In this paper, my aim is to call attention to the meanings women attach to their birthing
experiences using the symbolic interaction perspective in conjunction with a feminist lens. I …

Dominant notions of reproduction perceive childbearing as physical processes that take
place within women's bodies. This perception undermines non-physical components and …

Social science critiques of the medical management of childbirth have demonstrated the
importance of a woman's birth experience, which may be related to postpartum depression …

In this thesis I describe and explain wornen's firçt-time childbirth experiences by letting
women speak for themselves. Analytically, my aim is not empirical generalization but to …

The assumption is often made that women in a traditional birth culture are bound to benefit
by its replacement with a medical system. In a technocratic system, birth usually takes place …

This paper identifies and examines the social context and social interactions that facilitate
the process of pregnant embodiment. It views the embodiment of pregnancy as a …

This article examines the role of social context in the construction of meanings attached to
the pregnant body. Analyzing interviews with 42 women who, during the time of the …

This paper will describe birth as a social as well as a physiological event, a process which is
socially constructed and socially defined. The ways in which the medical establishment …

BACKGROUND: Within midwifery, there is a move toward reclaiming and promoting
physiological birth. Because midwifery is woman-centered in nature, it is essential that the …

Cesarean birth reached an all-time high of 32.9% in the US in 2010. In the context of a rapid
increase in the rate of cesarean birth over the past 16 years, this dissertation explores how …