Childbirth

The following is my own childbirth experience from my first pregnancy.

I chose this particular example because it is representative of all of my labor and delivery experiences and seems to be very typical of childbirth in the United States.   My labor and delivery took place in a hospital.  At the hospital, I was prepped and then left in a room with another woman who was screaming and moaning a lot.  The nurses were not friendly or helpful.  Periodically, a nurse would come and check on me until it was determined that it was time to move to the delivery room.   The delivery room in the hospital were I delivered was in the process of being remodeled and so a makeshift room was used.  There was a large window with no curtains in the room and I remember thinking that even though we were on an upper floor, I was on display for all to see.  My husband was there for the delivery, but he arrived with just minutes to spare.   Even though we had completed all of the required paperwork in advance, the hospital lost it and so my husband had to fill out all of the paperwork again.  There was also a medical student observing.  The doctor who I generally saw, was not the one on call, so the delivery was with a doctor that I did not know very well.  He was an older man and barely uttered a word the entire time.  I had attended Lamaze classes and so had a “natural” birth.  “Natural” births (ones with little or no anesthesia or painkillers) were very popular at the time.  Luckily, my labor and delivery were fairly quick and there were no complications.  I really can’t say I remember much about the actual delivery.  My daughter was born healthy and I thought that she was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen.  

The research I did was on labor and delivery in China. 

What I found was that the pregnant woman's mother is present at the first delivery but not for subsequent ones.  After the first birth, the woman is expected to deliver by herself at home.  The father is not present during delivery, although he is expected to give the baby its first bath.  It is expected that the woman be quiet during labor.  This is because it is believed that crying out will attract evil spirits to the new child.  The position for labor is squatting because it is believed that the baby will not have enough energy to come out if the mother is lying on her back.  Acupressure is sometimes used for easier delivery.  I would assume that the experience for Chinese women in large cities who have access to more advanced medical care is more like that of other women in industrialized countries than the traditional experience I researched. 

My childbirth experience was different from what would be typical in China.  In China, the father is not expected to be present or part of the delivery.  In my case, my husband was present and my Lamaze partner.  Unlike a woman in China, my delivery took place in a position that was convenient for the doctor and took place in a hospital.  If I was having a baby in China, I would not have been in a hospital and no one would have been screaming.  It seems that much of the practice surrounding the delivery in China is based on beliefs, not science. 

The way the infant enters the world is influenced by our view of child development and has an impact on the child’s development.  Is the child’s first experience harsh lights and a cold, sterile environment? Does the child enter the world influenced by drugs given to the mother to ease pain?  What are the first few minutes of life look like for the mother and her baby?  Is the infant physically separated from the mother for periods of time or are the mother and child rarely separated?  The biology and physiology of the birthing process is the same for all humans.   The way a baby enters the world and the customary delivery experience for the mother, however, is influenced by a number of factors.   One of the greatest concerns in the U.S. is the safety of the child and mother.  For this reason, the majority of births take place in a hospital and are overseen by doctors and nurses.  The perspective of the medical profession also influences the birthing practices in the U.S.  Factors such as the equipment used and the position of the mother are dictated by the medical profession.  This is very different from what a child in other places in the world experience.  For those who are interested Meredith Small does a wonderful job of exploring the biology and culture of the birthing process and the experience of the infant in her book Our Babies, Ourselves. 

http://en.radio86.com/chinese-culture/traditional-chinese-beliefs-about-pregnancy-and-childbirth

http://www.hawcc.hawaii.edu/nursing/RNChinese02.html