A Personal Birth Experience....

I have given birth to 4 children, and have had a different experience with each one of them. Not all of them were good experiences, and i would have to say that each one was an adventure. For this assignment i think i will tell you about my last child, and how he arrived to this world.

With this child i had gone through labor 3 times before, and knew pretty much what was going to happen. I felt contractions start coming on early in the day and knew i would be having him sometime that day. I had plans to go to lunch with a family friend who had already drove 2 hours to come to my house. I didnt want to cancel the plans that we had. I called my mom, also 2 hours away, and told her that i would need her to come out because she was the one that was going to help with my other children while i was in the hospital. I got everything ready to go to lunch with the family friend, and we went out. The contractions were still very mild, but i let him know that if they began to get stronger or more regular i would have to hurry up and go. All of my labor's have been very short, this is the only one that i felt coming on so mildly. Lunch was a little uncomfortable, but not too bad. On the way back to my house the contractions began getting stronger. We arrived to my house, and my mom was already there, looking a little frazzled, but doing ok. I told our family friend goodbye, and told my mom that we would have to go soon. I called my husband at work and told him that he needed to come home as well. My husband was not yet home when i decided we needed to go ahead and head to the hospital. My step dad watched the kids so we could go. My mom became very worried that she would not be able to find the hospital, or drive me on base (it was a navy hospital) so i had to drive. It is very uncomfortable to drive when you are having contractions by the way. We got there and went in. They began monitoring me right away, and called my midwife to let her know i was there. The contractions quickly got stronger (more like what i am used to) and my husband arrived shortly after. I was given my own room and admitted. The baby was ready to come. While they were monitoring me the midwife got very worried, the baby was not doing well. His heart rate dropped every time i had a contraction. They put a monitor into the skin on his head (yes, while he was still inside) and several people were watching the monitor outside of my room. All of a sudden they all rushed in and said they had to take him out now. One of the nursed got on each side, another prepared the area for the baby, and a third physically pulled him out while i pushed the best i could. The cord was wrapped around his neck, under his arm, then around his chest. This is what was causing his heart to stop. After he was out he was doing very well. We did not have any extended stays at the hospital, and he is now a strong and playful four year old boy.

I chose to use this example because it was my last birth, and while they were all pretty dramatic, this one is one of the better experiences that i've had.

Recalling this time in my life and comparing it to infant development helps to point out that everything a child experiences in his or her life affects them in some way. As a parent i cant help but wonder if the time that he was in distress has affected him in some way. Would he have been different if his delivery went smoother, if he wasn't losing oxygen to his brain when his heart stopped those few times? I also have to wonder what could have happened if i wasn't at the hospital yet. What would have happened then? They are so many things that can affect children both positively and negatively. Everything that they experience affects them in some way.