My son’s birth:
It was August 13, 1992 (2:00 am). I was experiencing seriously painful contractions, but afraid to wake anyone up to take me to the hospital. I had already been to the hospital twice that week and was sent back home. I was living at home with my parents and younger sister and did not want to bother anyone. As the contractions got closer together and the pain intensified, I waited for someone in the house to wake up for work.
Finally, my mom woke up, and I cried to her about the pain, and that I had a feeling that something was wrong. My dad took me to the hospital. They took me to labor and delivery. There they hooked me up to fetal monitors (8:30 am). I listened to my son’s heartbeat as the nurses were a blur around me.
They broke my water and waited for me to dilate. The pain of the contractions intensified. The sense of something being wrong increased. Suddenly, my son’s fetal monitor alerted that something was wrong. He was in fetal distress. I began to cry. No one would talk to me and explain what was going on. My mom arrived and explained what was going on, and then I was wheeled into surgery. My son was born at 10:30 am
I woke up in recovery. My mom explained that my son had been in fetal distress. He had the umbilical cord wrapped around his knee, and a bowel movement lodged in the back of his throat. When he was taken out of me, his heart had stopped. They unwrapped the umbilical cord from his leg and cleared his throat. His heart started beating again.
I was relieved to hear that my son was ok. I was terrified to touch him, for fear that I would cause him injury. I was on a lot of medication and did not feel in control of my self. It was not until 10:30 pm that I would hold my son and feel in control of my body again.
Giving Birth in Germany
Giving birth in Germany, you have the choice of at home, birthing center, or hospital. When giving birth at home or a birthing center, you are assisted only by a midwife. When giving birth at a hospital, you are tended to by a midwife with a doctor supervising the actual delivery.
Pain medications are very limited, and must be discussed prior to delivery. At home, you are usually limited to homeopathic forms of pain control. In birthing centers, sometimes oral medications are available. In the hospitals, epidurals are available.
I also gave birth to a child in Germany. Midwives attended to me until they took me into surgery for a cesarean section. My medications for before, during, and after delivery were determined prior to going to the hospital. A midwife came to my house after we were released from the hospital for aftercare for several weeks.
I believe the midwives kept me calmer and aided in my comfort in beneficial ways. However, I believe my cesarean section played a larger roll in the experience I had. I do feel that having a home birth would be beneficial for baby and mother.
It was August 13, 1992 (2:00 am). I was experiencing seriously painful contractions, but afraid to wake anyone up to take me to the hospital. I had already been to the hospital twice that week and was sent back home. I was living at home with my parents and younger sister and did not want to bother anyone. As the contractions got closer together and the pain intensified, I waited for someone in the house to wake up for work.
Finally, my mom woke up, and I cried to her about the pain, and that I had a feeling that something was wrong. My dad took me to the hospital. They took me to labor and delivery. There they hooked me up to fetal monitors (8:30 am). I listened to my son’s heartbeat as the nurses were a blur around me.
They broke my water and waited for me to dilate. The pain of the contractions intensified. The sense of something being wrong increased. Suddenly, my son’s fetal monitor alerted that something was wrong. He was in fetal distress. I began to cry. No one would talk to me and explain what was going on. My mom arrived and explained what was going on, and then I was wheeled into surgery. My son was born at 10:30 am
I woke up in recovery. My mom explained that my son had been in fetal distress. He had the umbilical cord wrapped around his knee, and a bowel movement lodged in the back of his throat. When he was taken out of me, his heart had stopped. They unwrapped the umbilical cord from his leg and cleared his throat. His heart started beating again.
I was relieved to hear that my son was ok. I was terrified to touch him, for fear that I would cause him injury. I was on a lot of medication and did not feel in control of my self. It was not until 10:30 pm that I would hold my son and feel in control of my body again.
Giving Birth in Germany
Giving birth in Germany, you have the choice of at home, birthing center, or hospital. When giving birth at home or a birthing center, you are assisted only by a midwife. When giving birth at a hospital, you are tended to by a midwife with a doctor supervising the actual delivery.
Pain medications are very limited, and must be discussed prior to delivery. At home, you are usually limited to homeopathic forms of pain control. In birthing centers, sometimes oral medications are available. In the hospitals, epidurals are available.
I also gave birth to a child in Germany. Midwives attended to me until they took me into surgery for a cesarean section. My medications for before, during, and after delivery were determined prior to going to the hospital. A midwife came to my house after we were released from the hospital for aftercare for several weeks.
I believe the midwives kept me calmer and aided in my comfort in beneficial ways. However, I believe my cesarean section played a larger roll in the experience I had. I do feel that having a home birth would be beneficial for baby and mother.
Hi Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post, I admire your strength in dealing with the birth of your son and the complications that arose. I believe that Germany's practice of sending home midwives for several weeks after a birth is something that I could see being beneficial to moms in the U.S. The extra help would also help new parents transition.