What's birth like in other countries besides the US?

Question

Already asked question in Other-Pregnancy & Parenting.

Answer 1

The physical process of a baby emerging from the birth canal is the same wherever there are human females. But the social process around birth does vary.

One consideration is the level of development and what kind of access a woman has to professional medical care. But whether it be a doctor, a midwife or just another woman in the village, to my knowledge there is no society where the norm is for a woman to give birth alone.

This probably stems from the very practical consideration that due to the shape of the human pelvis (wide enough to give birth but narrow enough to walk upright) the baby is born facing away from the mother. (The baby is also born with some difficulty, as even newborns have big brains for the space they need to pass through.) It is a big advantage to have someone else there to catch the baby, clear the breathing passage, assist the mother, etc.

There are different superstitions and folk remedies among different cultures, and throughout history - ways to relieve pain, or induce labor, or methods to ward off evil spirits.

And even amongst those societies with advanced medical care, there are differences. In the U.S., the standard these days is to give birth in a hospital, attended to by a doctor, with a 20% chance of having a C-section. In Sweden, you'd be in a hospital, attended to by a midwife, with a 7% chance of a C-section. In the Netherlands, there'd be a midwife, but it would be at home.

I'm using as my reference here "Birth in Four Culture" by Brigitte Jordan, as well as some personal research experience.

http://www.amazon.com/Birth-Four-Cultures-Crosscultural-Investigation/dp/088133717X/sr=8-3/qid=1158546057/ref=sr_1_3/104-4386534-6675130?ie=UTF8&s=books


Some of the factors that vary are:

1. Doctor or midwife
2. Methods of pain relief
3. Frequency of pain relief
4. Hospital vs. home
5. Frequency of C-section
6. Frequency of episiotomy, etc.

Robbie Davis-Floyd also has an excellent book on the subject in America, as does Jessica Mitford.

Answer 2

It's the same as any other country on earth! Do you think Europe gives birth differently?

Answer 3

i trust you mean how is the birth managed. that differs from country to country and from obstretician to obstretician - for instance in germany there is a preference for natural management methods and the medical team is led by the midwife whereas in ireland the preference is for medical management and the team is led by the doctor. if you plan to give birth outside the us you'll be best off googling for hospitals etc in your target country and contacting them directly.

Answer 4

The birthing process is the same with all women, regardless of country.

Question needs to be more specific.

Answer 5

Well, in England, birth consists of having a cuppa and dancing around a football and then we pop it out of our ears 5 minutes later.Its sort of the same in Australia but they wear cork hats.

Answer 6

Ummmmmm! Isn't birth the same where ever you are?

Answer 7

A baby comes out of a vagina.

Answer 8

I don't remember