Childbirth in my life and around the world

A new baby is like the beginning of all things-wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities~Eda LaShan, American psychologist and author

The following is an excerpt from Childbirth: A Journey through Time:

“Picture this scene. A Native American woman went to a secluded area of the forest. She walked about quietly. Her mate sat on his horse close by, alert for enemies or predators. The woman occasionally braced herself against a tree and grimaced. Otherwise she seemed to be in a trance. After a while, she squatted by the tree, grunted, and soon her child was born. A final grunt and the placenta passed. After she wiped the baby off with part of her garment, she cleansed herself in a nearby steam. Then her mate helped her onto his horse and the proud family rode off” (Brodsky, 2006).

Throughout history woman have been in charge of their child birthing experiences, many chose midwifes to help with pain management and the birth process.  The definition of midwife is “with woman”.

In the 17, 18 and even early 1900’s men took a position in the birth picture wielding primitive tools and dirty hands. If women and infants made it through the birthing process they would later die of “puerperal fever”.

And this:

“The year was 1938. J.P. McEvoy wrote an article entitled, “Our Streamlined Baby” in the Readers Digest. ‘I became the father of a little girl—but she was born in a new way—the easy, painless, streamlined way.’ McEvoy wrote about how the birth had been planned—the place, the date, the hour, and then related the conduct of his wife during labor and birth.”  The story goes on to tell about medication to induce labor, another medication to ease the pain and then a little more medication after that. The wife comes to and asks when she would have her baby unknowing that five hours earlier her baby daughter had been born (Brodsky, 2006).

                                        

Here in the United States most births take place in hospitals and/or birthing centers, in clinical settings; more than one-third (33%) of all babies are born through a C-section. In China that number nears 50% (Berger, 2012).  While in underdeveloped countries woman commonly labor and deliver at home, doctors are only present in emergencies.  Midwifes are present for these “gentle births” (p. 103).

My own children were born in a hospital, perhaps a little less dramatically than the previous examples. I was awake for both births, receiving an epidural for my first and an intramuscular injection of pain medication for the second.  Both pregnancies were induced early because of complications of toxemia.  Immediately after my babies were born I began to hemorrhage and needed medical intervention.  Had I been born in another century, used a midwife or been in a lessor equipped birthing center I may have become a maternal mortality statistic. Thankfully my obstetrician was highly skilled and I am now the proud mama of a college freshman and sophomore in high school.

 

 

References:

Berger , K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6^th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Brodsky P. (2006). Childbirth: A Journey Through Time. International Journal of Childbirth Education. 21(3), 10-15.