Happy Women’s History Month! This month we are launching our New Mexico Sheroes campaign to celebrate self-identified women who have made herstory in our state.
Midwife, Doña Jesusita Aragón of Trujillo, NM, lived from 1908 – 2005. Over the course of her lifetime, she supported women in delivering over 12,000 babies. She delivered her first baby at twelve years old and continued to serve the Northern New Mexico community as a Midwife for over 80 years.
A single mother of two, she built her own house from scratch with a room in the front that held 9 or 10 beds for mothers in labor. She delivered babies for $10 early in her career, increasing the cost to just $125 by the early 2000s.
The life of Jesusita is a reminder to us all of the legacy and powerful role women play in creating access to health in our communities. According to the World Health Organization, midwifery is a key element of sexual, reproductive, maternal and newborn health care.” Thanks to the legacy of women like Doña Jesusita Aragón, today New Mexico is one of the most midwifery friendly states in the nation!
We’d love to learn about and celebrate the New Mexico Sheroes in your life! To participate, post a photo of the New Mexico women you want to honor on your Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter with a message about what they’ve meant to you and your community and tag us!