Overview
An incisive yet personal look at the science and history of the most common surgery performed in Americaāthe cesarean sectionāand an exposĆ© on the disturbing state of maternal medical care
When Rachel Somerstein had an unplanned C-section with her first child, the experience was anything but the āroutineā operation her doctor described. A series of errors by her clinicians led to a real-life nightmare: surgery without anesthesia. The ensuing mental and physical complications left her traumatized and desperate for answers about how things could have gone so wrong.
In the United States, one in three babies is born via C-section, a rate that has grown exponentially over the past fifty years. And while in most cases the procedure is āsafe,ā it is not without significant, sometimes life-changing consequences, with its burdens falling disproportionately on people of color. Mothers are often left to navigate these complications alone, with C-sections all but invisible in popular culture, pregnancy guides, and even standard medical advice.
In Invisible Labor, Somerstein weaves personal narrative and investigative journalism with medical, social, and cultural history to reveal the operationās surprising evolution, from its days being practiced on enslaved women to the ways modern medical technology promotes its overuse. And sheĀ uncovers the current-day failures of the medical system, showing how pregnant peopleās pain and agency is often disregarded by physicians who, motivated by fear of litigation or a hospitalās commitment to efficiency, make consequential and deeply personal decisions on behalf of their patients.
Candid, raw, and illuminating, Invisible LaborĀ lifts the veil on C-sections so that mothers can navigate future pregnancies and births with more knowledge about surgical birthās risks, benefits, and alternativesāa corrective to the ongoing curtailment of reproductive rights. Writing with deep feeling and authority, Somerstein offers support and camaraderie to others who have had difficult or traumatic birth experiences, as well as hope for new forms of reproductive justice.
This book title, Invisible Labor (The Untold Story of the Cesarean Section), ISBN: 9780063264410, by Rachel Somerstein, published by HarperCollins (June 4, 2024) is available in hardcover. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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