Childbirth––In My Life and Around the World

The most wonderful experience I encountered during a birth took place two years ago. My older sister had a baby boy and I became an uncle for the first time. She called me around ten at night and she said that she would be going into labor. She was very calm. I was the person that was to drive her and I was so nervous. She had called our mother along the way to the hospital. Since she took all night, it gave our family time to gather in the lobby. It soon became a family reunion. She was in labor all night and had Jesse a little before noon the following day. During the first three hours of being born, baby Jesse got to meet three of his great grandparents, all of his grandparents, three aunts and uncles, five cousins his dad, mom and me. I felt my family got more unified from this point on as we had all not had welcomed a new addition to our lives for almost four years. Jesse was born in December since then we are all now meeting for the holidays in remembrance of his birth.   

I have several thoughts regarding birth and its impact on child development. I feel that if the baby comes into the world with welcoming arms, this will assist him or her to bond better to others, as their first reaction to others is a welcoming one. I think that from the first moments that the child id born, it reacts to its environment. Birth complications can definitely have an effect on the child’s development where in some instances cause long term handicaps.

My dad was born in the state of Guerrero, Mexico. I had the opportunity to visit this small town last year. It is 15 minutes from the coastline and is about two hours away from the closest city. Babies are born in the same conditions as my father was born in, 53 years ago. No signs of modern medicine have been introduced to this region of the state. Not one family owns a car so to transport someone to get medical checkups is not done. There are no hospitals near by so babies are born within the home. Usually the oldest woman of the home serves as the midwife. In the case of my father, it was his grandmother who assisted his mother. The families are usually composed of more than five siblings. The town is known for its agriculture and farming. Since the land needs to be worked, men are boys are valued more than girls. Men do not partake in the birthing process. When the baby is born, the father goes out to kill a pig or goat to make a feast to welcome the new addition to the family.

In comparing my experience of being apart of my sister giving birth in a hospital and that of how a child coming into the world where my father is from makes me wonder how women and their families in that area cope with the loss of an infant due to no or immediate medical attention? After so many generations, is it part of culture and a part of life?