The Arrival of Lily and Madisyn: A birth in the US and in Germany

As I read the assignment for Childbirth around the world, I had to chuckle a little bit. This assignment just fit my world very well. I just wish that I could unbury my daughter's baby books, as they are in storage at the moment. I had the wonderful opportunity to have my first daughter here in the United States and my second daughter in a small hospital in Germany. Two completely different experiences, but two beautiful amazing girls.

Lily:
My older daughter Lily just turned 12 a few days ago, so her birth has been on my mind the last week. As she grows and changes each year, I always reminisce about her birth. I was 22 years old and living with my boyfriend (at the time) when I found out I was pregnant. I went to all my prenatal appointments by myself, except for my ultrasound. Prenatal care was standard with u/s at 20 weeks to make sure everything was developing normally. When it came time for Lily to arrive, my water broke, but I was not having concractions, so I was set up with a pitosin drip to get labor moving. I originally did not want an epidural or any other drug. I wanted to have her "au-natural". But pitosin is not fun, so once it started working, I asked for some stadol to help me relax. It helped me relax so well that I went from 3 cm dilated to 9.5 cm in about 30 minutes. And then, an hour later, Lily was born. I am very grateful that I did take those Lamaze classes, as it really does work. But her birth was the typical, laying on your back, IV, episiotomy, standard birth. My actual labor was only about 2 hours long. The hospital encouraged the babies to stay with the  mothers in the room and to breast feed, both of which I insisted on doing. Being a mom was something I knew that I would be good at. And here we are, 12 years later, and I have a beautiful, stubborn, blonde-haired, blue-eyed young lady who I hope will choose to be something great.

Over the next few months, my boyfriend and I got married then moved to Germany for the Air Force.

Madisyn:
As we were settling into our new home I found out that I was pregnant with my second child, Madisyn. We were stationed at a little tiny base in the middle of the Germany countryside. The closest "American" hospital was an hour away. Since my first labor was so quick, I had to make the choice to either drive the hour when in labor and possibly have my child on the road, OR use the German medical system and have my child in a German hospital. I did NOT want to have my baby in the car, so I opted to jump into the German culture for this pregnancy. It was a completely different experience than the first.

In Germany, the mother receives a book that she takes with her to every prenatal visit and then to the hospital with her so that her medical history is in one place for the person who is delivering the baby to know. I was given an ultrasound at every visit until I was approximately 26 weeks, so that we could "see" the baby developing correctly. At 30 weeks gestation, I had the standard glucose test. Also at this time, I began the fetal heart beat monitoring prior to each visit. Each doctors visit began with me being put on a fetal heart machine to monitor the baby's heartrate and movements. At 36 weeks, Madisyn was still head-up or in a breech position, so my doctor gave me some at home ideas to get her to turn (and they worked) so I would hopefully NOT need a C-Section. As I neared my due date and Madisyn was still not ready to be born, the doctor had me take a medicine to help my cervix soften which would also help labor to begin.

At the hospital, epidurals and other drugs were not recommended. They encouraged natural labor. A mid-wife actually does all the work with the OB just being there only if complications arose. You had many choices of positions to make labor easier and more comfortable. They also had a bathtub for a water birth, if you so chose. They also had the ropes and the birthing balls available to help you get through actual labor. My water broke at midnight and concractions were already started. I went to the closest German hospital where I had a mid-wife who spoke no English and I spoke very little German. A wonderful and kind ER doctor came to help translate for me (I was very thankful to him for this and was also glad that this was not my first child!) Four hours later, Madisyn joined the world with no drugs and no episiotomy needed.

After birth, in Germany, a mother is encouraged to get her rest. They still encourage breast feeding, but they want you to sleep and rest and keep the baby in the nursery, where they would bring the baby to you when hungry. They also like you to stay in the hospital for up to five days, instead of the standard 1-2 in the US. This allows them to make sure that the mother is getting her rest and the baby is going to be fine and healthy.

Reflection:
Two different births in two different cultures. Both had great prenatal care, but the actual birthing process and the time spent in the hospital afterwards was different. In the US, we have our babies, and leave, much of the time because we cannot afford the medical bills or because there isn't enough room. So have your babies and go home. In Germany, the focus is on both the mother and the baby. They want to make sure the baby is developing correctly and that after birth, both mother and baby are strong and healthy enough to go home. There is no rush to get them out of the hospital. I am blessed to have had the chance to experience both cultures.