Book ID: CBB477937706

The Myth of the Perfect Pregnancy: A History of Miscarriage in America (2020)

unapi

Freidenfelds, Lara (Author)


Oxford University Press


Publication Date: 2020
Physical Details: 256
Language: English

When a couple plans for a child today, every moment seems precious and unique. Home pregnancy tests promise good news just days after conception, and prospective parents can track the progress of their pregnancy day by day with apps that deliver a stream of embryonic portraits. On-line duedate calculators trigger a direct-marketing barrage of baby-name lists and diaper coupons. Ultrasounds as early as eight weeks offer a first photo for the baby book.Yet, all too often, even the best-strategized childbearing plans go awry. About twenty percent of confirmed pregnancies miscarry, mostly in the first months of gestation. Statistically, early pregnancy losses are a normal part of childbearing for healthy women. Drawing on sources ranging from advicebooks and corporate marketing plans to diary entries and blog posts, Lara Freidenfelds offers a deep perspective on how this common and natural phenomenon has been experienced. As she shows, historically, miscarriages were generally taken in stride so long as a woman eventually had the children shedesired. This has changed in recent decades, and an early pregnancy loss is often heartbreaking and can be as devastating to couples as losing a child. Freidenfelds traces how innovations in scientific medicine, consumer culture, cultural attitudes toward women and families, and fundamental convictionsabout human agency have reshaped the childbearing landscape. While the benefits of an increased emphasis on parental affection, careful pregnancy planning, attentive medical care, and specialized baby gear are real, they have also created unrealistic and potentially damaging expectations about acouple's ability to control reproduction and achieve perfect experiences. The Myth of the Perfect Pregnancy provides a reassuring perspective on early pregnancy loss and suggests ways for miscarriage to more effectively be acknowledged by women, their families, their healthcare providers, and the maternity care industry.

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Reviewed By

Review Jessica Martucci (2021) Review of "The Myth of the Perfect Pregnancy: A History of Miscarriage in America". Journal of American History (pp. 351-352). unapi

Review Whitney Wood (2022) Review of "The Myth of the Perfect Pregnancy: A History of Miscarriage in America". Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences (pp. 112-114). unapi

Review Whitney Wood (2022) Review of "The Myth of the Perfect Pregnancy: A History of Miscarriage in America". Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences (pp. 112-114). unapi

Citation URI
https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB477937706/

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Authors & Contributors
Sarah Fox
Patrick Ellis
Arena, Francesca
Sara Matthiesen
Heidt-Forsythe, Erin
Seitz, Emily A.
Concepts
Obstetrics and pregnancy
Women and health
Childbirth
Maternal health services
Mothers and children
Medicine and society
Time Periods
20th century
19th century
20th century, early
21st century
18th century
Ancient
Places
United States
England
Nigeria
Sweden
Mesopotamia
Croatia
Institutions
Uppsala Universitet (Sweden)
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