Pushed : The Painful Truth About Childbirth and Modern Maternity Care

Acknowledgments xi; Preface to the Paperback Edition xiii; Introduction xvii; 1. Arranged Birth 1; 2. The Short Cut 45; 3. Denied Birth 73; 4. Consequences 109; 5. Mothers' Helpers 149; 6. Underground 177; 7. Criminalized 213; 8. Rights 249; Appendix A 273; Appendix B 277; Notes 279; Index 301.;A provocative and incisive analysis of medical intervention at childbirth-an experience that has become the American norm, even as women seek more choice. In the United States, more than half the women who give birth are given drugs to induce or speed up labor; for nearly a third of mothers, childbirth is major surgery — the cesarean section. For women who want an alternative, choice is often unavailable: Midwives are sometimes inaccessible; in eleven states they are illegal. In one of those states, even birthing centers are outlawed.When did birth become an emergency instead of an emergence? Since when is normal, physiological birth a crime? A groundbreaking journalistic narrative, Pushed presents the complete picture of maternity care in America. Crisscrossing the country to report what women really experience during childbirth, Jennifer Block witnessed several births - from a planned cesarean to an underground home birth. Against this backdrop, Block investigates whether routine C-sections, inductions, and epidurals equal medical progress. She examines childbirth as a reproductive rights issue: Do women have the right to an optimal birth experience? If so, is that right being upheld? Block's research and experience reveal in vivid detail that while emergency obstetric care is essential, there is compelling evidence that we are overusing medical technology at the expense of maternal and infant health: Either women's bodies are failing, or the system is failing women. A Groundbreaking Narrative Investigation Of Childbirth In The Age Of Machines, Malpractice, And Managed Care, Pushed Presents The Complete Picture Of Maternity Care In America. From Inside The Operating Room Of A Hospital With A 44% Cesarean Rate To The Living Room Floor Of A Woman Who Gives Birth With An Illegal Midwife, Block Exposes A System In Which Few Women Have An Optimal Experience. Pushed Surveys The Public Health Impact Of Routine Labor Inductions, C-sections, And Epidurals, But Also Examines Childbirth As A Women’s Rights Issue: Do Women Even Have The Right To Choose A Normal Birth? Is That Right Being Upheld? A Wake-up Call For Our Times, Block’s Gripping Research Reveals That While Emergency Obstetric Care Is Essential, We Are Overusing Medical Technology At The Expense Of Maternal And Infant Health.