Brought to Bed: Childbearing in America, 1750-1950

by Judith Walzer Leavitt

Based on personal accounts by birthing women and their medical attendants, Brought to Bed reveals how childbirth has changed from colonial times to the present.
Judith Walzer Leavitt's study focuses on the traditional woman-centered home-birthing practices, their replacement by male doctors, and the movement from the home to the hospital. She explains that childbearing women and their physicians gradually changed birth places because they believed the increased medicalization would make giving birth safer and more comfortable. Ironically, because of infection, infant and maternal mortality did not immediately decline. She concludes that birthing women held considerable power in determining labor and delivery events as long as childbirth remained in the home. The move to the hospital in the twentieth century gave the medical profession the upper hand. Leavitt also discusses recent events in American obstetrics that illustrate how women have attempted to retrieve some of the traditional women--and family--centered aspects of childbirth.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Gender and Sexuality, Medical, Science, Medicine

304 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 1986

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book in two days. All women should read it. Men should, but won't.

[George く⁠コ⁠:⁠彡 · Rating 3 out of 5]

really good basis for history of reproduction and gynecology in the United States, but there's definitely some gaps in knowledge here; lack of the stories of women of color certainly. also can be a repetative at times

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thorough review of the history of childbirth from 1750-1950. I wish the author had continued the review until the present time (or at least until the 1980's when the book was original published.)I would venture to say that the change in childbirth from 1950 to the present is just as great as the change from 1750-1950. The author does a good job of not letting her own personal biases influence the telling of the story. She also is thorough without being so academic that the book is unreadable. It helped me to view childbirth in a new way. I have been blessed to have delivered all of my children in the 21st century, with many options available and safety at it's highest. It's easy to forget how dangerous childbirth used to be, and how limited options were for most women (either because of lack of funds, or because there was only one midwife or doctor available in their geographical area.)

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the beginning, women gave birth at home with friends and family. It was the deadliest and most painful thing in the average woman's life.
When anesthetics were invented, upper class women got there hands on them. This increased maternal mortality because the anesthetics came with interventionist, unhygienic "doctors".
As medicine industrialized and moved to hospitals, so did obstetrics. This increased maternal mortality even more, because it made intervention and cross-contamination even easier.
Maternal mortality peaked in the US in the 20's and then dropped off precipitously with the development of blood transfusions and anti-biotics.

[Sigrid A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leavitt's Brought to Bed unearths the history of how childbirth moved from the female-centered world of the home to the (often) male physician controlled world of the hospital. Leavitt demonstrates how women's fears of death in childbirth led them to demand scientific advances such as painkillers and the supposedly germ free atmosphere of physician controlled birth, but that the loss of control, familiarity, and support from friends and family led to traumatic experiences giving birth alone in hospitals. It's a fascinating study.

[mobydickens · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting history of childbirth in America! I really enjoyed reading it, overall.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting volume of information on historical childbirth practices. It was a fun read and it was not at all boring.

[caro naranjo · Rating 4 out of 5]

a baby was attacked by a rat in a hospital. true story.

[saizine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating book on a subject that is of very particular interest to me - childbirth. Although my personal work veers towards the latter end of the period examined here (late nineteenth/twentieth century), Brought to Bed is an excellent example of scholarly work on obstetrics that purposefully does not fall into one of the two traditional ways of narrating the history of birth: either (1) singing the praises of medical advances on childbirth processes and infant/maternal mortality or (2) criticizing the medicalization of childbirth and the 'authoritarianism' of the medical profession. Instead, Leavitt details (with copious amounts of source material, such as diaries, letters, and medical publications) the struggle between women and doctors for the 'final say' in the birthing room, and last but definitely not least, highlights women's role in campaigning for the wide availability of medical advancements (see women's acceptance of pain relief v. the medical profession's skepticism). Highly recommended for anyone interested in the history of obstetrics, the history of medicine, and for anyone who appreciates a well-presented, balanced history.

[Anjanette Barr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating!!

As I wait to give birth to my fourth child, I could not help internalizing these stories of women from 1750-1950 who had so many fewer options than we do now and often looked upon the birth of their children as a terrible roulette in which either or both mother and child could perish.

This is a very thorough examination of the transition from home to hospital and all of the trial-and-error that medical professionals and women endured to secure safer births.

We truly have come a remarkable distance (beware that this book is full of gruesome details), and we have some distance still to go.

"Since birth moved out if the home and into the hospital, birthing women have been trying to recapture some of what they lost, at the same time maintaining what they have won."

Let's continue the fight for safe birth choices together!

[Brittany Batong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an eye-opening and objective look at how women (especially upper and middle class) have influenced trends in birthing. I appreciated how Leavitt impressed upon the reader the mortality of pregnancy for women in earlier periods; it is easy for us to judge the trends of the early 20th century as non-humanistic or a rejection of nature; but, given the spectre of death that loomed over earlier generations (whether real or perceived), it becomes easier to understand why women would give up their own power over the childbirth scenario. This was also very helpful for me in my research on childbirth in the 1930s; the personal accounts of women recalling their hospital experiences were telling in a way no textbook can be.

[Mallory · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book examined both the social history and medical history of American Women between 1750-1950. My personal rating is two stars as I was a little over half way through, lost interest, and didn't finish the book. My interest lies more in the social history of childbirth and I think there are probably more in-depth books out there on the topic. I understand that it wasn't the author's intention to only cover the social history so someone interested in the medical history as well should definitely check it out!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sorry, I'm a historian of medicine so everything I read is about the history of medicine...this one is about the history of childbirth (as you can see from the title). It's the only book out there that covers the topic so well.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

honestly, this was one of the most interesting books i have ever read - ever. I had to read it for a 'History of Medicine' class in College - but I am so glad. I highly recommend this to anyone intersted in any sort of history.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of mind-blowing information.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating historical research

[Cornell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for a class and I absolutely loved it. I learned so much about the medical history of childbirth in the U.S. This is a must read for any birth professional.