'Gone with the Wind'--interpreting media representations of normal childbirth.[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dr Holly Powell-Kennedy, co-chair of the ICM ICM Intercom ICM Integrated Crop Management ICM International Congress of Mathematicians ICM Information Classification and Management ICM Intelligent Contact Management (Cisco) ICM International Creative Management Research Sanding Committee, gave a fascinating talk to an audience at King's College London, on 3 March 2008. Holly used images from the 1939 film Gone with the Wind to illustrate how childbirth has been a topic surrounded by ignorance and fear over many years. She compared the messages from the film with material published over past decades intended to enlighten women's lack of knowledge. Holly summarises this work: 'Women ultimately hold the greatest power to change how maternity care is provided and are active agents in the making of their history in childbirth. Women turn to various resources to inform themselves about birth, including family, friends, public and private discourse, media and health tare tare (târ), name sometimes used as a synonym for any vetch, most frequently for the common vetch. The tare of the Scriptures, a weed of grainfields and considered a seed of evil, is thought to have been the unrelated darnel (see rye grass). providers. Understanding women's decision-making about childbirth choices is complex--how do they interpret the multiple messages in the media? 'A recent cross-sectional national survey of over 1500 mothers in the United States (US) indicated that 41-47% had induced or augmented labour, 32% gave birth via caesarean caesarean n. Variant of cesarean. caesarean cesarean. , 25% experienced an episiotomy Episiotomy Definition An episiotomy is a surgical incision made in the area between the vagina and anus (perineum). This is done during the last stages of labor and delivery to expand the opening of the vagina to prevent tearing during the delivery of and most were cared for by obstetricians. Many reported feeling overwhelmed, frightened and weak during their childbirth experience. Only 8-10% of women in the US are attended in birth by midwives. Although the reasons for these statistics are complex, partial explanations may lie in that women's desires and beliefs may run counter to what many midwives believe is important about ehildbirth and the prevailing US culture of medicalised birth. 'This critical discourse analysis Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is an interdisciplinary approach to the study of discourse, which views "language as a form of social practice" (Fairclough 1989: 20) and focuses on the ways social and political domination is reproduced by text and talk. examined visual messages of 55 covers on common childbirth education books. An in-depth textual analysis was conducted on messages about women's agency, interactions, power, authority and childbirth on the top 10 selling books in the US. Five themes were identified that included body images, normality/risk, purpose of pain, childbearing authority and life preparation as a mother. Implications for using the findings in working with women on childbearing decisions and future research were discussed'. Holly Powell Kennedy, PhD, CNM CNM Certified Nurse-Midwife; see nurse-midwife. CNM abbr. Certified Nurse Midwife , FACNM, FAAN FAAN abbr. Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing King's College London Fulbright Distinguished Scholar E-mail: @kcl.ac.uk |
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