My most memorable childbirth experience was with my son, who is also and y firstborn. I labored with him for more than 22 hours because he was breached. I was also more than a week overdue by the doctors calculations. I'm not sure my son felt the same way. I had natural childbirth and although I was told that I would only remember the actual time he came into the world, I also remember the pain. My son was born healthy and whole with no obvious problems. He was a normal developing child until about age 3 when we began to notice his regression in speech and learning. It was around this time that I discovered that he had a developmental problem which was later diagnosed as Autism. I never allowed this to be a weakness for him, but used this as a challenge that he could overcome. I am proud to say that my son is now a college graduate, working and about to enter graduate school to work towards a Masters in Finance. He is a math whiz. He is one of the reasons I love working with children with disabilities. The smallest achievements for these children can make the biggest difference in their lives and that of their families.
The place I chose to talk about childbirth is in the country of South Africa. It is so difficult for women in this country because when they are in labor, oftentimes they are turned away from hospitals and considered to be lying or handled roughly by staff and many of the birth end in the death of the infant. There is no accountability for the health care system and the abuses that occur and this results in maternal death rates as high as 75%. According to the United Nations statistics, approximately 4,500 women die annually in South Africa due to treatable and preventable pregnancy and childbirth related causes. (Nordqvist, 2011). When looking at these statistics and issues of the women in South Africa who endure such hardships, we must be grateful for the availability of medical care that we receive in this country.
Reference:
Nordqvist, C. (2011). "The shocking truth about giving birth in South Africa." Medical News Today.
Medilexicon, Intl. Retrieved November 2, 2012 from:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/232413.php.
Thanks for your post this week Eliza. I didn't know you have a son with autism. I am so happy to hear that he is a successful young man now. I am sure that is due to your diligence and his brilliance. Autism is a topic of concern often in my parent education classroom and one that is of great concern for parents. In my career, I have seen the numbers of children with autism rise dramatically. I was wondering if you see any environmental factors contributing to the rise of autism in our country?
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your story about your son. It is wonderful he has done such impressive things with his life. I just read an article in the November issue of Woman's Day about an autistic 20 year old and his gift with math, also. He hasn't gotten to the place your son is with his education, but the mother is a teacher also and has homeschooled him because of his behaviors. It's great to know that the diagnosis does not need to stop anyone from fulfilling their potential. Thank you also for sharing about the birthing process in South Africa. It's astonishing the way women are treated in that country. The sad thing is, it may never change.
ReplyDeleteHi Liz. What a wonderful story you posted, and I’m sure you and your family are very much proud of your son. I can tell you didn’t let your son’s disability become a burden in your lives, but more of an accomplishment that he has overcome. I haven’t worked with special needs student, but I was one in my early days in college when I had brain surgery. It took months of mental and physical therapy, but I finished my first AA in Liberal Arts…Thanks for sharing your life story about your son. Jay
ReplyDeleteI am absolutely touched by your child birth story. It is for this reason that I work with children especially those with disabilities. I feel like if we give them a chance and the opportunities they deserve they can become all that they set to be. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHey Liz,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your child birth experience. The interesting thing about getting a Master's Degree in this field of study is facing moments that you would not have ever known in a million years that you would need to face. I am a new mother and it is hard, but fair. Being a parent make you value women, family, and society as a whole. I enjoyed your post.
Chere'e
Hi Liz,
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed reading your blog this week and learning a little more about you and your family. I can relate to you and some of our other classmates about the joy of working with children who have and show signs of autism. I was a 1 on 1 for a young lady who was high functioning on the autism spectrum; in fact she had aspergers. Even though these individuals may have differences and learn in different manners, they are still apart of the socirty and should be treated as such. I can appreciate and I'm sure your son also can appreciate the fact that you did not allow his delay to hinder his progress, but in fact using it to the highest potential that he's capable of.
Sherrell