Why is the Baby in the Pit?

ANNOUNCEMENT! We will be podcasting LIVE at the IDIC Podcast Festival hosted by Women at Warp on July 17th at 3:30pm PT // 6:30pm ET. You can watch us streaming on Women at Warp’s Facebook and YouTube pages (and we'll share the recording in our feed afterwards).

We're back, with a baby this time! Congratulations and mazel tov to Ryan and her new baby 🤩 Hence, we're doing a deep dive into Trek's portrayal of pregnancy, childbirth and child rearing, through the decades. 

Episodes: DS9 "The Begotten" (S5E12), VOY "Lineage" (S7E12), TNG "The Child" (S2E1), TNG "Disaster" (S5E5)

Honorable Mentions: DS9 "Business as Usual (S5E18), TOS "Friday's Child" (S2E3), DS9 "...Nor the Battle to the Strong" (S5E4)

Traumatic Birth

Women’s descriptions of childbirth trauma relating to care provider actions and interactions by Rachel Reed, Rachael Sharman & Christian Inglis via BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 

Moms Are Speaking Up About The Trauma Of Childbirth by Ellen O'Connell Whittet via BuzzFeed News 

The Messed-up History of Midwifery and Giving Birth Lying Down

Doulas 101: What Is a Doula? by Dina Roth Port via Parents  

History of Midwifery by Judith P. Rooks, CNM, MPH, MS via Our Bodies Our Selves  

The Witch Trials of Midwives by Kabir via Medium  

Why do women give birth lying on their backs? by Debra Waters via Good to Know  

Give Parents Paid Leave Already FUUUUUUUUUCK!!!  

Among 41 countries, only U.S. lacks paid parental leave by Gretchen Livingstong and Deja Thomas via Pew Research Center  

Countries Around The World Beat The U.S. On Paid Parental Leave by Jessica Deahl via NPR 

Paid Family Leave, on the Rise, Helps Women Stay in the Workforce by Stephen Miller, CEBS via SHRM

How Children Benefit from Paid Family Leave Policies by Tara O'Neill Hayes, Margaret Barnhorst via American Action Forum 

One chart shows why more companies should invest in paid parental leave by Marguerite Ward via Business Insider 

Men Should Take Parental Leave - Here's Why by Shelley Zalis via Forbes

And Also, Let Parents Bring Their Kids to Work Occasionally

Historic Senate Rules Change Allows New Parents to Bring Their Children to the Senate Floor for First Time by Press Release from Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Senator for Illinois via duckworth.senate.gov 

Cultural Differences around Sleep Training, Carrying Newborns, etc.

Cultural Differences in Baby and Toddler Sleep by Emily DeJeu via The Baby Sleep Site  

'In Africa we carry our children so they feel loved' by Emily Wax via The Guardian   

Is it right to train babies to sleep? by Lucy Wallis and Rajeev Gupta via BBC News

Is the Western way of raising kids weird? by Kelly Oakes via BBC Future 

6 parenting styles from other countries we can all learn from by Kate Ward via care.com  

Stress Makes Labor Take Longer, Perhaps

Some Animals Can Literally Pause Their Pregnancies. Here's Why by Jane Fenelon via ScienceAlert   

Fear of Childbirth Prolongs Labor by Elena Perez via Hormones Matter  

Prolonged Labor: Failure To Progress via American Pregnancy Association

Let Pregnant People Eat in Peace  

I’m Pregnant, But I’m Not Incapable, So Quit Telling Me What To Do by Sarah Cottrell via Scary Mommy

What to Say to People With Opinions About Your Pregnancy by Sherri Gordon via verywellfamily 

Research on Medicines and Pregnancy via CDC 

The moral imperative to approve pregnant women’s participation in randomized clinical trials for pregnancy and newborn complications by Dan Kabonge Kaye via Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine 

Long overlooked by science, pregnancy is finally getting attention it deserves by Carolyn Y. Johnson via The Washington Post  

 

P.S. No, abortions are NOT reversible 

Facts are Important: Medication Abortion "Reversal" Is Not Supported by Science via The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists