Birthing Experiences in the United States, Africa and Papua New Guinea

Sharing my own birthing experiences I always believed was odd in that why would anyone want to hear painful gory accounts of delivery. I never thought sharing them would interest anyone but me and possibly my child, someday. I hesitate to share details in an effort to not bore you but at the same time I will share because I was asked and it is part of who I am.
I have seven children so who do I pick? The last two were birthing experiences of my heart as they were adopted. I suppose I will share my first birth experience because it came as uncharted territory. It was the unknown. The ones that followed had the advantage of hindsight.
I was 25 when my first child was born. I was living in a small, lovely apartment in North Carolina. I had no support system as I was far from home. I was driven to the hospital by the apartment manager, Tut. He had a gold tooth that was right in front. It was what we call a grill. I suppose he knew something was in style before its time. I knew he was nervous driving a pregnant woman to the hospital.
I had a great nurse. It was the same nurse that was my Lamaze teacher. Her name was Donna Barasich. She had a beautiful smile and energy. I felt so comforted by her presence. The hospital was beautiful. Wesley Long Hospital in Greensboro, NC. I did all the things you were supposed to do. I had a great pregnancy.I was married.  I was healthy. I no health issues. Labor was long. It was hard and it was NOT fun. The only comfort came from Donna and she stayed with me long after her shift was over.My husband was nervous and didn't really know how to support me. It was uncharted territory for him as well.  My mom was there now. She was outside waiting. All day.
At 8:58 pm. I had my first baby. MaryGrace. It was so hard I really can't remember how she arrived. I know it was naturally and with great effort. She was not wanting to come to the real world I suppose. She was healthy and beautiful. I went home the next morning due to insurance restrictions. I wanted to stay for a long time and just stare at her. I managed fine at home but was very nervous. I remember a nurse coming to visit soon after the birth. I of course forgot the pain soon after because I went on to have more children! My life's greatest treasures!

BIRTH IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA
I happen to work with a woman who has a dear friend that lives in Papua New Guinea. I used this as an opportunity to ask her about birthing experiences. She chose not to deliver her twins in PNG due to the lack of health care and good medical services. PNG has the highest maternal mortality rate. The hospitals are overcrowded and understaffed. She personally knows of infant deaths and maternal deaths.  Many women die in the villages or on paths along the way to aid posts.  Breech births, infections,  or relatively routine complications are often fatal for women and newborns.  The men will try to get them to a hospital and they suffer for hours on a litter carried through the jungle, but often it is too late. She attached a photograph that depicts a woman on a cold, hard, dirty floor birthing a baby with NOTHING under her. Blood is everywhere. She is in a very crowded position. There is a man crouched next to her, halfheartedly helping her. There is nothing to take care of the baby. There are no instruments. There is no warm blanket. There is nothing to clean off the blood. 

BIRTH IN ZIMBABWE
I have had the honor to be a second mom to a wonderful young man from Zimbabwe. He came to the United States to go to college. His sister is a nurse. He was able to get information from her regarding birth experiences in his country. There are mostly hospital deliveries. Home deliveries do occur but are accidental and mostly conducted by unskilled people. Looking at the income per capita, it is rather expensive to deliver in a hospital. On average hospitals charge $80.00 for normal deliveries and $250.00 for c-sections. That is the charge at a government hospital. In United Bulawayo Hospital there are 400 births each month. There are on average about 15 mothers admitted to the hospital after delivering at home.  Mother's in Zimbabwe prefer natural births but since resources are scarce medical personnel prefer c-section. Assisted vaginal deliveries are conducted but rarely due to limited resources. 
Quality care is very limited. Patients sometime supply their own medicine. If the mother isn't employed they "make a plan"as they refer to it in Zimbabwe.  They somehow find a way to pay. Nothing is free in Zimbabwe except in very rural areas in government hospitals. It is a fact that rural areas are poorer but Zimbabwe in general is poor. 


There really is no comparison to my birth experience(s) and those of the countries that I profiled. I consider myself blessed and somewhat spoiled to have delivered in clean almost spa like atmospheres. This is my normal. To consider what these women go through from conception to birth is somewhat horrific. The stress on the women. Then after birth hoping that your child will survive infection or disease. I am humbled and sad at the same time. How can we change this huge inequity?