HW 36

I interviewed three people about their experiences with pregnancy/birth. One was a mother of three, the other an expecting mother, and the third was a father who had witnessed birth.

first interview

The mother I interviewed said birth was very traumatic, scary, and exhilarating. Especially the first child, because at first she thought she was ready, but when it actually came to the day her emotions were flaring. Her husband and her were very scared but in the end they had a healthy child via cesarean section. Their second child was the easiest and most painless. He was also a c-section and was born without complication. The third was more of a roller coaster, being born when her mother was 35, the last child was more in danger of complication and this proved to be true. The last child had to be hooked up to oxygen/incubators for reasons I didnt find out.

I feel that the general consensus is that your feelings during birth are happiness over most. Birth is beautiful and we underestimate the day of delivery.

Second

The father  says birth is scary but worth it, because when you get to hold your child and realize that it's  yours and that you helped to make it the feelings are unmatched and it's one of the happiest feelings ever. He said that no book or class can truly prepare you for that hospital room when your feelings are never stationary or certain.

A father's place in birth is often undermined and their emotions aren't often taken into consideration. It may be possible that the father is more scared than the mother, because he thinks more solidly because he doesn't have the physicality of the birth to affect his feelings.

Third

I interviewed a pregnant woman. She said that pregnancy has been weird and  different and that the emotional ups and downs are unmatched. She goes to classes and has been reading a lot of literature regarding birth. She feels prepared but knows that  while all of her preparation may help in the delivery room, she still doesn't know what to expect and is very scared but excited.

Birth is a huge deal, as is the ninth month period where the baby is in the womb. The women's emotions are crazy without hormones, so the addition of them can only make it even crazier. Pregnancy is like no other aspect of our lives, because there is a living thing inside of the women which is such a mind boggling experience.

The affect of pregnancy classes and pregnancy literature on the actual birth.

HW 35

When interviewing my peers, I chose the topic of age and  birth and at what age it was acceptable to have a child. The general consensus was that we have the right to have a child and people are too judgmental in our society. Also, out of curiosity I posed the pro-life, pro-choice question. And as expected, the vast majority were pro-choice. When I asked one girl about if society puts age restraints on birth she responded, "I think our society thrives on judgment and that we judge these people a certain way because others judge them that way." When I asked another person about the same topic he thought that there is a set age bracket and it should be that way, "I think babies should be had between the age of 25 and 35. Otherwise the child's upbringing will be affected." While it was an interesting point, he was about the only one who said that age restrictions were important and needed.


When I asked another girl if she was for abortion, she responded, "No, only because I'm adopted and every child deserves a chance at living.. and there's so many choices.. like adoption" Most of the people I interviewed were pro-choice, one was even "ridiculously pro-choice" and all used the argument that it is the women's choice what to do with her body. But talking to my friend who is adopted got me thinking that there are so many different options when considering your circumstances and the best decision. The majority of answers I got were liberal, as expected, but it was refreshing that not all of them were the same.

HW 34

Birth is an interesting topic. What I find odd about it is that we hold it up on such a high pedestal, we consider birth to be such an amazing thing, yet it happens everyday and is pretty common. The sun rises every day without fail, we take that for granted. I think birth is so miraculous because it is the act of having something that is the combination of you and your loved one. You realize that you made this thing. And you are going to raise it according to your own values. Your child becomes a part of you. The idea of a living thing living within you or your spouse is many emotions at once. You want this thing to have the best life possible and you want to educate it so that you can be proud that you’ve produced a functioning successful seed.
There are over 4000 known birth defects. But we still have this idea of a perfectly healthy baby, nothing else enters our mind. Why can’t people envision themselves as having the same all-american lifestyle with a child that is ill. When people are having a child you often hear them saying, “I don’t care what gender it is as long as it’s healthy” I believe that parents with children who have medical problems are much closer to them, and their connection is far stronger. Health is a prime concern when it comes to our children.We want this perfect lifestyle, the american dream, it involves a perfectly healthy child or two. And we have left no room for compromise.