Post-war mothers : childbirth letters to Grantly Dick-Reed, 1946-1956

For pregnant women in the 1930s and 1940s Dr Grantly Dick-Read (1890-1959) proposed natural childbirth as the `normal' way to have babies, making drugs, instruments and hospitalisation unnecessary. His book Childbirth without Fear, first published in 1933, spoke of the joys of natural childbirth; women from around the world wrote long, detailed and poignant letters in response, describing their own experiences in giving birth. This edited collection of the correspondence affordsa rare look at childbirth experiences in the hospitals and birthing centres in post-war America and Britain from the perspective of the patient, as women discuss the way they were viewed by society, by hospitals, and by physicians and nurses, and their own feelings on childbirth; overall, the book provides an important opportunity to evaluate the treatment of women in the 1940s and 1950s, the generation who gave birth to the so-called `baby boomers'. Professor MARY ALVEY THOMASteachesat Bentley College, Waltham. Post-War Mothers......Page 2 CONTENTS......Page 6 PREFACE......Page 9 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 11 CHRONOLOGY OF GRANTLY DICK-READ'S LIFE......Page 13 PART 1— GRANTLY DICK-READ AND NATURAL CHILDBIRTH: A TURNING POINT IN THE HISTORY OF CHILDBIRTH......Page 16 Background: Childbirth in Britain and the United States......Page 17 Grantly Dick-Read......Page 22 Reception of Dick-Read's Method: The Medical Establishment......Page 25 Dick-Read's Method: The Conflict It Established for Women......Page 27 Conclusion......Page 31 PART 2— CORRESPONDENCE......Page 35 Section 1— Scientific Childbirth......Page 36 Correspondence 1......Page 37 Correspondence 2......Page 40 Correspondence 3......Page 44 Correspondence 4......Page 48 Correspondence 5......Page 53 Correspondence 6......Page 58 Correspondence 7......Page 61 Section 2— Enforcing Scientific Childbirth......Page 64 Correspondence 8......Page 65 Correspondence 9......Page 68 Correspondence 10......Page 72 Section 3— The Struggle between Consciousness and Unconsciousness......Page 80 Correspondence 11......Page 81 Correspondence 12......Page 83 Correspondence 13......Page 88 Correspondence 14......Page 90 Correspondence 15......Page 92 Correspondence 16......Page 97 Correspondence 17......Page 101 Section 4— Twentieth Century Patient/Physician Relationship by Mail......Page 103 Correspondence 18......Page 104 Correspondence 19......Page 107 Correspondence 20......Page 111 Correspondence 21......Page 115 Correspondence 22......Page 119 Correspondence 23......Page 125 Correspondence 24......Page 127 Correspondence 25......Page 129 Correspondence 26......Page 131 Correspondence 27......Page 134 Section 5— Disagreeing with the Dick-Read Method......Page 137 Correspondence 28......Page 138 Correspondence 29......Page 146 Correspondence 30......Page 147 Correspondence 31......Page 149 Correspondence 32......Page 156 Correspondence 33......Page 157 Correspondence 34......Page 160 Section 6— Feelings of Failure in Natural Childbirth......Page 163 Correspondence 35......Page 164 Correspondence 36......Page 168 Correspondence 37......Page 171 Correspondence 38......Page 172 Section 7— Success in Natural Childbirth......Page 176 Correspondence 39......Page 177 Correspondence 40......Page 179 Correspondence 41......Page 181 Correspondence 42......Page 184 Correspondence 43......Page 186 Correspondence 44......Page 189 Correspondence 45......Page 193 Correspondence 46......Page 196 Correspondence 47......Page 199 Correspondence 48......Page 204 Correspondence 49......Page 205 Section 8— Writing to Dr. Grantly Dick-Read: Special Themes......Page 208 Correspondence 50......Page 209 Correspondence 51......Page 213 Correspondence 52......Page 216 Correspondence 53......Page 218 Correspondence 54......Page 220 Correspondence 55......Page 224 Correspondence 56......Page 226 Correspondence 57......Page 228 Correspondence 58......Page 232 Correspondence 59......Page 235 Correspondence 60......Page 238 Correspondence 61......Page 240 Correspondence 62......Page 243 Correspondence 63......Page 246 Correspondence 64......Page 250 GLOSSARY OF MEDICAL TERMS......Page 252 Books Published in the United States......Page 254 Books......Page 255 Articles......Page 257 "For pregnant women in the 1940s and 50s, Dr. Grantly Dick-Read (1890-1959) proposed natural childbirth as the "normal" way to have babies, making drugs, instruments, and even hospitalization unnecessary. His book, first published in Great Britain in 1942 as Revelation of Childbirth, spoke of the joys of natural childbirth. Women from around the world, but primarily Britain and the United States, wrote long, detailed, and poignant letters in response, describing their own experiences." "This edited collection of correspondence affords a rare look at the childbirth experiences of women in hospitals and birthing centers in post-war America and Great Britain. In these letters, women, from the perspective of the patient, discuss the way they were viewed by society and hospitals, as well as by their own partners, doctors, and nurses. Ultimately, Post-War Mothers provides an important opportunity to examine womens' own evaluation of the American and British "childbirth experience" in the first decade of the post-war period."--BOOK JACKET For pregnant women in the 1930s and 1940s Dr. Grantly Dick-Read (1890-1959) proposed natural childbirth as the'normal'way to have babies, making drugs, instruments and hospitalization unnecessary. His book Childbirth withoutFear, first published in 1933, spoke of the joys of natural childbirth; women from around the world wrote long, detailed, and poignant letters in response, describing their own experiences in giving birth. This edited collection of the correspondence affords a rare look at childbirth experiences in the hospitals and birthing centers in post-war America and Britain from the perspective of the patient, as women discuss the way they were viewed bysociety, by hospitals, and by physicians and nurses, and their own feelings on childbirth; overall, the book provides an important opportunity to evaluate the treatment of women in the 1940s and 1950s, the generation who gave birth to the so-called'baby boomers.'Professor MARY ALVEY THOMAS teaches at Bentley College, Waltham. Edited With An Introduction By Mary Thomas. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [245]-248). Women's experience of childbirth in the mid-twentieth century, revealed in their own words.