Birth in Sydney

Mothers in Sydney have given birth in a multitude of settings, from traditional Aboriginal environs, to the most technologically advanced hospital. From the grandmothers' law of Aboriginal birth practices, to the privation and danger of nineteenth century births in homes or institutions, to the twentieth century medicalisation of childbirth and the eventual revival of woman-centred approaches, childbirth has not been merely a natural event, worked by the body, but an event mediated by culture and social expectations