Hello! My
mother, Diane Bailey had Preeclampsia while pregnant with me. Preeclampsia is
another name for hypertension during pregnancy. If it goes untreated it can be
fatal. My mother had to stay in the hospital while pregnant with me for over 3
months. Doctors don’t know what causes preeclampsia except that its brought on possibly
due to environmental influences, genetics, obesity, nutritional factors, and
the immune system. In knowing this I decided to be healthy for my pregnancy’s
to minimize the risk of genetically acquiring Preeclampsia during pregnancy. I
was fortunate to have 4 children all girls and no Preeclampsia! J
I chose to
speak of this pregnancy because I remember my Mom saying the doctors told her
due to her Preeclampsia, she was unable to have anymore children because next
time it may take her and the baby’s life. There is no cure for Preeclampsia except
to deliver the baby immediately. Fetal complications for the baby whose mother have
preeclampsia includes, “preterm delivery, oligohydramnios (low fluid volume within
the uterus), and sub-optimal fetal growth. Maternal complications of
preeclampsia with the mother may include liver and kidney failure, bleeding and
clotting disorders, and HELLP syndrome” (MedicineNet).
In China
they believe that women in their early months of pregnancy should not do any
heavy labor, have sexual intercourse or eat shellfish or pineapple because this
can all cause miscarriages. China considers pregnancy as a hot condition and
only cold food should be eaten to balance the yin and yang. The pregnant women’s
mother is present only for the first pregnancy during labor. In China, a woman
in labor is told to keep quiet so they won’t attract evil spirits on the new
child during delivery. The father is not present during delivery although he is
expected to give the baby its first bath. Once the baby is born the women is
not to take a shower or wash her hair. They believe that after birth the women’s
skin is loose and water can enter through the holes in the skin. This can cause
both the mother and baby to catch a cold. Brushing the teeth can also cause
them to loosen and bleed. The ideal position is squatting during labor in China.
They feel this will give the child energy to come out into the world.
I was
taught not to wash your hair immediately after birth because your pores are open,
and you can catch pneumonia. In the US you have multiple choices of how to deliver
if you’re not considered a high-risk pregnancy. I also was taught that pregnant
women should not attend funerals because the dead spirit could entice your
unborn child back to their side, which is death. Fish was not forbidden for me;
it was encouraged for amino acids and omega 3’s which is good for the fetus. Woman
are not encouraged to do heavy labor in the US unless they are a high-risk pregnancy.
To eat shellfish is against my religion so in the end China and I had a lot of
similarities just worded differently. I feel that in the end all these
contributing factors have a lot to do with someone’s culture. It shapes and
forms opinions for a healthy birth and child development outcome.
Resource:
Interesting story about your mother pregnancy. I'm sorry to hear about your mother situation but it all work out in the end. Also how is it to have only daughters? Did you wish you had a son too?
ReplyDeleteYes, I sure did! As a matter of fact, my brother and I are over 10 years apart so I became an aunt at 6 years old. My brother divorced his wife and she remarried but my family and I didn't have the opportunity to see my nephews as much as we wanted to. My nephew then had two boys he could not take care of and they're the same age as my children so, I decided to take them in. I didn't want them to go to foster-care because we are family and in my opinion that's what family's for. My husband and I now have four girls and two boys. This is truly a blessing because my husband now knows what it feels like to raise boys as do I literally. I couldn't be any happier than I am today because I have 4 mini me's and my husband has 2 mini him's. 🙂
DeleteDiane,
ReplyDeleteMy sister had preeclampsia and had to be hospitalized for the last three months of her pregnancy too. As your mother, there was not a specific known cause other than genetics. Basically there was nothing she could eat or not eat for the symptoms to subside. Exercise was not an option either to help regulate her body because her uterus was also prolapsed. It is fortunate that you did not have a similar experience with your pregnancies.
I have never heard about not washing one's hair after birth for fear of phenomena. My grandmother had some traditions that she tried to pass down that were similar.
I enjoyed reading your post.
Samantha
Thank you Samantha for sharing. I would like to ask you, did your sister Diane which by the way is my mothers name (what a beautiful name that is) have anymore children after this difficult pregnancy?
DeleteHi Lewanda, I really enjoyed reading your post for this week's discussion.You really brought some insight regarding China's culture and their childbirth practices. As you stated, some of their common practices are applied in the United States, but worded in a different manner. I was also taught not to wash my hair after childbirth to prevent pneumonia. I was also told not to cook while breastfeeding. I do believe that each culture and upbringing has an impact on the child's development.
ReplyDeleteHi Gigi,
DeleteI like how even though practices have different ways of delivering the same outcome I do wonder if one way is most efficient. This would certainly be a great research study. Then, my daughters and great-nephews can use the best practice for the betterment of their children in the future.