Bellevue Hospital has become synonymous with the criminally insane. Today, just the mentioning of the word ‘Bellevue’ connotes something sinister. While the preservation of Bellevue in pop-culture history for it’s infamous psychiatric ward is an enticing project, I have decided to historicize Bellevue differently. Bellevue provides the backdrop for a case study on Midwifery in New York City. Weaving a history of hospital architecture with the simultaneous development (and undermining) of Midwifery as a practice, I will articulate the role Bellevue has played throughout the years in both advancing and denigrating the practice of Midwifery in New York City. 

I believe this to be an important undertaking as New York City has only three natural birthing centers left standing, many of which continue to serve an uninsured population. While I do not intend to diminish the choice for natural birth as one motivated solely by economic constraints (as today the demographic that generally opts for natural births are often middle class and white), I do intend to expose issues in the business of birthing. Continue reading The ‘What’ and ‘Why’ of this Project