The Control of Childbirth (Paperback)

Phyllis L. Brodsky

ISBN 10: 0786433620 / ISBN 13: 9780786433629

Published by McFarland & Co Inc, Jefferson, NC, 2008

About this Item

Paperback. When childbirth moved from women's homes into hospitals, women lost more than they had bargained for. As the event became increasingly male-dominated and medically oriented, women's control of the experience all but vanished. Worse, recent clinical trials have demonstrated that most modern interventions and technological practices have not improved delivery outcomes and are not necessary in normal labor and birth. From pre-classical to present times, this work describes childbirth practices as they have developed through the ages. The author describes and critiques the evolution of modern midwifery and obstetrics, focusing especially on how, why, and when the process of childbirth became an increasingly sterile, male-dominated, and medically oriented event. Each chapter focuses on a different period, from the age of the female midwife (who oversaw the childbirth process for several centuries), through the origins of modern obstetrics and gynecology, and finally, to the increasing influence of technology in the practices that have prevailed for most of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Describes childbirth practices as they have developed through the ages. This work also describes and critiques the evolution of modern midwifery and obstetrics, focusing on how, why, and when the process of childbirth became a sterile, male-dominated, and medically oriented event. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780786433629

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Control of Childbirth (Paperback)
• Publisher: McFarland & Co Inc, Jefferson, NC
• Publication Date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0786433620
• ISBN 13: 9780786433629
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

When childbirth moved from women's homes into hospitals, women lost more than they had bargained for. As the event became increasingly male-dominated and medically oriented, women's control of the experience all but vanished. Worse, recent clinical trials have demonstrated that most modern interventions and technological practices have not improved delivery outcomes and are not necessary in normal labor and birth.

From pre-classical to present times, this work describes childbirth practices as they have developed through the ages. The author describes and critiques the evolution of modern midwifery and obstetrics, focusing especially on how, why, and when the process of childbirth became an increasingly sterile, male-dominated, and medically oriented event.

Each chapter focuses on a different period, from the age of the female midwife (who oversaw the childbirth process for several centuries), through the origins of modern obstetrics and gynecology, and finally, to the increasing influence of technology in the practices that have prevailed for most of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

About the Author

Phyllis L. Brodsky has been a nurse, hospital clinical educator, and university instructor. Also the author of articles and chapters in journals and manuals, she lives in Berlin, Maryland.