rixa (dot) freeze (at) gmail
I have longstanding personal and professional interest in childbirth, maternity care, breastfeeding, and women’s issues. To learn more about me, this blog, and my views on birth, read my interview with Amy Romano of Science & Sensibility.After graduating summa cum laude from Brigham Young University, I pursued a master’s degree in American history from Ohio University, with graduate certificates in Women's Studies and Contemporary History. I then completed a PhD in American Studies from the U of Iowa with emphases in the history of medicine and American environmentalism. I am married to Eric, a Canadian writer and professor. We both currently teach at a small liberal arts college.
My dissertation Born Free: Unassisted Childbirth in North America (PDF) examined the unassisted home birth movement. During my graduate studies, I attended both home and hospital births as a certified doula and as a midwife’s assistant.
My current research endeavors include vaginal breech birth, human rights in childbirth, physiologic birth, out-of-hospital birth, and midwifery.
If you have a few minutes, please read the birth stories of my daughter Zari (a planned unassisted birth), my son Dio (a CNM-attended home birth), my daughter Inga (a surprise unassisted birth), and my daughter Ivy (a CNM-attended home birth).
Our family recently spent a sabbatical year living in and renovating an 800-sq ft apartment in Nice, France. Read about our adventures here!
Thanks for reading!