Childbirth Around the World




           Childbirth is an experience that is universal for women.  The family support and cultural values surrounding childbirth effects how the experience is perceived by the woman during childbirth.  Alda Scopesi and Mirella Zanobini (1997), researched how culture impacts women’s psychophysical reactions in US, German, French, and Italian hospitals.  In the article Childbirth in Different Cultures: Psychophysical Reactions of Women Delivering in US, German, French and Italian Hospitals, it is hypothesized that western societies have shifted from an exclusive female experience to a medicalized process that supports mother’s well-being and satisfaction level during the birthing process (Scopesi, A., & Zanobini, M., 1997). 
            Through questionnaires and interviews, evidence was gathered to support the hypothesis that woman are more satisfied in US, German, and French hospitals, unlike women in Italian hospitals (Scopesi, A., & Zanobini, M., 1997). US, German, and French hospitals offer mothers and fathers more choices during their labor process and support for pain control.  Italian mothers rate their experience the most poorly in satisfaction with little or no choice during the labor process or pain control. 
The duration of the hospital stays for the mother differed between US and European hospitals.  Mothers are typically discharged within three days of delivery in the US, and woman are discharged 4-5 days after vaginal delivery and 8-10 days after a caesarian section in European hospitals (Scopesi, A., & Zanobini, M., 1997).  Women typically were found to be more satisfied with their length of stay and the available option to room-in with their newborns in European hospitals.  In my personal experience, rooming-in with my daughter for a little over a week in the hospital benefited our attachment and success in breastfeeding.
According to Scopesi, A., and Zanobini, M. (1997),  “pain is considered bearable more often in a setting like the one in Genoa [Italy], where delivery is primarily seen as a medical event, of which pain is an integral part…in the situations where severe pain during delivery is considered normal, this is rarely defined ‘unbearable’…there is a strong relationship between expectations and experiences’: thus, expectations regarding delivery are an essential component of pain reception” (p. 10).  Western societies have lower expectations of pain because they have a choice to weaken or eliminate the pain through medical interventions.  Italian mothers expect birth to be painful, therefore do not feel as dissatisfied with the amount of pain endured.  The culture of pain perception in the US differs because of this expectation.
The research findings from the featured article align closely to my personal birth experience.  I had an abundance of choice giving birth in a US hospital.  There was an option to eliminate pain through medical interventions, therefore I had an expectation that pain relief was an option if labor felt too “unbearable”.  Unlike most mothers in the article, I was not satisfied or joyous after utilizing this choice.  I felt that the medical staff were too available for me to make these decisions and my comfort held precedence over my baby’s safety.  Medical interventions can be necessary in childbirth, but not at the risk of the child’s welfare.

Reference
Scopesi, A., & Zanobini, M. (1997, February). Childbirth in Different Cultures: Psychosocial Reactions of Women Delivering in US, German, French and Italian Hospitals. Journal of Reproductive & Infant Psychology, 15(1), p. 9-22.

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