Child Birth

The birth that I chose to write about would have to be my first born. She was my easiest delivery and the only child that I had, where I had family close by. My expected due date was September 10^th, I had gone to work like normal and I had contractions but, not close enough for me to go to the hospital for. I was able to walk around at work, because my co-workers stated that I was waddling and felt the baby would be coming soon, since my belly had dropped tremendously.  It was quitting time and I headed home with my boyfriend at the time. It was about 617pm and I had gone to the hospital because my contractions were about 5 to 10 minutes apart and I wasn’t in any kind of pain, but I read in the book of “What to expect when you’re expecting” and one of the things I remembered clearly was the discharge of mucous and blood and that my contractions would be starting – it was something to that affect. As I was getting prepped onto the bed, and the room, the nurse asked if I felt like I needed to poop or the urge to push and I said “YES”. She said don’t push yet, your doctor is on his way, by the time the doctor came in to check me, I had dilated enough that she was ready to come out, the next thing I remember I had pushed out my daughter, the doctor almost dropped her because he wasn’t ready. I did not get any medication. I was tired and confused because I didn’t know what had just happened, before you know it, the doctor had put her on my chest and said you have a daughter. I cried and laughed and was just amazed that I created this being and here she was; entering the world. My family was not able to be there for her birth, because they didn’t have time to get anything set or even being notified. My first child’s story of child birth is extremely different from my other children.

After reading on China’s child birthing, their custom is not only an important event, but it’s social as well as a family event. The biggest difference between my experience and the Chinese practice is that there is a one-month isolation of mother and child immediately after birth. The reason for the practice is for their health – many women in the past had died during childbirth and many babies died during the critical time. The diet for the mother would include food high in iron and protein due to the blood that she had lost. As a practice for my culture, it is somewhat similar like staying home for the first month, but being isolated isn’t one of them, family come by to visit and carry the baby. I do like the practice of isolation, but it wouldn’t be practical if I was back home. My family wouldn’t understand the isolation process.