Sisters on a Journey: Portraits of American Midwives [Paperback]

Penfield Chester (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997

Sisters on a Journey is a moving collection of twenty-seven profiles-interviews and photographs-of contemporary American midwives. These extraordinary women speak with unusual frankness about what brought them to midwifery, what they see as their greatest challenges and rewards, their recollections of their fist home births, and their thoughts about the place of midwives in the American health care system.

This book celebrates midwives from very different ethnic, religious, and ideological backgrounds-in all of their richness and diversity. Chester presents a community of voices of women who share a commitment to other women and who strive together to ensure for a practice with such a long history a successful and vibrant future.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In the United States, the hallowed female ground of birth may be trampled by so many doctors, nurses, and machines that the laboring woman gets lost in the rush. The 27 midwives interviewed in Sisters on a Journey speak out on the frustrations and joys of helping women give birth in a country that embraces the mumbo jumbo of science more readily than simple body knowledge. Most consider empowerment a crucial part of good prenatal care. "Don't ever place a shadow of doubt in a woman," advises one seasoned midwife. "You just let her rip into it." Penfield Chester, herself a midwife, skillfully weaves the threads spun by women with differing politics, backgrounds, and views on spirituality and the calling of midwifery into a coherent oral history. Especially enjoyable are passages from two midwives who serve Amish communities, where birth has never been removed from a woman's realm and hauled into the medical arena. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Midwifery is an old, honorable profession with a history of persecution by the medical establishment. Practicing midwives are dedicated to helping women give birth naturally. Some have learned their skills as apprentices, while others have completed independent training programs or formal academic nurse-midwife programs. Penfield, an independent midwife, has interviewed 27 of her colleagues, a diverse group ranging from a professor of nursing at Yale to an elderly Hispanic partera in New Mexico. Although they are very different, their reliance on intuition, their spirituality, and their emphasis on the normalcy of birth and the power of women unite them. An extensive bibliography and a commentary on the future of midwifery complete the text. These intimate interviews, along with the photographs taken by the author's sister, offer a fascinating glimpse at a variety of cultures. Highly recommended for all collections.?Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland P.L., Cal.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813524083
• ISBN-13: 978-0813524085
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #837,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars overview of different types of midwives & their diversity, January 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Sisters on a Journey: Portraits of American Midwives (Paperback)

As a woman who knew almost nothing about the practice of midwifery, I found this a very interesting and quick read. Short chapters devoted to one midwife describe why they wanted to become a midwife, what type of midwife they are, their views and sometimes about the politics or legal issues of midwifery. Despite having read magazine articles on midwifery, I learned things from this book that I've not seen elsewhere. It is also full of affirmations that birth is normal and that women's bodies are designed for a drug free birth--something not seen written about too often. I have one child who was born in a hospital and had a heavy medical intervention birth which was not the outcome that I had hoped for. I thought I had planned well to avoid medical interventions. The knowledge I gained from this book prompted me to seek midwifery care for my current pregnancy. I wanted to learn more about midwifery in general and this was a fun and sometimes disturbing read. It helped me form some of my own opinions and reaffirmed that my decision to receive different care for my second pregnancy. For me it was a jumping off point to then go read other books which delve more in-depth into the topic of receiving midwifery for prenatal care and birth. I recommend this to anyone who doesn't know much about midwifery and likes to read stories of peoples lives. I especially liked the appendix where a full explanation of the differences between accredition were explained and the mission statements of the midwifery organizations were stated. The short chapters are also easily read in bits and pieces which is necessary when one has a toddler running about. I can't speak as to how experienced midwives or those that already know a lot about the subject would like the book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Forthright and Disarming., January 8, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Baltimore, Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sisters on a Journey: Portraits of American Midwives (Hardcover)

I was astounded at the diversity within the midwife community. As someone who has had one doctor-assisted hospital childbirth experience (and not a pleasant one at that) I came to this book knowing little of midwives, their craft or their history. This book included stories from midwives in many arenas - home births, hospital births, lay midwives, nurse-midwives, those practicing legally and illegally. While it touched lightly on the politics of midwifery in America and the rivalry between its factions, this book's most telling feature is its focus on the women who choose this field. Chester truly lets them speak their hearts. In all cases their love for bringing life into the world is evident despite their sometimes forthright, pesimistic or negative statements. Each story is accompanied by a beautiful photographic portrait - done by Chester's sister- which displays the subject in her own element and gives visual insight into her personality and situation.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the inspiring book I was looking for., July 30, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sisters on a Journey: Portraits of American Midwives (Paperback)

I couldn't believe the first story in the book. The writing was awful and the commentary extremely negative and selfish. As an aspiring midwife, I searched between the lines for the inspiration I was looking for. While some of the stories were touching...many were negative and disorganized. I enjoyed Diary of a Midwife a lot more.