Pushed, by Jennifer Block

This is another non-fiction read that I recently finished. I promise I'll put up a novel here soon.

Pushed is written by a journalist who, having never been pregnant or given birth, set about uncovering the reasons why the USA, with the highest medical spending, per capita, in the world (as we all know from recent rhetoric) ranks number 27 in infant and maternal mortality. Why, with everything we know and all the technology we have, are infant and maternal mortality and morbidity rates actually rising in some areas of our country?

The answer, according to the author, could potentially rest in the custom of involving surgeons - highly trained experts in all manner of pathological and emergency situations - in what, in many cases, amounts to a normal physiological process.

Block delves into reasons behind the 30+% Cesarean Section rate in our country, and what she finds is more complex than the oft-cited doctor convenience and skyrocketing malpractice insurance premiums). She explores the rise and fall and rise again of midwives and the struggles they face just to practice in some states. And finally, she questions the efficacy (and, potentially, the danger) of many of the interventions that have become standard practice in labor and delivery rooms all across the nation.

This is an issue that is near and dear to my heart for obvious reasons. However, it is also a very interesting take on the history of birth over the last century. Not sure if it's up any of y'alls' alleys but I'm willing to lend if you want to check it out!