The World Health Organisation undertook to evaluate the cost, efficacy and risk of modern birth technologies through a series of consensus meetings. These meetings were designed to bring a scientific and multidisciplinary approach to the task of identifying the best ways of ensuring the safest outcomes for women and babies during pregnancy, birth and afterwards. The format of the book mirrors the format of the meetings. Following the first three chapters which define the issues and historical context, chapter four describes how the meetings were set up, and chapters five to seven focus on the content of the conferences including scientific review papers and discussions leading to the final consensus recommendations. The author was convenor of the meetings in North America, South America and Europe.

Helps expectant mothers make informed decisions about their pregnancy and childbirth, furnishing information on what to expect when delivering in a hospital, birthing center, or at home; how to select an advocate; the natural stages of labor; natural alternatives to drugs, surgery, and technology; and explanations of various medical interventions. Original. 25,000 first printing.

There is no other living scholar with Davis-Floyd’s solid roots, activism, and scholarly achievements on the combined subjects of childbirth, midwifery, obstetrics, and medicine. Ways of Knowing about Birth brings together an astounding array of her most popular and essential works, all updated for this volume, spanning over three decades of research and writing from the perspectives of cultural, medical, and symbolic anthropology. The 16 essays capture Robbie Davis-Floyd’s unique voice, which brims with wisdom, compassion, and deep understanding. Intentionally cast as stand-alone pieces, the chapters offer the ultimate in classroom flexibility and include discussion questions and recommended films.

Pregnancy and childbirth brings together, for the first time, western and eastern approaches providing a sound amalgamation of theoretical and practical information for bodywork practitioners world-wide. It describes in detail the application of massage and shiatsu from early pregnancy, including work during labour and for the first year postnatally for the mother. This is a useful source of information for massage therapists, shiatsu practitioners, osteopaths, physical therapists, chiropractors, reflexologists, aromatherapists, acupuncturists, yoga and Pilates instructors. For Students and practitioners to use as a learning manual and reference tool, the text provides: - Clarity of information - Full text referencing - Clear diagrams, photographs, and summary boxes - Clinical accuracy: reviewed by, and with contributions from, international specialists including midwives, obstetricians, osteopaths, chiropractors, acupuncturists, aromatherapists and massage therapists.

In Misconceptions, bestselling author Naomi Wolf she demythologizes motherhood and reveals the dangers of common assumptions about childbirth. With uncompromising honesty she describes how hormones eroded her sense of independence, ultrasounds tested her commitment to abortion rights, and the keepers of the OB/GYN establishment lacked compassion. The weeks after her first daughter’s birth taught her how society, employers, and even husbands can manipulate new mothers. She had bewildering post partum depression, but learned that a surprisingly high percentage of women experience it. Wolf’s courageous willingness to talk about the unexpected difficulties of childbirth will help every woman become a more knowledgeable planner of her pregnancy and better prepare her for the challenges of balancing a career, freedom, and a growing family. Invaluable in its advice to parents, Misconceptions speaks to anyone connected–personally, medically, or professionally–to a new mother.

For more than twenty-five years, Mothering magazine has captured an audience of educated women who appreciate its "we'll inform, you choose" approach to parenting. Having a Baby, Naturally reflects this spirit with straightforward, uncensored information about pregnancy and childbirth, addressing common concerns and questions in a compassionate, nonjudgmental style. Written by Peggy O'Mara, the longtime publisher, editor, and owner of Mothering magazine, it synthesizes the best theories and safest practices used in natural childbirth, including recommendations from the World Health Organization, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Throughout, O'Mara reinforces her belief that each woman's pregnancy and birth experience is a one-of-a-kind event. She covers such topics as: Nutrition, diet, and exercise Emotional self-awareness during and after pregnancy A trimester-by-trimester guide to what is happening in your body and your child's Birth choices -- offering suggestions, not "rules" Pain medication alternatives Birth locations, from hospitals to home birth Relieving morning sickness with natural remedies Prenatal testing Breastfeeding Prematurity and multiple births Balancing work and family The father's role during pregnancy and beyond Difficult subjects, such as birth defects, miscarriages, and postpartum depression, are also treated with sensitivity and candor. Finally, a book for the thinking woman who believes in her own inherent capacity to make smart, informed decisions about her pregnancy and birth, just as she makes in other areas of her life. Having a Baby, Naturally is a celebration of childbirth and an accurate and objective guide to helping women fortify their spirits, develop trust in their bodies, and make the best possible choices to protect their new baby's health.

Traditionally, non-medical, developmental intervention with premature infants has been a controversial topic in neonatal intensive care units (NICU). However, a small but growing band of researchers have been pushing for the acceptance of alternative interventions, such as kangaroo care and massage therapy, that do not resort to surgical or other medical practices. Edward Goldson, a pediatrician at Children's Hospital in Colorado, has assembled the top researchers in the field to contribute to this comprehensive volume that deals with non-medical intervention with premature infants. Nurturing the Premature Infant is the first to combine the innovative research in this growing area and present it in a single volume. Not only will it be indispensable to professionals in the field, but it will also be of interest to parents of premature infants.

Science could never have proceeded without the creativity of intuition--yet intuition is poorly understood and poorly studied. In Intuition: The Inside Story, scholars explore the nature of intuition and its practical place in the social and behavioral sciences and the arts. These contributors present the latest theoretical developments and research and provide every day examples of intuition from the lab and field. They discuss the nature and experience of intuition from the perspectives of anthropology, philosophy, physics, engineering, psychology, medicine and midwifery. Contributors include: Marcie Boucouvalas, Guy Burneko, Brenda J. Dunne, Jeremy Hayward, Charles Laughlin, Evelyn Monsay, Anne Pineault, Luci Roncalli and Joe Sheridan.

This new edition builds on the strengths of the popular first edition, with updated national and international data, and the most recent debate around the controversial area of childbirth. With the increasing risk of litigation, there can be a tendency to classify women as 'at risk' if they present with even a hint of a problem. This is a contentious area and midwives need to be aware of the wide parameters of 'normal' in order to practise autonomously, effectively and safely. This book provides an evidence-based source for all midwives and other health professionals with an interest normal birth. Explores the wider range of normal childbirth that is unique to individual mothers and babies Challenges the assumptions underpinning current beliefs and attitudes Updated statistics, both national and international Latest research and debate

From fetuses scanned ultrasonically to computer hackers in daycare, contemporary children are increasingly rendered cyborg by their immersion in technoculture. As we are faced with reproductive choices connected directly with technologies, we often have trouble gaining perspective on our own cultural co-dependency with these very same technologies. Our notions of fetal health, maternal risk and child IQ are inseparable from them. Cyborg Babies tracks the process of reproducing children in symbiosis with pervasive technology and offers a range of perspectives, from resistance to ethnographic analysis to science fiction. Cultural anthropologists and social critics offer cutting-edge ethnographies, critiques, and personal narratives of cyborg conceptions (sperm banks, IVF, surrogacy) and prenatal (mis)diagnosis (DES, ultrasound, amniocentesis); the technological de- and reconstruction of birth in the hospital (electronic fetal monitors, epidurals); and the effects of computer simulation games and cyborg toys and stories on children's emergent consciousness. Contributors include Janet Isaacs Ashford, Elizabeth Cartwright, David Chamberlain, Jennifer Croissant, Charis M. Cussins, Robbie Davis-Floyd, Joseph Dumit, Eugenia Georges, Anne Hill, Mizuko Ito, Emily Martin, Steven Daniel Mentor, Janneli F. Miller, Lisa Mitchell, Lisa Jean Moore, Rayna Rapp, Matthew A. Schmidt, Syvia Sensiper, Elizabeth Roberts and Sherry Turkle. Examining the increasing cyborgification of the American child, from conception through birth and beyond, Cyborg Babies considers its implications for human cultural and psychological evolution.