Child Birth in Your Life and Around the World

I remember 15 years ago I was in the delivery room with a good friend of mine.  I remember her labor progressing rather quickly.  The nurses kept coming in to check to see how much she had dilated and I remember Christy (my friend) saying she was ready to push.  The nurses told her just a few minutes let’s wait on the doctor to get here.  Christy was screaming and said he better hurry up cause this baby is coming.  Well Christy couldn’t wait any longer and the baby’s head was crowning.  She began to push and the nurses were yelling telling her to wait.  Her husband began to get upset cause he felt as if they were trying to push the baby back in (sounds crazy right, but it did seem that way).  By the time the doctor came in the nurses was holding on to the baby and the doctor came in just in time to suction the mouth and cut the cord.  This experience made me wondered what if there could have been complications like the cord around the baby’s neck.  Maybe that is why the nurse wanted her to wait.  I know that many children are born without the assistance of a doctor, but it is vital to a baby’s development that it is born in the presence of a doctor, midwife or other health care professionals in case of any complications or emergencies.

I researched births in South Africa.  I read some of the women suffered from horrific birthing experiences.  Women experience verbal and physical abuse. They were pinched, slapped, and handled roughly during labor. Nurses continuously ignored calls for help. After delivery, the mother and baby are left unattended for very long periods.  Women are discharged inappropriately.  Women sent home with no antibiotics or pain medication.  Women in labor women were refused admission, they were not even examined. Women sent home after Cesarean section with no medications, painkillers, antibiotics, etc.

Upon reading this I believe that Christy’s experience wasn’t as bad as I thought it was.   Although I felt the nurses were harsh, she and her child did receive the proper care after the birth.  When she buzzed for the nurses they were there for her.    She received meds as needed and the baby was properly cared for until her release.    The maternal mortality rate is high in South Africa and it is due to the mistreatment of women giving births.