Since I do not have my own child yet, I
recall my sister giving birth to her first child. My sister had a very
difficult path to her delivery date. She suffered from high blood pressure at
36 weeks. This put her on bed rest. At 38 weeks the condition did not improve
and she had to have an emergency C-section. I remember how scared she was to go
through this because this was her first. I also remembered how exciting it was
to welcome a new life in the world and watching his movements.
My son’s birth story will be so
different from what my sister experienced. First, my son was conceived through
IVF. Since it was IVF we have so many pictures of him along the way. We will be
able to show him what he looked like as a three-day embryo before he was
transferred. Seeing a fertility doctor offers a first time mom many advantages
and disadvantages. A huge disadvantage is finding out so early that our cycle
worked and the weeks of nervousness of losing the pregnancy. An advantage is
the numerous chances for ultrasounds. We have pictures of our little boy for
about every 2-3 weeks starting a little over 6 weeks. One of the greatest joys
in my life was watching him grow from a grouping of cells to a little boy! I am
enjoying reading to him right now and feeling his movements and kicks. I do not
know what to expect at his birth, but I am prepared!
One area regarding giving birth that
has always sparked my curiosity is the country of Guatemala. Years ago my
husband and I discussed adopting a child from Guatemala, but unfortunately, the
program was closed due to legal issues. I researched the program a little and
found sad statistics with prenatal care and birth in Guatemala. Birth rates in
the country of Guatemala 26.48 birth/1,000 (est. 2012) (Countries of the World,
2013). While the United States has a birth rate of 63 births/1,000 population
(Kurtz, 2013). Some of the contributing factors to low birth rates are lack of
prenatal care, cultural preference to home births, and lack of facilities
(Ross, 2013). Many women have to travel
hours to get to closest hospital and when they get there they are overcrowded
and often do have updated medical equipment (Dittrich, 2009). The country is making great strides in
working to improve prenatal care in the country. In my opinion, the development
of a child will be greatly impacted because of the lack of prenatal and
maternal care. The very low numbers of children that survive in Guatemala are
still negatively impacted. The cultural aspect of giving birth at home without
realizing if their child has potential life-threatening problems makes giving
birth very risky. Every woman needs access to prenatal care so her baby has the
best chance at survival.
Reference:
Countries of the world. (2013). Guatemala people 2013.
Retrieved from
http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/guatemala/guatemala_people.html
Dittrich , D. (2009, December 17). The obstacles of
giving birth. Retrieved from
Kurtz, A. (2013, September 6). Baby bust: U.S. births at
a record low. Retrieved from
Ross, J. (2013, August 19). PCI Guatemala - Casa Materna
internship. Retrieved from
http://www.pciglobal.org/endpoverty/pci-guatemala-casa-materna-internship/
Hello Tanya after rain comes sunshine and sometimes in life we have to make sacrifices. But, in this case a great gesture...you became an aunt. It's a blessing that some people aren't so fortunate to experience. So enjoy the children and make it as memorable, because they grow so fast.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience as auntie! My older sister does not have children of her own and she was thrilled to share the birth of my third child with me. Congratulations on your little one coming! In the end it doesn't matter how our little ones get here as long as they are loved and cherished when they do! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteHi Tanya, I can relate to your sister experience as giving birth as a first time mom. I had a complicate birth and it truly did frighten me. I did not have another child until ten years later. I am glad that she found joy and excitement during a time of being in a frighten state. Great Story!
ReplyDeleteHI Tanya,
ReplyDeleteI also wrote about my sisters experience giving birth. I admire your courage and wish you the best of luck on your journey. I agree that having the opportunity to have pictures of your little one along the way is awesome. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Tanya
ReplyDeleteI also have no children of my own and wrote about the birthing experience of my sister.
Like your sister, mine had a very difficult and i would say life threatening pregnancy and had to be hospitalized for six months. I recall going to visit her at the hospital only to find out that while she was lying eyes closed on her bed she overheard a doctor speaking to a nurse about her, asking why her gynaecologist had there when she was going to die. However, although she had a difficult and rather fearful pregnancy, with the care given to her and her unborn child by her gynaecologist she gave birth to a beautiful girl. Today, they are both alive and well and my beautiful niece is already twelve years.
It is rewarding to know that you had the option of being conceived through IVF. Unfortunately, in St. Lucia we have not arrived at this stage of technology in medicine and women here do not have this option. Congratulations as an expectant mother. Hope everything goes well and you have a safe delivery.
Thanks for sharing the information on Guatemala as it was really enlightening.