Wow !! It has been 10yrs since I had the opportunity to experience childbirth. I am writing about my own child birthing experience because it was the moment that changed my life. I went from being a single lady to being a single mother, but I would not trade it for nothing.
My daughter was born on March 27, 2001. As I recall it was one of the most exciting, but fearful experiences of my life. I went a week and a half past my due date so my doctor decided to force my labor by using medication to induce my labor. After a few hours I began to feel contractions, and was later given an epidural. I was in labor for 16 hours, and the pain medication ran out, so I had my daughter some what natural. Holding my daughter in my arms for the first time and experiencing the miracle of birth made up for the 16 hours of labor and pain.
I thought it was fascinating to read about new mothers in the Philippines and how they practice skin-to-skin "kangaroo care." It is placing the infant in a vertical position under the parent's clothing, and the parent's body function as a human incubator. This is used to promote the survival and recovery of preterm babies. Although my daughter was a full term healthy baby, I felt a little insecure about allowing her to sleep alone in her crib so she slept on my chest or beside me during the early weeks of birth.
I think most mothers would agree that the end result (a child) makes up for all the pain and agony. I have to say, though, that it took me a while before I wanted to go through that again.
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