AbstractsWomens Studies

This thesis examines the access that low-income women of color have to home birth in New Mexico through qualitative research with home birth providers, New Mexico Licensed Midwives. New Mexican women and families have been birthing their children in homes and community settings for generations. In contemporary New Mexico, pregnant women can birth at home, in a free-standing birth center, or in a hospital setting. This thesis seeks to explore: 1) The central tenets of home birth, as explained by Licensed Midwives; 2) The factors that impact access to home birth in New Mexico as perceived by Licensed Midwives; 3) The framing language used by Licensed Midwives to describe potential clients in relationship to the outreach strategies used by Licensed Midwives to build their practices; and 4) Why or why not Licensed Midwives choose to accept Medicaid as a form of payment for home birth services and Licensed Midwife feedback on the Medicaid Birthing Options Program. Through exploration of these themes, this thesis includes recommended strategic directions for positively impacting access to home birth for low-income women of color in New Mexico.