Born in the USA
Subtitle: How a Broken Maternity System Must Be Fixed to Put Women and Children First
Edition: 1 edition
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: November 1, 2006
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 305
ISBN-13: 9780520245969
Subjects: Gynaecology & obstetrics; Health systems & services; Public Affairs & Administration; Medical; Medical / Nursing; Obstetrics; United States; Health Care Delivery; Medical / General; Maternal health services; Childbirth
Description: "In this rare, behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in hospitals across the country, a longtime medical insider and international authority on childbirth assesses the flawed American maternity care system, demonstrating how it fails to deliver safe, effective care for both mothers and babies. Written for mothers and fathers, obstetricians, nurses, midwives, scientists, insurance professionals, and anyone contemplating having a child, this book documents how, in the most expensive maternity care system in the world, women have lost control over childbirth and what the disturbing results of this phenomenon have been.

Born in the USA examines issues including midwifery and the safety of out-of-hospital birth, how the process of becoming a doctor can adversely affect both practitioners and their patients, and why there has been a rise in the use of risky but doctor-friendly interventions, including the use of Cytotec, a drug that has not been approved by the FDA for pregnant women. Most importantly, this investigation, supported by many troubling personal stories, explores how women can reclaim the childbirth experience for the betterment of themselves and their children."--Jacket.