What mother doesn't like to discuss the birth of one of their babies! With three kids to discuss, I am choosing to tell you about the birth of my first child. We did everything we were supposed to do, my husband and I both quit smoking and I ate a lot of what I was supposed to, stayed away from alcohol and got a decent amount of exercise at work. We did the birthing class and practiced the breathing and positions. Then, one night my water broke and we headed to the hospital. It was pure torture. It was all back labor, excruciating pain. The breathing and different positions were pointless. After 14 hours, I had finally dilated enough to get my epidural. The nurse continued to come in and check me periodically. She would tell me how far I'd gotten and then walk out of the room. After three hours of that, she came in and said, "You aren't moving fast enough, Dr. wants to do a Cesarean. They'll be ready downstairs in 20 minutes." That was it, I took one look at my mom and then my husband and started crying like a baby. I felt defeated, like I failed as a mother already and my child hadn't even been born yet. Push the clock back a few weeks when I was watching The Baby Story on TLC. In all of those shows, the nurse checks the mom and then tells her they might discuss doing a cesarean if she doesn't progress. I felt cheated that I didn't get the option, and I didn't get a warning. It was 17 hours of pain for nothing. With my second two children, I didn't even try. I said, "go ahead and schedule and cesarean...I'm not going through that again." Looking back now, I am thankful that all of my children were born healthy and continue to grow and amaze me on a daily basis.
The country I chose to look at was Australia. The birthing experiences are not much different in Australia than in the United States, but I did find a fascinating article that discussed birthing centers and how to define them. The birthing center is a bridge between hospital births and home births. They are typically a midwife-run center and focus on a less clinical type of birth and more of a home-like atmosphere to give birth. When comparing this option to my own birthing experience, I can see where some people would prefer that location and setting. They do have pain control measures, although not the epidural. Without knowing how a birthing experience will be, I am not sure that I can predict that setting would be beneficial. For me, I may have been allowed to continue labor much longer before the cesarean section. By the reading, I can see that it would have been more of my choice. On the other hand, I worry that if my doctor's decision to do a cesarean had been out of urgency for the safety of both me and the baby, it may have been too late by the time we arrived at a hospital and was able to deliver the baby through surgery.
Resource:
Laws, Paula, Lim, Carylyn, Tracy, Sally, Sullivan, Elizabeth (2009). Characteristics and practicies of birth centres in Australia: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 49, 290-295. Retreived from http://www.library.cornell.edu/.
Nicole-
ReplyDeleteWhat a story! Having not experienced it myself, I am always amazed at how different the stories can be. I can understand how disappointed you were in your care, that they didn't explain to you what "might" happen and how scary that must have been during your first experience! Thank you for sharing!
I also appreciate the information you shared from the article you found. It is interesting to read about the supports that other countries are able to offer their patients.
Thank you for your comments, Katherine. I also enjoy looking at other countries' methods and services. I didn't mention it in my blog, but I always like reading about the countries that pay mothers to stay home with their infants for a certain amount of time. I know that Cuba is one of those, and I have always wanted to research to find others. I hope that is something we can explore in this class as well.
ReplyDeleteNicole, it is interesting to read about your experiences and your feelings about the helplessness you felt once they began medical intervention. I was the same with the birth of our son. I live in Canada and we do not have the option to choose a Caesaran prior to delivery unless absolutely necessary. So when I gave birth to my daughter I was so scared. Her birth ending up being a better experience, but I would have opted for a Caesaran I am sure. It is fascinating to consider how lucky we are to receive the medical support we did.
ReplyDeleteI read your comment to Katherine about paid maternity leave, in Canada we are given up to one year of paid maternity leave. It can be taken by the mother or father. I have to admit, the reading this week has left me feeling very fortunate to live in Canada in terms of medical care, family allowances (monthly stipends paid to middle income earners with children) and maternity leave. There are many things I admire about the United States but this is one time when I think the U.S. could learn from us!