In an unusual combination of reflection, autobiography, theory, and criticism, Cristina Mazzoni looks at childbirth and early maternity from the perspective of an academic mother with three young children. Mazzoni draws upon examples ranging from contemporary advice manuals and novels to the work of turn-of-the-century Italian scientists and women writers, as well as fairy tales, religious texts, psychoanalytic accounts, and feminist theory. Throughout her investigations of the various forces that shape cultural views of pregnancy and childbirth, Mazzoni strives to imagine and deploy maternity as a concept and a reality capable of challenging conventional representations of subjectivity. The questions she addresses dwell on relationship and interdependence, the inseparability of the personal and the political, and the connections and interactions between bodies and power. Maternal Impressions is far more than a book of literary criticism and theory. It reveals the multiple bonds and continuities between the contradictory ways in which pregnancy and childbirth were represented a century ago and the manner in which they still haunt feminist experience today. In her conclusion, Mazzoni points toward a possible ethics of maternity.

Introduction: The Maternal Imprint -- Sex Equality in Heredity -- Prenatal Culture -- Germ Plasm Hygiene -- Maternal Effects -- Race, Birth Weight, and the Biosocial Body -- Fetal Programming -- It's the Mother! -- Epilogue: Gender and Heredity in the Postgenomic Moment.

The main aim of this practical Handbookis to strengthen counselling and communication skills of skilled attendants (SAs) and other health providers, helping them to effectively discuss with women, families and communities the key issues surrounding pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, postnatal and post-abortion care. Counselling for Maternal and Newborn Health Careis divided into three main sections. Part 1 is an introduction which describes the aims and objectives and the general layout of the Handbook. Part 2 describes the counselling process and outlines the six key steps to effective counselling. It explores the counselling context and factors that influence this context including the socio-economic, gender, and cultural environment. A series of guiding principles is introduced and specific counselling skills are outlined. Part 3 focuses on different maternal and newborn health topics, including general care in the home during pregnancy; birth and emergency planning; danger signs in pregnancy; post-abortion care; support during labor; postnatal care of the mother and newborn; family planning counselling; breastfeeding; women with HIV/AIDS; death and bereavement; women and violence; linking with the community. Each Session contains specific aims and objectives, clearly outlining the skills that will be developed and corresponding learning outcomes. Practical activities have been designed to encourage reflection, provoke discussions, build skills and ensure the local relevance of information. There is a review at the end of each session to ensure the SAs have understood the key points before they progress to subsequent sessions.

Master the essentials of maternity and pediatric nursing with this comprehensive, all-in-one text! Maternal Child Nursing Care, 7th Edition covers the issues and concerns of women during their childbearing years and children during their developing years. It uses a family-centered, problem-solving approach to patient care, with guidelines supported by evidence-based practice. New to this edition is an emphasis on clinical judgment skills and a new chapter on children with integumentary dysfunction. Written by a team of experts led by Shannon E. Perry and Marilyn J. Hockenberry, this book provides the accurate information you need to succeed in the classroom, the clinical setting, and on the Next Generation NCLEX-RN® examination. - Focus on the family throughout the text emphasizes the influence of the entire family in health and illness. - Expert authors of the market-leading maternity and pediatric nursing textbooks combine to ensure delivery of the most accurate, up-to-date content. - Information on victims of sexual abuse as parents and human trafficking helps prepare students to handle these delicate issues. - Nursing Alerts highlight critical information that could lead to deteriorating or emergency situations. - Guidelines boxes outline nursing procedures in an easy-to-follow format. - Evidence-Based Practice boxes include findings from recent clinical studies. - Emergency Treatment boxes describe the signs and symptoms of emergency situations and provide step-by-step interventions. - Atraumatic Care boxes teach students how to manage pain and provide competent care to pediatric patients with the least amount of physical or psychological stress. - Community Focus boxes emphasize community issues, provide resources and guidance, and illustrate nursing care in a variety of settings. - Patient Teaching boxes highlight important information nurses need to communicate to patients and families. - Cultural Considerations boxes describe beliefs and practices relating to pregnancy, labor and birth, parenting, and women's health. - Family-Centered Care boxes draw attention to the needs or concerns of families that students should consider to provide family-centered care.

Ambroise Paré, born in France around 1510, was chief surgeon to both Charles IX and Henri III. In one of the first attempts to explain birth defects, Paré produced On Monsters and Marvels, an illustrated encyclopedia of curiosities, of monstrous human and animal births, bizarre beasts, and natural phenomena. Janice Pallister's acclaimed English translation offers a glimpse of the natural world as seen by an extraordinary Renaissance natural philosopher.

A staple of American popular culture during the 19th and early 20th centuries, the freak show seemed to vanish after World War II. This book reveals the image of the freak show, with its combination of the grotesque, horrific and amusing specimens.