Duluth Birth History Project records

The Duluth Birth History Project incorporates two grant-funded projects sponsored by the Duluth, Minnesota based organization Birthing Ways – Doula Connection. Anne Pilli, Birthing Ways- Doula Connection Executive Director acted as project manager. Primary contractor Gina Temple-Rhodes, owner of Cedar Story Services, performed the research and conducted interviews.

The goal of the Duluth Birth History Oral History Project was to capture stories of birth locations (maternity hospitals, home, regular hospitals), practitioner techniques for prenatal care and birth, attitudes of women and family and friends about birth preparation and birth support in the pre-WWII era. Interviews were conducted by Gina Temple-Rhodes to record the memories and experiences of women who gave birth in Duluth before WWII. Ten interviews with twelve narrators ages 89-101 about the subject of birth and early baby care were conducted in 2010 and 2011.

The History of Birth in Duluth Research Project was designed to complement and expand the information gathered during the Duluth Birth Oral History Project. The goal of the project was to gain more detail about the history of giving birth and birth practitioners in Duluth, focusing mostly on the era before WWII. Research was conducted in 2013 by Gina Temple-Rhodes and Heidi Bakk-Hansen. The results of the project include a summary article, annotated bibliography, recommendations for materials that might be used for a future audio-visual product, and digital copies of sources reviewed for the project, such as news clippings and organizational records.

Both projects were financed in part with funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.