Midwifery and Childbirth in America

by Judith Pence Rooks

The medical model of childbirth emphasizes the pathological potential of pregnancy and birth, while an alternative model focuses on the normalcy of pregnancy and its potential for health. This is an account of the forces that intersect over the issue of childbirth that explains the conceptual and philosophical differences between these models.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

548 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 1997

Reviews

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a powerhouse of a book, not a light read.
intended as a socio-political exploration of the history of the theory and practice of midwifery in the US.
Judith Rooks is a on the frontlines of this struggle to truly improve maternity care in American, it a dis-eased and dysfunctional system that, in most cases, does NOT serve mother and children, but entirely feeds an institution of private healthcare, patriarchal hegemony and suppression of the all that is female and powerful.

[Willa Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading on the history and necessity of midwifery in America.