Invisible Labor: The Untold Story of the Cesarean Section

An incisive yet personal look at the science and history of the most common surgery performed in America--the cesarean section--and an expos? on the disturbing state of maternal medical careWhen Rachel Somerstein had an unplanned C-section with her first child, the experience was anything but "routine." A series of errors by her clinicians led to a real-life nightmare: surgery without anesthesia. The ensuing mental and physical complications left her traumatized and searching for answers about how things could have gone so wrong.In the United States, one in three babies is born via C-section, a rate that has grown exponentially over the past fifty years. And while in most cases the procedure is safe, it is not without significant, sometimes life-changing consequences, many of which affect people of color disproportionately. With C-sections all but invisible in popular culture and pregnancy guides, new mothers are often left to navigate these obstacles on their own.In Invisible Labor, S