It was a cold and dreary night about 1a.m.when my phone rang. It was my brother who said in a low monotone voice, “Dana is going into labor.” I replied okay just let me know when she has the baby, I’ll call you later. A couple of minutes later when I came to myself, I yelled, “My niece is coming!” I got myself together so fast and headed along the road for my hour long journey. On the way there, I called back in a frantic uproar asking is she here yet? “No! We were waiting on you to get here. LOL! I had never witnessed a live birth of any kind. My niece was born in a family birthing suite. It was about 10 of our relatives and friends present. Dana had previously said that she wouldn’t take any meds for labor. About 2 hours later her tune soon changed. The baby was ready to come. My brother was a nervous wreck with his video camera falling on the floor. I sat on the sofa quietly in the corner of the room because I didn’t know what to expect. Dana delivered and the doctor received. He did absolutely nothing but umpired the event. It was beautiful---everything! Now we have a whole new person to love. Her name is Brooke Addison Miller and she is my first “blood” niece. I chose this experience because I didn’t realize you can automatically love someone. Brooke is now 4 years old and well versed in every subject. She is loved and cared for by so many people and I realize that all of her external supports have shaped her personality.
For this assignment, I chose to find out how the children of Africa are birthed. Since health care is so expensive in this country, most babies are born at home using unskilled midwives who are willing to help the mother through the birthing process. Some births are directed by trained midwifes. Some births are performed in non-sterile environments which place both the mother and the baby in jeopardy of becoming exposed to infection. I viewed two videos clips of African births. Both clips showed very different views but both are interesting.
I read that most births in the U.S.A. are performed in a controlled environment unlike Africa. From the few examples, I didn’t see any similarities. I learned to be thankful that I live in a developed country and that I should count my blessing. Comparably, in the example I provided, I supposed that the all of the women in labor were surrounded by people who love them. Dr. Kien stated a fact to me in the discussion that was particularly important. The economic recent research on young children's brains helps to explain why poverty can have a detrimental impact on early development. "Given the role of environmental factors in early brain development, these children are at particularly high risk of developmental delays and impairments" (Shore, 1997, p. 45). I realize that the development of all the children involved is going to be different compared to all the infants spoken of in this post. Somehow, I wished I would be able to follow the study of the African children past childbirth so that I can see what kind of children they will be.
Shore, R. (1997). Rethinking the brain: New insights into early development. New York: Families and Work Institute.
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| Brooke @her 4 year old Birthday Party |
Hi Yolonda,
ReplyDeleteHi Yolonda,
Babies are so precious, a miracle in their own, and yet it so depressing to see how they are taken for granted. After seeing the carelessness in birthing procedures, I am sure one who is aware of the complications and the risks that can arise would feel like screaming and educating, the parental care required and the risks otherwise involved.
You are absolutely correct!
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