I have two daughters, one a senior and one a sophomore in high school. Time sure does fly by. I chose to discuss their births because they were by far the two most important days in my life. I did not know what real, unconditional love was until I held my babies in my arms.
Jolie wanted to come early but my contractions would not go past being 5 minutes apart. So I ended up taking medicine to bring on contractions and the doctor broke my water to get things going. I went into the hospital at 9pm on October 24th. She was born at 4:01pm on October 25th. When I held her and looked at her I remember thinking, "Now I know why my parents acted the way they did with me!" It was out of pure love.
After the experience I had with my first daughter, I vowed it would be different with my second. I waited until my contractions were 3 minutes apart, checked into the hospital at 9:30pm, and Genvieve (pronounced jon-vee-ev) was born at 11:09, that same night, completely natural. I love my daughters more than anything or anybody in the world.
I believe that noone should take chances while being pregnant. I don't know why some mothers smoke all during pregnancy and their babies are born fine, whlie others have babies with low birth weights. Why take the chance? Eat healthy, don't smoke or drink alcohol, don't make choices to put your baby's health in jeopardy if it is possible. I know that some people don't have enough food, water, health care, etc. I wish every mother could have access to these things. I truly believe that environmental sources have an impact on unborn babies and their development while in utero and after they are born.
Birthing in Jamaica
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about birthing in the different countries. It is some of the most interesting reading I have done in a long time.
I chose Jamaica because one of my daughter's best friends was born there. Most births in Jamaica, until recently, occured in the home and were performed by midmives or nanas. There were a lot of superstition and rituals involved. This still happens in the more rural areas. The following is the article I read and the website follows at the end.
A Time to Live
Jamaican Birth Rituals
Dr. Rebecca Tortello
Contributor
Around the world and throughout history, the birth of a child has been attended by certain rituals. Today, with most children born in hospitals and prenatal and post-partum activities conforming to western medical guidelines, many birth rituals have disappeared. Their replacements include the use of incubators, catheters and the calculation of Apgar scores. An Apgar score is defined as a 'practical method of evaluating the physical condition of a newborn infant shortly after delivery.' The score itself is determined by scoring the heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, skin colour, and response to a catheter in the nostril. Each of these objective signs can receive 0, 1, or 2 points. A perfect Apgar score of 10 means an infant is in the best possible condition. An infant with an Apgar score of 0-3 needs immediate resuscitation. The Apgar score is generally done 60 seconds after the birth of the infant, and then repeated five minutes later.
Not so long ago, many Jamaican children were born at home and subject to a number of different actions, none of which included scores of any kind. Some of them were similar, however, to those found in other cultures. In Jamaica birth rituals were overseen by nanas or midwives, and varied from place to place, depending on race and class. All, however, reflected a deep sense of connection to, and respect for, the spirit world. Today, retentions are strongest in rural areas.
Preparations for Labour and Delivery
To prepare for birth, the room had to have an open bible on display. The nana would anoint the mother's belly with castor oil which would later be given to both mother and child. This is certainly more pleasant than having the mother drink a glass of water in which her mother-in-law's toe had been dipped, as is the custom in Bihar, India, or having her drink beer in which a purple onion has been boiled, as in Guatemala.
Following the birth, Jamaican nanas dressed the child's navel with nutmeg. The nana also blew smoke into the child's eyes, often from an old clay pipe which these women traditionally smoked. (In many Native American and Amerindian cultures tobacco is regarded as food for the good spirits). The nana then washed her own face with rum and sometimes she herself took a stiff drink to give her 'eyesight,' since the witnessing of each birth was said to affect her sight.
Post-Partum
Following delivery, the mother and child were often isolated for eight days, during, which time the nana took control of the house. It was considered very important to protect mother and child from spiritual harm and any physical dangers that came with childbirth. A special broom was used to sweep out the room and the sweepings were kept, perhaps to prevent others from getting hold of them. The child was marked with blue, and the scissors or knife used to cut the umbilical cord was watched carefully. Some sort of charm or 'guzu' (often a strong-smelling substance) was used to protect the child. The child was also washed in cold water that contained rum and a silver coin given by the father. The water and coin were later buried in the yard along with the afterbirth. The nana counted the knots on the umbilical cord to determine how many children the mother was destined to have.
On the tenth day, the mother and child were taken outside to receive greetings as well as presents from family members and other visitors. The child was also named on that day. This practice is believed to have come from the West African belief that until day eight, the child's fate is uncertain and its personality/soul is not fully formed. In addition, there was the possibility that the child could be a visitor from the spiritual world, and if that was the case, then he/she must not be welcomed. If the child died during this period, for example, it was believed that an evil spirit had arrived.
These rituals are similar to those practised by the earliest Jamaicans, the Tainos. Although no data exist for Jamaica during this period, in Guyana where descendants of Tainos still exist, it is interesting to note that the child is not regarded as an individual separate from his/her mother for the first five to 12 days. Both are considered polluted or ritually unclean and kept indoors to prevent contamination. The naming ceremony takes place 10-12 days following birth. If the child dies before then, it was considered not to have gained a social personality.
http://jamaica-gleaner.com/pages/history/story0079.html
