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Cross-Cultural Investigation Of Birth Experience : A Comparison Between Mexico And The United States., Alice J Darling
Cross-Cultural Investigation Of Birth Experience : A Comparison Between Mexico And The United States., Alice J Darling
College of Arts & Sciences Senior Honors Theses
This study investigates the maternal birth experience through a cross-cultural lens. While the field of medical anthropology has researched birth practices of many cultures, few cross-cultural studies have been performed and no recent studies have suggested a transition in birthing. Ethnographic interviews with women and practitioners in Yucatán, Mexico and with women in Kentucky, United States allowed for a better understanding of the respective birthing environments. Grounded theory was then employed to develop a birth transition theory explaining changes occurring when society transitions from traditional birth practitioners to allopathic birth practitioners. The themes of knowledge, expectation and power were isolated …