Introduction to “Transforming pregnancy since 1900”

Al-Gailani, Salim; Davis, Angela

doi:10.1016/j.shpsc.2014.07.001

Cited by 93 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Based on a review of several historical overviews of the Dutch obstetric care system since the early 1900s [44][45][46][47][48], we discerned six development stages of the Dutch obstetric care system in relation to addressing health inequities (see Figure 2). These stages show a development from a narrow view on obstetric care to a social and cross-sectoral approach to care for (future) parents and (unborn) children.…”

Section: Historical Narrative Of the Obstetric Care Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Obstetrics as Niche-Development in Addressing Health Inequities

2021

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We apply a transition research perspective to the Dutch obstetric care system to analyze historic, current, and future shifts and find ways to overcome persistent health inequities. We present social obstetrics as an emerging niche that addresses perinatal health inequities by acknowledging their multifaceted origins and fostering collaborations across the medical, social, and public health sectors. We conducted desk research, in-depth semi-structured expert interviews, and interactive group sessions with change-inclined professionals that are relevant for the implementation of social obstetrics in six Dutch municipalities. The outcomes are synthesized in a historical narrative and perspectives on current obstacles and future systemic shifts. We argue that social obstetrics can be considered a sustainable addition to what is already present, instead of a disruptive transformation of the current system. Social obstetrics is innovative as it connects various societal systems and offers a framework for cross-sectoral collaboration. These collaborations, in turn, can be the starting point for the transformation of the obstetric care system as well as other relevant societal systems.

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Section: Historical Narrative Of the Obstetric Care Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social Obstetrics as Niche-Development in Addressing Health Inequities

2021

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“…Access to information that is relevant, accessible, and salient, can have a profound impact on decision making (1)(2)(3). The medicalisation of pregnancy, popularised since the 1900s has manifested an exponential growth in information about reproduction, pregnancy and fetal development (4). By and large, this information is highly accessible, particularly via the internet and social media (5,6).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health information delivery to patients at risk of having a small for gestational age/growth restricted baby in Aotearoa New Zealand: what can we learn from lived experience?

James,

Ngauamo,

Baard

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Introduction: The importance of access to reliable information during pregnancy is heightened in pregnancy complications. Impaired fetal growth (including small for gestational age (SGA) and growth restricted (FGR) fetuses) affects up to 10% of pregnancies and is associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality. However, there is a paucity of accessible, evidence-based, information to support parents told their baby is not growing as expected.This study sought to explore patient experiences of information provision and seeking during pregnancies at risk of impaired fetal growth. Methods: Focus groups and individual in-depth interviews (totalling 24 participants from across Aotearoa New Zealand) were conducted and recorded via Zoom. Discussions were led using pre-defined prompts to explore the experiences, preferences, and suggested improvements for information delivery. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and data underwent inductive thematic analysis. Results: Participants held expectations that their pregnancy would proceed normally; the majority experienced some level of distress at a diagnosis of complications. Information provided by the clinical team was highly valued, particularly when well curated and delivered with empathy. However, for many, this information needed to be supplemented. Additional, nuanced information was sought through online sources, and this included information on causes of impaired fetal growth, the meaning of medical terminology used, and lived experiences of pregnancy and birth. The timing of information provided by their clinical team impacted participant perceived capacity to comprehend information and their response to it. Participants preferred information to be offered at various times, in a range of forms, each adding to the layering of a more complete understanding of their situation. Preferences for information included being able to access a range of credible information in one place to promote greater coherence between the needs and lived experiences of patients and their healthcare providers. Conclusions: Timely, nuanced and salient information is extremely important to pregnant people and their families when navigating high-risk clinical pathways during pregnancy. Our results provide guidance on improving informational resources in the context of impaired fetal growth.

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“…Within 100 years, the purview of science and medicine in human reproduction saw a striking evolution: the hospitalization of childbirth, The contraceptive Pill, prenatal vitamins, obstetric ultrasound, etc. (Al-Gailani and Davis, 2014 ). Some scholars argue that the transformation of pregnancy “from a natural event into a medical problem” (Seccombe, 1990 , p. 181) has led to heightened scrutiny of “subjectively healthy populations” (Al-Gailani, 2014 ) and established new classes of patients and categories of disease (Al-Gailani, 2014 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While biomedical science has a prominent role in lay approaches to motherhood, its role is not new and has its own history of management of women of reproductive age, during pregnancy and early motherhood. At the turn of the twentieth century, women in Western Europe and North America had minimal engagement with the medical profession over the course of their pregnancies (Al-Gailani and Davis, 2014 ). Social control of the female body was monitored through other cultural and religious institutions and channels.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Mombrain and Sticky DNA”: The Impacts of Neurobiological and Epigenetic Framings of Motherhood on Women's Subjectivities

2021

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The fields of epigenetics and neuroscience have come to occupy a significant place in individual and public life in biomedicalized societies. Social scientists have argued that the primacy and popularization of the “neuro” has begun to shape how patients and other lay people experience themselves and their lifeworlds in increasingly neurological and genetic terms. Pregnant women and new mothers have become an important new target for cutting edge neuroscientific and epigenetic research, with the Internet constituting a highly active space for engagement with knowledge translations. In this paper, we analyze the reception by women in North America of translations of nascent epigenetic and neuroscientific research. We conducted three focus groups with pregnant women and new mothers. The study was informed by a prior scoping investigation of online content. Our focus group findings record how engagement with translations of epigenetic and neuroscientific research impact women's perinatal experience, wellbeing, and self-construal. Three themes emerged in our analysis: (1) A kind of brain; (2) The looping effects of biomedical narratives; (3) Imprints of past experience and the management of the future. This data reveals how mothers engage with the neurobiological style-of-thought increasingly characteristic of public health and popular science messaging around pregnancy and motherhood. Through the molecularization of pregnancy and child development, a typical passage of life becomes saturated with “susceptibility,” “risk,” and the imperative to preemptively make “healthy' choices.” This, in turn, redefines and shapes the experience of what it is to be a “good,” “healthy,” or “responsible” mother/to-be.

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Introduction to “Transforming pregnancy since 1900”

Cited by 93 publications

References 11 publications

Social Obstetrics as Niche-Development in Addressing Health Inequities

Social Obstetrics as Niche-Development in Addressing Health Inequities

Health information delivery to patients at risk of having a small for gestational age/growth restricted baby in Aotearoa New Zealand: what can we learn from lived experience?

“Mombrain and Sticky DNA”: The Impacts of Neurobiological and Epigenetic Framings of Motherhood on Women's Subjectivities

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