The Beginning

This is the start of a research project for a course at the University of Victoria, Geography 445: Social Planning and Community Development. My name is Ada Saab and I thought I would start my first post with a description of what I hope to accomplish here and what I had submitted as my research outline:

Pregnancy and childbirth, one of the most natural events in our evolution, has become a highly political and isolating experience for many women. What was once a communal and mainly female event has become a highly regulated and increasingly allopathic performance. This website aims to explore the community development and social planning that is provided to prepare parents before and during the birth of their child. The issues will concentrate within in the city of Victoria, BC, Canada while making comparisons both nationally and internationally. Specific topics such as the resurgence of unassisted child birth, home birth versus hospital birth, community based education and preparation and the availability of choice will be explored.

Throughout all of the topics that arise, one common theme is the potential for unlimited emotional support and the opportunity for first hand knowledge exchange. However, what is also common in such a shared experience is the ability to alienate and separate certain communities from others causing isolation and a break-down of society in a world where support is most needed.

What I hope is that by doing this through a website I will be able to instigate discussion about a subject not normally discussed academically. I want to show what is presented in academic circles regarding child birth in society and include talk among parents who have chosen a variety of birth methods. By presenting this information in a blog format, with each post concentrating on a certain aspects of childbirth and/or preparation, the comment discussion can be included in my research.

Here we go!