Maternal and birthing parent health is a complex issue that includes pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. It encompasses both physical and mental health, and the health of both mother and child are intricately connected. The long medical and social history of child birth is fraught with sexism, and gender and racial inequities. It's also important to note that not everyone who gives birth is a woman. Transgender men and non-binary individuals also give birth and parent. Complicating this further are racial and ethnic disparities in perinatal care.
Besse, M., Lampe, N. M., & Mann, E. S. (2020). Experiences with Achieving Pregnancy and Giving Birth Among Transgender Men: A Narrative Literature Review. The Yale journal of biology and medicine, 93(4), 517–528. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7513446/
Kukura, E. (Fall, 2022). SYMPOSIUM ARTICLE: Reconceiving Reproductive Health Systems: Caring for Trans, Nonbinary, and Gender- Expansive People During Pregnancy and Childbirth. Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics, 50, 471. https://advance.lexis.com/api/document?collection=analytical-materials&id=urn:contentItem:6767-0YW1-JC8V-40CY-00000-00&context=1516831.
Markin, R. D., & Coleman, M. N. (2023). Intersections of gendered racial trauma and childbirth trauma: Clinical interventions for Black women. Psychotherapy, 60(1), 27–38. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000403
Petersen EE, Davis NL, Goodman D, et al. (2019). Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Pregnancy-Related Deaths — United States, 2007–2016. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), 68, 762–765. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6835a3external icon.
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