Block - Pushed: the painful truth about childbirth and modern maternity care

Were there ever any doubts as to the personal being political, this former editor at Ms. and editor of the revised Our Bodies, Ourselves convincingly lays them to rest in a gripping expos of American obstetrics. With extensive field research and thorough historical contextualization, Block reveals some disturbing statistics in this countrys birth management and shows how medical views of birth are as subject to change as the whims of fashion... A provocative and hotly controversial analysis of a side of reproductive rights feminism seems to have forgot.

Kirkus Reviews, starred review
(A Best Books of 2007 Selection)

Why are so many C-sections performed in the United States? How many, if any, birthing choices are dependent on liability issues or convenience? What are the possible consequences for low-risk mothers seeking a more natural birthing experience in their own home? Block asks all of these questions and answers with a stirring discussion of reproductive rights, informed consent, and the rights of the mother vs. the fetus.

Library Journal

This provocative, highly readable expos raises questions of great consequence for anyone planning to have a baby in U.S., as well as those interested or involved in womens health care.

PublishersWeekly.com

Jennifer Block has provided us with a well-researched, comprehensive, and in-depth critique of American birthways, showing everything that doesnt work about the American approach to birth and the little that does. A must-read for anyone wishing to understand why practitioners and women know so little about the normal physiology of birth and thus accept so many unnecessary and harmful interventions as normal and appropriate. Engaging, compelling, and insightful, this book draws you in and keeps you engaged until you understand what is wrong and what must be done to make it right!

Robbie Davis-Floyd PhD, author of
Birth as an American Rite of Passage

Loaded with interviews, statistics, and the kind of muckraking youd expect from a veteran of the progressive media... some quietly deft storytelling.

Chicago Reader

Tell[s] us just what goes wrong when birth is controlled by obstetricians... Extraordinarily readable.... No woman who is pregnant, has been pregnant, or plans to be pregnant should set foot inside the office of her OB/GYN before reading this book... Block [is] a wry and pointed writer.

The Womens Review of Books

The battle for a womans right to choose has come a long way... [but] theres something else we as women need to be thinking about, something so intrinsic that its been easily overshadowed by the red-hot abortion issue... Block has fearlessly pulled back the hospital curtain on the truth of whats really happening in the world of childbirth today... A must-read for anyone hoping to make an informed choice about bringing life into this world, Pushed is a fact-packed page-turner that will affix new meaning to the word birthright.

Bust

An eye-opening, distressing, and ultimately empowering look at the very sorry state of contemporary maternity care... More than just a collection of statistics and anecdotes, Pushed is ultimately a call to action, and its message is that a womans right to choose shouldnt end when she decides not to terminate a pregnancy.

Bitch

This is an important book that deserves to be translated into many languages. As others abroad look to America for birthing methods, the voices of the American women in Pushed offer instructive, invaluable lessons for us all.

Michel Odent, M.D.
author of Birth and Breastfeeding,
The Caesarean and The Scientification of Love

Blocks exploration of the current state of the maternity system in the US and how it got to be this way is absolutely compelling. Block raises great questions throughout the book and delves into the legal, social, cultural and medical issues incisively... Blocks objectivity and willingness to explore all angles make her conclusions all the more dramatic. She doesnt shy away from hard truths... This is an absolute must-read.

Midwifery Today

A worthwhile book for anyone who cares about reforming our healthcare systemright from the start.

Kansas City Star

Shocking revelations... The health, psychology and economics of maternity care in the U.S. receives a fine overview perfect for any serious college-level health or social science collection.

Midwest Book Review

Pushed

The Painful Truth about Childbirth
and Modern Maternity Care

Jennifer Block

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Da Capo Press was aware of a trademark claim, those designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

Copyright 2007 by Jennifer Block

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Printed in the United States of America. For information, address Da Capo Press, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA, 02142.

Text design by Viewtistic, Inc.
Set in 11 point Adobe Caslon

Cataloging-in-Publication data for this book is available from the Library of Congress.

Da Capo Press
A Member of the Perseus Books Group
www.dacapopress.com

First Da Capo Press edition 2007
First Da Capo Press paperback edition 2008
HC: 978-0-7382-1073-5
PB: 978-0-7382-1166-4
eBook ISBN: 9780738211824

Da Capo Press books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the United States by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call (800) 255-1514, or e-mail .

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

To my mother