The Birth of My Daughter
I had the very unique experience of witnessing my daughter's delivery by c-section in the OR, but I was not the woman delivering the baby.... I was the support person. I had on disposable scrubs and a cover over my head. I was an observer and a cheerleader. My head was above the surgical screen while my partner's head was behind it. I could see the incision being made, the opening expanded and the doctor reach in and pull out a healthy baby girl. I was also saw the blood pooling and wondered is this normal, is my partner OK? But I could not dwell on this too long. My partner was move to the post surgical unit while my baby and I went to in to the OB unit for a little oxygen... she needed a little help pinking up. We were all reunited within 15 minutes to begin our new adventure as a family!
About an hour later my mother was visiting her granddaughter for the first time and holding her. She turned to me and said she had never held a baby so newborn, not even her own because she was sedated as was the protocol then.
Birthing Practices in Turkey
In Turkey, until 20 or 30 years ago most births especially in rural areas took place somewhere other than in a hospital and were over seen by a midwife. The few doctors that were available were mostly found in larges cities. With the increase of university medical schools in Turkey over the last several decades birthing practices have shifted away from midwives to more hospital deliveries with OB-GYNs supervising. Along with the shift toward doctor facilitated deliveries there has been a huge increase in elective c-sections and has reached almost 75% of all deliveries (Schalken, 2012). This is attributed to the lack of anesthesiologists who have specialized training in the area of obstetrics and are unable to preform epidurals. Women are opting for a c-section with a general anesthetic rather then having a natural birth without any painkillers.
Birthing Practices in Japan
In contrast, in Japan it is common practice to deliver babies in hospitals with a doctor present without any painkillers, because they feel the pain of labor is sort of a test in preparation for the difficult task of motherhood. Fathers are not necessarily involved in the delivery of their child and may not be present in the delivery room during a typical birth in Japan and cannot be present if there is a c-section.
Personal Reflection
As I think about the birthing practices in Turkey and Japan in relation to my personal experience I have 2 reactions. Although I was not the birth mom of my daughter, I cannot imagine not having the experience of being in the OR during the c-section and carrying my daughter to be weighted, measured, holding the oxygen and placing her on the chest of my partner in the recovery room. I am thankful that I was able to be there. I also think about my mother's reaction to holding my daughter just after delivery and that she was unable to have that experience with her own children because she was under general anesthesia. I am glad we were able to share that moment together even if it was decades after my birth.
References:
Schalken, L. (2012). Birth Customs Around the World. Parents. Retrieved from http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/vaginal/birth-customs-around-the-world/.
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about your birthing experience. That was so sweet how your mother got a chance to hold her granddaughter after she was born. Reading your post about Turkey and Japan just makes me thankful to have had the experience that I had with my children.
Wow Betsy you described a new perspective of giving birth. I have never had a C-section nor have I seen on done in person. I think the gushing of blood would have been too much for me and I would have been the one getting oxygen instead of the baby. I am glad that the delivery went well. Thanks for sharing the birthing practices for Japan. Wow no painkillers but I guess they have a point because mothering isn't easy at all. However, I am glad I had the option to receive painkillers if desired.
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