Some Birthing Observations

I feel at a substantial loss here. Other than my own birth, 57 years ago, I have not been present at a birthing experience. I am Canadian and our family's General Practitioner took my mother through the entire experience. As far as I know there were no financial issues which I know is the case now and there were family and neighbors to give support and aid. I was the third child and after a couple of weeks was left in the home of a practical nurse while my family went on a two- month trip to England. It seems all went without problems.

A Foreigner in Beijing

Compare the situation of close friend whose second child was born six months ago. She is from Wales, where hospital care is free.She is married to a mainland Chinese and speaks fluent Mandarin. She has lived in China for 12 years, the last eight of those in Beijing. Her first born, a daughter ,was planned and so my friend had purchased extra insurance for the year. She chose one of the best international hospitals and the 20% she had to pay up front was sizable but at that point doable. She had a foreign doctor and a private suite so her husband could stay with her during the entire procedure and after. I visited her just over 12 hours after the birth and the family was relaxed and the room full of smiles and laughter.

At that time  she did not choose the Chinese practice of staying inside and warm for the first month and keeping the baby secluded for the first four months. In fact, she was back to work after 6 weeks. She is the Principal of three Montessori Kindergarten campuses. She took her baby girl out all the time, much to the alarm of the people in the apartment complex.

Five years later, she is pregnant again. This time it is not planned and in fact, she had a high fever for three days before knowing he was coming. There was much early concern. The last blood test to ensure there was no complication came after the safe date  for abortion. She and her husband had long soulful and tearful talks about what to do. Their joint conclusion was that the making of life was out of their hands, and they would not take the action of ending what they could not make. The day after that decision was made, there was a noticeable relaxing in her demeanor.

 Now they had to make the decision of where to have the baby. They did not have insurance and so the decision had to be based on what they could afford. They chose a package from an international hospital in the city. It does not have a neonatal intensive care or blood bank in case of complications. These could be accessed in case of emergencies. Her care was in Chinese. She was satisfied with the prenatal care and the classes that she was obligated to attend. The early morning  delivery brought a few uncomfortable issues. She was reprimanded for making too much noise. She had asked not to have an epidural but was given it against her very forceful wishes and during the last stages of delivery,  was forced to lie flat on her back.This prolonged the delivery but without any damage. We have asked our Chinese colleagues about this and have come to think that this was an anomaly and not common practice.

The new baby was in the room with her and they came home after the third day.

 This family is known for its hearty laughter, inclusive love and positive attitude. Despite the somewhat difficult behavior in the birthing room, she swaddled this little boy and surrounded him with security and lovely family moments. She adhered to the one- month  confinement more this time and she feels they are all perhaps more relaxed because of it.

A Few Observations
I have a colleague who is an English speaking foreigner here and having an unplanned pregnancy. The financial issue was a bigger one for her as is the language. She has chosen a package where her doctor and the nurses  do not speak English and she must rely on a translator and more importantly on her availability. As with many expectant mothers here, she has taken responsibility for this by building a support system; consulting the internet, with its many helpful sites asking advice of many mothers.

Not having family around may be an issue in some instances but because there is a large international community here and access to  many Mommy groups, exercise classes, spas and TCM(traditional Chinese medicine) services, all pretty affordable, many opt to stay here to have their baby. In some instances, going home could mean  their mate would have to stay here for work. The website of the American-Sino OB/GYN Hospital provides a glossary of terms related to child birth in Mandarin, Pinyin(alphabetized translation of Mandarin characters) and English to help the mother in communicating.

Ayi's are widely used here. These ladies have their own ideas about babies and foreigners are cautioned to make certain their Ayi, if they choose to have one,, is familiar with and able to provide the care they want for their baby. (Ho,2008)

There is a great deal of advice offered by older women which is built in to the culture. It may be a little difficult to handle. Even Chinese mothers have told me it is difficult to know whatis the best thing to doin trying to keep everyone happy.

A Native of Beijing

Finally, I would like to look at a Beijing lady's birthing experience. Because she is a Beijing resident, all her hospital expenses are paid. She is in a room with one other person and everything happens there. After the child is born they are moved to another room where Mom and baby are together, with a cot beside the bed. It is possible for her husband to be present but it is not yet a widely accepted practice. Due to space restrictions, family members are also discouraged from being in the room. The lady I interviewed said it was nice to have a roommate to chat with about the experience but it was not restful. Her delivery was without complication so she was released the following day. 

During the prenatal experience, she sought TCM care and received her injections in an outpatient facility. These had to be paid for but the price is not formidable

It is common practice for the mother to eat the placenta here and apparently in many areas of the world. It is thought to help milk production, aid the uterus' reduction, guard against bleeding and generally to aid recovery. (American-Sino OB/GYN Hospital, Beijing, 2009)

My colleague observed the one month confinement and kept her son in for four months. She stayed in contact with her friends and her mother-in-law moved in to help and would continue after she came back to work. 

The processes that are unique to this culture, give support and parameters to the new mother and her family. My colleague studied abroad and brought back some Western ideas that were cause for discussion but in her case, compromises were reached. 

While we were talking some others joined the conversation and brought up the issue of going to Hong Kong to have your baby. The costs are much higher so would not be accessible to everyone but the advantages for the child as far as travel and position would be helpful. This of course further enforces the socioeconomic gap and may raise political issues in the future.

It is worthy of note that free medical childbirth care is only available to residents of Beijing. Even though care facilities in other places may not have the level of care that is available here it may be financial impossible for people to access this care. 

It seems to me that the birthing process is a natural phenomenon that proceeds very well with minimal necessity of intervention. The attitudes of the mom and the significant people in her life seems to be the difference in providing a welcoming and nurturing environment for this new young life where he can go about the developing he was designed to do and flourish in the process.

Sources 
American-Sino OB/GYN Hospital (Beijing), (August 4, 2009), www.havingababyinChina.com 

Beijing Today (April 8, 2011) HK eager to keep out expecting mothers. http://www.beiingtoday.com.cn

Expat Corner, (2009) Sticker Shock: The Cost of giving birth in China http://www.echinacities.com/expat-corner 

Ho, Eileen, (2008) Special Deliveries, Insider's Guide to Beijing,  www.immersionguides.com