In the USA most people consider a childbirth experience "natural" if the mother did not have an epidural. When asked if the births of my babies was natural I previously would have answered, "Pretty much."
Let me tell you about the birth of Krissy. When I was exactly 40 weeks pregnant I was retaining a lot of fluid... as in I gained 10 lbs in one week and had stretch marks everywhere, even on my calves. I was about 3 cm dialated but labor did not come. So I went to the hospital. The doctor hooked me up to monitors, started an IV, and broke my water. When nothing happened after two hours of walking the halls, she started a pitocin drip. I labored "naturally" (as in without pain meds), for about 5 hours. By then it was the middle of the night and the doctor highly encouraged that I take something that would help me sleep in between contractions. So I agreed. They put something into my IV that made me sleep between contractions, but I certainly still felt them. (Still not sure about the point of that drug.) Soon after, I was fully dialated so I was very groggy when it was time to start pushing. Just as I began pushing, Krissy's heart rate dropped pretty low. The doctor did a quick episiotomy, grabbed the foreceps and pulled Krissy out. Krissy was fine. I hemmoraged a bit, so they stuck me with another drug... an upper this time. I was totally loopy at that point. I was too drugged out to call my mom. I was nervous about holding the baby (and I was very experienced with babies). I sent Chad home and tried to sleep it off, but because I was still hooked up to the pitocin to prevent more hemmoraging, and thus still contracting, I really could not sleep. I did not know where my glasses were or where the button to call the nurse was. I was way to unsteady to try get out of bed. It was horrible. It was terribly disappointing. It was also TERRIBLY LUCKY!
I have recently read, "The Hospital By the River; A story of hope" by Dr. Catherine Hamlin. In it Dr. Hamlin tells the story of her life. As a young OB, Dr Hamlin and her husband (who was also an OB) chose to go to Ethiopia to train midwives. Their hearts were broken for the mothers of Ethiopia. They never left. In fact, Dr. Catherine Hamlin is still practicing medicine in Ethiopia today.
Before reading her autobiography, I had heard of Dr. Hamlin. I knew she had become well known... she has even been on Oprah. The New York Times called her "the Mother Teresa of our age." I knew she had chosen service over a big salary. I was aware that she operated a fistula center in Ethiopia. In reading her book I learned so much more!
Let me tell you a tiny bit more about her life's calling.
Dr. Hamlin is a christian woman. She tells of her faith, her calling, the political climate in Ethiopia, the "elite" social life in Ethiopia, her research, her fund raising, and details of daily life. This book described it all.
But the heart and soul of the book is about the fistula patients. Prior to reading the book, I knew that a fistula was a childbirth related injury which leaves the mother incontinent. Incontinence is smelly and messy, thus these woman are outcasts.
What I did not understand was how a fistula usually occurs. A fistula occurs when a baby is either too large or just positioned poorly so it can not pass through the birth canal. A woman will go into labor and because there is no medical help... NONE literally NONE... when labor does not produce a baby she just continues to labor. Eventually the baby dies. Once the baby has died it usually "shrinks" enough to be delivered. By then the damage done to the mother is severe. When in labor for days and days... like 5... (can you imagine 5 days of labor and then delivering a stillborn baby?) the pressure from the baby causes lasting damage. The babies passage can tear the bladder and rectum leaving its mother with internal injuries that can only be repaired surgically. With no medical care available, surgical repair is impossible. The mother is left incontinent with no hope.
Throughout the book, Dr Hamlin tells story after story of the women they have healed. How they walked for miles and miles and miles to get to help. How they begged for YEARS for the bus fare to get to the hospital. How they have been sent away and/or divorced by their husbands. How they have truly lost all hope.
Dr. Hamlin and her late husband have worked tirelessly to help these women. They first needed to come up with a surgical technique to repair the damage. These injuries are not seen in areas with medical care, so no one had developed surgery to correct the damage.
They eventually perfected a repair technique and have trained many doctors. They have built a modern surgical center in Addis Ababa for the repair of fistulas. Although they are remarkably successful, they have a few patients that have not experienced 100% healing. They have developed a colony for these ladies to live in and work at. They are also doing some work in the rural areas of Ethiopia. They are working to educate the Ethiopian people about the dangers of young marraige and pregnancy. Dr. Hamlin is in her 80s and still working tirelessly for the patients she loves.
You can read more about Dr. Hamlin and her Fistula Hospital here and also here.
You can also buy the DVD, "A Walk To Beautiful" which tells the personal stories of several fistula patients, if you are a reader!
So why care?
First, I think we need to remember to be thankful. If I had had my first baby in Ethiopia there is a good chance both baby and I would have died. Krissy was in danger when her heart dropped. I was in danger when I hemmoraged. Because I was in an American Hospital, we were both fine. While it was not the labor and delivery of my fantasies, it was far from the nightmare it could have been.
I think we need to be aware.
I think we need to be inspired. The Dr. Hamlin's could have made a lot of money and delivered many healthy babies in the comfort of a beautifully equipped modern hospital. They chose instead to serve. The two of them made a HUGE difference in the way fistulas are treated world wide. Their talents, dedication, focus, faith, and love - not their money - have changed the lives of many.
I think we need to be challenged.
I think we need to use our talents, dedication, focus, faith, and love to change lives.
