It is exciting to begin this second class with Walden, Early Childhood Development. I am very excited that even in the first week, we are learning about development, and not only in the US, but will be gaining an international perspective. As someone who LOVES to travel and learn about other cultures, this is right up my ally!
I do not remember anything about my own birth. I do have a detailed account of the evening though, from both my parents. I remember growing up, for some reason, the story was very comforting to know about. Maybe it is because much of my parents marriage was unhappy, knowing and hearing about the same story from both of them as they describe it as “one of the best nights of my life” is reassuring in a way, especially since I do not have children of my own yet.
I was born when both of my parents were still in the Marines. They met, were married, and I was born on a cold, rainy night in a hospital on base in North Carolina at Camp Lejeune at 8:23pm. My mom says that my dad was supportive during the process, but that her love and hate for him came and went with every contraction due to the pain. My mother describes my birth as long, but uncomplicated. She was excited because she was hoping that we would have the same birthday. Alas, this was not the case as I came into the world almost exactly 8 hrs before her birthday. I have always found this very cool since though only eight hrs difference, we have different zodiac signs. AND, I was born on the longest night of the year, December 21, the winter solstice!
We stayed in the hospital for most of the next day. My maternal grandparents drove all night from Massachusetts (I was their first grandchild.), and were in NC by the next morning. My first photo in the hospital, in my opinion I look Asian, but that is not saying much because I am an interracial child, so then and ever since, I have been told I look like various nationalities/ethnicitys. My mother says that she tried to breast feed me, but ultimately I was given formula for most of my infancy.
I chose this example of a birthing experience because, I have not had children of my own yet, and have not taken part of anyone else’s birthing experience. I believe that a child’s birth is a very important time for both parents and child alike. When working with new parents in the field professionally, I am amazed at how quickly bonds are formed, as well as how forming those bonds can be especially challenging right after birth. Birth is a very important part of the field and domain of child development because the experience sets the stage for how the child will adapt out of the womb. For example, a child who received adequate prenatal care, educated and prepared parents, engaged and supportive health care staff at birth, will have an extraordinarily different start to life than one whom for example, was exposed to drugs prenatally and therefore addicted (as well as other complications), or born in the midst of a natural disaster. Thinking about how birthing differs in every case began a stream of thought about how other countries treat the event of childbirth. It makes me think about how fortunate my birth was, and how the experiences of my parents are vastly different than others whom may not have access to the resources and support my family had at the time.
I read an article from the New York Times about the struggles of mothers’ forced to give life to babies in midst of the devastation of the earthquake. The article describes women standing in line to give birth in tents among the debris, “flies were their roommates, bunching like crows on the intravenous drips, and as for the joy found in most maternity wards, that had been lost to the cracked earth” (Cave, 2010). Further, the article describes complications such as still births (it tells about a woman waiting longer than a day to have the child taken out of her womb after being told it was dead), amputations, and cerebral palsy. It discusses the thousands of women who did not know where they were going to do with their newborns or where their next meal would be from. The article further describes how medical staffs, many whom were volunteers, sometimes just did not show up to work.
A natural disaster like this one in Haiti last year is traumatic enough for the general population. When comparing it to my own, well, can a comparison really even be made? My mother had a comfortable room, a team of medical staff and family, as well as access to other supports after I was born. She did not have to wonder where she and I would sleep that night. She did not have to worry about the water she drank and bathed me with or other issues with which those in Haiti, even today are still struggling.
Cave, D. (2010, January 29). Giving life in a land overflowing with pain. The New York Times, p. A8.
Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/30/world/americas/30birth.html?pagewanted=1 on May 7, 2011.
Vanessa,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the details of when you were born. It is always interesting to hear what couples experience during this process.
Also thanks for sharing the information of what Haitian women experience after the earthquakes occurred. Reading this information was very sobering. We can not take grant our pleasant experiences arriving at modern hospitals with well prepared professionals. Thanks again for sharing.