On July 17th, 2009, My Angel Was Born: My Daughter's Child Birthing Experience

On July 17, 2009 at 7:52 am, I gave birth to my first and only child, Saniyah. I was told that labor and delivery was a very hard process. I never wanted to believe that I was going to have a baby right after college. Apparently, God must have laughed at my plans because he definitely placed her in them. My labor had to be induced because I wasn't feeling any pain and she just wasn't ready to pop out. She was born at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC. As soon as I walked through the doors, I knew that I was at "home". The hospital was very clean, the staff was welcoming and kind and I had most of my family present. I was ready!!! The most challenging part of this process was what I called the "BIG E", my epidural treatment. I do not like needles of any kind and the nurses and my mom had to give me about three pep talks before I gave the anesthesiologist permission to do his job. I can say after everything was done, I felt so proud of myself. I jumped over what I considered a major hurdle.
A few hours later, I was prepped and ready to bring Saniyah into the world. The doctors were calm and made me feel the same. They were gentle and coached me through the entire delivery. Once Saniyah was born, I was given tips and suggestions on how to breastfeed, change a diaper and how to properly wrap her in her receiving blanket. I had to stay in the hospital for at least three days before I was discharged. Saniyahs's father was there with me throughout my stay and catered to my needs.  Overall, I had a wonderful child birthing experience and would not change one thing about it!

Giving birth should be one of the most memorable events in one's life.  So many emotions come into play during this time such as happiness, fear, and unfortunately depression which is known as post-partum depression.  Babies change lifestyles, therefore it is important to foster the most nurturing , safe and learning environment for them. As my daughter get older, I would want her to reflect back on the things that she can remember from her childhood(as much as she can) and feel as if I fullfiled all of her needs and provided her with most of her wants. My parents made me feel as if I was the most important thing on earth to them and I want her to feel the very same way because she is my angel!  

The Child Birthing Experience in China

I was so through after reading about the child birthing experience in China. In China, birth means having a boy so girls are not even thought of. The Chinese women will eat certain foods such as sunflower and watermelon seeds just to increase their chances of having a baby boy. They also believe in eating dumplings to have a baby boy, prunes for an early delivery and prunes for an easy delivery.

Another interesting fact is that pregnant women are given NO PRIVACY during their doctor visits. Other patients have the right to watch a ob-gyn doctor perform a pelvic examination and ultrasound UNBELIEVABLE!

Women are only allowed in the delivery room meaning if the woman has a husband, he will have to wait in the waiting area until the labor and delivery process is finished. Research states that this was put in place because a husband watched his wife go through so much pain and because of this, he punched the doctor.  Can you say WOW???

These are just a few things that I wanted to share about the child birthing experience in China. It seems as if being pregnant over in China is so strict and structured. Although pregnancy comes with its pros and cons, it is supposed to be a joy filled experience. It is very unfortunate that the Chinese women go through so much and they are the ones that are bringing lives into this world. I thank God for the United States and the freedom that we have. It is amazing the little things that we take for granted!!

Source: Kohri, N. (2012). Care the World: The Birth Practice of the World. Retrieved from http://www.caretheworld.com/eng/resources/birthworld.html