Birthing Experience

I personally have never experienced a birth, but a year an half ago my best friend gave birth to my Godson and I missed the delivery by 20 minutes. Through our friendship, I have always done everything first and she was ask me how it was and try to figure out ways to avoid my mistakes, well this time it was my turn. The first thing she said to me was, "Keisha get your tubes tied now" lol. She proceed to tell me about all the pain she had gone through and the pushing and screaming and how she never wanted to go through it again. Which is funny since she planned on having like 6 kids. I chose this story because she is like my sister and I knew that whatever she asked me, I would get the bare ugly truth from. I think birth is just as important as early childhood because it really does set the tone for who the child will become. From all of the prenatal care to the delivery room expertise. It truly is the foundation for it all.

In West Africa the mother is surrounded by her mother and female relatives some who are midwives and is standing up squatting. Males are never present and if the baby happens to fall to the ground the baby and mother are seen as fruitfull and or fertile. The placenta and umbilical cord are buried into the earth and is thought to restore her fertility and help her womb heal. These of course are most of the traditions that occur in the more rural parts of west africa.

One of the biggest difference I read about between my experience and that of the West African woman is that they view child birth as a passage right and is a priviliage, where as for me and my best friend, if it happens it happens. Im truly in no hurry to reproduce and my best friend is rushing for number two. There really wasn't any additional insight, but rather confurmation of the characteristic multicultural and it's impact on a developing child.