Essences and Imperatives: an Investigation of Technology in Childbirth

This paper explores the connection between our cultural inclination towards technology, the nature of technology itself, and birthing women's attitudes towards obstetrical technology using an analytical framework that includes literature on the philosophy of technology, as well as the sociology of childbirth. Data were gathered using a survey instrument and semi-structured interviews to contrast women's attitudes towards technology and experiences of childbirth in a large Canadian city: 25 women who planned a home birth assisted by a midwife and 25 low-risk women who planned a hospital birth. The results reveal that the total number of interventions the women experienced correlates in part to their attitudes towards technology: resistance to it on the part of home birthers and flexibility on the part of hospital birthers. Home birthers' resistance to technology stemmed from a consciousness of its overuse which blocks awareness of a sacred and authoritative "birthing force". Rather than rejecting technology, however, home birthers made conscious decisions about its appropriate use and relied upon access to a range of secondary technologies.