Dr. Darrell Martin is an OB/GYN with four decades of expertise in women’s health and the author of the bestselling memoir “In Good Hands: A Doctor’s Story of Breaking Barriers for Midwifery and Birth Rights.”
In this episode, Dr. Martin and Meagan walk down memory lane talking about differences in birth from when he started practicing to when he retired. He even testified before Congress to fight for the rights of Certified Nurse Midwives and for patients' freedom to select their healthcare providers! Dr. Martin also touches on the important role of doulas and why midwifery observation is a huge asset during a VBAC.
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In Good Hands: A Doctor's Story of Breaking Barriers for Midwifery and Birth Rights
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Full Transcript under Episode Details
Meagan: Hello, everybody. We have Dr. Darrell Martin joining us today. Dr. Martin hasn’t really been in the OB world as of recently, but has years and years and over 5000 babies of experience. He wrote a book called, “In Good Hands: A Doctor’s Story of Breaking Barriers for Midwifery and Birth Rights.” We wanted to have him on and talk just a little bit more about this book and his history. That is exactly what he did. He walked us down memory lane, told us lots of crazy stories, and good stories, and things they did along the way to really advocate for birth rights and midwives in their area.
Dr. Darrell Martin is a gynecologist, a dedicated healthcare advocate with four decades of expertise in women’s health, and the author of the bestselling memoir, “In Good Hands: A Doctor’s Story of Breaking Barriers for Midwifery and Birth Rights.” His dedication to patient care and choice propelled him to testify before Congress, championing the rights of Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) and advocating for patients' freedom to select their healthcare providers. A standout moment in his career was his fervent support for nurse-midwifery in Nashville, Tennessee, showcasing his commitment to advancing the profession. Additionally, Dr. Martin takes great pride in having played a pivotal role, in like I said, more than 5,000 births, marking a legacy of life and joy he has helped bring into the world.
Our interview was wonderful. We really walked down what he had seen and what he had gone through to testify before Congress. We also talked about being safe with your provider, and the time that he put into his patients. We know that today we don’t have the time with our providers and a lot of time with OBs because of hospital time and restricting how many patients they see per day and all of those things.
But really, he encourages you to find a provider who you feel safe with and trust. I am excited for you guys to hear today’s episode. I would love to hear what your thoughts were, but definitely check out the book, “In Good Hands: A Doctor’s Story of Breaking Barriers for Midwifery and Birth Rights.”
Meagan: Okay, you guys. I really am so excited to be recording with Dr. Martin today. We actually met a month ago from the time of this recording just to chitchat and get a better feel for one another. I hung up and was like, “Yes. Yes. I am so excited to be talking with Dr. Martin. You guys, he has been through quite the journey which you can learn a lot more about in more depth through his book. We are going to talk right there really quick.
Dr. Martin, welcome to the show. Can we dive into your book very first?
Dr. Darrell Martin: Surely. Thank you.
Meagan: Yeah. I think your book goes with who you are and your history, so we will cover both.
Dr. Darrell Martin: Okay, okay.
Meagan: Tell us more. Darrell Martin’s book is “In Good Hands”. First of all, I have to say that I love the picture. It’s baby’s little head. It’s just so awesome. Okay, we’ve got “In Good Hands: A Doctor’s Story of Breaking Barriers for Midwifery and Birth Rights.” Just right there, that title is so powerful. I feel like with VBAC specifically, if we are going to dive into VBAC specifically, there are a lot of barriers that need to be broken within the world of birth. We need to keep understanding our birth rights.
We also have had many people who have had their rights taken away as midwives. They can’t even help someone who wants to VBAC in a lot of areas. A lot of power is in this book. Tell us a little bit more about this book and how it came about.
Dr. Darrell Martin: Well, the book came because of patients. As I was heading into my final run prior to retirement, that last 6-8 months, and I use that term, but it shouldn’t be patient. It should be client because patient would imply that they have an illness. Occasionally, they do have some problems, but in reality, they are first the client wanting a service. I thought my role as to provide this service and listen to them about what that was and what they wanted to have occur.
In response to the question of what was I going to do when I retired, I just almost casually said, “I’m going to write a book.” The book evolved into the story of my life because so much of the patients and clients when they would come to me were sharing their life, and they were sharing what was going on in their life. Amazingly, it was always amazing to me that in 3 or 4 minutes of an initial meeting, they would sometimes open up about their deepest, darkest secrets and it was a safe place for them to share.
I always was blown away with that. I respected that. Many times there were friends of my wife who would come in. I would not dare share a single thing notwithstanding the fact that there were HIPAA regulations, but the right thing was they were sharing with me their life. I thought, “I’m going to turn that around as much as I can by sharing my life with them.”
It was an homage to that group of individuals so I would like them to see where I was coming from as I was helping them. That was the goal. That was the intent.
Secondarily, for my grandchildren and hopefully the great-grandchildren that come whether I’m here or not because including them with that was the history of my entire American heritage and my grandfather coming over or as we would call him Nono, coming over to the United States and to a better place to better a life for his family. Our name was changed from Marta to Martin at Ellis Island. I wanted that story of his sacrifice for his family and subsequently my uncles’ sacrifice and my parents’ sacrifice for the priority they placed on families.
That was for my children as well and grandchildren. There were a lot of old pictures that we had that we pulled out and that didn’t occur in the book because there wasn’t enough money to produce a lot of those pictures into the book, but they will be there in a separate place for my kids and grandkids. It was a two-fold reason to do the book.
It started just as a narrative. I started typing away. The one funny ironic, and I don’t know if ironic is the right word, story as I was growing up, is that people as my why I become an OB/GYN. I’m sure this was not the reason, but it’s interesting as I reflected that growing up, it was apparently difficult for my mother to have me. I was her only child. She always would say I was spoiled nice, but I was definitely spoiled.
When she was mad at me, the one thing she would say, and I didn’t understand it until much later when I was actually probably in medical school, was that I was a dry birth and I was breech, and I just ruined her bottom. When she really got aggravated occasionally, she would say those little words to me as I was probably a teenager. Then on reflection, I became an OB/GYN so I really understood what she was saying then.
Meagan: It was interesting that you said the words “dry birth” because my mom, when my water broke with my second, she was telling me that I was going to have this dry birth. She was like, “If you don’t go in, you’re going to have this dry birth.”
So many people I have said that to are like, “What? I have never heard of that in my entire life,” and you just said that, so it really was a thing. It really was something that was said.
Dr. Darrell Martin: Yes. It was a term back then in the late 40s to late 50s I guess.
Meagan: Crazy. So you were inspired. You decided to do the OB route. Tell us a little bit of how that started and then how you changed over the years.
Dr. Darrell Martin: Well, when I was in med school, and I went to West Virginia University Medical School, principally, it was fortunate because I would say in retrospect, they were probably lower middle class. I had the opportunity to go to West Virginia. Literally, my tuition per semester was $500.
Meagan: Oh my gosh.
Dr. Darrell Martin: My parents didn’t have to dig into money they didn’t have. They never had to borrow any money, so I was fortunate. I did have a scholarship to college. They didn’t have to put out the money with the little they had saved. The affordability was there and never an issue.
I went to West Virginia, and in my second year, I guess I connected a little bit with some of the docs and some of the chair of the department in West Virginia, Dr. Walter Bonnie, who I didn’t realize at the time had left. He was the chairman of Vanderbilt before he was the chairman of West Virginia so now I understand why he was pointing me to either go to Vanderbilt or to Duke.
I think I’m fortunate that I went to Vanderbilt. In spite of everything that happened, it was the path I was supposed to take. I did a little rotation as a 2nd-year medical student with some private OBs. I was just amazed. I was enthralled by the intervention of the episiotomies I observed. I said, “Well, you’re going to learn how to sew.” What real
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