This anthropological study deals with how medical experts in Borgo, a northern Italian town, look at pregnancy and birth and the practical models they provide for how these should be carried out. How do the experts define the space given to women’s agency and how do they evaluate women’s experiences? How are their models negotiated between themselves and with the lay women that are their patients?

The book addresses the issue whether Western women as a category have been marginalised from birth as a personal experience and object of knowledge.