My Childbirth Experience

My Personal Childbirth Experience

     I gave birth to my first daughter, Elizabeth Renee, on an icy January morning in 1993.  Before going to bed the night before, a freezing rain began to fall.  My husband said to me, “Don’t even think about having that baby tonight!”  Well we all know babies have their own plans!

     My water broke at 1:30 in the morning.  I got up, took a shower and waited for contractions to start.  By 4 am there were still no contractions, but after reviewing my pregnancy book I realized the baby would need to be delivered within the first 24 hours of my water breaking.  So I woke up my husband.

     We drove to the hospital on icy roads.  The trip took 3 times as long as it normally would.  When we got there, the night shift was waiting for the weather delayed day shift to arrive.  They took a litmus test to verify that my water had indeed broken.

     By now it was after 6 am and there were still no contractions so I was put on a Pitocin drip.   I was very nauseous.  I had planned to deliver naturally, with no help of drugs.  But when the Pitocin began to work, the strength of the contractions was overwhelming for me.  So I had assistance from Demerol to help me rest and relax between contractions.  I did not want to have an epidural because I feared having a needle stuck in my back.

   My childhood best friend, Renee, arrived to help with the birth.  My husband feared he would faint so she was on hand to help.  She had attended the childbirth classes with us.  By profession she is a Physical Therapist, so she did a nice job massaging my back during the delivery.

     During childbirth I vomited a lot.  The nurse, Beth, assured me that this was a good thing.  “Go ahead and puke that baby out” she said.  When the urge to push began I said, “I’m afraid!”  Nurse Beth and Renee were beside me on either side to reassure me.  My husband was at the end of the bed looking pretty worried.

     After just a half hour of pushing I brought my 8 lb. 4oz. baby girl into the world.  She was just 2 days past her due date.  I remember feeling so happy and powerful afterwards, like I could do anything!

Childbirth in Finland

     I chose to research childbirth in Finland because my ancestors came from there.  It turns out Finland is one of the best countries in the world for having a baby.  It also has one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world.  The birth experience in Finland is very similar to what I had, except it is funded by the government and overseen by midwives instead of obstetricians. 

     Just as I did, the couple creates a birth plan before the birth.  This is where you record your wishes for the birth experience such as medications to be used.  The mother had monthly visits with the midwife as I had with my obstetrician.

     The mother described in the article had a choice of three hospitals to attend.  I chose from the two where my obstetrician worked.  Finnish couples have the option of having a doula present at birth.  My friend, Renee, fulfilled this role for us.

      It is anticipated in Finland, that a mother might be fearful about childbirth.  If they share this in advance they can attend the “Fear of Childbirth Outpatient Center”.  I can relate to being fearful during delivery but I didn’t know it until it happened.

Childbirth and Child Development

     Childbirth is important to Child Development.  The quality of prenatal care a mother receives during the pregnancy prevents many possible problems.  A positive birth experience for the parents helps lead to earlier healthy bonding with the child.  During childbirth the mother’s and the baby’s physical health can be at risk if proper care is not taken. Complications for either one can affect the early development of the child.

     Reading about childbirth in Finland made me think about the possible stresses that can occur when a couple is planning for the birth of a baby. Although Finns pay higher taxes, when the time comes, all their needs are provided.  The midwife and hospital costs are covered.  The parents are given a childbirth kit of supplies for the baby when they bring it home.  Americans have to take care of more of these things on their own, which can be very expensive.

     Overall, the Finnish childbirth experiences I read about were close to my own.  In conclusion, I agree with the following quote:

“Finnish women felt it was essential to trust themselves and their bodies to give birth, viewing childbirth as an experience of wellness, rather than illness.” (Callister, 2003)

References

Callister, L. (2003) The pain of childbirth: perceptions of culturally diverse women.

     Retrieved from:  medscape.com/view article/465812_4

Korpela, S. (2010) Family friendly finland. Retrieved from:  finland.fi/public/

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“Living in finland/childbirth. Retrieved from infopakk.fi/en/living-in-finland/health/childbirth