Personal birthing experience

I have not gone through the birthing experience myself—my husband married me after the death of his 1st wife. From my husband's side, I have two grandsons and three granddaughters. For this assignment, I will go through the birthing experience of my sister, Fariha. I may miss some details because I have not gone through it myself.

Fariha lived in a joint family system with her mother-in-law at the time of the birth of her first child. The news of 1st pregnancy was a cool breeze for everyone in the family. Fariha gave birth to her child in Aga Khan Hospital of Karachi, Pakistan which may surpass many US and European hospitals in professional expertise and care. I will tell you the rest of the story in the words of Fariha.

“When I missed my period, I suspected pregnancy. This was a planned pregnancy, and I was expecting it. I went to the doctor; she did a urine test and confirmed pregnancy. The doctor recommended a scan test at Week 6 and recommended Adnan’s (her husband) blood group to be checked to. The doctor also recommended multivitamins. My mother in law was very excited at this news. She started to prepare rich food for me.

The major issue was nausea, I started having it at week 5, and it stayed till the first trimester. I did not have any other issue. My vitamin D level was low, so the doctor recommended supplements for this and asked to take a sunbath. During the first trimester, I could not work at all. I spent almost all day in bed and near the bathroom.

I started feeling the movement of the child in the 4th month and leg kicks in the 5th and 6th month.

The most challenging time was the time of delivery. I was scared about this since the time of conception, but as the delivery date came nearer, I became more worried. I used to think and worry about how the baby will come out. My husband accompanied me all the time and tried to console. The day finally came. I had long labor of 15 hours. At one time, the doctor gave up and decided she will do surgery if the baby does not come out in 3o minutes. I was very tense, and I cried. I almost gave up, but then it finally happened through normal delivery.

My mother in law was very excited and happy to see the baby. She gifted me her family bangles of gold because it was a family tradition in my in-law's family. She also took good care of the baby for the 1st few weeks.”

The story from Fariha ends here. Since I have not myself went through this experience, I studied these delivery phenomena. I found the following series of pictures from Berger’s book, “The Developing person..." relevant and interesting:

I also found that active labor spreads over 14 hours. It may be double in some cases and a half during second and third birth. The doctor defines an active labor period as beginning with regular contractions which pushes fetus out of the uterus, passing through Cervix and the active labor period ends when the fetus head passes through the vagina as shown in the above image.

All efforts should be made to have a positive birth experience. This positive experience will help in the child development process.

Birthing experience in Rural Pakistan.

My sister Fariha belongs to the privileged class. She gave birth in the best hospital of Pakistan. This Aga Khan hospital where she gave birth may be compared with best European and American hospitals in expertise, facilities, and care. But this is not accessible to common Pakistanis living in urban areas, not to speak of those living in rural areas.

Homebirth is a common practice in Pakistan. This results in the tragic deaths of both child and mother. Pakistan’s pregnancy-related mortality ratio is one of the highest in South Asia. Some 178 women die of pregnancy-related causes per 100,000 live births as compared to 12 in developed countries. 

Cultural norms restrict women’s movements outside their home. Culture also limits their ability to make independent decisions about their health care. Hospitals with trained doctors exist only in big cities. Remote areas are covered by mid-wives often untrained. A male doctor cannot attend a pregnant woman. The doctors and hospital staff are considered untrustworthy in this culture.

Only slightly more than 50% of women, giving birth in Pakistan, are attended by skilled health personnel. The percentage drops to about 20% in rural areas. So-called unskilled midwives handle the rest of the pregnant women.

Here I will share the experience of my maid who met a tragedy while giving birth to a baby. Asma is the name of the maid. She went to the parents of her husband who lived in the remote village of Sindh, Pakistan. There was only one mid-wife in that area. These mid-wives of remote regions do not give much importance to sanitation. When Asma went for her checkup, the mid-wife was already checking an elderly lady who had fever for several days. When the mid-wife called Asma for her checkup, she did not care to wash her hands. After a few days, Asma felt unwell; she had high temperature and shivered. There was no hospital nearby. Asma’s mother-in-law gave her some herbal medicine, she got better, but she was losing the weight. She became weaker and weaker; she was worried about her first baby. She wanted to go to the city, consult the doctor, and get the ultrasound done for knowing the condition of the baby inside her belly. But her mother in law stopped her. She became weak and was hardly able to walk. One day while doing household work, she moved a heavy cupboard, she immediately felt a cramp in her stomach, and bleeding started, she got fainted. This all resulted in the loss of her first baby.

Let me say that birthing experience in rural Pakistan mostly results in fatalities of children & mother, disabilities of child and mental trauma of surviving mother.