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A review by meaghanjohns
Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy by Angela Garbes
3.0
"True female reproductive health, which is the foundation of everyone’s health, requires that the social systems in which we live allow us to make informed choices about what is best for each of us."
3.5 stars. I waffled for a long time between a 3 and a 4 on this one.
What I liked: I learned a lot. The amount I didn't know about this particular piece of women's health was ridiculous. Garbes takes the reader through the arc of childbirth, from pregnancy to post-partum, and links that to the science. What is a placenta and what does it actually do? How did the favoured "lie on your back" birth position originate? (Spoiler: King Louis XIV was a bit of a freak.) What's the actual deal with breast milk, and doulas, and pelvic floor therapy?
What I wanted to be different: Less memoir, more science. I was happy to have the author pepper in a few personal anecdotes, but it became less appealing when those anecdotes seemed to become the basis of the final chapters.
Overall, this was definitely an interesting (and sometimes cringe-inducing) read that left me with a lot of new facts to wave around at the bar and a continued appreciation for how traumatic pregnancy can be.
3.5 stars. I waffled for a long time between a 3 and a 4 on this one.
What I liked: I learned a lot. The amount I didn't know about this particular piece of women's health was ridiculous. Garbes takes the reader through the arc of childbirth, from pregnancy to post-partum, and links that to the science. What is a placenta and what does it actually do? How did the favoured "lie on your back" birth position originate? (Spoiler: King Louis XIV was a bit of a freak.) What's the actual deal with breast milk, and doulas, and pelvic floor therapy?
What I wanted to be different: Less memoir, more science. I was happy to have the author pepper in a few personal anecdotes, but it became less appealing when those anecdotes seemed to become the basis of the final chapters.
Overall, this was definitely an interesting (and sometimes cringe-inducing) read that left me with a lot of new facts to wave around at the bar and a continued appreciation for how traumatic pregnancy can be.