Childbirth in Your Life and Around the World

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Childbirth in Your Life and Around the World

December 3, 1991, I was 19 years old when I gave birth to my daughter, 7lbs 2oz and 21in long. My mother told me that when I go into labor I will feel a pain that I have never felt before and I would have unbelievable energy. Earlier that day I went to the doctor, went shopping, cleaned up, and painted. I knew that I had at least another week before she would come. I was already scheduled for a Cesarean because she was breech, standing straight up and she would not turn around. Well that evening on the 3rd I went to the restroom about 6pm and I felt a pain in my back that immediately brought tears to my eyes. That was the pain that my mom told me about. I called the doctor and he told me to get to the hospital right away. Well my delivery was not easy; labor began because my daughter went into distress her cord was wrapped around her neck. During surgery I had a reaction to something that caused me to have an asthma attack and it became very hard for me to breath, my daughter was born but I did not see her until the next day because they had to give me medication to help get my breathing under control. That night was the scariest yet the best night of my life. Later on after my daughter came home I found out that the reaction was to the latex gloves used during surgery. I have a very bad latex allergy that if exposed to any form of latex it can cause me to have an asthma attack or even die.

Cesareans are used a great deal in the US to help prevent complications during birth with the mother and the baby. America has a high rate of cesarean births and this is because we have the resources to provide the care during surgery and after. In Africa they do not have a high rate of cesarean births and at times because a cesarean or c-section was not done mom dies, baby dies, or they both die, and complications may arise. Africa does not have the proper resources to help women have healthy deliveries even if a cesarean is done. I think that this is very sad and there should be a way for the women of Africa to receive healthy deliveries just as American women do.

Graduation Day June 2010