A Personal Story on the Dangers of Childbirth

Content Warning: Contains graphic descriptions of medical trauma

This candid personal story talks about one woman’s experiences with ectopic pregnancy and pulmonary embolism, shares information on who is at the greatest risk, and makes recommendations for reducing harm to birthing people.

“America’s maternal mortality rate is significantly higher than that in other high-income developed countries. While 20.1 deaths per 100,000 live births may not sound like a lot, consider this: Having a baby here, in the richest country in the world, is more dangerous than in less wealthy places like Kuwait and Kazakhstan. While the worldwide maternal mortality rate fell about 38% between 2000 and 2017, U.S. numbers are actually getting worse, more than doubling over the course of three decades.”