HW 40 - Insights from Book - Part 3

So far in "Birth" by Tina Cassidy, Ive been reading about the postpartum period speacfically the importance breastfeeding.Cassidy after studuing the social and scientific approaches to childbirth gives her evidence about breast feeding's benefits. One of the agrument she used was the their is a bond created through breastfeeding.She claim's that theirs a closeness and intimacy of breastfeeding which strengthens the maternal affection.But it makes sense that breastfeeding would foster early post-partum maternal bond because in many ways breastfeeding is compelete domanance of the senses either through touch,mutal gazing, or the sounds .

I think more women should be made aware of the benifits of breastfeeding so they can make more informed decisons . The chapter also focused on the placenta , I thought this was somthing new and intresting because while we all marvel at the wonders of fetal development and micracle of birth, we often over look the miraculous organ which is the placenta. To think a womens body can make a organ which does so much that previously didnt exist , is simply amazing. The placenta grows from the moment of conception assist the production of hormones needed to sustain the pregnancy at around 12 weeks , It supplies the nutrients to for the baby to devolp.

The book focuses on how other cultures have come to see the placenta in a different light. And how some even have ceremonies and beliefs held about the placenta that are completely foreign to us, normal in indeed werid. For example, in some cultures it is commonplace to eat the placenta because its packed with nutrients.There are even meal like recipes for cooking placentas, including placenta stew, placenta lasagna, power drinks with blended placenta and others. Some people even eat the placenta raw. "Birth" made me think how crazy the value of a placenta is , it has played a main role in helping to nurture and bring forth a life, it truly is the Tree of Life. Like I said in my last post this book is both insighful and oddly entertaining. It really allows you to build up a sense of understanding about birth as awhole.

HW 38 - Insights from pregnancy & birth book - part 1

The beginning of "Birth" by Tina Cassidy talks about the different accounts of women's birth experiences she recevived.Which led her to writing her book. Cassidy really dives into both the labor and delivery procedures during the early decades and contrast them with today's "advanced knowledge". Then she goes on to claim that the real difficulty of the birthing process is infact the woman's pelvis.Her evidence for this was on page 16 whichs proves that by comparing a Homo Sapien's pelvis to that of a chimpanzee and Australopithecus Africanus, evolution has not favored the woman.

I found this book to be oddly entertaining and enjoyable to read. For me I found the info about the midwives really interesting ,this was due to the fact before this book I didnt know much about them. Like when they talked abouthow a midwife during the seventeenth century used odd-shaped large syringes for baptism in utero.It was a shock to hear what mothers in the much ealier decades had to go through .

It was also insightful to hear how much a role where the baby is born location wise plays.It was always my thought that culture has a major role in the birthing process. The book also discusses the Lamaze method,th tools of obstetricians, ultrasound, the trial of the postpartum period, and breastfeeding.

To me personelly as a male who one day may have children of his own was Chapter 8: A Father's Place. Its odd how in a werid way we all tend to ignore the importance of a father. Whether as a witness or advisor a father plays a crucial role to the mother and the baby, because this is when the baby's bonding with the father begins. It's a shame how we as a society and even the fathers themselves have been excluded from the process.

Comments & Comments Left

Comment For Arden H. (H for Haselmann):

While I don't have the pleasure of writing this from a beach I enjoyed your post very much.I liked how you made it personnel, I feel some of the deepest insights we can get is from are own life's sometimes.For me I loved when you said "My mother guessed that "he was trying to prepare himself, cope with the changes that were going to happen in his life." or maybe "he was just trying to comfort me in the changes I was dealing with" I think you were getting at something that in the mist of the birth topic is sometimes sorely missed. That not only is their a baby on the way, but a relationship that has created this life. It appears to me that the birth of a first child can either make or break a relationship. It's a testing time where both people like you pointed out our changing but also trying to be their for one another. It's weird how almost everybody goes into marriage knowing most likely they'll eventually be having a child but then when that day comes their all of a sudden like "ooo shit where having a baby". I thought you brought up a real interesting point at the end as well when you said " A plan was devised for M to before more parent equipped and then claim her baby." Ive been struggling with this idea is it right to bring a baby in this world if your not equipped, even if you accuse is it was a accident ? In my belief its not. I think in fact the problem is that where not problematizing the fact that more and more people are having children and not ready. More than 4 million babies are born in the United States each year, this number is both shocking and disturbing to me because out of that number almost 750,000 U.S. women age 15–19 become pregnant every year.And most teens I know are barely mature or cable a nove to handle themselves how could they handle a baby. This is not to highlight just teens , their are equal amounts of adults who shouldn't be having children. That's why I think your choice of wording "equipped" is right on the money. When and what makes someone equipped a nove to have a child ? . Giving life is a great power that no one has given or taken any responsibility for.Plato said "For neither birth, nor wealth, nor honors, can awaken in the minds of men the principles which should guide those who from their youth aspire to an honorable and excellent life, as Love awakens them." You had a real great post I cant wait to read more

Comment For Sharif:

In my opinion this is a really well written piece,you made some real strong and insightful insights. I thought your interview with you mom was quite interesting , espically when you discussed the "connection" your mom felt with with you as both a fetus and then newly born child. I think this connection with a mother and newborn is something special. It's something hard to miss,but the idea that it occurs even before actual birth is amazing. How the baby and mother are one in the same.Makes me think of a quote "I don’t know whether they should say “You have a baby” Or “The baby has you”." Nice job can't wait to read more.


Joshua ,My Brother:

What I liked about this was the dealtailed way this was wrote. Explaining about the cesections or C-sec for short that some wemon go through when they think they can't get the baby is amazing. This story really's give a person or at least me an understanding of how hard,and painful birth is. But what this story also incorparates is even through all that pain,the end results of this process is worth it. So that's why I have to say nice job.

Jennifer ,My Mom:

It's wonderful you have insight into the birthing process. However I wish you could have expounded on the mental transition that goes on during the process of being pregnant for nine months. The joy and fear, anxiety of another individual living inside of you, the miracle and the questioning of that miracle and it's effects on
the family compostion changing for partners or as a single women ,instead I felt as though I moved right through to some form of the birthing, and believe me their is a middle between giving birth that is as life changing as the finality. The mere conception of another person is created sometimes through preplanned wants or sometimes mistakes or mistiming, however once this life takes on its first ultrasound of a heartbeat the changes begin and the thought processes grows no longer as you the mother a solo entity in this world but has the new caretaker of another.

HW 36 - Pregnancy & Birth Stories

First Interview:

I had a pretty much normal pregnancy.I I was alittle scared about my first pregnancy , The whole idea of labor and delivery was all consuming, no one really gave me a clear idea how it felt because no one wanted to scare me, which made me of-course even more scared. When I found out I was pregnant , I was made aware that I was already two months pregnant. The pregnancy as a whole came as a shock my husband wasn't too happy. We weren't planning to have until a few more years. When we went for the ultrasound and found out we were having a girl , all the doubt went straight out the window.

In the months of my pregnancy I had so much labor pain. My doctor kept assuring me that everything was still the same .I was in tears for weeks. I "hated" contractions. On the day of my pregnancy my back hurt so much . I tried everything from laying down to running a warm bath. So me and my husband decided to go the hospital. After waiting for only few minutes they put me in a room , hooked me to and started counting my contraction. They also monitor the baby's heartbeat.

Oddly for me giving birth did not hurt pushing felt somewhat good actually. Nothing hurt anymore not my back, not even my stomach.It was a weird feeling of relieve.I was pushing for about an hour. My baby's head was coming out right so the doctor asked me to stop , he had to suction the baby out. It took about half an hour to get it on right.And my beautiful baby girl was born.

Second Interview:

The day of my pregnancy I had to vist my Ob/Gyn earlier in the day .He informed me that my due date was expected for the following week, I was dilated only one centimeter. As I was watching the news later that night, I felt a pain in my stomach. I got up to use the bathroom,as so as I bent down I felt an incredible pain in my stomach.Then it happened my water broke. Maybe it was the shock or that I felt I peed on myself but I started to laugh

I called my mom from her room , then she called my boyfriend who came to drive us to the hospital.
The check in at the hospital was fast but the upstairs was packed ,maybe their were too many women pregnant.I had to stay overnight in triage.

The next morning, I was able to get a room . I planned on having a natural birth. But my son never pushed down, which led me doctor to suggest a C-section. I was terrified. Lucky my son was born a healthy 6 pounds, 12 ounces .

Questions:

How many women on avg. must have C-sections ?

Are many complications during pregnancy due to how the mother took care of herself during pregnancy ?

How dose the suction extraction of the baby effect its overall growth ?

When women seek medical advise are they given alternatives to common child birth practices ?

Third Interview:

I was hoping my pregnancy with my second child would be easy.And than both the labor and delivery would be smooth.I guess this is what all parents wish for. One week from my due date I woke up having terrible cramps and back pains. I could feel my body trying to go into labor because these were the exact same feelings from my first child. I started having contractions 10 minutes apart. Later my contractions got to be around two minutes apart. My husband rushed home and it took us about a hour to get to the hospital.

During my ride to the hospital my contractions slowed down to become about five minutes apart.When we got to the hospital they were right back to being 10 minutes apart. When they checked me in the nurse told me I was about 3 centimeters dilated ,So I had to wait and walk around .When the nurse checked me again I was 5 centimeters apart. After a couple of hours my water broke.I could feel the baby pushing down out of me it was a unbearable feeling .

My nurse told me to start pushing and I would be through. My first attempt to push was extremely painful. I told them I couldn't do it and I really meant it. I want them to perform a c-section but they refused, it was to close. I started to scream in pain and then their it was a beautiful baby boy. He was 6 pounds, 13 ounces .Overall, I hated this labor compared to my first maybe I wasn't on a nove drugs.(smirks)

Personnel Thoughts:

In my interview's I saw with all these with women some kind of feelingof understanding.They seemed to all come from a place of accepting themselves through their birth experiences. Life seemed to fall into place.The first women I interviewed even went as far to say "with this birth she was given purpose". Birth allowed her to understand her own personnel deep down feelings ,feelings that seemed both mysterious and frightening.

All of these women oddly experienced a newfound freedom in relation to feelings , their bodies, andrelationships. Many felt they could move forward in life in a new direction . It seems these feelings with other experiences in birth are just components of a much larger process of bith. While generally considered powerful and profound, the particular meaning and significance of these feelings seems to be overtime fading

HW 35 - Other Peoples' Perspectives 1

Interview with Mom:

What Are Your Views On Teen Preganancy?

I feel for your generation teen pregancy does carry the same stigma it ones did .Maybe this is do to so many teens getting pregnant and media slowly but surley making it social acceptable. Its not looked at so mush as a disgrace anymore. Not to say it not terrible but when I was growing up it was the end of the world for teens who got pregant, it changed families.

If You Were a Teen Mom What Would You Do ?

If I were in those girl's shoes,Im not sure what I do.I cant say fully I rule out abortion but I would look for a alnernative like adoption because there are those couples who really want to have a child and can support it.

HW 34 - Some Initial Thoughts On Birth

When I think about birth, I immediately associate with miracle's .And their are some events which are so unlikely that their effectively impossible. In my opinion this is what makes birth so amazing because when you think about it theirs about thousand million sperm vieing for a single egg.There are so many possible things that could go wrong just in the process of having a baby. The egg has to be there at just the right time.The sperm has to makes it way into the egg. The embryo must stay planted in the uterus ,not cycled away during the woman's menstruation or in the fallopian tubes. The woman and the man must be producing the right hormones , the right cell divisions must take place in the embryo. The fetus has to stay in the womb the correct amount of time.

These odds are topped by the countless generations meeting , staying alive,until they make a exact son and a exact daughter who make up your mother and father, and of that union a thousand million children compete for fertilization, but you, only you are born.To me this is miracle in itself the ability to distill so specific a being from the chaos of improbability.

Extra Credit for Semester

Volunteering at Henry Street Nursing home was one of the best experiences for me. But at the same time it was extremely heartbreaking. It's an eye opener to see people so broken, it's hard dirty work, but a rewarding experience.You learn in only a short time being their you can't save them all but for a brief moment you can put a smile on their face.It can be some real sepressing stuff , you cant talk to t about certain stuff. You're preaty much trained before you start into what you can ask and what you cant.

I found volunteering I did alot of talking , reading , and handing things to the residents their. I think this was because many residents in nursing homes have no one to talk to so the love to talk and just have someone listen.But what I loved about these older people , and I think older people in general is they love to hear my stories to, they listen so well. Maybe in a way they live a little bit of their youth again through me.

Volunteering their I wasnt able to do anything dirty or anything that would put residents in danger.I would see some of these people being wheeled around in wheelchair's and just sit and wonder how they must of felt. I would see the staff have to touch blood, urine, feces or anything that looks dirty.It was the serious side of the situation.It would be almost surreal at one moment to see that then in the next to be sitting with them play cards or bingo .