| This dissertation examines how U.S. women make decisions about pregnancy and birth by identifying the boundaries of the contemporary maternity culture. Ethnographic fieldwork was conducted in three states -- Virginia, Washington and Rhode Island in 2006 and 2007. Additionally, 109 qualitative, in-depth interviews were conducted with physicians, midwives, childbirth educators, and mothers. This research revealed that the rhetoric of safety, choice and control dominate mothers' understandings of pregnancy and birth, though the extent to which they rely on each of these concepts varies depending on where they give birth and what type of care provider is in attendance. Despite the significance of safety, choice and control in their narratives, women express anxiety about these concepts and indicate ambivalence about the extent to which technology has come to dominate contemporary birth practices in the U.S. |
