“Exercising Caution: The Production of Medical Knowledge about Physical Exertion during Pregnancy” – Shannon Jette
The article by Shannon Jette, discussed the debate of whether women should exercise while they are pregnant. This debate is complex as to if women should exercise, but also, what type of exercise is best, if they did decide to exercise. As doctors became more involved in pregnancy and childbirth, there was more supervision as to what women did, and the impact and risk it was having on their growing babies. This represents the shift of medicalization, as doctors are more involved and have more say over how women handle themselves during their pregnancy. This article adds to the historiography of this topic because it is a concern of today. It does not pose as big of a threat but it is still something that requires women to be in constant talk with their doctors about. In the article, a piece of advice was given and it was, “listen to your body.”[1] It was said to be the most common advice given to pregnant women. Having doctors more involved, especially during this activity of pregnancy, ensures that the growing baby stays health, through testing, and due to the research done on blood and oxygen in the body, especially during pregnancy. It was also discussed as to how exercising during pregnancy became as big as it is, the article used the example of the Jane Fonda workout video for pregnant women, which featured safe exercises that could be done. It was also suggested that the types of exercises done during pregnancy, can help prepare the body for labour, due to further research done.
“Gender Expectation: Natural Bodies and Births in the New Midwifery in Canada” – Margaret Macdonald
I really liked this article because it had interviews and personal experiences of women who have chosen to give birth at home with a midwife, and it also had interviews with midwives. Having these interviews allows us as readers to remain engaged and take more from the information presented. This article focused on midwives, and their position on “natural” birth. It was stated by one midwife that “the inevitability that some women will fail in the goal to birth naturally – at home, without drugs, without interventions, and without screaming in pain”[2] and that is the reason behind why most midwives do not define “natural” birth. All the midwives in this article suggest that the women in labour need to be able to make their own choices when it comes to their childbirth. They use this as an argument to support giving birth at home, as the medicalization and higher levels of supervision by doctors, can present less choices to women in labour. This article adds to the historiography of this topic, as it follows the trend of child birth and the evolution of midwives. Which I can use to discuss in my paper, as it also allows me to compare the arguments, as to whether or not women should give birth in hospitals or at home.
““An illness of Nine Months’ Duration”: Pregnancy and Thalidomide Use in Canada and the United States” – Barbara Clow
This article was very informational in terms of the drug Thalidomide, among others. Thalidomide was a drug prescribed to women who struggled with morning sickness, as well as to help with sleeping. It was later determined it caused deformation of limbs in fetuses, and it was no longer prescribed. This article also discussed the effects of other drugs on fetuses and the unknown negative impacts. I’m planning on using this article in my paper as there is mention of alcohol during pregnancy and the different opinions on its impact on the fetus. This article discusses how pregnancy was seen as an illness and what doctors with that perspective were likely to do about it. It was stated “Doctors who endorsed this view of gestation, whether practising in Canada or the United States, tended to prescribe tranquilizers on the grounds that many of the common “complaints” of pregnancy could be attributed to psychological disturbance.”[3] At this point in time, there was little research done on the impact of drugs given to the mother, on the fetus. As history shows, and as research was done, there was more understanding and evidence of the harmful effects on the fetus. This article does a good job in terms of following the history of this topic, and it used an example of a women, who was prescribed Thalidomide, and what the outcome, and lack of knowledge was of the impacts. Tobacco was touched on in this article too, as there was no evidence at the time that it would cause harm to the baby. With a lack of knowledge, doctors had concerned such as, “intercourse in the final weeks of pregnancy than about smoking, alcohol consumption, or the use of prescription drugs.”[4] These types of concerns were simply a lack of information and as time went on, concerns altered.
“The Political “Nature” of Pregnancy and Childbirth” – Candace Johnson
This article is one I plan on using in my research paper and it fits perfectly with the topic of this week as it contains little bits of everything discussed in this week’s readings. It spends a good portion of the article discussing the debate of what is considered “natural” birth. The debate of free birth and natural birth is also mentioned in the article by Margret Macdonald, as the experiences of the midwives and mothers that are mentioned in that article. This article also discussed the medicalization of childbirth and pregnancy and how doctors supervised their patient’s closer. It was stated “During pregnancy this surveillance effort is increased, as medical doctors and nurses conduct tests to ensure that mothers are complying with best medical practices and fetuses are developing normally.”[5] The supervision of doctors influenced more research to be done, which included debated such as the exercise pregnant women should or should not do while they are pregnant, as discussed in Shannon Jette. This article is beneficial to my research paper because it discusses childbirth in many settings and the different outcomes, and impacts. This article also discusses the limitation that effected certain races, and the limited access to midwife services. The historical significance of this article relates to the knowledge and research conducted on childbirth and pregnancy and how the new information discovered allows for better care and more choices for expectant women.
Bibliography
Clow, Barbara, “‘An Illness of Nine Months’ Duration’: Pregnancy and Thalidomide Use in Canada and the United States,” in Feldberg, Ladd-Taylor, Li and McPherson, Women, Health, and Nation, Montreal” McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2003: 45-66.
Jette, Shannon, “Exercising Caution: The Production of Medical Knowledge about Physical Exertion during Pregnancy”, Canadian Bulletin of Medical History, 28, 2 (2011): 293 313.
Johnson, Candace, “The Political “Nature” of Pregnancy and Childbirth”, Canadian Political Science Association and the Societe Quebecoise de science politique, 41, 4 (Dec 2008), pp. 889-913.
MacDonald, Margaret, “Gender Expectations: Natural Bodies and Natural Birth in the New Midwifery in Canada, Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 20, 2 (2006): 235-256.
[1] Shannon Jette, “Exercising Caution: The Production of Medical Knowledge about Physical Exertion during Pregnancy”, Canadian Bulletin of Medical History, 28, 2 (2011): 304.
[2] Margaret MacDonald, “Gender Expectations: Natural Bodies and Natural Birth in the New Midwifery in Canada, Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 20, 2 (2006): 243.
[3] Barbara Clow, “‘An Illness of Nine Months’ Duration’: Pregnancy and Thalidomide Use in Canada and the United States,” in Feldberg, Ladd-Taylor, Li and McPherson, Women, Health, and Nation, Montreal” McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2003: 49.
[4] Clow, “‘An Illness of Nine Months’ Duration’”, 51.
[5] Candace Johnson, “The Political “Nature” of Pregnancy and Childbirth”, Canadian Political Science Association and the Societe Quebecoise de science politique, 41, 4 (Dec 2008), pp. 894.