Childbirth

My personal birthing experience involved the birth of my son, Michael. I remember this event as if it happened yesterday. I walked back and forth to the restroom all day. That night around 8:00 pm. I went to the hospital and checked in.

I remember hearing women crying out loudly and screaming. At that point, I wondered why they were acting in that manner. When my labor started, I understood why they were crying and screaming. In a couple of hours, as the pains began to hit, I was crying and screaming too. After it was all over, I felt like a soldier because I had a beautiful baby boy who weighed 7 pounds 5 ½ ounces. This experience is still vivid in my mind. I will never forget it as long as I am in my right mind. Therefore, I decided to write about my experience.

I think it is important for the child to start spending time with it’s mother right after birth. I believe this enables the child to adjust to his new environment. Consequently, I think he will grow and develop better in a safe loving environment with his mother. I realize this isn’t always possible. However, there are people who can do an adequate job of taking care of the baby if the mother cannot. I think the baby will still grow and develop well.

In some Latin American countries, a doula is present during the birth and after the birth to help mothers with their babies. The doula “helps other women with their labor, delivery, breast feeding, and newborn care” (Berger, 2009, p. 118). They use to be the only one’s present during childbirth. Today they work alongside doctors.

There weren’t any differences in my personal birthing experience and that of Latin American women. My nurse here in the U.S. helped me in the same way that the doula helped the Latin American women.

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