Laboring On (Paperback)

From the Publisher: Laboring On tells the compelling story of birth in America -- an epic portrait of change and how birth has been performed now and how it is likely to be performed in the future. Birth may be a universal experience, but how births are attended to is by no means universal. The authors, all leaders in the field, examine all of the contemporary debates over midwifery, Cesarean births, obstetricians, women's healthcare reform and new technologies and practices to present a provocative understanding of childbirth as well as a prescription for the future. Laboring On tells the compelling story of birth in America -- an epic portrait of change and how birth has been performed now and how it is likely to be performed in the future. Birth may be a universal experience, but how births are attended to is by no means universal. The authors, all leaders in the field, examine all of the contemporary debates over midwifery, Cesarean births, obstetricians, women's healthcare reform and new technologies and practices to present a provocative understanding of childbirth as well as a prescription for the future.