I don't have any children of my own yet, but a birthing experience that is very close to my heart is when my nephew was born. I was in the ninth grade and I got a phone call from my dad saying that my sister was headed to the hospital to have the baby and that he was on his way to pick me up. I was extremely worried when I got this call because the ultrasounds had shown that my nephew had dwarfism, among other problems, and the doctors weren't sure if he was going to make it. We rushed to the hospital where my sister gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. Along with dwarfism, my sweet nephew had arthrogryposis, which basically means all of his joints were fused together, and he had such terrible scoliosis that it was crushing his lungs. He was immediately put on life support and we waited, longing for good news that he would make it. There was hope at four days that he would be okay, but that was taken from us the next day when we were told that it would not be possible. He was taken off life support after one week. My life changed during that sweet, yet tragic week, and I will never forget that noble baby.
I chose to learn about birthing experiences in Finland because my brother is currently living there and I enjoy learning more about the country. Currently in Finland, there is a company that is creating a machine to help with more relaxed births. Cheryl Powell explains that, "The 800-pound, motorized device can be moved from room to room to offer patients the opportunity to sit, lean, stand, squat, rock, lie sideways or apply counterpressure to the back — whatever position is most comfortable during the labor process" (Powell, 2014). The idea came from a Finnish midwife who wanted to allow mothers the opportunity to choose how to deliver their baby, in the most comfortable way for them personally. I have found that this relaxing birthing method is what is most commonly happening in Finland right now and it is obvious that midwives play an important role in Finland. I like the idea of having a midwife that cares so much about the mother's care. I feel that this relaxed birthing method is a very wise invention that could be helpful to mother's everywhere.
References
Powell, C. (2014). Finnish company delivers new birthing option to patients at Summa Akron City Hospital. Beacon Journal Medical Writer. Retrieved from
http://www.ohio.com/news/local/finnish-company-delivers-new-birthing-option-to-patients-at- summa-akron-city-hospital-1.507375
Thank you for sharing this amazing yet sad account of the birth of your nephew. According to Midwifery Today (2000), the United States provides the world's most expensive maternity care but has worse pregnancy outcomes than almost every other industrialized country. I look forward to seeing how the outcomes fair at the Ohio hospital using the Finnish birthing chair.
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Midwifery Today. (2000). The History of Midwifery and Childbirth in America: A Time Line. Retrieved from http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/timeline.asp
Thank you for sharing such a private story with us. You family sounds like they are very close. After having four children of my own I thinking the birthing chair would certainly help in the comfort of labor. After reading about birth around the world I can see in other countries the comfort of the mother is very important. In America we are so rushed to push the mom through the process that we can't take the time to enjoy the actual birth of our child.
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