I have four girls and everyone of their births was a special experience, however I think the birth of my first child is like no other. As a first time mom every doctor appointment, hearing the heartbeat for the first time, first kick, etc. was one of the most exciting times in my life. My daughter "Krystal" was born 03 March 1983, weighing in at 8 lbs 3 oz. The excitement surrounding her birth was an unforgettable. My birthing experience went quickly and without any medical surprises. All birthing experiences impact child development. If problems arise during the pregnancy, during delivery or after delivery it could be crucial to a child's entire life development specifically during the early years.
As I researched other parts of the country, I was disturbed by the number of women that die during childbirth in Haiti, 670 women die out of 100,000 live births due to lack of health care. In the United States that number is 11. Haitian women do not have access to health care or cannot afford it. Many Haitian women cross over into the Dominican Republic illegally to give birth. As Americans, we are extremely blessed that access to health care is obtainable. The resources that are available allow birthing experiences to be a joyful experience on most occasions. The impact this has on child development is high. If women are not receiving health care during pregnancy the effects this could have on their child's development is alarming.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/americas/women-leaving-haiti-to-give-birth/2011/08/12/gIQAN9YyXJ_story.html
First let me say happy birthday to Krystal :). The situatin in Haiti is quite tragic. Besides the mothers that die during childbirth, many children are born with medical complications. Not receiving healthcare and proper nutrition during the prenatal stages can definitely have detrimental effects on both mother and child.
ReplyDeleteThe women that are in Haiti I feel sorry for them because they have to wait in that long line to get the items they need. I really felt sorry for the lady that house was crushed in the earthquake and husband died wild she was pregnancy. They do not have any food or drink and it is so dirty.
ReplyDeleteI must say after reading a serious of blogs that we are very fortunate to be having our children in America! Besides Haiti and Russica I am not sure if I would choose to have my child in another country unless I was on a military base. I did an article on childbirth in South America and besides not having the husband in the room they were relatively close to the birthing experiences we have in America. They don't call their leave materinity leave but respect the rights of women healing after birth. Likt you I have 3 children and each entrance into the world was unique and exciting as the first except for the labor pains of course.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is very disturbing with the the number of women that die during childbirth in Haiti. 670 women die out of 100,000! That is unbelievable. It really helps us to realize how fortunate we are to have health care in our countries. The United States have 11 women that die compare to 670? That is extreme.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing that information.
It's amazing how many people choose not to use the resources available to them. I'm glad you had a wonderful birthing experience :)
ReplyDeleteI feel the birthing experience is different and wonderful no matter how many times you go through it. I only have one daughter and I can remember the joy and happiness that I experienced at her birth.
ReplyDeleteYour information on childbirth in Haiti is not so different than in Africa where I learned that 1,500 women die every day from complications of pregnancy and/or childbirth. Most are women living in urban slums and in the country where medical help is not available. In addition, most medical resources are directed towards the HIV/AIDS pandemic as well as to those suffering from malaria. We are very fortunate to have resources available to almost all women in this country.