Children are the Future

The Wonders of Giving Birth

     I would love to have an experience being pregnant and being in labor. Everyone has different stories about the different experiences they have with each child. I do not have any kids of my own, but I do adore the children I come in contact with, whether they are my sibling’s babies or strangers. I talked to my friend and she has three kids; one girl and two boys. All different experience with each one of them. Her first son, second child was planned. She said she went to the hospital pretending she was having contractions, but when she got to the hospital she was actually having contractions and was dilated to 4cm. The doctor kept her at the hospital to keep an eye on her progression of the pregnancy. She said the doctors and nurses had a rally going on between all the pregnant mommies in the hospital to see who was dilated the biggest and the furthest in having their baby. The nurse made her walk to help her further the progress, but the walk did not help her at all. Finally the doctor broke her water and gave her an epidural, but she was in labor for 18 hours before she had her son. There was complications because his shoulder got stuck coming out. Her baby did a bowel movement in her stomach and the doctor had to make sure her son was out quickly and safely. She said she was so tired, exhausted and in so much pain, but so happy and excited because it was her first son. The thought in her head she is not pregnant anymore. She had her 7lbs 1oz baby boy and is now three years old.

     I chose my friend because I know she was comfortable in telling me about her pregnancy. Whether she had complications she was very happy the labor was over and she had a healthy boy. I think being pregnant and going through labor is a magical experience. There may be complications and the long wait until your little bundle of joy comes out, but when she or he comes out. It must be the greatest feeling to hold your little one in your arms.

     In the country of Africa many times mothers have their pregnancy terminated by natural causes that could be prevented if they had the medical attention a pregnant mother should have. If they are a working mother, they have to juggle work with visits to their local hospital. The hospital is so crowded that by the time the doctors gets to see them, the mother had to head back to work or they would have to convince their boss they were invaluable to go back to the doctor to be seen. Being pregnant is a fearful and life threatening thing to most African woman especially living in isolated areas. The clinic is so far away from their homes that the pregnant mother ends up having their baby on the road.

     The pregnancy differences are Africa do not have clinics close enough to make sure the mother and the baby is healthy. They have to walk the distant and find ways to make sure they get seen by a doctor. My friend who had the doctors and nurses to make sure she was comfortable and not in pain. There was technology and devices at the hospital to make sure the baby is healthy or need more assistances.

BBC News. (2015). Being Pregnant in Africa. Retrieved from

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4242082.stm