Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611

  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
The Perfect Birth Myth: Pushing Back Against a Broken Industry

The Perfect Birth Myth: Pushing Back Against a Broken Industry

Nathman, Avital Norman
Wage, Deborah

Paperback

Women's HealthGeneral ParentingWomen's Studies

Publisher Price: $19.95

PREORDER - Expected ship date September 17, 2026

ISBN13: 9798216277262
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Published: Sep 17 2026
Pages: 192
Weight: 0.55
Height: 0.51 Width: 5.51 Depth: 8.41
Language: English

In a nation where more than 3.5 million births occur each year, the experience of giving birth reveals who is valued, who is heard, and who is left behind.

The Perfect Birth Myth offers a sweeping, deeply human exploration of childbirth in the United States, the country with the most highly resourced and costliest maternal healthcare in the world, yet the highest rate of maternal mortality among developed countries. Drawing on decades of experience in maternal health, midwifery, and journalism, Avital Norman Nathman and Deborah Wage weave historical analysis, policy insight, personal narratives, and data from approximately 3,000 people who've given birth to examine the forces shaping American birth culture. From the pursuit of the perfect birth and the commercialization of care to the racial and psychological inequities embedded in the system, they reveal how medicalization, racism, and profit-driven policies have eroded autonomy, safety, and dignity in childbirth.

Both exposé and call to action, The Perfect Birth Myth reframes birth as an act of justice, community, and self-determination. Readers will emerge with an understanding that instead of pushing for perfection, we should be pushing for equity, respect, and shared humanity.

Also from

Nathman, Avital Norman

View All

Also in

Women's Studies

View All