Name: Meadow Magee

Social Justice Group: Maternal/Fetal Care

Date of Fieldwork: January 18, 2018

Name of Organization:

Person (people) with whom I met and their job titles: Julie Gold

Type of Fieldwork: Interview

What I did:

Julie Gold, a midwife, came over to our school during lunch for an interview. A midwife is a doctor that delivers babies with a more personal connection to their patients. They used less medical treatments than doctors normally do. She had her own private practice where she let the mother choose where they wants to have their birth: At home or at a hospital. This choice is rare because most hospitals don’t support midwifes and think it is unsafe. Julie puts her patient’s needs first.

What I learned:

We learned that Julie would visit her patients 6-12 times before their birth. This would give them a personal connection and Julie values trust in all her patients. We also learned that doulas and midwives almost have a rivalry. Doulas are more of a family friend that just tells you everything will be okay. Midwives actually have to go to school as a nurse and learn lots of different things that go into the birthing process. Doulas are popular right now and many people confuse midwives and doulas.

What I learned about Social Justice “work” and/or Civil and Human rights “work” from this fieldwork:

We found out that there is a lot of sexism in this occupation. When Julie first started working, some of her patients might need help from doctors. They would take their patient to the hospital for anything that was needed to be done. Perhaps a surprise C-section. The doctors would look down upon the midwives and insult them right in front of the patient. Then the doctors that helped the midwives would be looked down upon.