Childbirth in America: Anthropological Perspectives

by Karen Michaelson

Overview

The editor of this volume takes on the challenging task of presenting an encompassing view of childbirth in America from an anthropological perspective. The book is indeed comprehensive. . . . Collectively the chapters in Childbirth in America lay out a representative sketch of research problems of interest to sociocultural anthropologists and other social scientists working in the area of reproductive health. A distinct accomplishment is the acknowledgement in some of the chapters that not all American women want the same kind of childbirth care or have the same values and attitudes about pregnancy, birth, and parenting, and that this variation needs addressing in both childbirth policy and practice. American Jourbanal of Physical Anthropology

A comprehensive and critical examination of the experience of childbirth in America today, from pregnancy to early postpartum. This book covers many controversial issues in the context of diverse cultural, social, and economic backgrounds, which have arisen as a result of the new technologies and ideologies surrounding pregnancy and birth. Most useful as a text for courses in childbirth education, anthropology of women's health, and anthropology of medicine.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780897891363
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/30/1988
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

Karen L. Michaelson is an associate professor of anthropology and health sciences at Eastern Washington University where she holds an administrative position. She received her PhD in anthropology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Table of Contents

Childbirth in America: A Brief History and Contemporary Issues by Karen L. Michaelson
Decisions in Pregnancy
Poor Women, Poor Outcomes: Social Class and Reproductive Health by Ellen S. Lazarus
Adequate Prenatal Care and Reproductive Outcome by Marilyn Poland
Social Support for Pregnancy and Childbearing Among Disadvantaged Blacks in an American Inner City by Margaret S. Boone
Khmer Prenatal Health Practices and the American Clinical Experience by Carolyn Sargent and John Marcucci
The Decision to Have or Not to Have Amniocenteses for Prenatal Diagnosis by Barbara Katz Rothman
The Power of 'Positive' Diagnosis: Medical and Maternal Discourses on Amniocentesis by Rayna Rapp
Birth Place/Birth Style
Differences in Cultural Expectations of the Perceived Painfulness of Childbirth by Janice M. Morse and Caroline Park
Medical Models and Midwifery: The Cultural Experience of Birth by Ronnie Lichtman
Technology and the Context of Childbirth: A Comparason of Two Hospital Settings by Karen L. Michaelson and Barbara Alvin
Birth as an American Rite of Passage by Robbie E. Davis-Floyd
Babies in Crisis
The Cultural Context of Decision Making for Catastrophically Ill Newborns: The Case of Baby Jane Doe by Betty Wolder Levin
The Family in Newborn Intensive Care by Jeanne Harley Guillemin
The Artificial Womb: Social and Sensory Environments of Low Birthweight Infants by Lucille F. Newman
Becoming a Parent
Childbirth in a Bicultural Community: Attitudinal and Behavioral Variation by Wenda R. Trevathan
The Interactions of Fathers and Newborns by Linda H. Briesemeister and Beth A. Haines
Delayed Accomplishments: Family Formation among Older First-Time Parents by Linda M. Whiteford and Michael Sharinus
Bringing Up Baby: Expectations and Reality in the Early Postpartum by Karen L. Michaelson
What Determines the Duration of Breastfeeding? by Janice M. Morse, Margaret J. Harrison, and Karen M. Williams
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

An excellent contribution. . . . This anthology, written in academically correct style with excellent collected source notes, is . . . accessible and exciting to general readers interested in the area. Recommended for libraries and comprehensive or women's bookstores, particularly in communities with colleges or with active alternative childbirth activities.” —Small Press Book Review

“[An] impressive collection of writings by scholars which illustrate how America, as a society, has intimately woven our values and structures into the rituals which surround pregnancy, childbirth and parenting.” —Icea Bookmarks

“This book is for anyone with a serious concern about childbirth issues.” —New Directions For Women

“[A] comprehensive look at birth experience, from pregnancy to early parenthood.” —Contemporary Sociology

From the Publisher