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    Unavailable
    Birth as an American Rite of Passage: Second Edition, With a New Preface
    Unavailable
    Birth as an American Rite of Passage: Second Edition, With a New Preface
    Unavailable
    Birth as an American Rite of Passage: Second Edition, With a New Preface
    Ebook727 pages14 hours

    Birth as an American Rite of Passage: Second Edition, With a New Preface

    By Robbie E. Davis-Floyd

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherUniversity of California Press
    Release dateMar 15, 2004
    ISBN9780520927216
    Unavailable
    Birth as an American Rite of Passage: Second Edition, With a New Preface
    Author

    Robbie E. Davis-Floyd

    Robbie Davis-Floyd, Research Fellow in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Texas, is author of Birth as an American Rite of Passage (California, 1992) and co-editor of Cyborg Babies: From Techno-Sex to Techno-Tots (1997). Carolyn F. Sargent, Professor of Anthropology and Director of Women's Studies at Southern Methodist University, is author of Maternity, Medicine, and Power: Reproductive Decisions in Urban Benin (California, 1989) and coeditor of Medical Anthropology: Contemporary Theory and Method (1996).

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    Reviews for Birth as an American Rite of Passage

    4.5/5

    17 ratings2 reviews

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    • 4/5
      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).
    • 5/5
      This is an excellent book that discussed childbirth in America. It should be a must read for all pregnant women. I really enjoyed this book, found it very readable for the non-professional, but also highly informative. It will change the way you think about childbirth forever.