September 10, 2011

My 1st Memorable Birthing Experience

I am the oldest of five sisters. The first experience I can remember is the birth of my fourth sister. At the time, I was six years old and there were complications with her delivery. When she was born, the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck. She was born healthy, but 3 days after coming home, she stopped breathing and was rushed to the hospital via ambulance. Everything checked out (thankfully), and now my little sister is 21!

An experience like that is enough to make me weary of having my own children. However, it is the same experience that can help me learn about the process of childbirth from prenatal development until birth. My mother has always been a smoker and that could have contributed to the problems during the process. I have never smoked, so it will be interesting to see what other factors influence development once I decide to have my first child.

Giving Birth in Mexico


After reading about birthing practices in Mexico, it was astounding to me that most mothers would rather give birth at home than receive medical services in a hospital. The women would also prefer to give birth without being restrained in a bed. Some give birth standing up or squatting in a corner. This is so different than what is considered "normal" by United States standards. Other points I found interesting include high rates of Caesarean sections occurring in both public and private hospitals in Mexico.


Reference: http://www.casacollective.org/story/reflections/perceptions-about-birthing-and-midwifery-mexico

3 comments:

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  2. Clara,
    How scary for your sister, your mom and especially for you to have witnessed your sister stop breathing. It is good that you have elected not to smoke especially when you have your children. My husband’s mother smoked with each of her four children and each had severe asthma and allergies which for his older sister has followed her into adulthood.

    It is horrifying that caesarean sections occur more frequently. According to Berger (2009) in The Developing Person Through Childhood, 5th ed., in Pelotas, Brazil, most births are by cesarean.

    References
    Berger, K. S. (2009). The developing person through childhood (5th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

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  3. Hi Clara, I enjoyed reading your story. It is very interesting to find out how many factors contribute to the development of your unborn child and what they can inherit from their parents and grandparents.

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