Child Development and Public Health

My own experience:
It was around 7 o'clock in the morning on Friday December 5, 2008. I woke up early this morning because I had an appointment in the hospital to discuss a c-section. I was full term but my little boy was still breach. I was scheduled for a c-section for Monday morning. When I woke up, I had slight cramps but I thought nothing of it. My husband and I lived in Japan and the hospital we needed to drive to was an hour away. When we got to the hospital, my cramps got stronger. I was hooked up to a monitor reading contractions. They found, I had started to go into labor. Within the next few hours, I was asked to sign several papers and the doctor decided fairly quickly that my son will be born on this day. Right before 1 o'clock pm, I was taken to a operating room and epidermal was administered. A few minutes later, the c-section started. My husband was allowed to be present in the room. At 1:35 pm, my son saw the light of day. He was taken to the side and cleaned. My husband cut the umbilical cord and brought my son over to my side for me to see. I got my own private room with a little tiny room mate. My son was allowed to stay with me during recovery.

Child Birth in China:
According to Brown (2010), there are many tradition in China that surround pregnancy in China. Be it that Chinese women read poetry or only eat certain colored foods. What I find most astonishing in the article was that "Chinese women traditionally labor in an armchair or a futon" (Brown, 2010, p.1). After birth, the women pray to their godess offering incent and meat. Chinese women also do not choose a child's name before the birth. They chose a false name after the birth to scare away evil spirits. The child is renamed when he/she is older. In fact, a child's name changed four or five times throughout their live time.

I found interesting how different childbirths can be around the world. When I think back on my own son being born, everything was very clinical. I had a support system, medical advice on what to eat and how much, and a hospital to go to to ensure a smooth childbirth. I believe that a child's development is closely connected to all aspects of pregnancy and childbirth. I believ that good nutrition is important during pregnancy and through the first years of life. When I read the article about how children are born in China and their tradition, I found that many of them seemed strange to me. I could also never imagine giving birth outside a hospital but in China homebirths are most common. I was surprised to read that a child's name changes throughout their lifes. To me, a name is a form of identity for a child and I never imagined changing my sons name, yet, I can understand why Chinese women have the tradition to protect their children from evil spirits. Reading about childbirth in China definetly opened my eyes to different traditions.

Reference

Brown, L. (2010). Childbirth tradition around the world: China. Retrieved on January 14, 2010, from

http://www.babyzone.com/pregnancy/labor_birth/birthing_traditions/article/childbirth-traditions-china