I knew I was pregnant when my daily meals became breakfast, shortly followed by brunch, then lunch, supper, dinner, dessert and a large snack before bed. It was a glorious time for all of my eating fantasies.
Being pregnant was absolutely fantastic and like every other aspect of my life, I was committed to doing it differently. I was finding too much fun not believing anything I was told about having a baby. I did have my suspicions about the birth process, however. One of my suspicions was that doctors had discovered that people would believe anything if they said a doctor had discovered it. Suspicion two: The predominate white, male doctors knew nothing about women’s bodies and the process they naturally went through in delivering a healthy child. Doctors were in the business of making money, dispensing meds and minimizing risk. They were generally more interested in their busy schedule than the best outcome for the mother and child. Suspicion Three: For centuries the men who called themselves healers and doctors had been killing and torturing mothers and their babies and even burned midwives at the stake in the interest of holding on to their power. History proved that was once considered the norm was always found later to be barbaric. If I wanted to have a wonderful, spiritual and healthy delivery I needed to stay the hell away from a hospital. I also needed to stay away from the doctor’s who would spin tales of horrific outcomes if I didn’t follow their
On November 23, 1993, Doe was seen by an obstetrician, Dr. James Meserow, at the St. Joseph’s Hospital in Chicago. This was the first time Doe was seen by Dr. Meserow, but she had been receiving regular prenatal care throughout her pregnancy. Upon giving Doe the usual check-up, he determined from a series of tests that the baby was under duress due to an issue with the placenta. At this point, it is important to recognize that Doe is a mentally competent woman carrying her first child, and the fetus is currently around 35 weeks. It also important to recognize that Dr. Meserow is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist. Dr. Meserow informs both Doe and her husband of the diagnosis and highly recommends either an immediate cesarean section or to induce labor in order to prevent any further potential damage to the fetus due to the lack of oxygen from the compromised placenta. Doe refuses both of the recommendations based on her religious convictions that God will heal her child and keep it safe from any harm, and will, therefore, wait to have a natural childbirth.
Joseph, I tend to agree with you that pregnancy and childbirth in the United States is linked to big social issues. It seems to me fear of safety has been put in the minds of expecting parents and this fear makes them doubt nature and their own body’s way of delivering a baby. The Business of Being Born documentary was also an eye opener for me. I had no idea what Twilight sleep did to women in the past. I wonder, will our grandchildren look back on the way we deliver babies today and question what we were even thinking? Will they see the practices today and think we were barbaric? It seems to me we have taken a few steps backward, when it comes to pregnancy and childbirth, even though technology has moved forward.
Sissy made the decision to deliver her eleventh child in a hospital. This decision saved her baby because the doctor gave Stephen Aaron oxygen to revive him. The reason Sissy decided to deliver in a hospital was because she would be examined by expert medical attention for the sake of her child. Doctors have medical degrees and will know the proper medical procedures in a time of crisis. Sissy would have heard that doctors prescribed pain relief during a delivery. “Doctors could only administer it because it contained dangerous substances ether and chloroform” (Manning 10). Hospitals also carried anesthetics such as epidurals. Epidurals made it easier during childbirth because it had a “safer approach and the mother could witness her child being born” (Lace 65). Episiotomies, a tool for making incisions, and forceps, a tool for holding the baby’s head during childbirth, were also invented to make birth more efficient. Sissy and other women chose hospitals because it put them in safer position because of medical
I strongly believe in and support the mutual partnership that is established between Midwives, Wahine and their Whanau. It is an honour to be a part of women and their families journey to welcoming a new family member and I cherish the opportunity to be able to do this with them. Whilst pregnancy and childbirth is a normal, natural process of life, for some this can be complicated and I feel it is my responsibility to be able to walk with low risk and high risk women, injecting as much of my midwifery philosophy as I can into what might be a complex medical picture. By keeping practice hollistic and woman-centred this can be achieved. All women are entitled to make fully informed decisions and granted the time to do this. I am pro-choice and
Most Americans associate hospitals to be the standard place where women can give birth. However, women did not always deliver in hospitals. Gynecology, the medical practice dealing with the female reproductive system, did not emerge until the early nineteenth century. Before doctors came along, women used to hire midwives to deliver babies in the comfort of their own homes. In this paper I will examine the social, political, and scientific implications of how giving birth has transitioned from being a midwife’s job into that of a doctor’s. Furthermore, I will attempt to show how these implications intersect together to make birth a feminist issue. To support my argument, I will be referencing Tina Cassidy’s “The Dawn of the Doctors,” Abby Epstein’s documentary film The Business of Being Born, and Eesha Pandit’s article “America’s secret history of forced sterilization: Remembering a disturbing and not-so-distant past.” I argue that the processes surrounding birth are intersectional feminist issues because they are often manipulated by male figures pursuing money and authority, which ultimately compromises women’s health and power of choice.
I believe expecting mothers need to seek guidance from their doctor on whether or not she should have a vaginal birth, or follow through with a "Elective" C-Section. I feel like women are so concerned about their rights, and though our female rights are important, I also feel that we need to seek guidance from those that are medically trained to see what they think is going to be best for the mother as well as the child. If the doctor feels that the mother and the child will be okay with proceeding with an "Elective" C-Section, I think it is so important (more important than the doctor's opinion) to seek our Heavenly Father's will. Our will might not always be His will, and it is important that we come before Him in all things in order for
According to “Human Sexuality: Diversity in Contemporary America,” women and couples planning the birth of a child have decisions to make in variety of areas: place of birth, birth attendant(s), medication, preparedness classes, circumcision, breast feeding, etc. The “childbirth market” has responded to consumer concerns, so its’ important for prospective consumers to fully understand their options. With that being said, a woman has the choice to birth her child either at a hospital or at home. There are several differences when it comes to hospital births and non-hospital births.
My personal experience, I have never been to a birth. I have read, watched, and discussed birth, birth culture, and traditions for 10 years now, but I have yet to have an opportunity to attend a birth in person. In my family none of my generation has had children yet, and before this last 9 months or so, none of my friends had been pregnant. I had planned on having children young and started to educate myself on the subject when I was about 17. I started as I am sure many women do with “What to Expect When You 're
For hundred of years, women have wrestled with their womanhood, bodies, and what it means to be a woman in our society. Being a woman comes with a wonderful and empowering responsibility--giving birth. What sets us aside from other countries is that the process and expectations of giving birth has changed in our society; coming from midwifery, as it has always been since the early times, to hospitals where it is now expected to give birth at. Midwifery was a common practice in delivering babies in
Home birth versus hospital birth is one of the more controversial topics in the world today. It is a delicate topic because the safety and well-being of mothers and babies is in question. The majority of the information out there is subjective, making it difficult to reach an unbiased conclusion.
Within Victoria there are multiple models of maternity care available to women. An initial discussion with the woman’s treating GP during the early stages of her pregnancy is critical in her decision-making about which model of care she will choose and this key discussion is essential in allowing a woman to make the first of many informed decisions throughout her pregnancy. According to a survey conducted by Stevens et al. (2010) only 43% of women felt ‘they were not supported to maintain up-to-date knowledge on models of care, and most reported that model of care referrals were influenced by whether women had private health insurance coverage.’ Many elements of these models of care differ: from location of care, degree of caregiver continuity, rates of intervention and maternal and infant health, outcomes access to medical procedure, and philosophical orientation such as natural or medical (Stevens, Thompson, Kruske, Watson, & Miller, 2014). According to the World Health Organization (1985) and Commonwealth of Australia (2008) there is a recognition that ‘85% of pregnant women are capable of giving birth safely with minimal intervention with the remaining 15% at potential risk of medical complications’ (McIntyre & Francis, 2012).
Does everybody think or feels the same about childbirth around the world? This question above is a question that has always been in my mind. Now that I got the opportunity of choosing a topic to do research. I decided to choose childbirth and culture. This research paper is going to talk about how different cultures and countries look a birth in an entirely different manner. Some look at birth as a battle and others as a struggle. And on some occasions, the pregnant mother could be known as unclean or in other places where the placenta is belief to be a guardian angel. These beliefs could be strange for us but for the culture in which this is being practiced is natural and a tradition. I am going to be introducing natural and c-section childbirth. And, the place of childbirth is going to be a topic in this essay. America is one country included in this research paper.
In the tale of “The Fall of the House of Usher” two twins, a brother and sister, have a twisted relationship. Roderick, the brother, invites one of his childhood friends to come for a visit but that friend does not realize what he is getting into until he sees what the house looks like and steps inside (Poe 292). Roderick Usher best exemplifies dark romanticism. He shows the best of dark romanticism because he has a problem with the outside world and never leaves his home. He has a disease that causes him to experience his senses worst that most (Poe 294). He has little guilt in his life because he tried to “help” his sister by burying her alive (Poe 304). He has a lot of evil in him because even though he tried to bury Madeline alive, he failed
The theory I selected to apply to the above situation is the Birth Territory theory. This theory was created from empirical data collected by the authors who serve as both midwives and researchers. It has a critical post-structural feminist undertone and elaborates on the ideas of Michel Foucault. The Birth Territory theory predicts and elaborates on the relationships between jurisdiction (use of authority and influence), terrain (the birthing environment), and personal emotional and physiological experience by the mother. This nurse-midwifery theory was chosen because both of the major concepts directly correlate with the incident and are critical aspects of labor and delivery situations. MAYBE ELABORATE A diagram of the Birth Territory theory can be seen in Appendix A.
I will never forget the moment my labor began, the moment that marked that step in my journey into motherhood. I can remember everything about it so clearly. My mom, fiancé, and I woke up early Friday morning to make our way to Western Missouri Medical Center. I stood in front of the mirror looking at my belly knowing it would be my last time standing in that bathroom with my baby inside of me still. It was a bittersweet moment that I cherished as long as I possibly could. I was set to be induced that morning and very excited, yet a little bit nervous. I had no idea what to expect. I’d been waiting a very long 37 weeks to finally meet this precious human that had been growing inside me. I had ideas of what he might look like, and what the experience might be like, however nothing could have prepared me for what was in store over the next few days.