Booky Talk - "Birth"

Dick and I own hundreds of books. Dick tends to read non-fiction, including philosophy books, for fun. (Philosophy does not equal fun for me.) I like a good mix and try to alternate when reading, between the two. I started this year off with Tina Cassidy's Birth: The Surprising History of How We Are Born. A little known fact about me is that I have, on many occasions, secretly courted the idea of becoming a midwife. I believe that women's health issues go hand in hand with sexual equality, and are incredibly important. Because of my interest in this type of feminism and my own health issues, I have read tons about women's health, from infertility to abortion, to nutrition, menopause and breastfeeding. So, I was really, really excited about this book. I actually read the entire thing in one night. Here are my thoughts:

I wish the author would have included more about the political causes and effects of some of the changes birthing procedures. She detailed how in the late 1800s/early 1900s, men essentially began pushing their way into the "birthing room," which had traditionally been safely overseen by women and midwives. And that it is really within the last ninety years or so that hospital births have become standard. (If you think about how long we've been having babies, that is a really short time.) This time period also corresponds with the strengthening of the anti-abortion movement among states. This makes me believe that there may some additional social reasons beyond physicians seeing obstetrics as a financial opportunity. Perhaps that is a whole other book, though!

She did focus heavily on detailed procedure descriptions, which, were... gross. And some birthing horror stories. (One, in particular, involving a disgusting overcrowded hospital and a baby essentially eaten by rats, was really horrifying.) And while the shock factor was there, I was often left wondering about the hearts of these poor women who endured these things, and often I felt the author did not share my personal interest in them, but saw them mostly as scientific evidence.

Maybe I am just a big softy though. Despite being slightly less than I expected, the book was fascinating and horrifying. It made me thankful and somewhat suspicious of modern medicine. I wouldn't suggest that anyone read it while pregnant, or within a year of even considering pregnancy. Seriously. Unless you have big birthing hips.