A month before my aunts due date, I went to the
hospital and visited her, she had just given birth to my baby cousin. Once I was at the hospital I realized how exhausted and overwhelmed she
looked.
She
was able to tell me her unique birthing experience. She explained that once her
contractions subsided, she went to bed. A couple of hours later, she awakened
by a huge gush of water between her legs. Immediately my uncle called a car
service to take them to the hospital.
Once they arrived at the hospital , my aunt went to the Labor and Delivery floor on her own two feet. There, she
was examined by a nurse who was just as surprised discover that she was nine
centimeters dilated!!!! She even suggested that my aunt continue labor without
an epidural since she had already made it so far.
My aunt grabbed her wrist hard and demanded drugs.
The
relief was instant. She was so happy to be without pain.I spent the time
talking to my uncle and my parents and chatting on the telephone with friends.
Half an hour later, my aunt gave birth to a
beautiful girl named Abigail, who weighed in at a whopping nine pounds, two
ounces!
I'll never forget the day when I walked into
the room and she was holding my little love bug Abigail. The experience was one
of the most life changing and rewarding experiences of my lifeJ
Unlike the United States ,the majority of Japanese
women strive to give birth without
the use of painkillers. This relates to the Buddhist perception of suffering:
There is a belief among Japanese that labor pains act as a kind of test that a
woman must endure in preparation for the challenging role of motherhood.
Another interesting
facts, is that fathers are permitted to be present at the birth only if they
have taken prenatal classes with the mother-to-be; if a
c-section is performed, they must go to the waiting room. In general, hospital
stays in Japan tend to be longer than in the U.S.; mothers can expect a minimum
of a five-day stay for a vaginal birth and 10 days or more for a cesarean delivery.
After leaving the hospital, mother and baby often stay at the
mother's parents' home for a month or sometimes longer -- it is a cultural
tradition that women stay in bed with their baby for 21 days.
3 comments:
I enjoyed reading about your birthing experience through your cousins birth. Are you still really close with Abigail? Do you think being there when she was born made a difference in your relationship?
I personally did not see my niece and nephew until they returned home from the hospital but the minute I saw them I knew my experiences with them would be beyond words.
Your comments on Japanese birth especially the fathers having to go to prenatal classes before he can be in the room. I think this is not a bad rule because the father would be more prepared about the act itself.
This post reminds me of having my husband with me during my birth and he fainted as the baby was coming. I think that all dads should experience the birthing process at least once in their lives. It is truly and experience that you will never forget. I feel that every father should have birth classes just in case they have to do some things before medical personell is reached or can be reached.
Your aunts birth sounds like it went very quickly. With the high birth weight of your cousin I can understand the need for an epidural. I believe that the bounding of mother and child in Japan would be great. However, I am surprised at the prolonged hospital stay. In Australia they send women with a normal vaginal delivery home after birth. I appreciate you sharing all your information with us.
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