Child Birth and Child Development

Approximately 20 years ago, I can vividly remember the birth of my second child.  I can remember thinking ahead of time that I knew what to expect and how I would deal with the pain and labor without any problems.  Unfortunately, I was wrong.  After two hours of labor, I realized that this birth would be very different from what I was expecting.  It all began when my son’s heart rate dropped and I was forced to have an emergency caesarian section.  I was afraid and only prepared to handle a natural birth.  I was very scared and was panicking.  I was finally calmed down and prepared myself to meet my second child.  When I woke up in recovery, all I could think of was seeing my beautiful baby boy.  I remember this particular event because it stresses that life throws us many different obstacles and the outcome depends upon the way in which you set your mind.  Birth is a very important factor in child development and it is a vital factor that must occur in development. 

The area that I chose to discuss is West Africa.  The childbirth tradition is focused on the mother squatting on the ground and be surrounded by her sisters and other women relatives.  Throughout the pregnancy, woman has midwives and they receive pay only if the birth is successful.  When the child comes into contact with the earth, it is a religious belief that the child will be blessed.  Having twins is considered a blessing from the gods. 

After finding information about this culture, I realized that we have many different beliefs and we do not all feel the same.  All children within our culture are considered blessings and that too is what West Africa has in common with our culture.

Reference

Hallgreen, R. West African Childbirth Traditions. Jordemodern. 1983 Nov 96(11).  Retrieved from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.