The Roots of Obstetrics and Its Impact

on Modern Birth Management

​This one hour webinar style workshop is a historiographical look at how obstetrics began in the United States and how certain racist and pseudoscientific notions of the mid to late 1800s became embedded in obstetrical practice. In this workshop, we explore how American doctors gained footing in medicine within the emerging field of “women’s health.” Factors that contributed to a biased perspective and understanding of childbirth are analyzed, with further exploration of the long-term effects on management of childbirth to this day. The workshop wraps up with a discussion of research-based ways to move forward to improve birth safety and childbirth outcomes. 

This workshop was originally presented as part of the ICEA 2022 Conference for Childbirth Professionals and has been awarded 1 contact hour through ICEA.