Childbirth in My Life and in Africa

I chose to write about my own birthing experience because it was a very a unique experience.
When I gave birth to my 18 year old daughter, it was a very traumatic experience for me. My pregnancy was a difficult one because I was sick the entire time. I was diagnosed with something call hyperemesis which caused me to vomit daily to point of dehydration. Therefore, I spent a great deal of time in and out of the hospital and emergency room. Then, about 8 months into my pregnancy I was admitted into the hospital while attending one of my weekly check-ups. It was determined that I had developed a condition called toxemia which caused my head to hurt, my feet to swell, and my blood pressure to rise at an alarming rate. So shortly after being admitted to the hospital, I was told that I would be having an emergency C-section the next morning. As a result, my daughter was delivered at 32 weeks. She weighed 3 lbs. and 1 oz and had to stay in the hospital for 8 weeks. Leaving my baby in the hospital was one of the hardest things that I ever had to do. However, some nights I would spend the night and when I could not spend the night her father or someone else in my family would. Every morning and for every feedings her father and I would be there to feed and talk to her so that she could hear our voices and bond with us. The day she came home was the happiest day of our lives. My daughter is currently very healthy and has never had any medical problems other than her premature birth. My story is proof that premature babies can grow to be healthy and normal and have a successful life when put in a stable, loving, and supportive environment. My daughter has been successful at everything she set out to do because she has always had a lot of family support. For example, she walked and talked early, was singing songs by memory by age two, won a couple of beauty pageants at age three, and reading at age four. I can go on and on with her accomplishments to date, but I will stop here. I just wanted to reiterate that premature children can be successful depending on the severity of their condition at birth, their environment, and their support system.
　
On the other hand, in some parts of Africa, premature babies are not so successful. Many of them are born to parents who live in unhealthy and unstable conditions. Furthermore, many of them are not even born in a hospital or healthcare setting. According to the World Health Organization, 17.5 percent of births are premature with a low survival rate due to the lack of effective care (U.S. Global Health Policy, 2010). I consider myself very fortunate to have had my child in a country and hospital that has some of the best doctors who provide good, quality care. If it weren’t for the high tech equipment, machines, and doctors I know my child would not have survived. My daughter’s weight dropped to 2lbs before she eventually went up to 4lbs. Therefore, I know without have effective care she would not have survived.

 

http://globalhealth.kff.org/Daily-Reports/2010/January/05/GH-010510-Preterm-Births.aspx