Childbirth in my Life and Around the World
I have chosen to speak about my own experience of giving
birth to my children because these were two of the most important and best days
of my life. Looking back on giving birth to both of my children I remember how
happy I was to finally be able to see their faces. Unlike most people I have
spoken to about childbirth I found giving birth and the pains of labor to not
be as bad as everyone made it out to be. I found being pregnant as the worst
experience of my life and would never put myself in that position every again.
Being pregnant to me was very uncomfortable and the feeling of constantly being
nauseous, tired and agitated did not sit well with me. Being an athlete the
majority of my life helped me to prepare and get through the labor and delivery
process. I treated my labor as if I was competing in a championship and I was
not going to let any pain stop me from achieving my goal, giving birth to my
children. I stayed calm, focused and had my husband at my side cheering me and coaching
me to the finish line. I had an epidural to ease the pain for my first child
but did not have one for the birth of my son. I felt so accomplished and
overjoyed with myself after giving birth to my son without pain medication. I
would not recommend this to everyone as everyone has a different tolerance for
pain. Both of my children were born in a hospital and I was under the care of
an OB/GYN who was very supportive of me during both pregnancies.
I believe birth impacts child development as it demonstrates
the end result of the development that takes place inside a mother womb. The fetus
has been nurtured and grows inside of its mother all while it is developing
from a single cell into a full term baby that has a functioning brain, organs
and limbs.
Childbirth in Canada
I chose to compare my childbirth experience with my close friend
from Canada. In Canada pregnant mothers are seen by a doctor as I was but they
are not required to pay for any of their medical care. We both gave birth in hospitals
under the care of a doctor but I had to return to work after 12 weeks and
mothers are allowed to take up to a year off to be with their children. I believe
being able to take up to year off with your child allows mothers to bond with their
children and spend time nurturing and caring for their child during a critical learning
period in the child’s life.
I take my hat off to you Andrea for being able to withstand the pain during your first delivery. I have a low tolerance for pain but support any woman with their decision of a safe childbirth. Interesting you would speak of Canada. I've heard of families moving to Canada because they are interested in the different health benefits Canada provides. I would love to be a year off from work to spend time with my child.
ReplyDeleteAndrea,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement about maternity leave. When I had my daughter, I had not been at my job a full year so I was not protected by FMLA. I only had the leave I had accrued (most of it by working overtime) which only amounted to five weeks with my daughter before I returned to work. Maternity leave practices in the US are very behind compared to other countries. A friend of mine just happened to have posted this link on Facebook the other day but it has a map showing maternity leave practices around the globe. It's very interesting.
http://feministing.com/2013/01/10/map-of-the-day-the-state-of-maternity-leave-around-the-world/
Danielle
I agree with your statement about maternity leave also, we need enough of time to take off to bond with our children. Being pregnant was a great experience its a lot to learn from it, and educate your self on
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the pains of labor. I didn't think they were as horrific as people play them out to be. I learned during my own experiences that if you yell, it makes the pain worse. My husband thought I was the meanest person on Earth during my birthing experience with my son; he was away in Alaska at the time of our daughter's birth. I know I don't want to go through pregnancy again right now but I do want another baby in the near future. The comparison to your Canadian friend is interesting! I would love to go to Canada and give birth because being allowed up to a year off and not having to pay medical bills is amazing!! (Don't get me wrong, I love to work and everything but this is really cool news to learn about!)
ReplyDelete