Weekly journal - Assignment Example

Experiences of Pregnancy and Childbirth Experiences of Pregnancy and Childbirth Pregnancy and childbirth has changed over a period of time. The babies are still born in the contemporary society just the same way that they were born in the past. However, several things that are associated with the pregnancy and childbirth have changed. Several aspects of pregnancy and childbirth have changed. These include the expectations of women towards childbirth, the options available for managing pain, and technology used during the pregnancy period and childbirth.

In order to understanding these experiences, an interview of a woman who has given birth in the last 5 years (Edna), as well as a woman who gave birth more than 30 years ago will be carried out (Mary).In an interview with Edna, she stated that she reasonably expected both the baby and herself to be healthy throughout the journey of pregnancy and childbirth. She stated that by the time she was pregnant and subsequently gave birth, she was confident that the process was going to be safe. However, Mary indicated that she faced the whole pregnancy period and subsequent childbirth with fear since she was aware of a mother or a baby who was reported dead during childbirth.

The whole process was uncomfortably since she was never sure of her fate (Shields, 2010). Nevertheless, she managed to go through the process safely with only minor medical issues that were later managed in the hospital. Currently, there is a great expectation that the changes in technology in regard to childbirth minimizes that the woman feared when giving birth 30 years ago. Edna stated during the interview that she was able to plan her pregnancy since this was the second child. Therefore, she was able to accord the pregnancy increased attention unlike Mary to a third child who stated that she never planned for the pregnancies and dealt with them as they came with intense fear.

Consequently, Mary explained that her childbirth took place at home where the management of pain was mainly dependent on the midlife or the family’s skills of assisting her through the process. She reiterated that she experienced so much pain that she cried more than the new born baby. Later she was moved from home to the hospital due to some minor complications she developed. On the other hand, Edna said that she gave birth in the hospital with minimal pain since there was pain reducing childbirth anesthesia that was used on her and she has never developed any complication.

Edna indicates that when she gave birth, she had known the gender of the baby and the doctors during clinics were continuously taking the heartbeats of the baby through the Doppler ultrasound (Liamputtong, 2007). This gave her more confident that the childbirth was going to be a success. On the other hand, Mary says that despite the stethoscope technology being used by the time she gave birth, she was not able to enjoy the benefit since it was never available in all hospitals and could not afford the hospitals that had it.

Therefore, she went through childbirth expecting any outcome. In a nutshell, the experience of pregnancy and childbirth has become more interesting, fun and predictable presently as opposed to 30 years ago when the mortality rates during childbirth was so high. The wisdom offered by the bible at this stage comes from Romans 8:18 stating that, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” This simply shows that women should ensure that they persevere and take good care of themselves during pregnancy and childbirth since the fruits which is the child will be sweeter and enjoyable.

ReferencesLiamputtong, P. (2007). Reproductin Childbearing and Motherhood: A Cross-Cultural Perspective. Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Shields, G. S. (2010). Pregnancy and Childbirth. Redcliffe Publishing Ltd