Elestina Gondoloni Portifolio 2025_Elestina Gondoloni

PhD Portfolio - Spring 2025

  • Elestina Gondoloni, First year
  • Associate Professor Dr. Carrie Briere
  • May 16, 2025

Table of Contents

  • Plan of Study/Progress Report (Page 3)
  • Curriculum Vitae (Page 9)
  • Evidence of a Philosophical Argument: Reclaiming Birth Autonomy: An Inquiry into the Medicalization of Childbirth (Page 12)
  • Review of Literature: Barriers and Enablers of Kangaroo Mother Care in Low-Income Countries (Page 40)
  • Individual and Institutional Positionality of Research in the Community (Page 97)
  • Connecting Theory with Philosophy: Concept analysis of Surrogate Kangaroo Care Giving; A hybrid Method (Page 111)
  • Research Question and Specific Aims (Page 153)
  • Fundamental Understanding of Concepts of Statistics: Predictors of Anxiety Among Nursing College Student (Page 172)
  • Additional Questions (Page 185)

Plan of Study/Progress Report

  • Student Progression – PhD Full-Time – Course Descriptions and Student Outcomes
  • Elestina Gondoloni
  • University of Massachusetts, Amherst, College of Nursing
  • Dissertation Supervisory Committee
    • Carrie-Ellen Briere - Chair
    • XX - Member
    • XX – Outside Member
  • Date of faculty/student progression meeting: 5 / 9 / 2025
  • Signatures: Student, Faculty, PhD Director

Section 1: Coursework

  • Indicate the year student completed the course along with the grade in each course.
  • Core Courses Required for all PhD Students (note that some course numbers have changed)
    • NXX Introductory Statistics (pre- requisite) - 3 Credits - Fall Year 1
    • N790FP Big Ideas in Nursing: History & Philosophy of Science - 3 Credits - Fall Year 1 - Fall/2024 - A
    • N790FR Edgerunners in Nursing’s Research, Scholarship & Innovation - 3 Credits - Fall Year 1 - Fall/2024 - A-
    • N790FC Experiential and Community- guided Approaches to Research - 3 Credits - Fall Year 1 - Fall/2024 - A
    • N790YX Pre-Dissertation Seminar I - Fall - 1 Credit - Fall Year 1 - Fall/2024 - A
    • N790SP Nursing Theory: Putting Ideas to Work - 3 Credits - Spring Year 1 - Spring/2025 - A
    • N790SR Research Design I: Developing the Research Focus with Accountability Partners - 3 Credits - Spring Year 1
    • N790SC Deductive Reasoning - 3 Credits - Spring Year 1 - Spring /2025 - A
    • N790ZX Pre-Dissertation Seminar II - Spring - 1 Credit - Spring Year 1
    • N890FP Leadership for Health Justice - 3 Credits - Fall Year 2
    • N890FR Inductive Reasoning - 3 Credits - Fall Year 2
    • N890SP Create New Futures: Policy, Pedagogy and Publishing for Impact - 3 Credits - Spring Year 2
    • N890SR Research Design II - 3 Credits - Spring Year 2
    • N790YX Pre-Dissertation Seminar I - Fall - 1 Credit - Fall Year 2 (Optional)
    • N790ZX Pre-Dissertation Seminar II - Spring - 1 Credit - Spring Year 2 (Optional)
    • Cognate or Advanced Research Methods Course - 3 Credits - Fall Year 2
    • Cognate or Advanced Research Methods Course - 3 Credits - Spring Year 2
    • Cognate or Advanced Research Methods Course - 3 Credits - variable
    • N893A Dissertation Proposal Seminar** - 1 Credit - Fall Year 3
    • N893B Dissertation Proposal Seminar** (if app) - 1 Credit - Spring Year 3 (optional)
    • N899 Dissertation Credits (18 total required) - 18 Credits - variable
    • N89X Dissertation Proposal Seminar (if app)*** - 1 Credit - Fall Year 4
    • N89X Dissertation Proposal Seminar (if app) - 1 Credit - Spring Year 4
    • N89X Dissertation Proposal Seminar (if app) - 1 Credit - Fall Year 5
    • N89X Dissertation Proposal Seminar (if app) - 1 Credit - Spring Year 5
  • Total Credits: 57
  • Is the student progressing satisfactorily in course work?
    • □ No
    • □ Yes
  • Note: if a student has 3 or more incompletes approval to register must be obtained from the PhD Program Director.

Section 2: Scholarship and Research

  • Original scholarship goals for this year:
    1. Be able to evaluate scientific literature critically
    2. Be able to design and conduct an experimental study
    3. Present at a national conference
    4. Write and submit at least 3 manuscripts to appropriate journals
    5. Write grant proposal (s)
  • Progress towards these goals in the past year:
    • Strengths:
      • Literature review through a class activity
    • Challenges:
      • Attended 2 conferences: Eastern Nursing Research Society (ENRS) and Connecticut Children’s Annual Breastfeeding Conference
      • Difficulties with time management, especially during the Spring semester with 3 TAs
  • “SMART” goals for the next year:
    1. Be able to evaluate scientific literature critically
    2. Be able to design and conduct an experimental study
    3. Present at a national conference
    4. Write and submit at least 3 manuscripts to appropriate journals
    5. Write grant proposal (s)
    6. Collaborate with peers to write a paper (s)

Section 3: Mentoring and Professional Development

  • Original mentoring and professional development goals for this year:
    1. Expand professional networks within the field
  • Progress towards these goals in the past year:
    • Connected with a level 4 NICU nurse from Connecticut Children’s Hospital
    • Registered for the Research Interest Group” Reproductive Health” under the ENRS
    • Connected with second and third-year students
    • Connected with Dr. Lucinda Canty of Lucinda’s House
    • Connected with other Phd from UMass, Boston, Lowell, Worcester and Dartmouth
  • “SMART” goals for the next year:
    • Collaborate and Co-author a Paper:
      • Submit a co-authored manuscript for publication to a peer-reviewed journal by December 2025.
    • Present at a Conference:
      • Submit an abstract to present a research poster or oral presentation at a national or regional nursing or public health conference by November 2025.
    • Professional Goal – Develop Teaching Skills:
      • Enroll in a teaching course by Spring 2026
    • Strengthen Research Skills:
      • Complete training in qualitative or mixed-methods research by March 2026
    • Expand Professional Network:
      • Attend at least two professional events by December 2025 and connect with scholars working in maternal, neonatal, or global health.

Section 4: Mentored Research Experience

  • Students must complete a mentored research experience (120 hours total) prior to proposing their dissertation project.
  • Semester/Year, Hours Completed, Faculty Mentor(s), Faculty Mentor Signature Obtained

Section 4: Teaching

  • TA or TO in the past year? Plans for teaching next year?
    • TA during the fall/2024 and Spring /2025.

Section 5: Academic/Professional Honors or Awards

  • Awarded the PEO Peace International Scholarship for 2025/2026 academic year

Section 6: Professional Leadership/Committee Membership

  • Southeastern Regional Representative for the African Graduate and Scholars Association (AGASA), UMass Amherst

Section 7: Research Integrity & Fostering a Culture of Safety and Belonging

  • The program demonstrates a strong commitment to research integrity and the ethical conduct of research.
  • Appreciation for the program’s efforts to promote a culture of safety and belonging.

Section 8: What specific resources or support do you need to succeed in the coming year?

  • Continued academic mentorship, especially for refining the workable research topic
  • Structured writing support (e.g., workshops, one-on-one consultations)
  • Access to qualitative data analysis software (e.g., NVivo, ATLAS.ti)

2. Curriculum Vitae

  • Elestina Gondoloni
  • Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, Skinner Hall, 651 N pleasant St. Amherst, Massachusetts
  • egondoloni@umass.edu | 4134724819
  • RESEARCH INTERESTS: Nursing and midwifery, maternity care, neonatal care, clinical teaching, healthcare research
  • EDUCATION:
    • Ph.D in Nursing, University of Massachusetts (Expected 2030)
      • Focus; nursing and midwifery research
    • Master of Nursing Science, Burapha University (2022-2024)
      • GPA: 3.92/4.00
      • Focus : Maternity nursing and midwifery
    • Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Midwifery, Kamuzu Colle of Nursing(now Kamuzu University of Health Sciences) (2008-2011)
      • Focus; Nursing and midwifery
  • RESEARCH EXPERIENCE:
    • Graduate Research Assistant, (PI: Dr. Carrie- Ellen Briere) Briere Human Milk Laboratory (2024)
      • Analyzing human breast milk to assess differences in nutrients and micronutrient composition between fresh, 48-hour store, refrigerated, and frozen milk
    • Graduate Researcher, Burapha University, Faculty of Nursing (2022-2024)
      • Investigated predictors of fear of childbirth among high-risk pregnant mothers attending antenatal clinic at Bwaila Hospital, Malawi
    • Data collector, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Postpartum Hemorrage study (March-April, 2020)
      • Recruited and Interviewed study participants
    • Research Nurse, Medicins Sans Frontieres, Chiradzulu (March-June 2013)
      • Recruited participants for phlebotomy and CD4 count research
      • Conducted home-based CD4 counts and referred participants for further management as needed
  • TEACHING EXPERIENCE:
    • Teaching Assistant, Writing in ethics (Fall,2024)
    • Teaching Assistant, N315, N408, N409 (Spring ,2025)
    • Clinical Preceptor, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Faculty of Midwifery (2014–2022)
      • Instructed and mentored students in midwifery clinical skills in laboratory and clinical placements.
      • Developed learning strategies and clinical maps for midwifery students.
      • Guided students in reflective and analytical skills during practical learning experiences.
      • Organized and administered Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) for midwifery students.
  • PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
    • Clinical Preceptor, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Malawi (2014–2022)
      • Actively involved in the clinical teaching of midwifery skills to students during skills laboratory sessions and clinical placements.
      • Developed instructional resources and learning activities for clinical teaching.
    • Nursing Officer, Ministry of Health, Kasungu District Hospital, Malawi (2012–2014)
      • Planned, organized, coordinated, and provided direct nursing and midwifery care and services to clients/patients.
      • Supervised student nurses on clinical placements and mentorship of students in practical case management.
  • PUBLICATIONS:
    • Elestina Gondoloni, Punyarat Lapvongwatana, Tatirat Tachasuksri, and Supit Siriarunrat Predictors of Fear of Childbirth Among High-risk Pregnant Mothers Attending Antenatal Clinic at Bwaila Hospital Malawi Thai Pharmaceutical and Health Science Journal 2024;20(1) forthcoming
  • FELLOWSHIPS, AWARDS, & SCHOLARSHIPS:
    • PEO Peace International Scholarship for 2025/2026 academic year
    • REAL Fellowship, University of Massachusetts (2024–2029)
    • Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA) scholarship (2022-2024)
    • Dean’s List award, Kamuzu College of Nursing (2008)
    • Best Clinical Student Award, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (2008)
  • SERVICE & COMMUNITY OUTREACH:
    • Southeastern Regional Representative for the African Graduate and Scholars Association (AGASA), UMass Amherst (2025/2026) academic year
    • Mentor, Women Inspire, Malawi (2017-2018)
    • Mentor, Chisomo Orphanage and Elderly, Malawi (2020-2021)
    • Taught a group of women and girls how to bake cakes and making mats for free
  • CONFERENCES ATTENDED:
    • Connecticut Children’s Annual Breastfeeding Conference (2024)
    • Eastern Nursing Research Society (ENRS) (2025)
  • PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS:
    • Member, The Nurses and Midwives Council of Malawi
  • LANGUAGES:
    • English: Fluent
    • Chichewa: Native
  • REFERENCES:
    • Associate Professor Carrie-Ellen Briere Elaine Marieb College of Nursing Email: cbriere@umass.edu
    • Associate Professor Dr. Punyarat Lapvongwatana Burapha University, Faculty of Nursing Email: punyarat.la@buu.ac.th
    • Associate Professor Dr. Martha Kamanga Head of Midwifery, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences Email: mkamanga@kuhes.ac.mw

3. Evidence of a Philosophical Argument Reclaiming Birth Autonomy: An Inquiry into the Medicalization of Childbirth

  • The process of physiological childbirth serves as a transformative experience, both mentally and physically.
  • Positive effects are at their full potential when women are provided with full support emotionally, socially, and physically during the delivery process, without unnecessary interference unless medically required (Olza et al., 2018).
  • The medicalization of childbirth has transformed what was once a natural, community-centered experience into a medical or surgical event dominated by machines, technologies, and institutional protocols.
  • Managing childbirth has become a critical aspect of obstetric medicine, with interventions or technologies being developed to assist in making birth safer, or at least less painful for the mother (Smeenk & ten Have, 2003).
  • Midwives follow a social model of care that emphasizes normal physiology, while obstetricians apply a medical model that prioritizes intervention.
  • Receiving care from an obstetrician, especially in low-risk pregnancies, is considered a key indicator of medicalization (Sabetghadam et al., 2022).
  • In a medicalized birth, care often feels impersonal and fragmented, with the mother and baby treated as separate patients and little trust placed in the natural process of birth.
  • The environment is typically designed to meet the needs of clinicians, with a strong focus on technology and risk management (Moriarty, 2020).
  • Advancements in medical science have improved the ability to save lives by managing complications during childbirth.
    • Cesarean Section (CS) serves as a critical, life-saving intervention in situations such as obstructed labor, fetal distress, obstetric hemorrhage, abnormal presentation, and other emergency obstetric conditions (Kietpeerakool et al., 2019).
    • CS associated with long-term benefits: reported a 44% lower risk of developing urinary incontinence in women who underwent CS and a 71% risk reduction in having pelvic organ prolapse (Keag et al., 2018).
    • Systematic review reported lower mortality rates and reduced incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage among singleton breech infants, extremely preterm babies, and all infants delivered via cesarean section (Unger et al., 2024).
  • There are notable consequences for both mothers and their infants with CS.
    • Continuous Electronic Fetal Monitoring (EFM) in low risk and term pregnancies has been associated with increased rates of instrumental-assisted vaginal deliveries and CS compared to intermittent auscultation (Al Wattar et al., 2021; Heelan et al., 2019; Kebede et al., 2024).
    • In mothers, CS is associated with higher rates of maternal morbidity and mortality, and long-term complications such as uterine rupture, abnormal placentation, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, and preterm birth in the following pregnancy/ birth (Sandall et al., 2018), and post-delivery complications (Khan et al., 2020).
    • In infants and children, CS is linked to altered neonatal physiology and immune development (Khan et al., 2020; Sandall et al., 2018; Słabuszewska-Jóźwiak et al., 2020).
    • Neurodevelopmentally, CS has been associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (33%) and attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder (17%) (Zhang et al., 2019).
    • Instrumental birth after labor induction or augmentation increases the risk of neonatal jaundice (aOR 2.75) (Deepak et al., 2022; Ghidini et al., 2024).
    • Children born via CS face increased risks of infection, eczema, and metabolic disorders (Dencker et al., 2022; Peters et al., 2018).
    • Factors associated with higher rates of CS: provider of prenatal care (especially by an obstetrician), hospital admission time, and ultrasound utilization (Sabetghadam et al., 2022).
    • Other effects are a longer second stage of labor, severe maternal hypotension, and worsening fetal heart rates (Deepak et al., 2022; Ghidini et al., 2024).
  • Medical procedures conducted in the absence of a clear clinical rationale have been widely critiqued for undermining dignity, causing emotional harm, and disregarding the cultural values of marginalized groups (Clesse et al., 2018; Deliktas et al., 2019; Jaklat et al., 2023; Miani et al., 2022; Portiz, 2023; Prosser et al., 2018; Vedam et al., 2019).
  • Women reported negative birth experiences characterized by feeling of increased vulnerability, loss of self-efficacy, and absence of professional empathy (Volkert et al., 2024).
  • Analysis of the medicalization of childbirth:
    • Historical overview of childbirth practices in the United States
    • Positionality as a nurse-midwife
    • Examines the philosophical assumptions that underpin critical and feminist perspectives.
    • Concludes with the implications of the findings for nursing practice, policy, research, and education.
  • Childbirth in America has evolved through three major periods:
    • 18th century: Socially collective process supervised by midwives with community support (Dye, 1980; Henson, 2002; McCool & Simeone, 2002)
    • Late 18th century to early 20th century: Shift toward physician-assisted, medically managed births fueled by social and cultural shifts (Borst, 1995; Dye, 1980; Leavitt, 1979; Martucci, 2018).
    • 1920s: Hospitals became the standard place for delivery, and obstetrics a surgical specialty (Dye, 1980; Thomasson & Treber, 2008).
    • Between 2004 and 2017, 98.4% of births took place in a hospital, with home births at 0.99% and births in birth centers at 0.52% (MacDorman & Declercq, 2019).
    • Majority are attended to by doctors (90.6%), while Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM) or Certified Midwives (CMs) account for 8.7% (MacDorman & Declercq, 2019).
  • The United States, unlike other developed nations, suffers from poor maternal healthcare outcomes and has a significantly higher maternal mortality rate (Cox et al., 2024; Henson, 2002).
    • The United States has a significantly higher maternal mortality rate of 22 deaths per 100,000 live births compared to other high-income countries (Munira et al., 2024).
    • Black women are disproportionately affected, with a maternal mortality rate of 49.5 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2022 (Donna, 2024).
  • The United States' high maternal mortality rate can be partly attributed to its maternity care system, which is dominated by an OB-GYN-led, intervention-focused model with limited integration of midwifery (Tikkanen et al., 2020).
    • Countries with lower maternal mortality ratios have midwives managing care for low-risk pregnancies and a much higher midwife-to-OB-GYN ratio.
      • The United Kingdom has 48 midwives to 13 OB-GYNs per 1,000 live births.
      • The Netherlands has 25 midwives to 10 OB-GYNs per 1,000 live births.
      • Sweden has 69 midwives to 12 OB-GYNs per 1,000 live births.
      • Australia has 70 midwives to 8 OB-GYNs per 1,000 live births.
      • Norway has 54 midwives to 13 OB-GYNs per 1,000 live births.
      • The United States has 4 midwives to 12 OB-GYNs per 1,000 live births (Munira et al., 2024).
  • Women who receive prenatal care from obstetricians are more than twice as likely to undergo cesarean delivery compared to those under midwifery care (Sabetghadam et al., 2022).
  • These practices have contributed to the United States’ high cesarean section rate, with 32.4% of all births delivered by cesarean, more than double the World Health Organization’s recommended rate of 10–15% (Osterman et al., 2025).
  • WHO (2018) defines a medicalized childbirth as a childbirth that includes interventions, even in cases where both mother and fetus are at good health (Portiz, 2023; Prosser et al., 2018).
  • In the context of the medicalization of childbirth, the primary beneficiaries are often the medical institutions, healthcare providers, and the broader medical-industrial complex, rather than the birthing person, especially in cases where interventions are not medically necessary (Vračar, 2025).
  • More positive attitudes toward medicalized birth are linked to greater fear of childbirth (Benyamini et al., 2017).
  • Informed consent is often compromised, particularly when women face pressure or are denied alternatives (Logan et al., 2022; Vedam et al., 2019).
  • The factors influencing medicalization include biomedical and technological advancements, sociopolitical forces, legal liability concerns, and institutional pressures (Clesse et al., 2018; Kırlı & Kaya, 2025).
  • The growing evidence suggests that the routine use of interventions in low-risk births often results in more harm than benefit and unnecessary surgical procedures and complications from them (Khan et al., 2020; Sandall et al., 2018; Słabuszewska-Jóźwiak et al., 2020).

Positionality Statement

  • Nurse-midwife for over a decade with a commitment to person-centered evidence-based practice.
  • Experience in Malawi, with a diverse public healthcare system.
  • Understanding that medicalization is a complex cultural and socioeconomic issue.
  • Pursuing a Nursing PhD to examine the inequitable and power-oppressive structures that exist.
  • Personal experience of undergoing a cesarean section without obvious clinical indication.
  • Belief in critically engaging with the medicalization of childbirth to ensure that it does not overshadow the fundamental rights of women to agency, informed consent, and culturally respectful care.

Philosophical Schools of Thought

  • Critical and Feminist theory are two lenses considered in the understanding medicalization of childbirth

Critical theory

  • Focuses on how power works in society. It looks at who has the authority to decide what is true, whose voices are heard, and whose experiences are left out (Ryoo & McLaren, 2010).

Feminist theory

  • Important in understanding the medicalization of childbirth because it helps us see how power and control over women’s bodies have shifted from women themselves to doctors and hospitals (Fox and Worts, 1999).
  • Feminist theory also points out that society often expects women to carry the full responsibility of motherhood without enough support.

Critical Theory

  • Challenges the idea that knowledge is objective or value-free (Creswell & Poth, 2018).
  • Emphasizes that what is accepted as valid medical knowledge is shaped by underlying socio- political forces and institutionalized authority (Rush & Rush, 2004).
  • Explains how systemic inequities and power structures have disempowered women’s voices and agency.
  • Calls for a paradigm shift toward socially just, culturally responsive, and woman-centered care models that elevate diverse epistemologies.

Feminist Theory

  • Analyzes the relations of power within healthcare systems.
  • Suggests that medicalized birth disconnects birthing persons from their bodies, dehumanizes them through routine procedures, and undermines the potential of childbirth as an empowering experience (Akrich & Pasveer, 2004; Beckett, 2005; Bergeron, 2007; Brubaker & Dillaway, 2009).
  • Seeks to address the historical invisibility and misrepresentation of female experiences in dominant discourse (Creswell & Poth, 2013).
  • Calls for a reimagining of childbirth as a relational, embodied, and socially embedded experience, one in which the voices, values, and autonomy of women are central.

Assumptions

  • Important to consider the philosophical assumptions embedded in critical and feminist theory.
  • These assumptions, axiology, methodology, ontology, and epistemology, provide foundation lens for understanding medicalization (Creswell & Poth, 2018).

Axiology

  • The study of value from a philosophical view in ethics, aesthetics and spirituality (Manik et al., 2024).
  • In the scope of critical theory, axiology concerns itself with institutional forms of power that dominate value (Creswell & Poth, 2018).
  • Feminist axiology challenges these value systems by centering the lived experiences of women and advocating for inclusive, justice-oriented practices that challenge gender-based inequities and embrace diverse cultural understandings of birth (Lee, 2006).

Methodology

  • Pertains to the set of philosophical questions and approaches that inform the theorization and empirical research that is done (Creswell & Poth, 2018).
  • Within both critical and feminist traditions, methodology starts with assumptions of power and identity struggles, documents them, and calls for action and change (Creswell & Poth, 2018).
  • Critical and feminist theory advocates for research practices that dismantle the dominant maternal healthcare systems.

Ontology

  • Explores the nature of reality and existence (Hofweber, 2023).
  • The critical and feminist analysis framework understands reality largely based on power and identify struggles (Creswell & Poth, 2018).
  • The physician-dominated model of maternal care demonstrates an ontological perspective that subordinates women’s lived experience to medical expertise.

Epistemology

  • The field that deals with the nature of knowledge, including its origin, justification, and scope (O’Gorman & MacIntosh, 2016).
  • Illuminates how biomedicine's dominance oppresses different ways of knowing.
  • Call for knowledge production that is inclusive, situated, and empowering, especially for those historically silenced in maternal healthcare systems (Clesse et al., 2018).
  • Feminist methodology emphasizes the significance of incorporating diverse perspectives and experiences into analysis and research (Saeidzadeh, 2023).

Implications for Nursing Practice, Policy, Research, and Education

Nursing Practice

  • Nurses should reclaim autonomy in their practice by advocating for woman-centered care that informs consent, acknowledges the woman’s culture, and honors personalized preferences.

Nursing Policy

  • Nursing policy should integrate midwifery as a core aspect of maternal healthcare.
  • Policymakers also need to have equity- driven approaches that consider complex forms of identity.

Nursing Research

  • Nurse researchers need to evaluate clinical outcomes to include how institutional norms, protocols, and ideologies interact with organizational culture to shape women’s experiences of childbirth.

Nursing Education

  • Nursing and midwifery programs must integrate social justice, feminist theory, and critical thinking to engage with dominant biomedical discourses or prepare students for equity-driven reflective practice.

Conclusion

  • The medicalization of childbirth has transformed a deeply personal and cultural birth experience into a predominantly clinical event shaped by technological intervention and institutional control.
  • Moving forward, nursing must play a central role in this transformation by advocating for inclusive, woman-centered care; advancing research that prioritizes lived experience and equity; and educating practitioners to recognize and dismantle structural injustices.
  • Reclaiming childbirth as a site of autonomy, dignity, and cultural meaning is not only a professional imperative but a moral one.

References

  • Akrich, M., & Pasveer, B. (2004). Embodiment and Disembodiment in Childbirth Narratives. Body & Society, 10(2-3), 63-84. https://doi.org/10.1177/1357034X04042935
  • Al Wattar, B. H., Honess, E., Bunnewell, S., Welton, N. J., Quenby, S., Khan, K. S., Zamora, J., & Thangaratinam, S. (2021). Effectiveness of intrapartum fetal surveillance to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes: a systematic review and network meta- analysis. Cmaj, 193(14), E468-e477. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.202538
  • Bartolo, D. (2024). Women in Medicine: Midwives, Witchery, and Power in the Colonial Era. Published by DigitalCommons@SHU,. https://digitalcommons.sacredheart.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2260&context=acadfest
  • Beckett, K. (2005). Choosing Cesarean: Feminism and the politics of childbirth in the United States. Feminist Theory, 6(3), 251-275. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464700105057363
  • Benyamini, Y., Molcho, M. L., Dan, U., Gozlan, M., & Preis, H. (2017). Women’s attitudes towards the medicalization of childbirth and their associations with planned and actual modes of birth. Women and Birth, 30(5), 424-430. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wombi.2017.03.007
  • Bergeron, V. (2007). The ethics of cesarean section on maternal request: a feminist critique of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' position on patient- choice surgery. Bioethics, 21(9), 478-487. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467- 8519.2007.00593.x
  • Borges, M. T. (2017). A violent birth: reframing coerced procedures during childbirth as obstetric violence. Duke LJ, 67, 827.
  • Borst, C. G. (1995). Catching Babies: The Professionalization of Childbirth, 1870 1920. Harvard University Press.
  • Brubaker, S. J., & Dillaway, H. E. (2009). Medicalization, natural childbirth and birthing experiences. Sociology Compass, 3(1), 31-48.
  • Chen, C.-Y., & Wang, K.-G. (2006). Are Routine Interventions Necessary in Normal Birth? Taiwanese Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 45(4), 302-306. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/S1028-4559(09)60247-3
  • Clesse, C., Lighezzolo-Alnot, J., de Lavergne, S., Hamlin, S., & Scheffler, M. (2018, Nov). The evolution of birth medicalisation: A systematic review. Midwifery, 66, 161-167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2018.08.003
  • Cox, C., Wager, E., Amin, K., & Ortaliza, M. (2024). Health Care Costs and Affordability. https://www.kff.org/health-policy-101-health-care-costs-and- affordability/?entry=table-of-contents-introduction
  • Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2013). Philosophical assumptions and interpretive frameworks. Qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five approaches. Los Angeles: Sage Publications, 15-41.