I have not given birth myself. I do however, have 2 nephews that I was honored to be a part of their births. For the purposes of this blog entry, I will discuss my oldest nephew's birth. I was 16 when he was born and could not have been more excited when my brother and sister-in-law told me they were going to have a baby. The morning that my sister-in-law went into labor, we all piled into the car and drove 45 minutes to the hospital. I remember seeing a yard sale and she wanted to stop and buy a little red wagon! We all thought she was silly for wanting to stop! We got to the hospital, and they allowed me to stay in the room with them which was the thrill of my life at that time. I watched my sister-in-law show a strength I did not know was possible as the monitor showed each contraction. It seemed as if she was only in a little pain compared to the image on the screen with it's zig zag lines and numbers rising and falling. We waited and waited for his arrival. 36 hours to be exact. Then my precious nephew seemed to decide it wasn't time at all for him to come into the world. He got stuck in the birth canal. They decided the best option was to preform a c-section. My brother and sister-in-law were rushed into the operating room and in a matter of what seemed seconds to us waiting, Elijah Christian was born. He was perfect. I never thought I could love someone so completely that I had just met. My sister-in-law recovered quickly, she was up walking around that evening and after tey released her from the hospital, they came to stay at my mom's house with us for the first few days. Talk about a thrill when they needed a nap and they let me, ME, keep Elijah in my room in his bassinet while they rested. He of course was sleeping and I just stared at him! :) He and I have a special bond. He is the one who made me Aunt Rachael. He is 19 now and I am proud of who he is becoming. I love to tell him his "birth story" and try to on his birthday every year. His mom always talks about how we had time to get that little red wagon before going to the hospital!
I wasn't sure where to begin when looking at births around the world. I found an interesting article on Parenting.com. They look at different birthing traditions around the world. I was shocked at some of the things I read. For example, in Uganda, a woman is given no grace when she is struggling with morning sickness or needing rest because she is growing a human inside of her. Often times she is sent back to her mother's house until she feels stronger. A c-section is viewed as a failure by the family and community and if a woman has complications or dies during child birth it is considered her fault. Honestly, these facts made me sad for the women in Uganda. Birth in my opinion is supposed to be a beautiful, intimate affair. Without a c-section we would not have Elijah or his brother Jordan. It's not a failure in my opinion. It is a way of giving birth. Women should be honored in their becoming mothers, from conception to birth.
Here is the link to the article: http://www.parenting.com/article/birth-maternal-health
Wow, I can feel your love, joy, and excitement for your nephew, the experience, and the memories you hold so dear in regards to his birth. Thank you for sharing this special moment.
ReplyDeleteI too was shocked as well with the information I found in regards to childbirth in Haiti. As a matter of fact, I chose Haiti because that was the destination of my husband’s first mission trip. When I began sharing all that I had learned about the lack of medical support, he looked at me and said, “You have no idea how difficult life is in Haiti. Women and children would walk for 3 hours to receive the rice our mission prepared.” Of course, we were eating dinner out at a restaurant at the time of our discussion.
Hi Lynette,
ReplyDeleteThanks! I do love him a lot! :) I agree. The entire assignment made me look at what I have and challenged me to be more grateful. I have found a new prayer to add to my list. Women and children all over the world.