I have 2 wonderful
children and the moments they came into this world were truly special for me.
When I was pregnant with my daughter 6 years ago I did everything humanly
possible to ensure everything would go smoothly. I ate extremely healthy and
drank plenty of water, read everything about pregnancy I could get my hands on
and went to regular checkups and even found other doctors for second opinions.
I know….but first time mommies do worry. My birthday is on November 15th
and that is the day I went for a checkup. I thought my water had broken but
they took the liquid to the lab and told me to come back if the liquid
persists. I came back 2 days later and they discovered that my water had been
broken probably for a couple of days…probably a lab mistake….so…In 10 min they
had me sign the papers and a C-section it was. 30 minutes later Alexia came into
the world. I found it quite troubling that the communication between the
doctors and myself was very minimal…I had not received information on why the
C-section was chosen or what type of anesthesia would be used. I woke up and I
had had the baby without having any memory of it. I had been completely asleep
when I would have preferred to have a partial anesthesia. Alexia was born in a
state hospital with a busy well know doctor with a very good reputation in the
area. An important issue for others to know in order to understand is the fact
that birth should be free in Romania although in state hospitals you really
have to give doctors money in order to ensure proper care. When it comes to
nurses, the same thing, you need to constantly be placing money in their
pockets to make sure they are taking good care of you and your baby…although in
many cases that does not happen anyway…
My son was born 1
year ago exactly (today is his 1st Birthday). I decided I needed another
doctor that was more open to communicating with me. I also decided to give
birth in a private hospital where they would actually listen to me and give me
choices where possible. All I can say that everything went perfect. Except the
fact that Tudor came 3 weeks early…thanks goodness he was healthy and
considered full term. I was able to make the choice for them to not give the
baby formula because I wanted to breast feed. At this private hospital I was
surrounded by helpful staff that did not expect extra remuneration. I was not
stressed about anything and I was able to focus on recovery after my second
C-section and caring for my baby. I found it much easier after giving birth in
a hospital with caring doctors and nurses. I found the recovery went much
better and I adjusted to motherhood much easier. As for the babies, in my daughters
situation, I could have had major problems because of the lab mistake, they
made the call to send me home when in fact my water had been broken for a
couple of days…so health care is extremely important. In Romania it makes a
huge difference if you have your baby in a state hospital or if you can afford
a private hospital. I guess the more you pay the better care you get, which is
very sad considering how many women cannot afford a private birth.
Since C-sections are so popular in Romania (unfortunately) I wanted to look into countries that believe babies should be born in a more natural context. I decided to read about Dutch childbirth. I have heard how mothers prefer to have their babies at home in the Netherlands. The Dutch have a statistic that sets them apart from the rest of the Western world and one their women and medical system want to nurture: the highest percentage of home births. While other developed nations have turned their backs on a practice deemed old-fashioned and risky, giving birth at home with a midwife in attendance is considered the norm, with one-third of all babies born this way. Dutch home births also mean no anaesthetics. Only medical doctors can administer such drugs, so all home births in the Netherlands are done without anaesthetics. Even in hospital, women who ask to be anaesthetised are the minority. The Dutch attitude is that pregnancy is not an illness, that home births are the norm. Health insurance does not cover the full cost of a hospital birth unless there was a real medical imperative. I find it facinating that home births with no anesthesia where in Romania some doctors prefer to use a C-section so they don1t have to stick around 12 hours for the baby to come naturally. I also like the fact that the prefer to not use drugs. I have had cases where the doctor would give me very strong medicine that was great at taking the pain away, however it couldn`t have been good for the baby I was breastfeeding.
Hi Ana I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post. I think that it is really terrible that government determines the treatment of expectant mothers and that your financial status overrides the instinct to care about a person's well being. It is basically the same in the U.S. which is really sad. I am glad to hear that your babies are fine. You have really beautiful children. It's a wonderful thing being a mother.
ReplyDeleteAna, I researched on the Dutch as well and was very surprised that mid-wives, home birth and no anaesthetic are practices still being used. I would have thought with all the medical advancements society has made this would have been out dated. So…This is interesting!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteHello Ana, You have two beautiful children. I had almost the same sort of experience here in Arkansas with my now five month old daughter Anecia. I went to the Emergency Room because I felt my water broke, the nurse checked me and said that it wasn't. I told her it was and my doctor ordered a ultrasound and it was determined my water was broke and I had my baby later on that night.
Hi Ana,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, you have beautiful children! I find it so interesting to hear your stories of childbirth from Romania as I am from the United States. At this point, I have not had children of my own but reading of other experiences is definitely giving me food for thought when the time comes to have my own family! Thank you for sharing your experiences, especially from another part of our world! :)
Ashley Richards
Hi Ana,
ReplyDeleteYou have two beautiful children and knowing your frustrating regarding natural child birthing. Even though they send you home this don't always happens in a state hospital but in private hospitals also. My sister was in labor and water had broken but her doctor sent her back several times until the last time I insisted she is going to stay. Many hours later she had a normal healthy boy. It is nice to here someone else has their children outside the United States.
I had know idea that a state hospital would send you home if your water was broken. That is just crazy to me. Also that you had to basically tip doctors and nurses so that you were taken care of properly. Even with all that, I am very glad that everything turn out alright and that your second birth went more smoothly for you.
ReplyDeleteRachael