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In the tradition of Random Family and Evicted, a gripping blend of rigorous, intimate on-the-ground reporting and deep social history that follows three first-time mothers as they experience pregnancy and childbirth in today's America.. In Birth, journalist Rebecca Grant provides us with a never-before-seen look at the changing landscape of pregnancy and childbirth in America - and the rise of midwifery - told through the eyes of three women who all pass through the doors of the same birth center in Portland, Oregon. There's Alison, a teacher whose long path to a healthy pregnancy has led her to question a traditional hospital birth; T'Nika, herself born with the help of a midwife and now a nurse hoping to work in Labor & Delivery and improve equality in healthcare; and Jillian, an office manager and aspiring midwife who works at Andaluz Birth Center, excited for a new beginning, but anxious about how bringing a new life into the world might mean the deferral of her own dreams.