Birthing Experience

                                                                           Part 1

Although I have a personal birthing experience, the one that was most life-changing to me was the one I witnessed via my cousin’s son’s birth. The reason I chose this one to write about is because there is a distinct difference between giving birth and witnessing birth. When you’re giving birth you’re in too much pain to really understand the wonder of what  you’ve done, but if you witness a birth, it is magnificent, to see a small head emerge and then expand into a full length human is nothing but a miracle.  The thing that I most remember about the birth is how although my cousin was pushing with all of her strength, the baby was having a hard time coming through the birth canal. Therefore, once his head was visible the doctors had to use prongs to assist the mom with bringing him forth into the world. Because of this the baby had scarring and was in pain; however after a while the nurse was able to calm him.   The child is now 5 years old and the scar remains.  As of now there have been no signs of whether the scarring has caused long term damage to my little cousin. And I don’t think it will but I do feel that that particular birthing experience could have been catastrophic for my cousin, had the child not been born at the time he was. If the doctor had applied a little more pressure for a little more time. We are still thanking God for letting him arrive safely and for the normal life that he has.

                                                                       Part 2

As seen in the picture, a mother in Simika( a small village in Africa), southern Malawi , childbirth is best handled if there is someone besides the mother there during the birth of a human. The differences and similarities are startling, the picture tells it all. As with my experience I dont know the direct affect this experience has had on the child's development. But the incite I have gained is; we Americans have been blessed to be able to afford to give birth to our child in a stable and controlled environment. We should take advantage of all of the privileges given us and our children. I'm sure an American  who lives here that lives  below the poverty level, will recieve the best and most effective treatment for herself and her child. Another reason to Thank God for being an American.

Picture courtesy of ; http://www.usnews.com/usnews/photography/aids/aids9.htm