Fear of fear itself : a deeper look into U.S. birthing culture

Abstract

Imagine a woman giving birth. What exactly comes to mind? For many Americans scenes of a screaming woman laying flat on a hospital bed in an all white room probably flashes before them. For others around the globe, the picture is somewhat different. Women in many other developed countries most often birth using a practice called midwifery -- delivering naturally with a trained nurse midwife in the home of the mother or in a birthing center. This is a practice that has been around longer than hospitals themselves, and focuses on placing the power of birth into the mother's hands rather than taking that power away from her.