Midwives and social childbirth in colonial America -- The new midwifery -- Modesty and morality -- The wounds of birth: Birthpain and puerperal fever -- Birth in the hospital -- "Natural childbirth" -- Government involvement -- Creating the perfect child: The 1980s and beyond -- Epilogue: Everybody's search for the best
Summary
This lively history of childbirth begins with colonial days, when childbirth was a social event, and moves on to the gradual medicalization of childbirth in America as doctors forced midwives out of business and to the home birth movement of the 1980s. Widely praised when it was first published in 1977, the book has now been expanded to bring the story up to date. In a new chapter and epilogue, Richard and Dorothy Wertz discuss the recent focus on delivering perfect babies, with its emphasis on technology, prenatal testing, and Caesarean sections. They argue that there are many viable alternatives--including out of hospital births--in the search for the best birthing system
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 304-314)
