Abstract
From the paper:

Childbirth, the natural process of how we are born, has evolved along with technological advancements to prolong lives, reduce pain, and decrease mortality rates through advancements in technology. William Carlos Williams, born in 1883 in Rutherford, New Jersey, dealt with issues of childbirth through the course of his life as a pediatrician. After becoming a pediatrician in 1910, he practiced medicine there for most of his life, and wrote poems and stories about his life as a country doctor. During the course of his life, society began paying close attention to childbirth as medicine and technology advanced.

Tags:care, doctor, health, midwife, childbirth

Abstract
The paper discusses how childbirth at the present time is considered to be a natural event yet is accepted as a condition to be treated in hospital. The paper explains that the contradiction arose from the process of medicalization whereby childbirth was defined as an illness and came under the control of the medical profession (Findlay & Miller, 2002). This paper offers a literature review intended to investigate how medicalization was initiated and mainly to explore the impact of medicalization for pregnant women. The timeframe is the late 1800s to the 1950s but is not chronological. The themes and arguments are from the perspectives of medicine, ethics, ordinary women and their choices, feminism, sociology, and art history.

From the Paper
"Childbirth at the present time is considered to be a natural event yet is accepted as a condition to be treated in hospital. The contradiction arose from the process of medicalization whereby childbirth was defined as an illness and came under the control of the medical profession (Findlay & Miller, 2002). This will be a literature review intended to investigate how medicalization was initiated and mainly to explore the impact of medicalization for pregnant women. The timeframe will be the late 1800s to the 1950s but will not be chronological. The themes and arguments are from..."

Tags:medicalization, childbirth, analysis

Abstract
The paper discusses how according to Mercer (1995), the process of becoming a mother is becoming increasingly complex with fewer role models. The paper explains that childbirth involves a transition to a new identity and uncertainty that compels women to seek information and help. The paper looks at how Mercer maintains that the mother's experience during childbirth depends on her self-concept, and her perceived control over the process of birth. The paper then explains that maternal control, as is illustrated by many cultures, is restricted by cultural norms, ideology and other factors.

From the Paper
"According to Mercer (1995), the process of becoming a mother is becoming increasingly complex with fewer role models. Childbirth involves a transition to a new identity and uncertainty that compels women to seek information and help. Mercer maintains that birth is a formal entry into motherhood and the mother's experience during childbirth depends on her self-concept, and her perceived control over the process of birth. Maternal control as is illustrated by many cultures is restricted by cultural norms, ideology, and other factors. This paper will discuss a..."

Tags:culture, childbirth, needs

Abstract
This paper analyzes the way in which nineteenth century childbirth procedures impacted Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein". It considers both the birth process in general and the experience in Shelley's own life in particular, as they relate to the tale of Victor Frankenstein and his monster.

From the Paper
"Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is widely considered a novel that warns against the dangers of science. In the character of Victor Frankenstein, Shelley demonstrates how medical and scientific knowledge might be used to create a ghastly monster that experiences.."

Tags:Frankenstein, Shelley, childbirth, mortality

Abstract
Delayed childbirth is a changing trend in parenting consisting of the decision to put off pregnancy until one is 35 years of age or older. This paper examines the phenomena of delayed childbirth. The topics discussed in the paper include: factors influencing delayed childbirth; the advantages of delayed childbearing; the disadvantages of delayed childbearing; various pregnancy outcomes associated with delayed childbirth and nursing interventions designed to assist mature women in increasing their chances of having healthy pregnancies and healthy babies.

From the Paper
"In their discussion of disadvantages associated with delayed childbirth, the March of Dimes (1995) reports that women over 35 becoming pregnant for the first time are at increased risk for infertility and miscarriage, gestational diabetes, bleeding complications, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, cesarean section, and for chromosomal abnormalities and growth retardation in babies. Rates of premature delivery and stillbirth are also said to increase, as does the chance of having multiple births (e.g., twins, triplets or higher order births). It is further noted that since about half of all pregnancies for all women in the United States are not intended, including in women over 35, it is very important that all women of reproductive capacity follow guidelines to promote reproductive health and pregnancy."

Tags:feminist, infertility, Nulliparous, preterm

Abstract
This paper states that delayed childbirth is a growing trend in the United States and will continue to increase. This paper discusses that the literature indicates both advantages and disadvantages associated with having children later in life but, despite the advantages, there are certain pregnancy and labor risks. The author believes that nurses need more training in ways to assist mothers who decide to put off having their first child.

Table of Contents
Abstract
Introduction
Factors Influencing Delayed Childbirth
Advantages of Delayed Childbirth
Disadvantages of Delayed Childbirth
Pregnancy Outcomes for Mature Women
Nursing Interventions
Conclusions

From the Paper
"In their discussion of disadvantages associated with delayed childbirth, the March of Dimes (1995) reports that women over 35 becoming pregnant for the first time are at increased risk for infertility and miscarriage, gestational diabetes, bleeding complications, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, cesarean section, and for chromosomal abnormalities and growth retardation in babies. Rates of premature delivery and stillbirth also are said to increase, as does the chance of having multiple births (e.g., twins, triplets or higher order births). It is further noted that since about half of all pregnancies for all women in the United States are not intended, including in women over 35, it is very important that all women of reproductive capacity follow guidelines to promote reproductive health and pregnancy."

Tags:labor, diabetes, mortality, tests, education

Abstract
This paper uses two separate interviews, conducted with women who have experienced childbirth, to demonstrate that the culture of childbirth has changed within the last three decades. The first woman, called Maggie, gave birth in the early 1970s in a hospital setting. The second woman, called Joyce, gave birth three months ago, also in a hospital setting. Both women were employed as educators at the time they gave birth, were married, and the infant was their first child. This essay further explores these issues and demonstrates the changing ideas of childbirth and maternity.

From the Paper
"In two separate interviews conducted with women who have experienced childbirth, it is clear that the culture of childbirth has changed within the last three decades. The first woman, called Maggie, gave birth in the early 1970s in a hospital setting. The second woman, called Joyce, gave birth three months ago, also in a hospital setting. Both women were employed as educators at the time they gave birth, were married, and the infant was their first child. This essay will explore these issues and demonstrate the changing ideas of childbirth and maternity. Maggie's memories of childbirth are still vivid. She takes the position..."

Tags:health, child, labor

Abstract
This paper presents a qualitative research study, which will focus on PTSD after childbirth, and will include an interview with a woman who has experienced and recovered from childbirth-induced PTSD. The paper will address three questions in this study, specifically, what factors determine whether or not an individual will develop PTSD, what alternatives/treatments are available to help a person cope with and/or recover from PTSD and can PTSD be prevented after childbirth. The paper includes a vast amount of resource material.

Outline:
Abatract
Introduction
Literature Review
Methodology

From the Paper
"Whether a person develops PTSD or not after he/she goes through an intense threatening experience reportedly depends on how the individual responds. The individual's response will depend on "upsetting events, the kind and magnitude of the event, the circumstances of the event, and the individual conditions to cope with the event at the critical moment and soon thereafter" (Wijma, 2007, 3). In the article, "When delivery becomes a disaster: Childbirth as a trauma," Klaas Wijma (2007), Unit of Health Psychology, notes that women, as men in war, may develop PTSD when their childbirth experience proves to be traumatic (Wijma, 2007, 4). After PTSD develops, following a traumatic childbirth experience, during the woman's first year postpartum, the time needed for her recovery will depend on the help she receives, as time alone does not usually resolve PTSD.
"Due to its co-morbidity with other psychiatric disorder, PTSD, a complex disorder, may be readily misdiagnosed and/or mistreated (Wijma, 2007). "PTSD can be recognized by hyper vigilance, reliving, emotionally numbing, elevated anxiety, flashbacks, avoidance, concentration and memory problems, being troublesome in intimate and interpersonal relationships, and the experience of arousal. Anger, sadness, and restlessness are common" (Wijma, 2007, 8). Research reveals that this particular disorder responds best to cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)."

Tags:anxiety, stress, depression, pregnancy, delivery, vulnerability

Abstract
Childbirth is a culturally-mediated event, and this essay reflects this view. The paper includes a discussion of how ritual is significant to every society and how it varies. It shows a number of inherent differences in the ritual of childbirth between the two cultures, as well as some striking comparisons. Both women and their experiences serve as case studies in each culture. The paper discusses how these women relate to issues such as pain relief, support structures during and after birth - particularly the role of the husband/partner, surgical interventions such as Cesarean section, the importance of postnatal care and differences in emotional expression during birth.

From the Paper
"The experience of childbirth in any culture is a time of great anticipation and encompasses many different emotions, but is never simply a biological act. Childbirth in every culture around the world has been socially marked and shaped and there are quite marked differences in the ritual of childbirth from country to country. "The concept of "natural fertility" and "natural childbirth" are cultural constructs. Our lives are lived in socially independent groups guided by cultural rules." (MacCormack, 1982, p.2) Amongst other things, the ritual of childbirth may differ in where the birth occurred in the hospital or at home, the support structures provided or pain relief, and be influenced by cultural, traditional or religious beliefs. Scheper-Hughes (1987, in Davis-Floyd, 1997) and others put forward the argument that without culture, we would not have emotions, or at the very least be unable to interpret them. As such, culture is a very important factor in the analysis of the ritual of childbirth and emotion. Brigitte Jordan (1979), who many believe to be the mother of the study of childbirth, described birth as a "culturally grounded, bio-socially mediated, and interactionally achieved event." "

Tags:antenatal, anthropology, australia, babies, birth, caesarean, childbearing

Abstract
This essay examines the history of the medical model of childbirth and considers the effects of medicalization a natural process. The paper suggests that medicalization childbirth reinforces patriarchal power relations while often having negative effects on women's health.

From the Paper
"The experience of childbirth in North America has undergone constant change since the decline of the midwife. It has been appropriated by men and by the medical establishment. It has been institutionalized and made unnatural. The positive effects of medical knowledge can be observed during difficult deliveries, however these occur relatively infrequently and their treatments are then applied to the greater population. The negative effects are most visible in women's health, but the medicalization of childbirth has also resulted in the loss of traditional knowledge systems, declining female control over the birthing process and the reinforcement of patriarchal power relations."

Tags:doctors, health, midwives, motherhood, power, pregnancy