I am not able to write about a birthing experience of my own because I don’t have children, neither have I experienced being a part of someone else’s birthing experience. In response to this week’s blog assignment I decided to interview my Goddaughter Shantelle and asked her about her birthing experience with my Godson Jayden. She described her birthing experience as being very intense because her placenta broke due to a lot of stress with being in an abusive relationship. The stress caused her heart rate to drop, as well as her son’s. She was enrolled in school and her feet began swelling and she was not able to walk, so she called her doctor and the doctor told her to go to the emergency room immediately. Shantelle was advised that an emergency C-section was needed due to an abnormal heart rate. She told me she was 19 years-old and scared. She begged the doctor if she could have a natural delivery. The doctor allowed her to try, but after being in labor for 26 hours she only dilated 3 centimeters. The doctor then explained to her that natural birth would be too dangerous, due to her only being 7 months pregnant. The doctor immediately performed a C-section, once Jayden was pulled out he cried twice, and then suddenly stopped breathing. The doctor yelled “code blue” and Jayden was immediately rushed to the NICU. Jayden was 3 lbs. 7 oz.; he lived in the NICU for 1 month until he was able to breathe, eat and maintain a stable temperature on his own. My Godson Jayden is now a healthy 7 years-old.
As I listened to Shantelle’s birthing experience my thoughts regarding birth and it’s impact on child development in this case can be determined by the environment, situation or circumstance be it negative or positive. According to Berger, “maternal stress in pregnancy affects the fetus, infant, and child in many ways” (Berger, 2016). The stress of being involved in an abusive relationship affected Shantelle and her unborn child, Jayden.
As I furthered my research to exploring the birthing experience in other countries I chose Turkey. Turkey was very interesting to me because my Godson takes a Turkish class at school and he is always talking about what he is learning. According to an article in “Yabangee”, “both Turkey and the US have similar ideas about childbirth and share some of the highest C-section rates in the world. Practical differences in Turkey include access to affordable healthcare, maternity leave, “milk pay” and other baby benefits undreamed of in the States. Of course, there are some cultural differences, many private hospitals in Turkey include hairdressers and photographers as part of your birthing suite package” (Weimer, 2017). Accommodations for relatives and extended family are also available, as they are expected to parade through the hospital during labor and childbirth.
References:
Berger, K. S. (2016). The developing person through childhood (7th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers. Chapter 4, p.105, “Prenatal Development and Birth”
Article: Weimer, M. (2017, March). Expat Life: Having a Baby in Turkey. Yabangee. Retrieved from http://yabangee.com/expat-life-having-baby-turkey/
Early Childhood 101 