Our Bodies, Our Babies

The Forgotten Women's Movement

By: Kerreen Reiger

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Paperback | 15 August 2025 | Edition Number 1

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368 Pages

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23.39 x 15.29 x 1.93

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Our Bodies, Our Babies traces the struggle of women to change approaches to childbirth and to claim their right to choices in childbirth and breastfeeding.

This is a wonderful book . . . read it and consider what has been won, and how much more needs to be won, in the childbirth revolution!

Barbara Katz Rothman, City University of New York

Kerreen Reiger is absolutely right to see the childbirth movement as the forgotten women's movement, and the great pleasure of this book is to find in every chapter the right questions being asked.

Janet McCalman, University of Melbourne

For most of the twentieth century, childbirth and the care of mothers and babies in Western countries was controlled by doctors and a hospital system headed by men.

In Our Bodies, Our Babies, Kerreen Reiger traces the struggle of Australian women and others to change approaches to childbirth, to claim their right to choices in childbirth, and to educate themselves about birth and breastfeeding. She explores the movement which radically changed our maternity care practices, allowing fathers to participate in the birth of their children and babies to 'room-in' with their mothers.

This absorbing story draws on interviews with mothers, midwives and doctors, and on archival material from relevant women's organisations. It shows how the childbirth and breastfeeding movements are relevant to feminism and women's rights. Much has been achieved, but Reiger sees a need for still more political action.

Any woman who has given birth, and anyone who has cared for mothers and babies, will want to read this book.

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foreword
acknowledgements
abbreviations
editorial note
introduction	p. 1
reforming maternity care
having babies: the postwar scene	p. 15
mothers on the move: organising for change	p. 37
the politics of birth: sisters in struggle	p. 62
'bustin' out all over': maternalism incorporated	p. 84
the making of activist mothers
the work of organising: from fun to fundraising	p. 111
professional mothers: practices of identity construction	p. 135
ambivalent alliances: mothers' organisations and feminism	p. 159
tackling the 'system' from inside and out
the challenge to professionals: struggles over knowledge	p. 187
assessing change: the organisation of birth	p. 212
managing babies: the breastfeeding revival	p. 238
spreading the word: the personal becomes public	p. 263
conclusion: women's rights in childbearing	p. 285
notes	p. 291
interviews	p. 314
select bibliography	p. 318
index	p. 325
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

Our Bodies, Our Babies

The Forgotten Women's Movement

At a Glance

Paperback

Our Bodies, Our Babies traces the struggle of women to change approaches to childbirth and to claim their right to choices in childbirth and breastfeeding.

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

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