THE CRISIS IN MODERN MATERNITY CARE | DR. STU FISCHBEIN
Comments
Renowned obstetrician Dr. Stu Fischbein joins the conversation to expose what he believes is a growing crisis in modern maternity care. With decades of experience delivering babies in both hospitals and home birth settings, Dr. Fischbein shares his journey from practicing highly medicalized obstetrics to advocating for a more physiological, mother-centered approach to childbirth.
In this powerful interview, Dr. Fischbein examines the dramatic rise in C-section rates, labor inductions, epidural use, and medical interventions in pregnancy, despite little evidence that these trends have improved maternal or neonatal outcomes. He discusses how hospital policies, financial incentives, fear of litigation, and standardized medical algorithms may be reshaping childbirth into a heavily managed medical event rather than a natural biological process.
The conversation also explores the role of midwives, home birth, delayed cord clamping, microbiome exposure, and patient autonomy, along with the importance of informed decision-making for expecting parents. Dr. Fischbein offers practical advice for families navigating pregnancy today—how to choose a provider, what questions to ask during prenatal visits, and why understanding birth before becoming pregnant can make a critical difference.
As maternal mortality rates and birth intervention statistics continue to climb in the United States, this discussion raises urgent questions about whether modern obstetrics is truly improving outcomes—or moving further away from nature’s design.
AIRDATE: March 19, 2026
Explore
Dr. Stu Fischbein – What an admirable person. So grounded and wise. No hyperbole – years of experience instead. Great interview!
Great episode. Both my babies I had my water break first. First one they told me to come in right away and ended up with forced induction (almost forced C-section) and epidural. The last one I stayed home and even though had a birth planned at the birthing center, he came at home peacefully with not one intervention and not even any trained staff but a doula and it was the best most healing birth I could have had to make up for the other one.
Highly recommend the new documentary Plastic Detox, which is playing on Netflix. It follows infertile couples who decrease their plastic use in order to conceive, and several are successful.