Birthing the west : mothers and midwives in the Rockies and Plains

Childbirth defines families, communities, and nations. In __Birthing the West__, Jennifer J. Hill fills the silences around historical reproduction with copious new evidence and an enticing narrative, describing a process of settlement in the American West that depended on the nurturing connections of reproductive caregivers and the authority of mothers over birth. Economic and cultural development depended on childbirth. Hill's expanded vision suggests that the mantra of cattle drives and military campaigns leaves out essential events and falls far short of an accurate representation of American expansion. The picture that emerges in __Birthing the West__ presents a more complete understanding of the American West: no less moving or engaging than the typical stories of extraction and exploration but concurrently intriguing and complex. __Birthing the West__ unearths the woman-centric practice of childbirth across Montana, the Dakotas, and Wyoming, a region known as a death zone for pregnant women and their infants. As public health entities struggled to establish authority over its isolated inhabitants, they collaborated with physicians, eroding the power and control of mothers and midwives. The transition from home to hospital and from midwife to doctor created a dramatic shift in the intimately personal act of birth. Reading the West Longlist for Nonfiction Childbirth defines families, communities, and nations. In Birthing the West , Jennifer J. Hill fills the silences around historical reproduction with copious new evidence and an enticing narrative, describing a process of settlement in the American West that depended on the nurturing connections of reproductive caregivers and the authority of mothers over birth. Economic and cultural development depended on childbirth. Hill's expanded vision suggests that the mantra of cattle drives and military campaigns leaves out essential events and falls far short of an accurate representation of American expansion. The picture that emerges in Birthing the West presents a more complete understanding of the American West: no less moving or engaging than the typical stories of extraction and exploration but concurrently intriguing and complex. Birthing the West unearths the woman-centric practice of childbirth across Montana, the Dakotas, and Wyoming, a region known as a death zone for pregnant women and their infants. As public health entities struggled to establish authority over its isolated inhabitants, they collaborated with physicians, eroding the power and control of mothers and midwives. The transition from home to hospital and from midwife to doctor created a dramatic shift in the intimately personal act of birth.

Childbirth defines families, communities, and nations. InBirthing the West, Jennifer J. Hill fills the silencesaround historical reproduction with copious new evidence and anenticing narrative, describing a process of settlement in theAmerican West that depended on the nurturing connections ofreproductive caregivers and the authority of mothers over birth.Economic and cultural development depended on childbirth. Hill'sexpanded vision suggests that the mantra of cattle drives andmilitary campaigns leaves out essential events and falls far shortof an accurate representation of American expansion. The picturethat emerges in Birthing the West presents a more completeunderstanding of the American West: no less moving or engaging thanthe typical stories of extraction and exploration but concurrentlyintriguing and complex. Birthing the West unearths thewoman-centric practice of childbirth across Montana, the Dakotas,and Wyoming, a region known as a death zone for pregnant women andtheir infants. As public health entities struggled to establishauthority over its isolated inhabitants, they collaborated withphysicians, eroding the power and control of mothers and midwives.The transition from home to hospital and from midwife to doctorcreated a dramatic shift in the intimately personal act ofbirth.

"Birthing the West: Mothers and Midwives in the Rockies and Plains shows how women and mothers constructed citizens, and how public health entities usurped that role, with varied long-term impacts on women, men, families, community, and American identity"-- Provided by publisher Birthing the West shows how mothers and midwives created an informal but dynamic healthcare system in the Rockies and Plains between 1860 and 1940. Over time, public health entities usurped their power, with lasting impacts for women, families, and American identity.