Birth is often treated as timeless and unchanging but the way we give birth has always reflected power, politics, and gender.
In this episode of Womenkind Collective: Spill The Tea, we’re joined by cultural historian and novelist Lucy Inglis, author of Born: The Untold History of Childbirth, to explore how childbirth has been shaped and controlled across history.
From Neolithic birthing practices to ancient contraceptives, from upright labour to the medicalisation of birth, Lucy charts the moments when women were pushed out of decision-making and examines how patriarchal systems and medicine became deeply intertwined.
We discuss:
• What inspired Lucy to write a full history of childbirth
• The “obstetric dilemma” and why humans need help in labour
• Medical misogyny from Hippocrates to the modern maternity ward
• Pain relief in the 1840s and the story of Fanny Appleton Longfellow
• The experiences of Anarcha, Betsey and Lucy — and why their stories are essential
• Why women still struggle for autonomy over pregnancy and birth today
• What must change to create safer, more humane birthing experiences
Lucy Inglis is also the author of Milk of Paradise: A History of Opium, a blogger at GeorgianLondon.com, and a regular contributor to radio and television.
We catch up on our weeks adventures and learn about a beautiful tradition from the women of Kongthong, a remote part of India and their tradition of Jingrwal iawbei when a baby is born.
Stick around for something for our 'thought for the week'.
Lucy Inglis :
Books:
• Born. The Untold History of Humanity. Lucy Inglis. 2025. Bloomsbury Continuum
• Milk of Paradise: A History of Opium. Lucy Inglis. 2018. Picador
• Georgian London: Into the Streets. Lucy Inglis. 2013. Penguin
Socials:
I: @lucyinglis
X: @lucyinglis
L: Lucy Inglis