0FlkFHRBUD8cQ6AF6BAgJEAE#v=onepage&q=Barry%20and%20Merle%20Gross%20delivery%20room&f=false Book - Every Goddamn Day: A Highly Selective, Definitely Opinionated, and Alternatingly Humorous and Heartbreaking Historical Tour of Chicago … by Neil Steinberg - June 1, 1970 (page for that date) - Barry and Merle Gross case ruling

Let's get right to the heart of this thing: Childbirth grosses people out and bringing it up initiates a sequence of automatic responses ranging from fear and shame to love and humor. A complicated topic to say the least, throughout this podcast series I am going to tap into every facet of how modern medical birth care came to be the way that it is. From the history of childbirth to the achievements of women and men who made birth a scientifically supported, safer experience for everyone. In this first episode we get started on the topics of Midwives, labor and delivery inventions, patriarchy's hand in women's health, and the roots of what drives us to hand our power over to medical care providers. Trigger Warning: This podcast is going to discuss topics and use words related to, but not limited to: medical procedures, treatments, and policies; mental health; maternal and fetal death; as well as human body parts and their names, both technical and slang terms. This is an inclusive production of Chlidbirth For You LLC. All are welcome, none are forced. Enjoy.    http://www.childbirthforyou.com For audio download childbirth education classes    Episode References:    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555484/   https://www.aamc.org/news/celebrating-10-women-medical-pioneers Association of American Medical Colleges   https://www.cwplus.org.uk/about-us/heritage/300-years-of-chelsea-and-westminster/women-in-medicine/ CW+ is the official charity of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust including its hospitals and clinics   https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0fp3vcn BBC Radio 4 podcast Witch Episode 6: Midwives and Healers A common belief about the witch hunts is that they were a targeted attack on female healers and midwives. But to what extent is that true?   https://www.bl.uk/medieval-literature/articles/middle-english British Library - Middle English period   https://ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=midwife American Heritage Dictionary - the term Midwife   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_medicine Women in Medicine - Ancient Medicine   https://www.law.berkeley.edu/research/the-robbins-collection/exhibitions/witch-trials-in-early-modern-europe-and-new-england/   https://arkeonews.net/the-egyptian-gynecologist-metrodora/ Article: The Egyptian Gynecologist Metradora