Birth stories and the ultrasound as a narrative turn in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

In my research about birth narratives with middle class women in Rio de Janeiro, health professionals and ultrasound tests appear frequently, with the latter becoming significant references in their experiences of pregnancy and birth. In this article, I seek to understand the meaning of these recurrent mentions in these narratives, in the context of the medicalization of gestation and birth. These stories are understood as forms of expression which not only reveal experience, but also structure it. Thus, they may be seen as ways of articulating biographies to cultural concepts of the person, the body, gender and motherhood, giving particular sense to women´s birth experiences. They offer as well insight into how they live and interact with the medical system, revealing how women negotiate the meanings of specific practices and diagnoses throughout their pregnancies and births.