Full Description
This is a book about women who choose to give birth at home against the wishes and indeed the interests of established medicine. It focuses on conditions in the US. It places the issue within the context of the continuing health care crisis in this country and poses surprisingly traditional alternatives to the mechanized and impersonal care delivery that inexpensive - indeed free when bundled- and designed to be used in an introductory Anthropology class with a core textbook or in an upper division course alongside additional readings. It offers an intimate look at an emerging movement that runs counter to established medical practice and yet poses a viable alternative to that practice. The writing is direct and personal and filed with numerous individual accounts. It is designed to inspire discussion - indeed to provoke controversy - and yet set on sound scholarly principles.
Contents
Foreward. Preface. Contents. 1. Midwifery in Cross-cultural and Historical Perspective. 2. Challenging Hospital Birth as Norm: Alternative Models of Childbearing. 3. Performing Homebirth: Rituals of Transformation. 4. Narratives of Resistance: Homebirth as Biomedical Critique. 5. Toward a(R)evolutionary Obstetrics: "Normal" Birth in Homebirth and Evolutionary Perspective. 6. Assessments of Safety and Risk: Bridging the Medical/Midwifery Divide 7. Hope for Mothers and Babies. Appendix A - Risk Index Criteria. Appendix B - Policy for Increased Collaboration between Direct-entry Midwives (DEMs) and Obstetricians for Homebirth Clients. References. Index. Appendix A. Appendix B. References. Index.
