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Birth as an American Rite of Passage

Today's shopping tips: "Before committed to purchasing, best is first reviewing several books ..."

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Manufacturer: University of California Press

List Price: $22.95
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Average Customer Ratings:

Why do so many American women allow themselves to become enmeshed in the standardized routines of technocratic childbirth--routines that can be insensitive, unnecessary, and even unhealthy? Anthropologist Robbie Davis-Floyd first addressed these questions in the 1992 edition. Her new preface to this 2003 edition of a book that has been read, applauded, and loved by women all over the world, makes it clear that the issues surrounding childbirth remain as controversial as ever.


PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS:

Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 618.4019
EAN: 9780520229327
ISBN: 0520229320
Label: University of California Press
Manufacturer: University of California Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 424
Publication Date: 2004-03-15
Publisher: University of California Press
Studio: University of California Press


ACCESSORIES:

• Health o Meter HDC100-01 "Grow with Me" Teddy Bear Scale for Babies and Toddlers


SIMILAR ITEMS:

• Expecting Trouble: The Myth of Prenatal Care in America
• Midwifery & Childbirth Pb
• Heart & Hands: A Midwife's Guide to Pregnancy & Birth
• Childbirth in the Global Village
• From Novice to Expert: Excellence and Power in Clinical Nursing Practice, Commemorative Edition


CUSTOMER REVIEWS:

a must-read -
this is a very important book. it may be a little heavy on the (anthropological) jargon for some people but it is worth it. it's an eye-opening study of the medicalization of birth in our culture and it's really interesting, upsetting, and informative. she includes many interviews with women who have birthed in hospitals and obstetricians describing their socialization/training/beliefs. i do believe that any woman giving birth owes it to herself to explore this issue. it is actually statistically less safe for low-risk women to deliver in a hospital than at home with a competent midwife (in terms of maternal & fetal infections and deaths). whether you already know that you want an epidural or if you are hoping for a natural birth, you should become aware of the practices that are commonplace in hospitals so that you can make informed decisions about what is right for you and your baby. it is possible (though very challenging) to have a "natural" birth in a hospital but it is a constant uphill battle to avoid the numerous dangerous interventions the medically-oriented practitioners try to push on women without evidence that they help (indeed, with research that shows that they hinder the progress of labor or make recovery more difficult for the woman).

Necessary reading -
If you really want to know what to expect when you're expecting, read this book and Henci Goer's Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth. If you'd really like to remove yourself from the technobirth machine, read Ina May Gaskin's Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and Spiritual Midwifery. If you've always thought you might want a natural birth, read Peggy O'Mara's Having a Baby, Naturally. And remember this one thing: If you really (really) want a natural, unmedicated birth, don't give birth in a hospital.

Wonderful and thoughtful reading experience! -
If you are a woman looking for a thoughtful review of our modern birthing culture this is a wonderful book. I have read a lot about birth options, perspectives of the birth experience, and midwifery history and philosophy but went away wanting for more. My desire to really explore an informed text about our birthing culture was finally satiated by this book. I am not an anthropologist by training and yet found the book accessible, educational, and challenging. I really suggest this book be read by everyone interested in the birth experience, partners, attendants, birthing woman, or children of technocracy.

An amazing look into the technocracy of birth. -
This was a paradigm blowing must read for any woman. A fluid read and with intense narratives. The most educational book I've read in a long time.

Exposes Obstetric care as a disempowering ritual -
The majority of obstetric procedures, from putting on a hospital gown to the birthing position itself, are unnecessary and sometimes dangerous rituals that are perpetuated by an authoritarian system in its desire to maintain control over a virtually uncontrollable process. Robbie Davis-Floyd has studied these rituals of birth; why taking the ride to L&D in the wheelchair sets up an invalid mindset in the laboring woman, and how the lithotomy position robs the woman of her birthing power, forcing her to rely on the medical professions to deliver her baby for her.

It is powerful stuff and difficult to accept, but truth sometimes is.

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