Author: Leigh Fransen

The Way I Remember It   People tend to think of their own memory as a video recording in their minds that they can rewind and consult at will. Memory doesn’t actually work like that, though: as Tavris and Aronson

I, the Exception   Both mothers and midwives are guilty of falling under the spell of the “personal fable,” a term that refers to a person’s perception of herself as unique and special. People tend to think of themselves as

Money Talks   The world of direct-entry midwifery suffers from a significant “funding bias,” a term that describes people’s propensity to emphasize positives and downplay misgivings about the entity that is providing them with money. Midwives make 100% of their

More Justification   Self-justification kicks into overdrive when we have made an important decision, especially when that decision is irrevocable. As Tavris and Aronson state, “The more costly a decision, in terms of time, money, effort, or inconvenience, and the

The Confirmation Bias   When I was pregnant the first time, I was convinced by many natural birth advocates that giving birth without drugs (and specifically pain medication) was the best possible way to give birth. I met such women

Justification   Why are women so overwhelmingly satisfied with nonhospital birth? It is likely that the answer lies in the unavailability of effective pain control. This may sound ridiculous on its face: how could a more painful experience lead to

Original Survey Research In the winter of 2015 I conducted an online survey of 1,057 women regarding their experiences, attitudes, and beliefs regarding nonhospital births. These women were recruited via Facebook, including in groups that targeted women interested in the

Why?   In my new life as a student of psychology, I want to understand why people make the decisions that they do. The research is clear that nonhospital birth with a midwife reduces obstetric interventions but substantially increases risk

My Days as a Midwife Close   Judith Rooks’ words seem especially prescient from where I sit in South Carolina, where three babies have recently died after being born at the birth center I started. By 2012, my belief that

The Other Side   The next step seemed to be to look at what literature MANA had neither generated nor opted to include in their list of “best evidence.” MANA had not provided me with a handy list of opposing