Content Warning: This episode includes mentions of miscarriage, pregnancy loss, pregnancy complications, traumatic birth experiences, and other potentially disturbing topics related to childbirth, pregnancy, and the postpartum period.
We close out our pregnancy series with a big picture view of how the childbirth experience has changed over the past century – both for the better and for the worse. From home to hospital, what have we lost and what have we gained? We also delve into the period known as the fourth trimester, examining the physiological changes that can occur after childbirth as well as one of the most common (but not commonly discussed) conditions that people develop during this time: postpartum depression. Tune into this info-packed episode, and don’t forget to send us your recommendations for future topics!
Check out the full video for this episode on YouTube!
| History | Biology |
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| Eberhard-Gran, Malin, et al. “Postnatal care: a cross-cultural and historical perspective.” Archives of women’s mental health 13 (2010): 459-466. | Kleppel, L., Suplee, P.D., Stuebe, A.M. and Bingham, D., 2016. National initiatives to improve systems for postpartum care. Maternal and child health journal, 20, pp.66-70. |
| Fox, Sarah, and Margaret Brazier. “The regulation of midwives in England, c. 1500–1902.” Medical law international 20.4 (2020): 308-338. | VanderKruik, R., Barreix, M., Chou, D., Allen, T., Say, L. and Cohen, L.S., 2017. The global prevalence of postpartum psychosis: a systematic review. BMC psychiatry, 17, pp.1-9. |
| Held, Lisa, and Alexandra Rutherford. “CAN’TA MOTHER SING THE BLUES?.” Postpartum depression and the (2012). | Yuen, M., Hall, O.J., Masters, G.A., Nephew, B.C., Carr, C., Leung, K., Griffen, A., McIntyre, L., Byatt, N. and Moore Simas, T.A., 2022. The effects of breastfeeding on maternal mental health: a systematic review. Journal of women’s health, 31(6), pp.787-807. |
| Johnson, Samantha, Simon Adam, and Michele McIntosh. “The lived experience of postpartum depression: A review of the literature.” Issues in mental health nursing 41.7 (2020): 584-591. | Langlois, É.V., Miszkurka, M., Zunzunegui, M.V., Ghaffar, A., Ziegler, D. and Karp, I., 2015. Inequities in postnatal care in low-and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 93, pp.259-270G. |
| Kobrin, Frances E. “The American midwife controversy: a crisis of professionalization.” The Medicalization of Obstetrics. Routledge, 2021. 96-109. | Ward, Z.J., Atun, R., King, G., Dmello, B.S. and Goldie, S.J., 2024. Global maternal mortality projections by urban/rural location and education level: a simulation-based analysis. Eclinicalmedicine, 72. |
| Loudon, Irvine. “Puerperal insanity in the 19th century.” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 81.2 (1988): 76-79. | Wang, S., Rexrode, K.M., Florio, A.A., Rich-Edwards, J.W. and Chavarro, J.E., 2023. Maternal mortality in the United States: trends and opportunities for prevention. Annual review of medicine, 74(1), pp.199-216. |
| Marland, Hilary. “Disappointment and desolation: women, doctors and interpretations of puerperal insanity in the nineteenth century.” History of Psychiatry 14.3 (2003): 303-320. | Hoyert, D.L., 2024. Maternal mortality rates in the United States, 2022. NCHS Health E-Stats, 289. |
| Theriot, Nancy. “Diagnosing unnatural motherhood: Nineteenth-century physicians and puerperal insanity’.” American Studies 30.2 (1989): 69-88. | Paladine, H.L., Blenning, C.E. and Strangas, Y., 2019. Postpartum care: an approach to the fourth trimester. American family physician, 100(8), pp.485-491. |
| Goodman, J.H., Watson, G.R. and Stubbs, B., 2016. Anxiety disorders in postpartum women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of affective disorders, 203, pp.292-331. | |
| Stewart, D.E. and Vigod, S., 2016. Postpartum depression. New England Journal of Medicine, 375(22), pp.2177-2186. | |
| Pawluski, J.L., Lonstein, J.S. and Fleming, A.S., 2017. The neurobiology of postpartum anxiety and depression. Trends in neurosciences, 40(2), pp.106-120. |
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