05: These Waters Run Deep: Bronx-Based Midwifery and Maternal Health

Season 1 Episode 5 features an interview with Carmen Mojica. We discuss her journey into birthwork and motherhood, the history and current practice of midwifery, and what it will take to achieve birth justice in the Bronx and in New York City.

Carmen Mojica Bio:
Carmen Mojica CPM, LM CLC is an Afro-Dominicana born and raised in the Bronx. She is a midwife, mother, writer and reproductive health activist. The focus of her work is on the empowerment of women and people of the African Diaspora, specifically discussing the Afro-Latina identity. She utilizes her experience as a midwife to raise awareness on maternal and infant health for women, highlighting the disparities in the healthcare system in the United States for women of color. She is a cofounder of Bronx Rebirth and Progress.

Interview Outline:

00:05:12   Coming into birthwork00:20:00   Distinctions: between types of midwives, between a doula and midwife00:27:19   A brief history of midwifery in the United States00:32:57   Stigma of midwifery00:39:26   Midwifery model of care00:46:14   Midwifery in hospital settings00:52:41   NYC birth inequity01:02:38   Bronx birth inequity01:06:39   Midwifery and birth support practices during COVID 01:13:35   Addressing and eradicating health inequity01:18:09   Parenting and working during COVID01:21:20   Healing journeys and parenting

References During the Episode:

Donate to Bronx Rebirth and Progress via PayPal and through their registry on TargetPregnancy and Postpartum in the time of COVID-19: NYC Resources[Book] Birthing Justice: Black Women, Pregnancy and Childbirth edited by Julia Oparah and Alicia Bonaparte[Book] Killing the Black Body by Dorothy Roberts[Book] Medical Apartheid by Harriet Washington[Book] Born in the USA: How a Broken Maternity System Must Be Fixed to Put Women and Children First by Marsden WagnerTypes of midwives: Certified Midwife, Certified Nurse Midwife, Certified Professional Midwife, Certifying institutions: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM)Robert Woods Johnson Foundation’s County Health Rankings and Road Maps

Questions to Consider After the Episode:

How can we make midwifery more accessible in our City, namely Certified Nurse Midwives? What are ways our City can provide resources for people to give birth outside of hospitals? This can be in people’s homes and in birthing centers.How can we shift conversations that focus solely on maternal mortality to take a look at the broad scope of how maternal healthcare is not serving the needs of pregnant and birthing people overall?

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