A historical exploration of the history of miscarriage and the development of the current childbearing culture in America, with its expectation of carefully planned, assiduously tended, and emotionally precious pregnancies.

Childbearing in Colonial America -- Planning the Baby: Fertility Control from Withdrawal to the Pill -- Bonding with the Baby: The Changing Meaning of Parenting -- Taking Care of the Baby: Prenatal Care at the Doctor's Office and Elsewhere -- Buying for the Baby: Marketing, Earlier and Earlier -- Imagining the Baby: Debating Abortion -- Seeing the Baby: The Ultrasound Ritual -- Detecting the Baby: The Home Pregnancy Test.