Reference no: EM133700685

Discussion Post: Child Birth

You learned about the birth experience of those who are largely living in Western cultures such as the United States. Our western values and individualistic society mean that many U.S. families give birth in hospital or other clinical settings, usually with the aid of only doctor's, nurses' and spouses or very close family members. However, non-western cultures do have very different birth experiences. For example, an Ifaluk woman, who lives in Micronesia on one of two tiny islands in the Pacific Ocean, gives birth in a birth house, accompanied by a midwife and her female relatives (Le, 2000). When the baby is ready to be born, the woman kneels on a mat and helps the baby out by herself. She must try not to show distress or pain, in accord with the Ifaluk value of remaining calm at all times. If there are complications, the other women will help. After the baby is born, the woman's mother helps by holding the baby and then bathes the baby in the ocean. This is just one of many examples of non-western birth experiences.

In your discussion board response, I would like you to describe in detail what the birth experience/birth ceremony/birth process/birth ritual is like in two different non-western societies (do not use the Ifaluk example in your answer). Potential issues to discuss in your description are whether this society is an individualistic or collectivistic culture, who is present before/during/after birth, and what specifically happens before/during/after birth for both the pregnant woman and the baby. How do you feel about these two birthing experiences? Would you prefer these over those offered in Western cultures?