Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2011 Birth matters: discourses of childbirth in contemporary American culture Jennifer Ellis West Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations Part of the English Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation West, Jennifer Ellis, "Birth matters: discourses of childbirth in contemporary American culture" (2011). LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 2253. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_dissertations/2253 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please [email protected]. BIRTH MATTERS: DISCOURSES OF CHILDBIRTH IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN CULTURE A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College In partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The Department of English by Jennifer Ellis West B.A., Mississippi College, 2000 M.A., Mississippi College, 2005 May 2011 Dedication For David, who has believed I could do this—and everything else—from the beginning. For Josie, whose entrance into the world inspired this project, and for Olive, whose birth I am eagerly anticipating as this goes to print. ii Acknowledgments Thank you hardly seems a sufficient response for the support, both personal and professional, I have received on the long journey to completing this dissertation. The professional guidance and compassionate mentorship of my adviser, Sue Weinstein, has, in many ways, provided the fertile ground out of which this project emerged. From my very first graduate seminar at LSU down the often-circuitous route to the research I eventually claimed as my own, she managed to remain unwaveringly supportive of my ideas and my writing, a gift I am certain has made me a better scholar and a better teacher. Irv Peckham and Jackie Bach have been equally encouraging, and their insightful feedback on the earliest stages of this research challenged me and enriched my writing. Barbara Heifferon provided many helpful suggestions on chapter drafts, as well as invigorating conversations that have inspired me to keep going, even after the dissertation is done. I am indebted to Jenell Johnson for countless conversations about my work, for suggesting exactly the right books at exactly the right time, and for introducing me to the field I now claim as my scholarly home. Her mark on this project is unmistakable, and I am grateful for her influence as a scholar, teacher, and mentor. My dissertation committee on the whole provided me the freedom to pursue the ideas that interested me most and a contagious enthusiasm for where that pursuit might take me: both have been essential to my continued engagement with the project. Other professors have contributed much to the formation of my scholarly identity along the way, especially Zetta Elliott, Nichole Guillory, Kerri Jordan, and David Miller. At LSU, I also gained supportive colleagues in my fellow graduate students. Without the friendship of Casey Kayser, the long and unfailingly helpful emails of Erica Abrams Locklear, the ever-positive words of encouragement from Laura Jones, and the inspiring conversations iii over tea with Cara Jones, this journey would certainly have been a lonelier one. Most especially, Kristi Richard Melancon and Jessica Ketcham Weber have been my anchors throughout my tenure at LSU; without them, this project would surely not have gotten written. Equal parts writing group and dear friends, they kept my child, read my work, and saw me through to the very end: I love them both. Especially in this last year of writing, many people have fed and sheltered my family and me as we have traveled from Jackson to Baton Rouge. The home of Ashley Jones-Bodie and Graham Bodie became a home away from home for Josie and me: delicious food, care and friendship for my daughter, and inspiring conversations nourished me in ways I did not even know I needed. Shelley Massengale was a second mother to my child on many trips: by welcoming a third daughter into her already-full household, never saying she was too busy even if she was, and making us feel like part of her family, she made the trip to Baton Rouge both easy and pleasurable on numerous occasions. Ed and Felicia Song have cheered me on since I first met them. They have cared for my family in so many ways over the years and have buoyed our spirits with rich conversation, wonderful meals, and the gift of their friendship. We miss them dearly. I am grateful, also, for the many women who corresponded with me about various parts of this project, especially those who sent me their insurance policies, told me their birth stories, and helped me understand the ways the many dimensions of these issues affected them personally. Kaevon McRay and Alyssa Anderson were particularly patient in helping me understand the context of birth in Florida, as were the midwives who took the time to respond to my emails. Many thanks go to Jill Arnold, also, whose work at The Unnecesarean kept me up- to-date on many of the issues that appear in these pages, who graciously assisted in my collection iv of insurance policies, and who provided a most-helpful perspective on the intersections of social media and birth advocacy. Heartfelt thanks to my parents, who taught me from the earliest age that I could do anything I set my mind to and that I could be anything I could imagine. Even if this is not exactly what they had in mind, I am grateful for their ongoing love and support. My sister has been an especially welcome companion on this journey: she has cheered me on with cookies and music, embarked on a graduate journey of her own, and talked me through nearly every step of this process. I have been glad to have her at my side, and I look forward to returning the favor. Other friends whose faithful support has nurtured me along the way include Hannah West, Jessie Partridge, and Christy Ketchum; they have each in some way walked this long journey with me, and I am thankful to have them in my life. Finally, I would not have made it through this process without the incessantly cheerful encouragement from my daughter and the patient heroics of my husband. When I started this research, Josie sat in my lap and pointed at my computer screen; at its close, she runs in to give me a hug exactly when I need it, asking patiently, “Is today the day you finish your dissertation?” David, quite simply, has sustained me. The completion of this project is due as much to time I spent reading and writing as it is to the time and energy he spent keeping our life going: by washing dishes and clothes, keeping our daughter happy and occupied, bringing me coffee and late-night chocolate, and reminding me every single day that I could, in fact, do this, my husband has been more than an equal partner in this, and everything else. I could not have imagined a better companion in this life, for me or for my children. I am grateful that whatever life brings us, we all get to do it together. v Table of Contents Dedication....................................................................................................................................ii Acknowledgments ..................................................................................................................... iii List of Figures.......................................................................................................................... viii Abstract........................................................................................................................................x Chapter One Introduction: Charting the Discourses of Childbirth and Medicine .....................................1 Situating Myself on the Map: How I Got Here.................................................................4 Rhetoric, Feminism, and Science Studies: Entering the Interdisciplinary Conversation ............................................................................8 Medicine Studies: Theoretical Foundations and Methodology ......................................14 A Review of the Literature on Childbirth.......................................................................20 Background: How We Arrived at this Conversation about Childbirth and Medicine....................................................................................26 Where We Go from Here: Definitions and Chapter Outline ..........................................35 Chapter Two Scripted Birth: Television, Film, and the Reproduction of Biomedical and Technological Authority...........................................................................................................41 Cultural (Medicine) Studies and Representations of Childbirth.....................................44 Medicine and Maternity in Primetime ............................................................................48 Birth at the Movies..........................................................................................................66 Documentary as Counter-Narrative ................................................................................80 Popular Culture as Socializing Ritual.............................................................................84