Redefining "Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby": Making Sense of Traumatic Birth Stories through Relational Dialectics Theory.

  • Published In: Western Journal of Communication, 2023, v. 87, n. 1. P. 1 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Cronin-Fisher, Valerie; Timmerman, Lindsay 3 of 3

Abstract

Framed by relational dialectics theory, the current investigation sought to understand women's meaning making processes in publicly shared stories about birth trauma. Contrapuntal analysis was used to identify culturally dominant systems of meaning embedded in women's talk about traumatic birth. Forty-one stories recounting traumatic births were analyzed within a variety of contexts (e.g., natural birth, cesarean, preemie). The dominant discourse of traumatic birth as incongruent with intensive motherhood informed much of women's communication about traumatic birth. Discursive interplay was also identified through the struggle between the discourse of traumatic birth as incongruent with intensive motherhood and the discourse of individualism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

  • Source:Western Journal of Communication. 2023/01, Vol. 87, Issue 1, p1
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Communication and Mass Media
  • Publication Date:2023
  • ISSN:1057-0314
  • DOI:10.1080/10570314.2022.2118548
  • Accession Number:161394743
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Western Journal of Communication is the property of Western States Communication Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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