What I’ve written so far — I just cannot pull it together, I’ve tried for several days:
Culture Impacts the Experience of
Childbirth
Childbirth in the Western culture
of the United States is generally enshrined as a hallmark moment. Where both of
the expecting parents are portrayed as being filled with happiness as the
anticipation for the birth of their child approaches. Also, their extended
family members are filled with joyful anticipation as they will be grandparents,
aunts, and uncles soon. These depictions of the childbirth experience have been
cast for decades via television and in other forms of media in the United
States. Yet, all cultures must figure out how to integrate and perform
childbirth into their societies, and it can be significantly different than
what we in America are familiar with. In the book titled “Monique and the Mango
Rains”, the author, Kris Holloway seamlessly illustrates through her
narratives, how the culture of the village of Namposella, is harmful to the
women of Mali. The universal biological
processes of pregnancy and childbirth vary differently across many cultures and
healthcare systems, depicted by the contrasting experiences during pregnancy
and childbirth in Namposella, Mali, and the United States by the author Kris
Holloway.
The pregnancy and childbirth
experiences in the rural village of Namposella, Mali are archaic at best, with
a bit of Western medicine thrown in. In Mali, their sole “skilled” provider, their
midwife, Monique, had a sixth-grade education and several months of medical
training. She was their sole somewhat skilled practitioner who was birthing all
of the babies in their village. The location where these women had no choice
but to give birth was in what they referred to as “…the birthing house”,
(Holloway, 2007, p.9). Inside the birthing house, no formal labor room nor a
hospital bed existed, instead, there was “jutting from the left wall and
dominating the birthing room was an immense concrete block that served as a
delivery table”, (Holloway, 2007, p.6).
The poor conditions of the interior of the birthing house were that it had
a dirt floor and was a hot and enclosed place, with “…the smell of flesh, body
fluids, and leftover food”, (Holloway, 2007, p.6). This place where lives were brought
into the world, was an area where seemingly bacteria and infection were
prevalent and always existed along with the process of childbirth. The
equipment that Monique had to assist with childirth was kept in a dented trunk.
(This is where I got confused as to how to do Block Style) I wanted to add her tools of the trade that Monique had, which was a plastic tub leaning on the side of a dented trunk in order tto cath the afterbirth (I needed to re-word this as it is too close to what the author of the book wrote) she also had some vials of medicine (nothing specific was mentioned throughout the book ) as well as syringes that she just pulled out of the trunk and administered “a shot” to the 17 year old woman Kadjouti because she was properly dialated and ready to give birth. The shot sped up Kadjouti’s contractions and her labor. Monique spoke to her with a mellow, tone and at times in long words (again described in the book)
The rest of this information below is what I used to attempt to pull together a quick first draft for peer review. The peer review from the other students are not very good.
Before
assisting the expectant mother with giving birth, Monique did step outside and with
a hot teapot of water and some soap, with “…a minute of splashing and she
returned, shaking her hands dry” (Holloway, 2007, p.7), to wash her hands in an
attempt to ensure the cleanliness of them. There were no Western medical methods
of sterility or sanitation, nor the use of any tools of the trade such as
rubber gloves.
Holloway
described how difficult it was for these women, having to go through painful
contractions and the process of labor.
For
example, Monique would give the delivering mothers a shot to speed up the
birthing process.
They Monique, with them while she coached each expectant mother through
the difficult delivery of their child.
The
expecting mother seemingly goes through labor and contractions a bit easier
with Monique’s help and support. Although there are many challenges of
childbirth in Mali, there are beneficial aspects as well.
Unfortunately,
there are more challenges and drawbacks of giving birth in Mali than benefits.
Several
challenges are limited access to an appropriate amount of food, skilled medical
care, a lack of healthcare infrastructure, inaccessibility to much-needed
medical supplies and equipment, and high maternal and infant mortality rates.
A
significant risk factor that increases drawbacks during pregnancy and
childbirth is that the women in Namposella, Mali are malnourished.
Culture
— After pregnancy and immediately after childbirth, they still were expected
to perform all aspects of caring for their large families without any time to
rest, and with no assistance from the males in their village.
The
benefits of
childbirth for the women in the village of Namposselli were that they had
Monique and each other.
Monique’s
use of a few aspects of Western medicine
kept most childbirths from becoming fatal.
Another
benefit of childbirth in Mali is the impact that the author had on the women in
their village. Holloway obtained money from the USAID, an American government
agency, to help pay for the much-needed repair of the birthing house.
The
stark differences surrounding childbirth in the United States with the accounts
from Holloway about giving birth in Mali are eye-opening and thought-provoking.
Childbirth experiences in the United States and Mali, West Africa, differ
significantly because of variations in cultural norms, healthcare systems,
access to resources, and socio-economic factors. The comparison and contrast
between childbirth vary greatly.
In
the United States, typically childbirth occurs within a well-developed healthcare
system, with access to Western medicine technologies and skilled healthcare
professionals. In the culture of the US, women have many options as to where
and how they want to give birth.
It
can be done in hospitals, birthing centers, or at home with the assistance of
certified nurse-midwives. Whereas the women in Nempossali do not have modern
medicine technologies, hospitals, or skilled professionals.
They
have no choice as to where and how they want to give birth.
The
only place they have in Nempossali is the dilapidated birthing house or during
the rains in the huts where they live.
Monique,
a midwife, who only attended a few months of training, is the only person who
assists the women of this village through childbirth.
With
prenatal care, in the US pregnant women often receive regular thorough
examination and review throughout the entire pregnancy.
The
pregnant women in Mali, do not have access to any of this. The lack of food and prenatal care made
pregnancy life-threatening and difficult for these women in Mali. Holloway
describes the appearance of many of the pregnant women in the village as very
thin and often bony as they did not have enough nutritious foods to bolster
themselves, or their unborn children.
Many
factors such as poverty, cultural norms, and inadequate healthcare systems
greatly contributed to disparities in maternal health outcomes in Mali; which led
to high rates of mortality for both the mother and child. The differences
between childbirth in these two countries are significant. (Note to myself: another
source).
In conclusion, “Monique and the
Mango Rains”, (Holloway, 2007), demonstrates how health and culture are
intertwined with childbirth. It highlights how each childbirth experience that
the author has given us insight into, exposes the realities of this process for
other women around the world. It provides an insider’s viewpoint on how differences
in cultural practices, lack of a healthcare system, and socioeconomic factors,
Holloway
explicitly reveals how health, based on differences in cultural practices,
using Mali for context can be oppressive and very dangerous to women.
The
knowledge acquired about the process of childbirth outside of the United States
and ourselves is valuable. It brings into light the specific differences that
occur cross-culturally not only in America but also around the world. Holloway’s
book also highlights the biological aspects of childbirth between different
cultures, demonstrating that each woman, no matter where they live, being pregnant
and giving birth feels almost the same.
The
biological differences of pregnancy and childbirth for women are few. It’s when
culture impacts biology and biology impacts culture that pregnancy and
childbirth feel differently for women.
References
Holloway, K. (2007). Monique and the mango
rains: Two years with a midwife in Mali. Waveland.