CHILDBIRTH IN YOUR LIFE AND AROUND THE WORLD

I decided to share the experience of my niece when she gave birth to her daughter. On June 8, 2012, I had the opportunity to witness the birth of my great niece. My niece experience was exciting yet a pleasant experience. In the birth and delivery room was my mom, my niece mom, myself and my niece two aunts. I can remember like yesterday she had all of us working. She had one of us fanning her with paper, rubbing her legs and arms, and massaging her stomach everytime she feel a labor pain. The room was full of jokes and laughter while waiting on the arrival of our new edition to the family. However, the doctor came in to induce her around 8 o'clock that morning and from then on we were waiting patiently. It seem like it was taking her forever to dialate, so everytime she felt a labor pain she would do some breathing techniques to get through the pain. So the nurses came in and checked her for the last time and said she had dialate to 10 centimeters. One of the nurses called the doctor to let her know that she was ready to deliver. The baby start coming so fast, they told her to don't push but the baby was pushing her way out. All of a sudden the baby just dived out. It was so funny, the nurses didn't have to help pull her out. That lil girl was ready for this world. The doctor arrived after everything was over with. The doctor cut the umbilical cord, and cleaned up the baby so my niece could hold her. She weighed 7 lbs 3oz! What a precious jewel!!! The reason why I choice this birth experience was because she was my brothers first born and this is his first grand child as well as my first great niece and he didn't have the opportunity to see her being born. He was killed in an accident 10 years ago. This was a heartfelt moment for all of us.

Birth Traditions in Northern Ghana

When the female relatives of a woman notice she is pregnant they greet her one morning just outside her bedroom door and blow ash in her face. It is to assure a safe birth. If the pregnant woman had a difficult pregnancy then the traditional birth attendant will be called. Women often give birth just squatting down and pushing out the baby. After birth only very near relatives and very good friends can visit for 2 weeks. The visit must be short. After birth only very near relatives and very good friends can visit for 2 weeks. The visit must be short. They believe if a woman talks too much after birth it is not good for her. The new mother does not leave the room except to take care of her bodily functions. Her mother remains in the bed with her and at night. In the night after the new mother feeds the baby the grandmother takes the baby and cares for it and gets it back to sleep. Thus the new mother gets the rest she needs. The baby is not name until 3 months, however, the baby will be called a stranger until it is named. While pregnancy and childbirth tend to be joyous times for families in developed countries, both are dangerous and even fatal in developing countries. UNICEF calls the gap between maternal health care for women in rich and poor nations “the greatest health divide in the world.”
                                                                   BABY OSZY!!!