Childbirth In My Life and Around The World

I have four children and each birth took place in a hospital. I thought about giving birth at home but was scared something would go wrong. I remember when I gave birth to my first son. It was incredible from the beginning to the end. Even though I was in pain, it was an incredible and awesome experience. I remember my mother and husband sitting by my bed in the hospital. After I woke up from my nap, I remember her asking me, “How can you sleep through all that pain?” But when the pain became unbearable, I remember having her in the headlock, don’t ask me how that happened, and I also remember beating my husband’s hand against the bedrail. I did not want an epidural because I wanted to have a natural birth without any medication and I also wanted to experience the good, the bad, and the ugly with my first birth. In Beijing, delivering in the hospital is their main option. As stated in an article, “Home births are not a viable option in Beijing, as there is no support system in place that allows a woman to deliver her baby outside of a hospital. Midwives are generally not available, and no health care provider is legally able to participate in a home birth. There are many hospitals that are willing to respect your no- or low-intervention birth plan. A hospital environment does increase the possibility of unnecessary medical intervention; therefore it is imperative for mothers to be informed about the natural birthing process. It should be noted that Beijing United Family Hospital (BJU) is the only international hospital with a neonatal intensive care unit” (Rodriguez, 2011). My thought regarding birth and its impact on child development is, from the time babies are born, they are able to communicate and give little signals when they are tired or hungry. Newborn babies’ brains develop rapidly. Their social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and language development increases month to month. Parents should interact and communicate with their newborns daily to enhance their development. Rodriguez, M. (2011). Giving Birth, Naturally. Beijing Kids Magazine. Retrieved November 2, 2013, from http://www.drmelissarodriguez.com/media.asp?cid=28&id=72