dr. Elizabeth Newnham  is a midwife, researcher and teacher at Griffith University, Australia. She studies the way in which power and knowledge function in obstetrics from a Foucauldian framework. She is the author of the book Towards the Huminisation of Birth: a Study of Epidural Analgesia and Hospital Birth Culture. Further reading:  Newnham (2015) Birth control: Power/knowledge in the politics of birth. Newnham (2017) Paradox of the institution: findings from a hospital labour ward ethnography.  Newnham (2017) ‘It's your body, but…’ Mixed messages in childbirth education: Fi ..read more

dr. Michelle Sadler is one of the forefront academics and activists globally fighting  obstetric violence. Sadler argues for the importance of recognizing obstetric violence and calling it out as such. She is an associate researcher at the Adolfo University in Chile, and Director of the Chilean Observatory of Obstetric Violence. We spoke on a philosophy of childbirth conference in Alcalá, Spain.  Further reading:  Sadler (2021) COVID-19 as a risk factor for obstetric violence.  Sadler (2016) Moving beyond disrespect and abuse: addressing the structural dimensions of obst ..read more

On international day of the midwife we focus on caring for ourselves with student midwife Madyasa Vijber. Madyasa is doing her final internship in midwifery, is a doula, and is regularly involved in feminist and anti-racist activism in the Netherlands.  She speaks out about our lack of resistance to the system in the form of self-care and raises awareness about mental health of midwives and midwifery students. Further reading: Websites  https://thenapministry.wordpress.com/  https://radhawilsonjeffries.co.uk/ Books  Lorde, A. (2007). Sister Outsider. Crossing Press ..read more

Bahareh Goodarzi is a midwife, teacher and researcher at the Midwifery Science department of Amsterdam UMC, The Netherlands. She has started two councils on diversity, inclusivity and anti-discrimination, one at the academy for midwifery in Amsterdam and Groningen, and one at the royal national  organisation of midwives in the Netherlands (KNOV). Goodarzi's research focusses on risk selection in maternal and newborn care, particularly on the risk of inequity in care outcomes.  Further reading:  Burnett (2020) Dismantling racism in education: In 2020, the year of the nurse & ..read more

dr. Michelle Sadler is one of the forefront academics and activists globally fighting  obstetric violence. Sadler argues for the importance of recognizing obstetric violence and calling it out as such. She is an associate researcher at the Adolfo University in Chile, and Director of the Chilean Observatory of Obstetric Violence. We spoke on a philosophy of childbirth conference in Alcalá, Spain.  Further reading:  Sadler (2021) COVID-19 as a risk factor for obstetric violence.  Sadler (2016) Moving beyond disrespect and abuse: addressing the structural dimensions of obst ..read more

Contractions is produced by researcher and midwife Rodante van der Waal and podcast producer Vinny Tailor. It originated from a three-year international Twinning program between Iceland and The Netherlands Twinning Up North wherein Inga María Thorsteinson and Rodante were paired together. During the three years of Twinning up North, both Inga María and Rodante graduated as midwives, thus slowly getting to know the world of midwifery. Our dialogues and shared experiences led us to the idea to start an international podcast, and we contacted podcast producer Vinny Tailor. After the Twinning pro ..read more

Rebecca Ashley is a midwife and researcher studying the connection between neoliberal financial crises and the crisis of midwifery work. She imagines what a socialist model of midwifery care could be.  Further reading  The Albany model of midwifery care.  Contractions is produced by Rodante van der Waal and Vinny Taylor.  Contact: Rodantevanderwaal@gmail.com ..read more