Last year I attended
the birth of my niece, my mother was also there to support my sister and her
husband was there as well. It was a very
stressful experience for me because my sister was in labor for around 24 hours.
She was in a lot of pain and the doctor couldn't
give her the epidural until her baby was ready to be born. Her fever went up while she was giving birth
and the doctors had to give her antibiotics, which meant that her baby also had
to take them. The doctors had to keep
the baby in the ICU for observation for her first 24 hours, this really
affected my sister because she needed that time to bond with her baby. She also had complications because of the
epidural, which also had a negative effect on her emotional state.
Women in Japan traditionally give birth without any painkillers, this is related to the Buddhist perception of suffering. They are accompanied by their mother; their husband doesn't usually attend the birth, the doctor and a nurse. According to the Japanese culture, women bring shame to their family if they are loud during labor, so they are expected to be very quiet. The umbilical cord of the new born is usually kept in a box. After the birth of their child, new mothers stay at their parents' home where it is a tradition to stay in bed with the baby for 21 days.
Compared to births in the US, births in Japan don’t seem that different; however I believe that the husband should be present during the birth of his child to support his wife and to witness what should be the most memorable moment of his life. Since my sister had complications because of the epidural, I am not sure whether it is a good idea to ask for it. I think that it is important for the new mother to stay at her parents' home for a few days after giving birth, it gives her a chance to rest and bond with her child; all new mothers need that time to recover and get used to their new life routine.
Women in Japan traditionally give birth without any painkillers, this is related to the Buddhist perception of suffering. They are accompanied by their mother; their husband doesn't usually attend the birth, the doctor and a nurse. According to the Japanese culture, women bring shame to their family if they are loud during labor, so they are expected to be very quiet. The umbilical cord of the new born is usually kept in a box. After the birth of their child, new mothers stay at their parents' home where it is a tradition to stay in bed with the baby for 21 days.
Compared to births in the US, births in Japan don’t seem that different; however I believe that the husband should be present during the birth of his child to support his wife and to witness what should be the most memorable moment of his life. Since my sister had complications because of the epidural, I am not sure whether it is a good idea to ask for it. I think that it is important for the new mother to stay at her parents' home for a few days after giving birth, it gives her a chance to rest and bond with her child; all new mothers need that time to recover and get used to their new life routine.
Thank you for your thoughtful and detailed blog post, Ghayna. It is very interesting that Japanese culture links shame with loud childbirth. I wonder how the lack of verbal release affects the emotional state of the mothers in labor.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it helps to keep their breathing calm and regulated and, in turn, calms their bodies? Or perhaps it might feel stifling and isolating? It would be interesting to conduct research on the effects of sound on the emotional state of laboring women.
It was interesting reading about the birthing process in Japan. I did not know that traditionally they stay with their parents for 21 days after the birth and they keep the umbilical cord in a box. Interesting information, thanks for sharing!
DeleteI have never given birth, but I could see where staying with a parent after giving birth could help the mother bond with the baby. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteGhayna,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't imagine how much of an emotional struggle your sister went through during and after birth. It must have also been rough on you, knowing how much emotional and physical pain she was going through.
If I lived in Japan and was giving birth, I would have put my family to SHAME from being so loud without an epidural!