Although
I could write about my own experience in giving birth. But nothing
was more exciting and emotional than watching my first born daughter
give birth to her first child. What I remember about this experience
was I felt as though I was not really within myself. Nothing could
have ever in a million years prepared me for this. Watching the
doctor do his job and the nurses running around, making sure that my
daughter and her new baby was okay was just so overwhelming.
My
choice for choosing the birth of my grandchild, was that I could not
begin to explain what really happen within the delivery room when on
the birthing end of such an experience. I also feel with child birth,
women should be healthy physically, and mentally to go through what
they go through at the time of giving birth. Although giving birth is
a wonderful experience, at the same time it can be a dangerous one as
well. In addition, when a mother is healthy physically and mentally
it can sometimes help the child's outcome on being healthy and
experiencing a healthy child development.
Native
American Customs of Childbirth
Historian
Ellen Holmes Pearson stated that; “In the seventeenth century,
Dutchman Adrien Van der Donck described a woman’s preparation for
childbirth among the Mohawk and Mahican Indians. Pregnant women
would “depart alone to a secluded place near a brook, or stream of
water . . . and prepare a shelter for themselves with mats and
coverings, where, provided with provisions necessary for them, they
await their delivery without the company or aid of any person. . . .
They rarely are sick from child-birth [and] suffer no inconveniences
from the same”.
Native
American Customs of Childbirth
http://teachinghistory.org/history-content/ask-a-historian/24097
What
I learned from this article was that the Mohawk and Mahican Indians
women had to be strong physically and mentally to go out and give
birth alone. Although we do hear of mothers giving birth alone today
by being put in unforeseen situations. However it was so unreal to
hear how mothers and their new born child rarely became sick from
lack of some type of medical attention. While at the same time
mothers today are at such high risk without medical attention, before
and after giving birth.
Hello Edith, I can imagine how amazing it was for you seeing your daughter going to the same experience as you did when she gave birth to her many yeas ago. I wish I have that experience one day. One of the things I like to do is respecting other people opinions and culture is not the exception. I would like to learn more about Native Americans birth, wow to choose to give birth alone, these women most be really strong and brave. Thank you for sharing that information.
ReplyDeleteEdith,
ReplyDeleteHaving three daughters, I know that one day I will experience them having their children. I get very emotional thinking about it. Nothing compares to that little baby you carried for 9 months, who kicked you when you pushed her out of your ribs. The true love, the unconditional love is not truly understood until that baby is dropped on your chest. I cannot wait for my girls to have that experience! It makes me want to have another baby just thinking about it! I will not though, my husband may die of heart failure if I did. :) What a blessing to see your daughter experience it.
The Native Woman going to do childbirth alone, looking at it from a mother’s standpoint, I would not want my daughter to do it alone! I concur that they had to be strong both mentally and physically. In most of the history, I have read about Native American's they are a very strong people, I would not expect anything less.