This is my granddaughter Ophelia!!! She was born at 35 1/2 weeks which caused her to be labeled as premature; but you couldn't tell once she entered into this world. Doctors were concerned that she would have underdeveloped lungs and be behind in milestones. They were prepared to take her to the NICU once she was born, standing by with all the necessary equipment. As you can see in this pic, she was screaming at the top of her lungs, immediately dispelling any fears of weak lungs. She weighed 5lbs. and 5ozs. and as she lay skin to skin with her mama she was content. Afterwards, she latched perfectly on her mama breasts which was a beautiful sight. No NICU for her. She is feisty and sassy already, I thought! I call her Doll Baby. Oh how I love her so...
This was a special birth to me because it is my first granddaughter, as I have two grandsons as well. Tyler (Ophelia's mom) had multiple hospital visits throughout the pregnancy because she started having contractions very early in the pregnancy. I prayed that God would lay His hand on Tyler and keep Ophelia in her womb until she was viable. My prayers were answered and I was so grateful to God.
I was privileged to watch the birthing experience of Ophelia and because Tyler's doula didn't show up, I was able to step in and support. My job was to hold Tyler's right leg in the birthing position and count to ten as she pushed through contractions. Tyler's mom (Colette) held her other leg. I know Tyler was tired because after a while I was tired, but I dared not show my weariness because after all, I was NOT doing the hard work. Tyler was insistent about having Ophelia naturally, so she did not have an epidural. My son, Nick, was by Tyler's head comforting her as he whispered into her ear, while Colette and I supported her as she pushed. This was the first time that I actually played a part in supporting someone through a birthing process and it was awesome!
Caribbean Childbirth
Unfortunately, giving birth in the Caribbean is not as pleasant. Women spouses or family members are not encouraged to support them from prenatal or during child birth. Fathers are denied the right to be at the start of their children lives which h is devastating. Women do not give birth in a position of their choice or even an upright position. Matter of fact, women do not deliver their own babies; a midwife or obstetrician does all of the work with some type of intervention or management to get the job done. There is no skin to skin contact and no breast milk within the hour of birth. This is mind blowing and sad!
Four midwives collaborated to start a center and movement to advocate for the Caribbean women.
Mamatoto, the Swahili word for mother & baby, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization with the overall goal of empowering women and their families to make and exercise informed choices with respect to their reproductive health. Our mission is to facilitate women to have a safe, natural childbirth experience.
Reference
Mamatoto Research and Child Center, Childbirth in the Caribbean, Blog retrieved from
http://mamatoto.net/childbirth-in-the-caribbean/
Veleda,
ReplyDeleteI just love happy endings.
Your granddaughter is beautiful, the nick name that you gave her suits her well. The wealth of support and care that Doll Baby has will have a positive impact on her development.
The Caribbean child-birthing experiences is "mind-blowing". I mean delivery can be stressful and scary. To not have your spouse or love-ones near would make the situation more terrifying. I'm excited to hear of the collaborative efforts made by the four mid-wives to inspire change.
Thanks for sharing.
Schneeka