Pregnancy in Practice

Babies are not simply born-they are made through cultural and social practices. Based on rich empirical work, this book examines the everyday experiences that mark pregnancy in the US today, such as reading pregnancy advice books, showing ultrasound "baby pictures" to friends and co-workers, and decorating the nursery in anticipation of the new arrival. These ordinary practices of pregnancy, the author argues, are significant and revealing creative activities that produce babies. They are the activities through which babies are made important and meaningful in the lives of the women and men awaiting the child's birth. This book brings into focus a topic that has been overlooked in the scholarship on reproduction and will be of interest to professionals and expectant parents alike.

Preface
List of Figures
Chapter 1. Introduction: Ordinary Pregnancy
Chapter 2. Pregnancy as a Literacy Event
Chapter 3. Protoconversations of the Heart: Belly Talk
Chapter 4. Seeing Like a Family, Looking Like a Baby: Fetal Ultrasound Imaging
Chapter 5. "This Body Is No Longer My Own"
Chapter 6. Making Rooms for Babies: Houses and Nurseries
Chapter 7. Consumption and Communitas: Baby Showers
Postpartum
Bibliography
Index