Childbirth seems to be getting more and more medicalized, with C-sections and other interventions out the wazoo. But childbirth isn’t a disease! So is all this medical meddling really necessary, or are doctors too trigger-happy with the scalpel? To find out, we talked to obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Sarah Osmundson, doula Shala Konomi, clinical scientist Dr. Sarah Stock, and obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Crystal Berry-Roberts.

Here’s a link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/3kxPO2j 

Check out Shala’s instagram here: Sajeandluna 

This episode was produced by Meryl Horn with help from Wendy Zukerman, as well as Nick DelRose, Taylor White, Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell with help from Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Angely Mercado and Taylor White. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Music written by Peter Leonard, Marcus Bagala, Emma Munger, and Bobby Lord. A huge thanks to all the experts and we got in touch with for this episode, including Tammy Hall, Aza Nedhari, Dr. William Grobman, Dr. Ana Betran, Professor Vincenzo Berghella, Dr. Prabhcharan Gill, Kate Dirk, Carol Burke and Dr. Ellen Mozurkewich. And special thanks to Jack Weinstein, Navani Otero, the Zukerman family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson.