Abstract
This paper presents an ethnographic analysis of a woman's interaction with staff members during the early stage of labor, focusing on the factors that shape the childbirth experience. The observational data were gathered in several hospitals as part of a study of the medical context of childbearing. The paper presents a model of naturalistic inquiry into the transition to parenthood. Nurses and physicians are found to offer arbitrary, uniform, and often inappropriate responses to birthing women that may inhibit well-being.
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Selected References
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