I have never had a child or took part in any birth of a child. Many times my parents have discussed with me the story of my birth. Discussing the moment my mother’s water broke, to the moment I was born. I know that from the moment I was born, I had the support team of my parents, sister, and grandparents. As I grew older, my support team was the same but grew bigger as an additional sibling was born. I believe that the birth of a human impacts a child’s development. If something were to harm me at my birth, it could have impacted what type of physical, cognitive, or emotional person I am today.
As I did some research on child birth, I was amazed to know how dangerous having a child in Africa is. 1 in 16 women die as a result of pregnancy or childbirth in Africa compared to 1 in 4,000 in industrialized countries. (AMREF, 2012) The reasons that maternal death is so high in Africa is because of the lack of skilled midwives, obstructed labor, unsafe abortions, anemia, and malaria. (AMREF, 2012) In Africa up to %40 of girls give birth before they are 14. (AMREF, 2012) There is not enough trained staff available to the amount of pregnant women in Africa. It is hard for me to fathom what it must be like to be pregnant and having to travel miles by foot or bike to find a midwife who could help you deliver your baby. Many women die or lose their baby along the way. In America, many families are eager to have their child and go on regular check-ups a car ride away. In Africa, being pregnant is almost a burden but something that has to be done. This shows how a child born into a family who’s SES (location, economic status, etc) is extremely higher than an individual who is born into a family of a low SES can affect it’s development. There may be no support team, no clothes, no food, no shelter – compared to a child who has all of this and more. The children are going to grow up, each beginning their individual adventure of development at birth.
http://www.amrefusa.org/what-we-do/create-healthy-communities-/women-/
The research regarding childbirth in Africa is interesting. We are blessed in America to have access to health facilities and physicians that are well trained.
ReplyDeleteIt is really sad to hear that Africa does not have enough trained staff available for childbirth, but even sadder is the fact that these women really don't have a say so when it comes down to how many children they want to have, let alone alot of times they do not have a chance to allow their bodies to heal.
ReplyDeleteI feel so appreciative of the advantages we have here rather than in other countries.
Nice post!
Your research was very informative. I am so glad that when I gave birth I was in the hospital surrounded by professional staff.
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