School of Nursing, Midwifery and Physiotherapy, University of Nottingham.
Sociol Health Illn. 2010 Mar;32(3):486-501. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-9566.2009.01207.x. Epub 2009 Dec 9.
The experience of childbirth is one of the most corporeal of the human condition. Against a backdrop of profound change in the milieu of birthing over the past 30 years, especially in the developed world, a number of discourses now compete for the status of the safest, most fulfilling birth experience. Supporters of biomedical and 'natural' approaches make their respective claims to those, with obstetricians broadly aligning their professional interests with the former and midwives with the latter. There is mounting evidence that childbearing women's experiences of birth are often shaped in the uneasy space between the two. Within sociological discourse in health, embodiment is a dominant theme but, to date, research has concentrated mainly on new reproductive technologies, and there is a dearth of recent research and theorising around the act of parturition itself. This paper argues that because of this, there has been a polarising tendency in current discourses which is having a largely negative impact on women, professionals and the maternity services. A call is made for an integration of traditional childbirth embodiment theories, mediated through compassionate, relationally focused maternity care, especially when labour complications develop.
分娩经历是人类最具肉体性的体验之一。在过去 30 年中，分娩环境发生了深刻的变化，尤其是在发达国家，许多关于分娩的论述竞相争夺最安全、最有意义的分娩体验的地位。生物医学和“自然”方法的支持者各自宣称拥有这些方法，产科医生普遍将其专业利益与前者联系在一起，而助产士则与后者联系在一起。越来越多的证据表明，产妇的分娩经历往往是在这两者之间的不安空间中形成的。在健康领域的社会学论述中，体现是一个主导主题，但迄今为止，研究主要集中在新的生殖技术上，而关于分娩本身的最新研究和理论却很少。本文认为，由于这一点，目前的论述中存在一种两极分化的趋势，这对妇女、专业人员和产妇服务产生了很大的负面影响。呼吁通过富有同情心、注重关系的产妇护理来整合传统的分娩体现理论，特别是在出现分娩并发症时。
