Thursday, March 31, 2011
HW 41
James, Kim. "Epidural Risks and Side Effects." Kim James. Kim James, 2011. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.kimjames.net/>.
Kim James is a certified birth doula and birth educator from Seattle, Washington.
Epidural Anesthesia." American Pregnancy Association. American Pregnancy Association, 08 2007. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/epidural.html>.
American Pregnancy Association is a web site with information regarding pregnancy.
Elson, Vicki. "Reported Side Effects of Epidural Anesthesia ." ChildBirth.org. ChildBirth.org, 1996. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.childbirth.org/articles/sideeppi.html>.
A list of the side effects of edpidural.
"The History of Epidurals." birth.com.au. Birth, n.d. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.birth.com.au/Epidural-during-labour/The-history-of-epidurals>.
The history of epidural.
Understanding The Epidural." GYNOB. gynob.com, n.d. Web. 31 Mar 2011. <http://www.birth.com.au/Epidural-during-labour/The-history-of-epidurals>.
Weighing the pros and cons of epidural.
I can use this research to write a report on the use of epidural, it's effects and the common discourses regarding it.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
HW 40
JM-Hey, Tina Cassidy thanks for writing Birth. Your reflection on the history of birth with unique connections really got me to rethink my ideas on birth and the common practice surrounding it.
TC-Really, which parts were most effective or important for you?"
JM-Well, in the last third of the book where you focused on the aftermath of birth and the postpartum effects, but what I really identified with was the part about the father's role, which was good juxtaposition to the first 2/3rds of the book where it was heavily based on the woman. But let me be more specific.
1. The studies that showed the father's prescence made mothers relax (pg198)
2. The couvade syndrome and a fathers need to feel what the mother is feeling(210)
3. The negative affects of not breast-feeding (236)
TC- But what could I have done to make this a better book - that would more effectively fulfill its mission?"
JM-Well, let's be clear - your text sought to provide historical analysis from the perspective of a mother for the book-reading-public to better understand pregnancy & birth in our culture. Given that aim, and your book, the best advice I would give for a 2nd edition of the text would be, instead of basing the book so heavily on historical facts, get people's opinion. But I don't want you to feel like I'm criticizing. I appreciate the immense amount of labor you dedicated to this important issue and particularly for making me think about how the history of birth and the dominant practices in other cultures contrast with our own & whether or not we are doing it right, how we might figure that out, and what we would do from there. In fact, I'm likely to seriously weigh my options when I have a child as a result of your book.
TC-Thanks! Talking to you gives me hope about our future as a society!
Monday, March 21, 2011
HW 39
Cassidy, Tina. Birth. NY,NY: Grove Press,
2006. Print.
1. Birth by Tina Cassidy dives into the history of birth and the standard practices and procedures surrounding it. She has far more examples and evidence to match, then Business of Being Born does. Cassidy shows us the history in much more depth, whereas Business of Being Born makes simple connections to highlight atrocities. Cassidy also explores different cultures and BoBB only examines American culture with some insight from foreign doctors.
2. The insight in the second part of the book is the same as the first, a general history of birth and the atrocities associated with it.
3. - The history of baby formula
- The advancement of birthing technologies
- The increasing cesarean section rates
- The changes in labor positions throughout history
4. The author pointed out famous celebrities opting for cesareans, that was weird to me because celebrities tend to go for the all natural/healthiest option. After researching I've found the author's statements to be valid.
2006. Print.
1. Birth by Tina Cassidy dives into the history of birth and the standard practices and procedures surrounding it. She has far more examples and evidence to match, then Business of Being Born does. Cassidy shows us the history in much more depth, whereas Business of Being Born makes simple connections to highlight atrocities. Cassidy also explores different cultures and BoBB only examines American culture with some insight from foreign doctors.
2. The insight in the second part of the book is the same as the first, a general history of birth and the atrocities associated with it.
3. - The history of baby formula
- The advancement of birthing technologies
- The increasing cesarean section rates
- The changes in labor positions throughout history
4. The author pointed out famous celebrities opting for cesareans, that was weird to me because celebrities tend to go for the all natural/healthiest option. After researching I've found the author's statements to be valid.
Monday, March 14, 2011
HW 38
1. The book is organized interestingly, it's a compilation of key events and people in the history of birth, that relate to the chapter they're in.
2. a. How do the dominant views about birth in the western world relate/contrast with the rest of the world? How have we got to where we are in terms of child birth?
b. It seems that midwifery is still pretty popular the world round, except for America, of course, because, you know we're progressive.
3. a. Birth is very different in different cultures. Heres the story of how we got here.
b. We often entertain the idea that everything is always better in other cultures, and that America is too industrialized and lacks the more personal experience. I honestly think the birth of a child should be carried out by someone with respectable credentials. But I find it odd that most midwives are female and most OB/GYNs are male.
4. 1. We need to be observant of other dominant practices in other cultures, but also need to understand that our own dominant practices didn't just become dominant overnight, they're there for a reason.
2. It's important to understand the history of something that some of us plan to experience.
3. Honestly, I've got nothing else. What else is there to agree with? You can't really tell me to agree with the author.
5. Her evidence is pretty balanced, based on textual facts, anecdotes, personal experience, and first-hand views of birth. With well-balanced research it's easier to be assured that for the most part, this woman knows what she's doing/writing about.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
HW 37 Comments on Birth & Pregnancy Stories.
Comments I Made
Rossi
Your post was very detailed and actually interested me, when you actually do your posts they're really good. Quality work, Medium. A part i liked was; "Generally women, especially pregnant women, tend to be moody. Had her husband not been there to satisfy her needs when possible, then she would have likely been more angry and more often." While comedic, this was also interesting it brings up questions about the reliability that the mother has on the father and who single mothers have to lean on.
Max
I thought your post was very personal and was well thought out, I liked the structure of it. Putting the questions in between each paragraph as opposed to the end was a good idea. The insight I thought to be the best was; "In these types of situations i think that sometimes it might not be worth it if you go through that whole process and in the process your most prized thing in life dies. It is not worth going through all the painful memories." It was interesting that you thought this, and I think this brings up questions of the willingness of mothers to do what they have to do to protect their children, especially during birth.
Larche
Your post was well written and well structured. The part that I found insightful was "She spoke about needing a lot of help after having the c-section since she couldn't hold the baby for the first week, which didn't make her feel 'self sufficient'." It draws on our conversation in class about how we might demean women by helping them too much, this shows that maybe women don't want ALL of the help that they get. This would be an interesting thing to look into.
________________________________________________________________________
Comments I Received
Rich (Protoge)
i thought it was a very strong piece you included a interresting amount of detail in each of your interviews. I can tell you spent a large amount of time in your interviews.
Gavin (Mentor)
I think the post was very to-the-point and direct regarding the focus of your interviews and how thoughts can be scattered and varied on the topic of pregnancy. It's true that the feeling of having a living being inside the womb is mind-boggling. Women must agree even more.
As for some constructive criticism, coming from an English major, always double check your writing for grammar error and do a spell-check. Doing drafts before publishing the full piece is always helpful- it lets you get a chance to make sure that you're saying exactly what you want to say, and gives you the chance to review it for yourself and see where you feel you need to focus your strengths.
All in all, not a bad post. You should read some transcribed interviews to get a sense of how these things are done professionally.
Rossi
Your post was very well written. I like the way you began with the first person, summing up her feelings right away. This was a vague yet elegant introduction into the rest of the blog. The most insightful part to me was "
A father's place in birth is often undermined and their emotions aren't often taken into consideration. It may be possible that the father is more scared than the mother, because he thinks more solidly because he doesn't have the physicality of the birth to affect his feelings." I feel like this is a very true statement because all of the attention is on the mother. While this is appropriate, it seems as if fathers are not always given enough credit for there roles in the entire process from dealing with the mother and their mood swings and "cravings" to holding their hand in the delivery room in most cases. Mothers tend to be very dependent on their husbands and their role is significant to both the mother and the child, therefor i think they deserve more credit.
I think one way that you can improve your posts would be to try to make the later summaries of the interviewees as interesting as the first.
Larche
I enjoyed reading your interviews from three different points of view of the pregnancy and birth process. I liked the line "Pregnancy is like no other aspect of our lives, because there is a living thing inside of the women which is such a mind boggling experience." It shows that pregnancy and birth is an experience that is handled differently by mothers and fathers as they experience a variety of emotions ,knowing that they are bringing a life into this world.
Max
Rossi
Your post was very detailed and actually interested me, when you actually do your posts they're really good. Quality work, Medium. A part i liked was; "Generally women, especially pregnant women, tend to be moody. Had her husband not been there to satisfy her needs when possible, then she would have likely been more angry and more often." While comedic, this was also interesting it brings up questions about the reliability that the mother has on the father and who single mothers have to lean on.
Max
I thought your post was very personal and was well thought out, I liked the structure of it. Putting the questions in between each paragraph as opposed to the end was a good idea. The insight I thought to be the best was; "In these types of situations i think that sometimes it might not be worth it if you go through that whole process and in the process your most prized thing in life dies. It is not worth going through all the painful memories." It was interesting that you thought this, and I think this brings up questions of the willingness of mothers to do what they have to do to protect their children, especially during birth.
Larche
Your post was well written and well structured. The part that I found insightful was "She spoke about needing a lot of help after having the c-section since she couldn't hold the baby for the first week, which didn't make her feel 'self sufficient'." It draws on our conversation in class about how we might demean women by helping them too much, this shows that maybe women don't want ALL of the help that they get. This would be an interesting thing to look into.
________________________________________________________________________
Comments I Received
Rich (Protoge)
i thought it was a very strong piece you included a interresting amount of detail in each of your interviews. I can tell you spent a large amount of time in your interviews.
Gavin (Mentor)
I think the post was very to-the-point and direct regarding the focus of your interviews and how thoughts can be scattered and varied on the topic of pregnancy. It's true that the feeling of having a living being inside the womb is mind-boggling. Women must agree even more.
As for some constructive criticism, coming from an English major, always double check your writing for grammar error and do a spell-check. Doing drafts before publishing the full piece is always helpful- it lets you get a chance to make sure that you're saying exactly what you want to say, and gives you the chance to review it for yourself and see where you feel you need to focus your strengths.
All in all, not a bad post. You should read some transcribed interviews to get a sense of how these things are done professionally.
Rossi
Your post was very well written. I like the way you began with the first person, summing up her feelings right away. This was a vague yet elegant introduction into the rest of the blog. The most insightful part to me was "
A father's place in birth is often undermined and their emotions aren't often taken into consideration. It may be possible that the father is more scared than the mother, because he thinks more solidly because he doesn't have the physicality of the birth to affect his feelings." I feel like this is a very true statement because all of the attention is on the mother. While this is appropriate, it seems as if fathers are not always given enough credit for there roles in the entire process from dealing with the mother and their mood swings and "cravings" to holding their hand in the delivery room in most cases. Mothers tend to be very dependent on their husbands and their role is significant to both the mother and the child, therefor i think they deserve more credit.
I think one way that you can improve your posts would be to try to make the later summaries of the interviewees as interesting as the first.
Larche
I enjoyed reading your interviews from three different points of view of the pregnancy and birth process. I liked the line "Pregnancy is like no other aspect of our lives, because there is a living thing inside of the women which is such a mind boggling experience." It shows that pregnancy and birth is an experience that is handled differently by mothers and fathers as they experience a variety of emotions ,knowing that they are bringing a life into this world.
Max
I really thought that you post was very thought provoking. As opposed to in my post when i gave the names of my people i interviewed your people wanted to be kept private. And i undertand why their story's are very personal and really show how they feel about this topic. I felt like your most insightful line was, "The mother I interviewed said birth was very traumatic, scary, and exhilarating. "
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