This was one of those books which I had been meaning to read since it came out, but had never quite got around to - until I talked to a friend who insisted that I push it to the top of my "things to read" list. She wasn't wrong!
Murphy-Lawless explores the history of obstetric thinking and offers a whole new set of insights into why women's experiences of childbirth are the way they are today. Focusing on Ireland, but using examples from around the world, she uses all sorts of sources to show how the Western biomedical perspective of birth has developed, and what the key aspects of this are. In the process, some of the answers I have always sought about medical attitudes to birth became clear. If you ever wondered why obstetrics is the way it is, this is the book for you!
This is an academic book, but it is not so weighty as to become unreadable. Her occasional use of practical examples of women's experiences to illustrate the points she is making serves to bring home the reality of the impact of obstetrics on women. She shows very clearly the reasons why some of the ideas which have been used to try to 'change childbirth' have not worked, although my one criticism of the book would be that I was disappointed not to find concrete suggestions for change that would work, in the light of the work she has done. Perhaps this is the difference between a sociologist and a midwife!
I would totally recommend this book to all student midwives and midwives doing higher-level study, anyone seeking a fresh perspective on the history of birth, obstetrics or midwifery, and anyone involved - or wanting to become involved - in changing attitudes to birth.
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