From Library Journal
Until the late 18th century, childbirth was almost exclusively a female event. Then advances in medical science and technology brought male physicians into a dominant role. Rooks, a nurse midwife, has written a detailed history of midwifery in the United States, sensitively examining the different training and outlooks of nurse midwives and physicians. Rooks discusses what each profession brings to childbirth, conflicts and collaborations, the development of training standards for midwives, and the influence of recent changes in healthcare delivery systems. She contrasts care in the United States with that in other developed countries, where midwives provide most routine care and infant mortality rates are lower. Her book covers a longer time period in greater detail than Judith Walzer Leavitt's Brought to Bed: Childbirth in America 1750-1950 (Oxford Univ., 1986). With an extensive bibliography; recommended for academic and health sciences collections.?Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland P.L., Cal.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
Having a baby is an elemental human experience—profound, even sacred to some women and their families. At the same time, it is a significant component of health care. The medical model of childbirth emphasizes the pathological potential of pregnancy and birth, while an alternative model championed by midwives focuses on the normalcy of pregnancy and its potential for health. Now available in paperback, this definitive account of the many forces that intersect over the issue of childbirth explains in a comprehensive and authoritative manner the conceptual and philosophical differences between these models. The author has brought together in a clear and readable fashion the myriad strands of history, culture, science, economics, and policy that have resulted in the current condition of maternity care in the United States. She describes the disparate backgrounds, training, and roles of certified nurse-midwives and lay or direct entry midwives, and explains the contributions of both groups. Rooks believes that maternity care and childbirth in America can, and should, be better than it is today, and offers steps to take in the direction.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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