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Then why do humans die in childbirth (esp. Pre-modern medicine) so much more commonly than other animals?

Additionally, in pre-industrial societies, i think that children become a net positive much quicker, so im not sure the resource calculation is quite as stark.

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They only do so in agricultural societies. Hunter-gatherers (how we spent the vast majority of our history) have fewer children spaced further apart. Being on the move doesn’t lend itself to large families.

The child brith death question is a good one. The simple answer is that our brain size (and thus size of our head) evolved much quicker then the needed birthing exit path.

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