Child Birth in Your Life and Around the World

I had the privilege of being part of several of my sister’s live births. I have to say my sister is a trooper; she had her first three children without any type of pain killers including any epidurals and two these three babies came into the world weighing in more than 9 pounds. I can still recall the event; the center was a maternity center where there were midwives. My sister was in labor for three hours, when she began to crown. She was given the choice of deciding which position to give birth so she decided to have the baby in a squatting position, which alleviated the contractions and did not work again gravity. I can still remember the midwives encouraging her and guiding her along as she began pushing, and the baby beginning to appear through the birthing canal, I was apprehensive and thought maybe the midwives might become careless miss and let the baby fall, but thanks to their expertise that did not occur. It was the first natural, and not to mention horizontal birth I had been present at. I have to admit that it was the most amazing and wonderful event I had ever witnessed. Having been one of the firsts to see the baby arrive into the world was breathless, being able to hold her within seconds of her arrival, priceless. I have chosen this example because of the birthing method my sister chose to embrace. This method did not include drugs, the center was dedicated to only women and the main focus was the mother and her baby.  The midwives were phenomenal to say the least, their knowledge and expertise superseded anything I could say or imagine. The other important fact about this experience was the setting of the room, which was recreated to resemble a family’s bedroom instead of a hospital room, and family members from both sides were welcomed to be a part of the wonderful event. It was as I mention earlier the greatest and most amazing event I have ever had the privilege of being a part of. I believe that giving birth is just a minute part of child development. The development of a child truly begins the second that mother learns that she is with child, not after the child is born. She should begin with a proper nutrition and care of her physical and mental health as well. Limiting exposure to any harmful elements that may affect the growing baby within her is of utmost importance.

 

The country of the world I have chosen to share about is Spain. I was drawn to this particular country because of the choices given to mothers to give birth, either private or at a public clinic. I thought it is interesting how we have choices in America, but with different outcomes. In Spain for instance if the mother decides to have a baby in a “private hospital” while she will be entitled to stay in a private bedroom;  the hospital may not have state of the art equipment in the event that something should go wrong. In which case the baby will be transported to a public clinic or hospital where the state of the art equipment can be found no matter how run down the hospital maybe. Another interesting fact about Spain’s labor room’s staff is that if the mother is having trouble during delivery, there is always the possibility that one of the attending medical staff members all in the name of “trying” to speed up the birth might just decide to throw themselves on the mother’s stomach, in order to speed up the delivery. Another interesting fact I learned while conducting this research is that if you request an epidural there is a chance you may not get one, and if you do receive pain medication you may not know what type of pain medication it is, which is why many expectant mothers decide to deliver naturally.  However, I have learned that the Spaniards do expect fathers to hang around the hospital as long as the mother is there, which can be anywhere from 1 to 3, and in some instances even 4 days. The family is given all the documents needed to provide proper care for the baby, and his mother before the family leaves the hospital. The baby is seen by the doctor within two weeks after birth, and parents are advised that if any emergency should arise they should seek immediate attention a public hospital’s emergency room. Learning about Spain has made me truly appreciate the American way of labor and delivery a great deal more.  

 

References

 

http://www.tumbit.com/how-to-guides/articles/18-having-a-baby-in-spain.html