EBOOK
About
'An essential read for anyone who cares about the misogyny inherent in modern medicine. This is a highly original, deeply validating and entirely engaging addition to the canon of birth and parenting writing.' Clover Stroud
'I start to see my own experience not as a woeful result of a system or a body that has let me down, but as a birth experience as ancient, rich and potent as any other kind of birth.'
Back in 2017, journalist Hannah Marsh was about to give birth to her son after months of preparation, reading and hypnobirthing classes. Following thirty hours of induced labour, Hannah was quickly acquainted with a caesarean section: a process she had not physically or emotionally prepared for.
In an attempt to heal, Hannah began interrogating the following questions: why do the words 'caesarean section' bring up feelings of doubt, shame and judgement for some, but a sense of safety, relief, validation and reassurance for others? Why are those two powerful words rarely spoken of in the ecstatic tones with which we celebrate so-called 'natural', or vaginal birth? Why is the procedure rarely called 'beautiful', or associated with an innate sense of feminine power?
Working her way through history, culture, and folklore, it wasn't long before Hannah stumbled upon the pioneering voices and fascinating tales history seems to have forgotten. Weaving in the arc of her own experience, a journalist's insatiable curiosity, and the stories of both contemporary and historical women who endured and drove developments, Thread is an unflinching but compassionate examination of a procedure which is much more than surgery and medicine. Hannah Marsh is a journalist who has written for The Telegraph and The Independent. Born into a medical family of Oxford University professors, she forged her own path in writing and the arts. After giving birth by Caesarean in 2017 and being diagnosed with PTSD, Hannah began researching the procedure and its history as part of her healing. Writing on women and gender has long been central to her work. She has contributed feminist columns to The Independent and written for The Vagenda. Bringing journalistic rigor, scientific curiosity, and a storyteller's eye, Hannah reanimates forgotten women's voices and reframes the Caesarean experience. Can Caesarean birth also be magical? Mystical? Awe-inspiring? Thread seeks to reframe the Caesarean Section on its journey through myth, magic and medicine. There is a clear audience and market. Women's healthcare, especially around childbirth, is of perennial interest and a considered and well-researched look at Caesarean sections will be hugely welcomed in this space. Thread will balance the intellectual, cultural and historical with the personal. Whilst looking into the practice's past, the book will be filled with many women's stories including the author's own personal experience with having a C-section.
'I start to see my own experience not as a woeful result of a system or a body that has let me down, but as a birth experience as ancient, rich and potent as any other kind of birth.'
Back in 2017, journalist Hannah Marsh was about to give birth to her son after months of preparation, reading and hypnobirthing classes. Following thirty hours of induced labour, Hannah was quickly acquainted with a caesarean section: a process she had not physically or emotionally prepared for.
In an attempt to heal, Hannah began interrogating the following questions: why do the words 'caesarean section' bring up feelings of doubt, shame and judgement for some, but a sense of safety, relief, validation and reassurance for others? Why are those two powerful words rarely spoken of in the ecstatic tones with which we celebrate so-called 'natural', or vaginal birth? Why is the procedure rarely called 'beautiful', or associated with an innate sense of feminine power?
Working her way through history, culture, and folklore, it wasn't long before Hannah stumbled upon the pioneering voices and fascinating tales history seems to have forgotten. Weaving in the arc of her own experience, a journalist's insatiable curiosity, and the stories of both contemporary and historical women who endured and drove developments, Thread is an unflinching but compassionate examination of a procedure which is much more than surgery and medicine. Hannah Marsh is a journalist who has written for The Telegraph and The Independent. Born into a medical family of Oxford University professors, she forged her own path in writing and the arts. After giving birth by Caesarean in 2017 and being diagnosed with PTSD, Hannah began researching the procedure and its history as part of her healing. Writing on women and gender has long been central to her work. She has contributed feminist columns to The Independent and written for The Vagenda. Bringing journalistic rigor, scientific curiosity, and a storyteller's eye, Hannah reanimates forgotten women's voices and reframes the Caesarean experience. Can Caesarean birth also be magical? Mystical? Awe-inspiring? Thread seeks to reframe the Caesarean Section on its journey through myth, magic and medicine. There is a clear audience and market. Women's healthcare, especially around childbirth, is of perennial interest and a considered and well-researched look at Caesarean sections will be hugely welcomed in this space. Thread will balance the intellectual, cultural and historical with the personal. Whilst looking into the practice's past, the book will be filled with many women's stories including the author's own personal experience with having a C-section.