Prenatal
Amish view pregnancy and childbirth as normal biological functions of the female body, however; due to their cultural beliefs they will not seek out prenatal care until late in their pregnancy, if no problems arise. Women who are primiparous, giving birth for the first time, will generally seek prenatal care at around four months, while those who are multiparous, those who have given birth multiple times, generally seek prenatal care during the third trimester. Amish women typically do not outright reject the use of modern medical technology and practices if it can assist in the pregnancy, however; they must determine which practices coincide with their cultural and spiritual belief system. Many Amish women will seek the advice
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Nearly all furniture for the birthing center, such as: bed frames, bassinets, tables, cabinets, etc. is made from Amish craftsmen from within the community (Showalter, 2000).
Labor and childbirth are a private matter to Amish families with only the mother, father, and few midwives attending. The role of the husband is one of support and gentle aid when applicable. The husband rubs the back and shoulders of his wife, holds her hand, cools her with a hand fan, and provides words of comfort. Labor and childbirth for Amish women is very quiet and, on average, shorter when compared to the labor and childbirths of other women; this could be a testament to the strong-willed convictions of the Amish women’s cultural beliefs that aids them in this traumatic process (Showalter, 2000).
Postpartum
Post Partum care is generally short as the mother and infant are taken care of by the nurse midwife at the birthing center for 24 hours after the birth. In birthing centers, all postpartum care is administered in the patient’s room where the child was also given birth (Fisher 1996). After the child is born, the mother is always eager to begin breastfeeding. A few hours after the birth, when the mother is able, family members and close friends come bearing food and gifts for the mother and child. Gifts of natural herbal remedies and teas are also given to the mother to aid her health. The birth of children is very common in Amish communities with women bearing, on average,
Giving birth to a baby is the most amazing and miraculous experiences for parents and their loved ones. Every woman’s birth story is different and full of joy. Furthermore, the process from the moment a woman knows that she’s pregnant to being in the delivering room is very critical to both her and the newborn baby. Prenatal care is extremely important and it can impact greatly the quality of life of the baby. In this paper, the topic of giving birth will be discussed thoroughly by describing the stories of two mothers who gave birth in different decades and see how their prenatal cares are different from each other with correlation of the advancement of modern medicine between four decades.
Robin Yates’s paper, “Pregnancy and Childbirth, The 1800’s vs. Now: What to Expect When You’re Not Expecting,” was filled with many clear points on the advancement of labor and medicine since the 1800s. This essay was filled with interesting and grabbing facts; however, the structure of the essay needs more support.
Just as many other communities, men and women participate in different leisure. In main stream society, boys typically play football or baseball for fun, and girls typically play with doll and other domestic toys. Amish communities are very similar. The men tend to participate in hunting, fishing, archery, and mountain climbing. The women tend to enjoy singing and attending social events (Kraybill, Nolt, and Johnson-Weiner, 2012).
Midwifery has been practiced in several communities of the world since time immemorial. A midwife is a trained person, mostly a woman, who assists in the pregnancy, delivery and post-partum care of an infant. In most countries of the world, the act of midwifery has been neglected for more modern and westernized medical practices deemed safer. In the First nations community, midwives have always been an integral part of the health system assisting expecting women during delivery. In the mid nineteenth and twentieth century, midwifery was outlawed in many communities and reserves ‘for the sake of the health of the country’ (Parkland Memorial Hospital School of Nurse Midwifery). With the outlaw of midwifery in First nation reserves, expectant mothers were transported to hospitals and clinics in urban centers for delivery. With this came several new challenges for expectant first nations women and mothers including, ‘increased maternal newborn complications, increased postpartum depression and decreased breast-feeding rates’ (O’Neil et al., 1990, Smith, 2002 and Klein et al., 2002a. The relegation of first nations midwifery has done more harm than good because it makes the birth process more medical, has led to the inflict of new post natal diseases and has led to the neglect of the traditional and spiritual roles in child
When the time arose for the child to be born, middle and upper-class Southern ladies chose not to give birth in hospitals, which were unsanitary charitable institutions, but rather preferred to give birth within their own home, or that of a family member. Often in the case of a first child, a woman would choose to give birth in their parent’s home as it gave them round the clock access to their own mother, who could be a source for psychological advice as well as medical assistance. Southern mothers regarded the care of their pregnant daughters as a part of their sacred maternal duty and many letters survive of daughters asking their mother to be with them as their delivery drew near. One such letter comes from Laura Norwood of North Carolina to her mother; she wrote, “I cannot tell you, my dear mother, what a comfort if would be to me if you could be here at the time of my approaching event.” Likewise, women of lower classes such as slaves and the wives of yeoman farmers often gave birth in their home, with the assistance of family members, if at all possible.
This research consisted of key informants and general informants. These general informants were leaders in the community, granny midwives and African American and European American health care professionals. These general informants came from the clinics and hospitals where key informants were from. The key informants from each region were women who were either pregnant or had a baby within in a year preceding the study. (Marjorie Morgan, 1996)
For hundred of years, women have wrestled with their womanhood, bodies, and what it means to be a woman in our society. Being a woman comes with a wonderful and empowering responsibility--giving birth. What sets us aside from other countries is that the process and expectations of giving birth has changed in our society; coming from midwifery, as it has always been since the early times, to hospitals where it is now expected to give birth at. Midwifery was a common practice in delivering babies in
The Amish and the State is wrote with the intent to identify the cultural values and social organizations of the Amish order along with how the traditional values of the Amish counteracted with the modernity of the state. This book covers the most prominent aspects of the Amish order dating all the way back to their very existence during the Radical Reformation in the sixteenth century. It entitles one to see and feel the persecution the Amish order has faced since 1525. Donald Kraybill believes that the Amish order, even though some individuals view their religious practices as being extremely impractical, is a major attribute toward the freedom
According to “Human Sexuality: Diversity in Contemporary America,” women and couples planning the birth of a child have decisions to make in variety of areas: place of birth, birth attendant(s), medication, preparedness classes, circumcision, breast feeding, etc. The “childbirth market” has responded to consumer concerns, so its’ important for prospective consumers to fully understand their options. With that being said, a woman has the choice to birth her child either at a hospital or at home. There are several differences when it comes to hospital births and non-hospital births.
Prenatal care varies throughout different culture in many of ways. The video talks about few different culture like the Mayans and the US. According to the video Pregnancy and Prenatal Care Across Cultures is one of the ways the Mayan culture is different, is at around about three months the pregnant women go to visit the midwife to get check out. From that point on they visit the midwife every eight days. During the visit the midwife will use their hand to check the pregnancy and every fifteen days they will give the pregnant lady a massage to see if the baby is good and check to see if the baby is lying in a healthy position. They also go to the doctor to make sure the baby heartbeat is find.
While reading your description of the Amish culture I was fascinated of how much we can learn about business from them. For instance they are a close knit community and solve problems easily by communicating to everyone. Communicating is a huge benefit not only in business but individually. Thank you for the great insight into the Amish culture.
Prenatal care is medical care for pregnant woman and is important for a healthy pregnancy. Its key components include regular checkups and prenatal testing, eating healthfully, exercising, and beginning as soon as one knows she is pregnant.
Most Dutch women seek prenatal care around week ten or eleven for first pregnancies and slightly later for subsequent pregnancies. The majority of prenatal care is provided by a midwife Midwives are considered a primary care provider and many practice independently. If she is considered high risk, care may be provided by a general practitioner (GP) or an obstetrician. During the prenatal period many
Hearing the word midwife leaves many people thinking of unprofessional, inexperienced women who help deliver babies naturally, without the help of medication. In truth, nurse-midwives are registered nurses who have attended additional schooling for women’s health and are taught to make women feel as comfortable as possible. In the beginning, remedies were the females’ legacies, their “birthright”; these females were known as “wise-women by the people, witches of charlatans by authorities”. (Ehrenreich, 1973). “Females were wanderers, traveling from one place to another, healing the sick and wounded.” (Ehrenreich 1973). These women were among the first human healers and they were especially helpful when it came to childbearing. The midwives
Prenatal care is widely accepted as an important element in improving pregnancy outcome. (Gorrie, McKinney, Murray, 1998). Prenatal care is defined as care of a pregnant woman during the time in the maternity cycle that begins with conception and ends with the onset of labor. A medical, surgical, gynecologic, obstretic, social and family history is taken (Mosby's Medical, Nursing, and Allied Health Dictionary, 1998). It is important for a pregnant woman as well as our society to know that everything that you do has an effect on your baby. Because so many women opt not to receive the benefits of prenatal care, our society sees the ramification, which include a variety of complications primarily