Birth

I don't have any firsthand experience with birth, and I can't ask anyone about my own birth. I chose to discuss a birth story that has been told to me many times. My coworker tried for a long time to have a baby with no success, and at age 39 she decided it was time to try in vitro fertilization. It worked, and her baby was born on Christmas Eve, but with many complications. She was first placed on bedrest three weeks before her daughter's birthday and then had to have a C-Section because her daughter was breech. Going through the struggle of trying to have a child and not being able to was difficult for her. This definitely has affected her daughter's development and their relationship. They have a very close bond and her mother is very protective of her. All the same she is a very loving, affectionate, and nurturing mother. The time, effort (and unfortunately, money) it took to have her daughter has made her more appreciative of her life- she views her daughter as a gift. Her daughter will develop with a strong maternal relationship and a family very attentive to her wellbeing. There was also a strong parent-infant bond when the child was born because it had been such a long time waiting for a child, and so to first hold her baby was a long-anticipated moment.

I was interested to learn more about the birthing practices of Finland because I have heard that they have very low infant-mortality rates and higher satisfaction among parents and families of newborns. Indeed, Callister, Lauri, and Vehvilainen-Julkunen (2000) suggest Finland's success at birthing, evidenced by parent satisfaction and a low infant-mortality rate, is due to the lack of distinction in social class (a uniform birthing procedure), advanced nurses capable of performing births, excellent (and free) prenatal care, and because technology is only used during birth when indicated by evidence and research. During childbirth in Finland, a team of nurse midwifes attends to the process with a physician's consult only when complications arise (Callister, Lauri, & Vehvilainen-Julkunen, 2000).  The woman's autonomy is respected in Finland and her freedom of choice is encouraged (Callister, Lauri, & Vehvilainen-Julkunen, 2000). Hastie (2010) notes that the aesthetic hospital environment in Finland is a great contributor to the Finnish success of childbirth.

I think the birthing process would have looked different for my coworker if she was in Finland. Her daughter's birth involved a lot of technology to monitor the baby because it was such a high risk birth. Perhaps in Finland the circumstances of this birth would have merited the use of these technologies, but even so I don't think it would have been as panicked. Though my coworker is grateful for her experience at the hospital, she describes the experience as chaotic and very stressful. I think in Finland, she would have been encouraged to be more comfortable. I also speculate that there's a greater rate of continuity of care in Finland- such that you know who you expect to deliver your baby well in advance, and you have worked with this nurse or doctor for a period of time. This can help lessen stress, in my opinion, because you have developed trust and rapport with the birthing expert. I think the birth of my coworker's daughter was highly memorable for this new mother, but I think that Finland overall has a more relaxed and effective method for delivering children.

References

Callister, Lauri, & Vehvilainen-Julkunen (2000). A description of birth in Finland. The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing, 25. Retrieved from Walden Library Databases.

Hastie, C. (2010). The birthing environment. Sustainability, Midwifery and Birth. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/download/37204809/Sustainability_Midwifery_and_Birth_Hastie_The_Birthing_Environment.pdF