1) I talked to a woman I know well enough, to ask her about her experience giving birth. She began talking about how it felt as though an alien took over her body because she was amazed by the different things her body could do. Luckily she didn’t experience morning sickness which made the process much more fun for her. She wanted a more natural birth rather than taking antibiotics and other drugs. She participated in birthing classes and I enjoyed the moment when she realized what a joy giving birth was. In her birthing class the teacher asked everyone to go around and share a time when they experienced pain, most people talked about pain they experienced from a skiing incident or sports. Then the teacher asked does that kind of pain compare to the pain of giving birth? The answer is no. The pain of being injured is because something is wrong but the pain of giving birth is natural because that’s what women’s bodies are made to do. This realization helped her to become unafraid and more accepting to the idea of having a natural birth.
When I asked her about some of the reasons she decided to have a baby she mentioned that she was married, so she had a stable relationship, she had a good career, and experience because she had obtained her masters. So she believed that having children would be the best option, and another thing she mentioned was that she didn’t want to have kids too young and she didn’t want to have them when she was too old so then was the perfect time to have children. Pregnancy provides experience because the first time around you may not be prepared and know what kind of birth you want (natural vs. unnatural), and you are more prepared for the emotional, physical, and mental changes your body experiences.
2) The next mother I interviewed also mentioned the many changes her body went through, such as weight gain and her feet began swelling. Another factor was that she was very young so all she wanted to do was have the baby and get it over with. During the time she was pregnant they didn’t have the same technology and self-help books that are provided to pregnant mothers now. She wasn’t able to do many things to prepare for the coming of the child besides deciding whether she wanted to breast feed or use formula for the child, and shopping for clothes. She enjoyed the process of giving birth because it brought about joy and pain at the same time. Joy because she was bringing a new life into this world and pain because it was pain that she had never experienced before.
When I asked her why she decided to have a baby she mentioned love. Something I noticed was that she said you have a mutual respect for someone, then you get married, and then you plan to have children. This is similar to what interviewee #1 mentioned. Although she didn’t marry before she had her child she believes that it’s something you must do. She mentioned that another reason she had a baby was because she wasn’t using birth control. This child that she had wasn’t planned but she wanted to take care of her and did everything she needed to provide for her. When she became pregnant it was no longer about herself, it was about “I have a baby growing inside of me, what I need to do to take care of this child?” She also began talking about how through raising children you are able to reflect and change some of the things you were brought up with. There were many bad times but there were also many good times because the family stuck together. When you have family they become your protectors so you care about where they are going and the impact they are making in the world.
3) The last person I interviewed about birth had very similar opinions and actions as interviewee #2. She had morning sickness for the first four months of her pregnancy and it was very challenging because there were different things happening to her body that she wasn’t used to. For her pregnancy was a very draining and strenuous process that became difficult with each child birth. She didn’t really do much to prepare for the actual birthing process besides purchasing clothes since she knew the sex of the baby before. Every pregnancy that happened wasn’t planned and it’s interesting because after the first time people would be more prepared but sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. Words can’t describe how she feels sometimes I guess it relates to the fact that she is watching her children grow up and see how they are growing as individuals based on the instruction she had given them for many years.
How do you become prepared to actually care for a baby? How do parents know what they should and should not do for the care of their child?
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
HW 35 - Other Peoples' Perspectives 1
Some of the questions I asked people having to do with birth were: If your child was mentally disabled would you care for them?, When is a baby considered alive?, Why do people put restrictions on the ages of the child’s birth parents?, and finally How would you feel if you were infertile? I noticed that all of the people I interviewed said that they would care for their child if he or she was mentally disabled. One interviewee said, “If my child was mentally ill I would still take care of the child because he or she is a part of me.” I also agree that if I were to have a mentally ill child I would still take care of them because I have no right to deny them life or my love just because they have an illness. People with mental illnesses are rejected in our society and most people are afraid of them but I think it’s because we never take the time to understand them.
I noticed that most people said they would be very sad if they were infertile but they would try to adopt children. I also agree because I do plan to have children one day and if I can’t have any children of my own I would like to care for some children that can’t find a good home. I continued a discussion with one of my friends after we discussed why people put age limits on childbirth. Age limits are placed because in some ways we want to protect the welfare of the child. If the child is too young we believe they may not be able to support the child because they didn’t continue their education and if the parent is too old we may not believe they will love long enough to see their child age.
Another issue that I received many different responses from was when is a baby considered alive? One of the people I interviewed said, “I believe a baby is considered alive when you can hear the heartbeat.” And two of my friends also agreed on the fact and believe that a baby is alive once it’s formed in the womb. As my friend said, “How can something grow if it’s not alive?” So this is the same with a child, a child must be alive in the beginning while it’s a fetus, and grow into a fully developed baby. It seems like with birth we pray that our child is not one of the children that end up with a mental disorder or some other birth defect.
I noticed that most people said they would be very sad if they were infertile but they would try to adopt children. I also agree because I do plan to have children one day and if I can’t have any children of my own I would like to care for some children that can’t find a good home. I continued a discussion with one of my friends after we discussed why people put age limits on childbirth. Age limits are placed because in some ways we want to protect the welfare of the child. If the child is too young we believe they may not be able to support the child because they didn’t continue their education and if the parent is too old we may not believe they will love long enough to see their child age.
Another issue that I received many different responses from was when is a baby considered alive? One of the people I interviewed said, “I believe a baby is considered alive when you can hear the heartbeat.” And two of my friends also agreed on the fact and believe that a baby is alive once it’s formed in the womb. As my friend said, “How can something grow if it’s not alive?” So this is the same with a child, a child must be alive in the beginning while it’s a fetus, and grow into a fully developed baby. It seems like with birth we pray that our child is not one of the children that end up with a mental disorder or some other birth defect.
Monday, February 14, 2011
HW #34
When I think of birth I think of the existentialist point of view which is the idea that “existence precedes essence”. This means that when we are born that’s all that happens we have no ideas about who we are but another idea exists that “essence precedes existence.” Personally I do believe that we are all born with a special talent that only we can do and we can use our gifts and talents to benefit those less fortunate in our society. When a baby is born we may not see them coming out of the womb playing an instrument or taking a liking to a sport but as they get older they may discover their likes and dislikes and this may help to figure out their talents.
Something else I wonder about are the stages of life for a baby. When does life begin? I believe birth starts at the moment of conception when the sperm fertilizes the egg because in 9 months a child will be formed. I would also like to learn some statistics about miscarriages because someone in my family lost a child. I can imagine some of the pain women go through when they are pregnant but I can’t imagine the emotional state they are in with all these changes happening to their bodies. How would it feel to be pregnant? I would imagine that I would be irritable because I have noticed that pregnant women walk bent over because of their stomachs and it is very difficult for them to stand for very long. I am looking to learning more about the process of birth from different cultures.
Something else I wonder about are the stages of life for a baby. When does life begin? I believe birth starts at the moment of conception when the sperm fertilizes the egg because in 9 months a child will be formed. I would also like to learn some statistics about miscarriages because someone in my family lost a child. I can imagine some of the pain women go through when they are pregnant but I can’t imagine the emotional state they are in with all these changes happening to their bodies. How would it feel to be pregnant? I would imagine that I would be irritable because I have noticed that pregnant women walk bent over because of their stomachs and it is very difficult for them to stand for very long. I am looking to learning more about the process of birth from different cultures.
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