Hi everyone,

Happy New Year! As some of you may know, our BOLD Book Club
coordinator, Rebecca, is a student midwife. Starting this January
she is working at a hospital in the New York City area doing an
intensive internship and has had to stop volunteering with BOLD. I
eagerly asked Karen if I could coordinate the book club as I'm an
avid reader and feel passionate about people educating themselves
about childbirth. So I am now your BOLD Book Club coordinator! (I
also co-coordinate BOLD 2007 with Kathleen Hickey)


We know it's now January 4 and we have not communicated to you our
new book club pick for January-February, but that's only because
Karen was hesitant to pick another hard cover book again but she
kept coming back to the same book so has decided to pick it as our
next book. Marsden Wagner's new book, Born in the USA: How a Broken
Maternity System Must be Fixed To Put Women and Children First is a
powerful, courageous book about the politics of childbirth in the
United States. I really am excited about this book and think that
you will really enjoy it too. It is truly a timely book!

Here's a description of the book:



In this rare, behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in hospitals
across the country, a longtime medical insider and international
authority on childbirth assesses the flawed American maternity care
system, powerfully demonstrating how it fails to deliver safe,
effective care for both mothers and babies. Written for mothers and
fathers, obstetricians, nurses, midwives, scientists, insurance
professionals, and anyone contemplating having a child, this
passionate exposé documents how, in the most expensive maternity
care system in the world, women have lost control over childbirth
and what the disturbing results of this phenomenon have been. Born
in the USA examines issues including midwifery and the safety of out-
of-hospital birth, how the process of becoming a doctor can
adversely affect both practitioners and their patients, and why
there has been a rise in the use of risky but doctor-friendly
interventions, including the use of Cytotec, a drug that has not
been approved by the FDA for pregnant women. Most importantly, this
gripping investigation, supported by many troubling personal
stories, explores how women can reclaim the childbirth experience
for the betterment of themselves and their children.




Born in the USA tells:
* Why women are 70% more likely to die in childbirth in America than
in Europe
* What motivates obstetricians to use dangerous and unnecessary
drugs and procedures
* How the present malpractice crisis has been aggravated by the fear
of accountability
* Why procedures such as cesarean section and birth inductions are
so readily used





We are thrilled that we will have a teleconference call with the
author, Dr. Wagner, the end of February. One change that we have
made this year is that we will no longer have the authors online
with us in our discussions. We hope this will provide a better
forum where ideas can flow and everyone has the opportunity to
freely voice their thoughts. At the end of our discussions, we will
then be able to talk to the author in person!

As usual, we'll read the book during the month of January and then
take the month of February to discuss it online before talking with
Dr. Wagner.

I look forward to a lively discussion! If you have any questions
feel free to contact me at my private email (not on the listserv!).

Be BOLD,
Jillian