Water Labor Research Articles

A Love of Labor: The Ethnographic Turn of Zhuzhici

Abstract From the mid-Tang through the Qing dynasty, poets employed the short-lyric form known as zhuzhici [bamboo branch lyrics] to write, first and foremost, about ordinary people going about their daily lives in China and elsewhere in the Sinosphere. This article explores how early developments in this genre prepared the ground for what later emerged as an arguably proto-ethnographic mode – that is, both poetry and accompanying prose annotations based on poets’ direct observations of and even immersive “fieldwork” within discrete localities. I focus specifically on poems about “water labor,” by which I mean those that describe and give voice to vocational groups and communities along lakes, levies, and channels of the Yangzi River basin. It was partly thanks to this history of reporting about local lives and conditions, I argue, that zhuzhici eventually came to adopt a more information-intensive and increasingly empirical orientation during the later stages of their development. Moreover, this mode of what might even be identified tentatively as affective or lyrical ethnography prefigures efforts by contemporary social scientists to recalibrate ethnography in spatially affective modes, and I conclude with some observations on how its example might inform future efforts in these directions.

Comparative Efficacy of Water and Conventional Delivery during Labour: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

In many maternal settings, water delivery is widely available for women who do not have an increased risk of complications during childbirth. Soaking in water during labor has been associated with a number of maternal benefits. However, the situation of water birth is not well known, there is lack of hard evidence on safety, and little is known about the characteristics of women who give birth in water. In this paper, we have explored the effects of water delivery compared to the conventional delivery on the health of mothers and babies. For this purpose, clinical trials were conducted including women in labor, in which participants were treated with water labor or conventional labor, respectively, in the experimental and control group. In this analysis, we have selected 17 eligible studies which included 175654 participants. Compared to the conventional birth group, the risk of Apgar score <7 at 5 min of age in the water birth group dropped by 28% (OR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.52–1.00, I2 = 25%, P=0.05). Also, the duration of labor was shorter the in water birth group whatever the labor stage was. The patients who underwent water birth showed an obviously lower rate of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission (OR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.39–0.86, I2 = 53%, P=0.007). In this meta-analysis, it was seen that water delivery has clinical significance in alleviating the pain of mothers, promoting the safety of mothers and infants, and reducing postpartum complications.

Outcomes of Waterbirth in a US Hospital-Based Midwifery Practice: A Retrospective Cohort Study of Water Immersion During Labor and Birth.

Although the safety of water immersion during labor is largely supported by evidence from research, the risks to women and neonates during waterbirth are not well established. The purpose of this study was to generate evidence regarding maternal and neonatal outcomes related to water immersion in labor and during birth. A retrospective cohort study included a convenience sample of women receiving prenatal care at a nurse-midwifery practice. Participants were categorized into 3 groups: 1) waterbirth, 2) water labor, or 3) neither. Participant characteristics, maternal outcomes, and newborn outcomes were collected at time of birth and health record abstraction. At the 6-week postpartum visit, another maternal outcome, satisfaction with birth, was measured using the Care in Obstetrics: Measure for Testing Satisfaction (COMFORTS) scale. Analysis included effect size, descriptive statistics (sample characteristics), and maternal and neonatal group differences (analysis of variance and chi-square) with a significance level of P < .05. Women in the waterbirth (n = 58), water labor (n = 61), and neither (n = 111) groups were primarily white, married, and college educated and did not differ by age or education. Women in the waterbirth group were more likely to be multiparous. Nulliparous women who had a waterbirth had a significantly shorter second stage of labor than nulliparous women who did not have a waterbirth (P = .03). The most commonly cited reasons for discontinuation of hydrotherapy were maternal choice (42.6%) and need for pain medication (29.5%). Significantly more women in the waterbirth group experienced a postpartum hemorrhage, compared with water labor or neither (n = 5, n = 3, n = 1, respectively; P = .045); there was no difference in related clinical measures. Neonatal outcomes were not significantly different. Maternal satisfaction was high across all groups. The results of this study suggest that waterbirth, attended by qualified intrapartum care providers in hospital settings in the United States, is a reasonable option for low-risk women and their neonates.

A Retrospective Study of Maternal and Neonatal Outcomes Following Conventional and Water Birth in Ecuador

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;OBJECTIVES: &lt;/strong&gt;Demonstrate maternal and neonatal complications reported in women giving birth in water birth compared to those conventional land births.&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;METHODS:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;An observational retrospective analysis of the incidence of maternal and neonatal outcomes among 358 women who deliver their newborns throughout conventional vaginal delivery and 308 women giving birth in water during 2013 in Quito, Ecuador. Maternal Age, Educational attainment, Neonatal weight, height, APGAR scores, vaginal tearing and the need to resuscitate a newborn were the variables matched for both groups.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;RESULTS: &lt;/strong&gt;Among 308 women who were scheduled to deliver their newborns in water, 73% successfully culminate in water vaginal births while 26 % required a C-section. Among the conventional birth group, only 47% ended their pregnancy vaginally as planned and 53% required a C-section.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The use of oxytocin (RR: 12.9 CI 7.9 to 20.9 p&amp;lt;0.0001) and intentional episiotomy (RR: 13.9 CI 5.1 to 37.9 p&amp;lt;0.0001) are much higher among conventional birth, however, the risk to have a vaginal tearing during water labor is 3 times higher than conventional birth (RR: 2.9 CI 2.12 to 4.2 p&amp;lt;0.0001). In the conventional delivery cohort 3 neonatal deaths were reported while water birth no deaths reported, however, no causality of these deaths was explored due to the absence of information.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CONCLUSIONS:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;We conclude that water birth is an effective method to deliver children as long as there is an adequate understanding of the risk and benefits of this procedure. Planning a water delivery seems to reduce the risk of using prophylactic uterotonic medication, prophylactic episiotomies and to perform unplanned C-sections. Due to higher incidence of vaginal tears, strict perianal protection during the third stage of labor is recommended.&lt;/p&gt;

Analysis of Gender and Governance of Value Chain-Based Systems on Rice and Vegetable Crops in Southern Benin and Mali

This present study analyses gender and governance in the rice and vegetable-based value chain systems in 3 lowlands of southern Benin and 2 lowlands in Southern Mali. A sample of 243 farmers, 1 modern processing unit, 18 traditional processors, 76 traders and 8 national institutions were interviewed in Benin and Mali. Descriptive statistics and Harvard analytical framework were used for the analysis of governance and gender respectively in the value chains. The majority of farmers have access to the use of land. Women produce up to 80% of basic foods for household consumption and sale. However they don’t have the control of these resources (capital and land). Decision making in relation to resources (land, water labor, credit) is under the control of men and natives. The governance analysis showed that the products of lowlands are not subject to quality control, with no public inspection for health and product quality. There is no input subsidy for actors in both countries. There are informal contracts between actors of the rice based systems in Mali and Benin. The markets are open for all the products and credit systems do exist. Some structures are involved in upstream and downstream chain components for training in various activities.