Ourselves As Mothers: The Universal Experience Of MotherhoodSheila Kitzinger writes with understanding of the problems facing mothers in the West today, about the pain of infertility, the struggles of working mothers, the myth of the "new man", the underrating of housework, and the ways in which women try to juggle their identities as both mothers and achievers in today's world. Citing examples from India to Jamaica, South Africa to Communist China, she reveals what motherhood means in our own and different cultures. From preparing for pregnancy to the ritualization of hospital birth, from the bonds forged between mother and child to the changes in behavior expected of women when they become mothers, Kitzinger's unique anthropological exploration enables us to reflect upon and reexamine our own rituals. Ourselves as Mothers is the most comprehensive and wide-ranging study of its kind, and an invaluable contribution to our knowledge of women and society. It is a celebration of the diversity, the ingenuity, the energy, and the courage of the great sisterhood of mothers. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 43
Page 36
... sometimes inserted into the cervix to hold it open . A vinegar douche was also used by women in ancient Greece . Aristotle advised smearing the cervix and vagina with oil . Dioscorides ' Herbal , written in the first or second century ...
... sometimes inserted into the cervix to hold it open . A vinegar douche was also used by women in ancient Greece . Aristotle advised smearing the cervix and vagina with oil . Dioscorides ' Herbal , written in the first or second century ...
Page 143
... sometimes , more subtly and pervasively , whether it is acceptable to touch a patient other than when examining her and , if it is , but only sometimes , what conditions must first be met ( for example , is it all right to put an arm ...
... sometimes , more subtly and pervasively , whether it is acceptable to touch a patient other than when examining her and , if it is , but only sometimes , what conditions must first be met ( for example , is it all right to put an arm ...
Page 148
... sometimes throughout the whole of the second stage of labor and the birth . The message behind this is clear . The woman's body has been appropriated by medical personnel . To permit the presence of those she loves is to confuse two ...
... sometimes throughout the whole of the second stage of labor and the birth . The message behind this is clear . The woman's body has been appropriated by medical personnel . To permit the presence of those she loves is to confuse two ...
Contents
Mothers Cut to Shape | 17 |
The Empty Womb | 33 |
Experimenting with Motherhood | 63 |
Copyright | |
8 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
abdomen adult African baby's become behavior blood body born breast-feeding ceremonies cervix cesarean section Chaim Bermant chil child child-rearing childbearing childbirth clinic couple delivered delivery doctor dren drugs emotional epidural episiotomy experience father feeding feel female fertility fetus girl give birth hands hospital household human husband important Jamaican Jewish John Bowlby kibbutz laboring woman live London look male marriage massage maternal menstruating midwifery midwives modern months mother and baby motherhood nana National Childbirth Trust never normal obstetric obstetrician oxytocin pain parents partner patient percent perineum Pethidine placenta preg pregnancy pregnant woman prenatal relationship responsibility risk ritual role sexual Sheila Kitzinger social sometimes technological things tion touch traditional cultures traditional societies treated Truby King United usually uterus vagina vitro fertilization weeks West Western wife women