Childbirth Experiences

My daughter was born on December 22, 2006 at 8:31 am.  I had a difficult time convincing the doctor to allow me to come into the hospital around 11:00 pm the night before.  She continued to tell me that I was having pre labor contractions and I should remain at home.  After several telephone calls, I was given the “okay” to come in.  Upon arriving I was registered and wheel chaired to a delivery room where I changed into a gown and was examined.  I was not far enough along and the doctor considered sending me back home.  My contractions intensified, but never showed the active labor pattern.  They decided to keep me overnight and gave me a shot of morphine in my thigh to relieve some of the pain.  It didn’t help.  The contractions kept me from sleeping, but thankfully around 3 am, I was given an epidural for the pain and was able to sleep until around 7:30 am.  At that time, I was fully dilated and able to start delivery.  The room had several nurses who helped with the delivery instructions.  After about 45 minutes of pushing, I delivered a healthy 7 lb. ½ oz baby girl, with the help of my obstetrician.  Luckily the entire delivery process went extremely smooth and we had no problems whatsoever.  Later that day, we were moved to a post delivery room and remained until the afternoon of December 24^th, just in time for Christmas!

I chose this example because it is the only birthing experience I have.  I consider myself very lucky because several friends and family members had a lot of difficulties with the birth or the after effects of the birth.  Birthing complications could have a significant impact on child development.  A friend’s baby had a difficult time passing through the birthing canal and swallowed a large amount of meconium.  At one year old, he continues to have breathing difficulties and has to use a breathing treatment.  He also needed to wear a helmet because one side of his head was not shaped correctly.  While he is developmentally on track with other one year olds, he has had to face several challenges already in life and he will continue to live with breathing difficulties.  Having adequate care and support from the hospital staff allowed him to have minimal effects from the difficult birth.

My grandmother was born in the Philippines, so I decided to find out about births in the Philippines.  The Philippines have a very high infant and mother mortality rate.  A child born in the Philippines is almost fourteen times more likely to die during the first month of life and about half of the Filipino children’s deaths (under age 5) happen in the first 28 days of life.  One out of every 140 pregnant women dies during childbirth of conditions that are preventable or treatable, such as hemorrhage, sepsis, or hypertension.  One of the reasons for this is because it is common Filipino practice to perform deliveries outside of a health facility.  8 out of 10 births in rural areas occur at home without the help of medical professionals.  Instead, mothers will use a home based attendant, or “hilot” to help with the delivery.  These attendants are not prepared to deal with emergency situations.  Many women living in these rural areas are poor and unable to access medical care during pregnancy therefore having a higher risk of complications during childbirth. 

Unlike the United States, where nearly 100% of all births take place in a clinical facility, only 60% of the births in the Philippines are even supervised by a skilled birth attendant.  There are hospitals, doctors, nurses, and midwives in the cities.  Many mothers are kept in the maternity ward in these hospitals, all sharing a single, large room.  During my daughter’s birth, I had a private delivery and recovery room.  In the hospitals, Filipino mothers are attended by many staff members, similar to the amount of support we receive here in the US.  Babies are often kept together in a single bed, similar to the nurseries in the American hospitals. 

The birthing experience in the rural areas of the Philippines would have a huge impact on the development of the child.  Generally, these mothers are poor, uneducated, and unable to access medical care during their pregnancy.  The babies being carried by these women have a much higher risk of complications and possibly death, which will greatly impact their development. 

Resources

Delfin, Claire (2009).  Childbirth, still a grim reality for many Filipino mothers and babies. Retrieved July 2, 2011 from www.gmanews.tv