The Joy of Birth

I have had the extreme joy of having 4 beautiful children.  It was very difficult to choose which one to write about, but I had to choose the one that had the most profound effect on my life and that was the birth of our fourth(and final) child.  After my first pregnancy did not end in natural childbirth(after attempting everything for 24 hours I had to have a c-section) and due to high blood pressure issues in my second pregnancy, I have had four c-sections.  Numbers two through four were planned so I knew what to expect.  The only thing I didn't know was the sex of the baby(something my husband and I agreed was better not knowing).  During my fourth pregnancy I had many issues.  The biggest scare that we had was that our blood test came back high showing our baby could be born with a chromosomal disorder.  After an amniocentesis and several ultrasounds, a chromosomal disorder was dismissed, but our baby still had some extra fluid build up.  After seeing a specialist from months 4-9, he finally said I was ok to have our baby in our nearby hospital, but he made sure that our pediatrician knew his findings of the extra fluid and at that point a small opening at the base of the skull.  I went in for my c-section as scheduled and did not expect anything different than had happened before but one thing was different.  I had been dealing with a low blood platelet issue and the anesthesiologist wanted to put me out instead of giving me a spinal.  I had never missed one of my children's deliveries and after all I had gone through with this pregnancy, I was sure I didn't want to miss this one.  I asked him to please just do the spinal and he told me he would give it one shot, but if it didn't work, then he was putting me under.  I have a very strong faith and I prayed so hard that I would be able to be awake to see my baby.  I was granted my wish and we had a 7lb baby boy.  I saw him for a very brief few seconds(as with all of them after a c-section)before they took him away to stitch me up.  While I was in recovery, the pediatrician on call came in to talk to me.  I could tell on her face that it wasn't good news.  She proceeded to tell me that they were going to take our son to a larger hospital because he was having some breathing problems and after reading the specialist's notes, she thought he needed to be checked out further.  I said that I understood and she said they would have to leave very soon.  I was so afraid that I wouldn't be able to see my son again before they took him away because I was still in recovery and they didn't want to send me over to the maternity ward before I could feel my legs.  The nurse(who I'm sure was an angel) in the recovery room told me she would make sure that I got over there before they left.  The doctor then came back in to tell me that they were going to life flight my son because he really wasn't breathing well and they didn't want to take the time for the ambulance.  The recovery room nurse asked her supervisor if she could escort me to the maternity ward and stay with me over there to monitor me so that I could see my baby and they let her(she told me that they don't normally do that, so I knew things were serious).  We got over to the recovery room just before the helicopter arrived.  I'll never forget when they wheeled my baby in.  He was hooked up to all kinds of tubes and wires and he looked very large and puffy(even his fingers).  They then asked me if I wanted to hold him before they took him and they placed him in my arms.  I looked at him and told him I loved him and that everything would be ok and that I would be with him as soon as I could.  They then took him and placed him in this oxygen type tent or incubator and wheeled him out of the room.  I will never forget this moment either because of my four children, he was the first one that I actually got to hold before anyone else did(normally everyone else got to hold the babies while I was still in recovery).  Knowing that he was leaving and that I couldn't be with him killed me on the inside but I had three other children(ages 11yrs, 8 yrs, and 6 yrs) that I had to be strong for and they were very worried about him.  My husband didn't want to leave me but we both knew that he had to be with our baby, so he went to the hospital(3 and 1/2 hours away) to be with him.  This joyous occasion that we were supposed to share together as a family was not turning out as planned.  Somehow through all of that, I managed to find a peace.  You see when I was 8 weeks pregnant with Jadon(a name we picked whether a boy or a girl because biblically it means "thankful") I almost had a miscarriage but God didn't allow that to happen and I fully believed that he had a purpose for Jadon.  Four days later when I was released from the hospital(because of my platelet issue) I traveled to the hospital to be with Jadon.  I remember walking into the ICU and seeing this tiny baby in this bin and thinking "that's not him!"  He looked so different from the brief few minutes I had seen him.  He was no longer swollen(he had excess fluid when he was born that had caused the swelling) and he was this amazing little bundle of joy.  He is now almost 18months old and has had several health issues(he was born with a genetic condition called Noonan's Syndrome), but the good Lord has brought him through each one.  His birth was an amazing experience for me because the bond I felt with him at the moment I held him was that much greater knowing that there was a chance I may not see him again.  God put everyone in place for that day to happen and the many days to come.  He is the joy of my life(as are my other two daughters and son) and his birth couldn't have made me anything but more "thankful" for the life and blessings I have been given.

I believe that birth definitely impacts child development.  I think that the bond that is created between parents, siblings, grandparents, and even aunts and uncles begins from the moment the baby arrives.  I come from a pretty big family and most of them were there for each one of my children being born.  They were in the room to hold them and they were there to support me when Jadon was taken away.  They were also there to travel to the hospital to see him.  I think that when a child grows up with a strong bond from the beginning, it is a bond that will make them feel trust and security from the start.  I think that when a child is bonded to parents and several others who love and care for them, then it truly aids in cognitive, physical, and emotional development right from the start.

     The country that I chose to write about was China.  I was interested in China because my aunt had adopted a child from China and so I was wondering about birth there.  In China they have a One Child Policy where each woman who wants to have a child has to receive permission to give birth.  The woman has to be married and both parties must be childless.  Each woman is required to go to childbirth classes for 3 hours(much different from the US where it is offered, but we are not required to go).  In the US anyone can have a child and it doesn't matter how many they already have or their age for that fact.  Being a teacher and seeing the ways that some children are raised, I can see the point to making people get permission to have children.  Maybe then we wouldn't have so much abuse and neglect.
     In China the doctor by law is not allowed to tell the gender of the baby.  This is due to the fact that some families would have the baby aborted if it was not a boy.  There are cases where rich families will pay the doctors to tell but the doctor risks being fined or even losing a medical license if he/she tells.  This is much different from the US where it is almost unheard of for people not to find out the sex of their babies anymore.  I know alot of people couldn't believe that my husband and I didn't want to know. 
     Also in China women prefer to have c-sections because they believe it is safer and in fact 60% of births there are done by c-section.  I think that today there are many more c-sections than there used to be but I also think that doctors due still want women to have natural childbirth if at all possible.  When a woman has a baby no family members are allowed in the room and in fact all of the mothers who are delivering are in one room delivering at the same time with nurses running back and forth between patients.  This was really hard for me to picture because when I had my children I was in a private room by myself and all of my family was there.  Another difference is that they do not prefer breast feeding in China.  They want the mothers to feed the babies what they refer to as "powder milk" right away.  I think that in the US it is considered a choice but a great deal of doctors prefer for women to breast feed and they believe it to be best for the baby.
     After reading the article that I did, it made me want to do more research about China and other countries and the ways that childbirth is the same and yet different.  I think that I live a very sheltered life because after reading about the differences that our countries have, I couldn't imagine living in a country where I was only allowed to have one child.  I also think that it would be difficult to not have any family members there to share in the joy of the birth until after it was over.  I respect the differences that our countries have but at the same time, it makes me so grateful for the place where I live and the freedoms that I have.  My hope is that no matter how these babies come into this world, they are loved and bonded with from the start because this is what will lead to substantial child development.

Resources:

http://www.chengduliving.com/giving-birth-in-chengdu/