Birth Experience

When I became pregnant with my first child, I remember the doctor telling me that pregnancy was not an illness.  We took the birthing classes, practiced the breathing and positions, and visited the hospital.  A month before my due date I developed preeclampsia, and was on bed rest.  Shortly after midnight, a week before my due date my water broke and strong contractions started five minutes apart.  I remember thinking; this isn’t like they said it would be in class.  Six hours later they used forceps to bring her down the birth canal to get her out of distress and address my high blood pressure.  It took an hour for them to stitch up the rip.  I am thankful for medical technology that saved my life.  I tried natural child birth two more times and ended up with emergency c-sections.   Because of the anesthesia I received for the after birth repairs I missed the first hours of bonding with my babies.  My family had to wait in a waiting room instead of experiencing the miracle of birth as part of the moment.  Looking back I missed the moments of joy that I hear others speak about their births.  Instead, I have memories of medical procedures.  Nonetheless, I do remember the overwhelming feeling of love and attachment I felt for each of them. I had no idea I could feel love so strongly.  I have three great daughters that are healthy and I am alive to enjoy them.

 I read the article Childbirth and Culture: Providing services to Latin American Families in the United States, by Emily Wehby (Retrieved, May 4, 2012, from http://www.wehbycreative.com/emily/Childbirth.pdf) and reflected on the community support that the indigenous people in Latin American countries provided for mothers during the birth process.  I was also intrigued by the honor and prestige given to midwives. Having multigenerational support and experience at the birth would provide emotional comfort.  It sounds like a wonderful celebration of life.  And a sense of community responsibility for the successful development of the infant as the community supports the la cuarentena, the forty-day period after childbirth.