hw 36

Birth story #1

My first interviewee described her birth as "bliss" because she had a c-section and never had to feel any pain because it numbed her...until the next day when the epidural wore off. She described her body's changes as she gained a lot of weight and had a very large baby (10 lbs) hence the c-section. She spoke about needing a lot of help after having the c-section since she couldn't hold the baby for the first week, which didn't make her feel "self sufficient". She felt she was treated well by family and friends whose support and love helped her get through the pregnancy being that she is a single parent. It helped to have their help and support and wish she would have know how much help she would have needed the first week after giving birth and would have probably gotten a baby nurse, knowing what she knows now.

It seems that the pregnancy experience can be a little harder for single expecting mothers. They require a lot more help and support being that it's only the mom and the baby ,so having people through the process is a big plus.

Birth Story #2

For this interviewee, she described her all three of her births as "easy". She spoke of working right up until the day before giving birth to one of her children. She was in labor for only two hours and remembers laughing the entire time the doctor instructed her to push the baby out. She required no epidural because she wasn't in pain for any of her births. She had all natural births , including a premature birth which was unexpected. She spoke of her husband missing the birth of one of her children because she wasn't in labor for long and by the time he showed up , she had already given birth. Sidenote: The father feels really bad about missing the that birth and wishes he were there for it. The nurses also felt bad so they allowed the baby to spent the night with the mother and father which wasn't allowed.She also spoke of having her children in private hospitals , where she didn't have to share a room with anyone.

It seems like births are special and not to be missed. The pregnancy and birthing experiences are different for every women in terms of the hours of labor and whether or not it's a painful ordeal. Also having a premature baby can be a very scary thing and unexpected thing.

Birth story # 3

This interviewee described her baby as a "surprise" . She also spoke about having the "baby blues" after giving birth. Noting that she cried a lot for first few weeks and had lots of ups and downs in terms of her mood. She also had a lot of doubt through out the pregnancy , wondering if she would be a good mother or if the baby would be healthy. She became very paranoid and remember reading a lot of baby books and stuff off of the internet on nutrition and what to expect with the baby. She also remembers having conversations with other expecting moms and mothers who already went through pregnancy and birth. She also took prenatal classes.

It makes me think that it doesn't hurt to tap into all of your resources while pregnant. It can help to prepare and know what to expect while for the birth and having first hand accounts of people who have gone through the same experience can make the process easier.

Hw 35

After conducting a couple of interviews I found that many of the people I interviewed had somewhat negative thoughts on birth and becoming a parent. It wasn't something that appealed to them. "I would be more eager to have children if it wasn't so painful" many of them spoke about the process of being pregnant and giving birth that scared them or they were uncomfortable with. To them it seemed raising children wasn't going to be easy whether they wanted them or not "kids require patience and because of the career I want I'm not going to have the time." this particular friend didn't want children because she saw them as getting in the way of what she wants out of life. Raising children can be a full time job and require a lot of your attention " some people shouldn't have children because they don't know how to put themselves second." This brings up the issue that once you decide to have children you're life changes and it's not going to be about you anymore ,but the child.

I think that a lot of us get our perceptions of birth and how to raise children from what we see on TV. The media influences a lot of our expectations of birth that might not be reality. As well as other peoples experiences and personal experience that affects the way we look at birth and the possibility of having children someday.

Hw 34

I think birth is something that brings people together just like death. Death is the end of a life while birth is the beginning of one. The birth of a new life is something that is celebrated. Women talk about how birth is such a wonderful experience, but what about for women when that isn't necessarily the case. I know that there are a lot of complications and things that can go wrong with births like still births or premature births. How do the moms-to-be and doctors deal with such issues? Do they emotionally prepare beforehand or expect these things to happen?

When I think of births, the traditional hospital setting comes to mind. But I wonder what are some alternative birth methods? Why do some women choose to give birth in hospitals while others choose to do it in the comfort of their own homes? What are the benefits of alternative birth methods? I want to know more about how women prepare for childbirth and the measures they go through to ensure they have a healthy and safe birth.