Reproductive health covers a
wide range of different topics, and is one area of health which affects
virtually all women, whether or not they have children, at some stage in their
lives. While reproductive health can refer to the menstrual cycle,
(in)fertility, conception and artificial insemination, contraception and the
menopause as well as pregnancy and childbirth, it is the latter that we will
focus on in the limited scope of this course. You may – particularly if you
have been directly affected by issues relating to reproductive health – be
interested in exploring some of these issues in more detail, and you will have
this opportunity in the Women’s Studies Research Project unit towards the end
of the course.
In some ways, reproductive
health has been remarkably consistent over time – women’s lives have always
been affected by the menarche, or onset of menstruation during puberty,
pregnancy, childbirth, nurturing of children and menopause. Beyond these
biological aspects, however, reproductive issues vary across cultures and over
time, affected by differing attitudes, expectations and beliefs.
Working in small groups,
discuss
a) How women’s reproductive health might be viewed
differently in non-Western cultures?
b) How women’s reproductive health might be viewed
differently in comparison to Western society 100 years ago?
Write down your answers to
feedback to the rest of the group.
When you have had a chance
to discuss your own ideas, read the excerpts overleaf. These are all first hand
accounts of women’s experiences in the 1930s, 1970s and 2000’s.
How have things changed?
In what ways are the women’s
experiences similar?
Are there any aspects that
surprise you, and if so, why?
Resources:
Andrea’s Birth Story (www.ivillage.co.uk) – giving birth in
2005
The build up
As my pregnancy progressed I decided two things about
delivery day. First, I didn't like the idea of an epidural, as I wanted to be
as active as possible during labour. Secondly, I promised myself that I
wouldn't swear and scream the delivery suite down. Believe it or not I managed
to stick to these plans. This is what happened...
Three days before my due date, my partner, Andy, and I
were watching Footballers Wives. I had been getting Braxton Hicks contractions
all night but didn't think much of it as I'd had them since I was six months
pregnant. I sat forward on my chair and suddenly felt something drop inside me
(like the baby's head had moved down) and a trickle of water ran down my leg, I
was shocked - it happened so suddenly. I told Andy, and we were both really
excited. I went to the loo and, sure enough, my waters had broken.
Straight away, I started having what felt like period
pains. They were coming every five minutes, so I phoned the general infirmary
and they told me to make my way there immediately. Well, that's when the fun
began. First we had to get my bag and the last minute things together. It was
total chaos - despite making a list, when the time came, we still couldn't
organise ourselves.
We finally got out of the house and jumped in the car,
only to realise we had no petrol and no money. We had to go to my mum's and
borrow 20 quid, fill the car up, and also drop our dog off at my best friend's
house en route. It was like something from a Carry On film. By the time we were
really on our way to the hospital my contractions were only three minutes
apart. I thought I would be giving birth on the hard shoulder of the M26.
At
the hospital
We
finally got to hospital at 11.30pm. They hooked me up to a monitor straight
away to check the baby was OK. Both the baby and I were fine, but the pains
were getting more intense. They told us to wait for the doctor and sent us to
the day room, where there was a TV to help us pass the time. By this time the
pain was getting unbearable - the last thing I could do was watch telly.
The doctor came at about 1.30am. I thought she was
going to examine me, but she just said I should try to get some sleep, as it
could take a while - I couldn't believe it. A minute after she was gone, I
asked for some pain relief and the midwife said she would have to check me out
first. It was a good job she did - I was five centimetres dilated and fully
effaced, so they whisked me up to the delivery suite. Yippee - pain relief!
The birth
They gave me a shot of Pethidine, which was strange.
It doesn't take the pain away, it just makes you feel spaced out. I kept
shutting my eyes and thinking I was back at home.
The delivery midwife was brilliant. She said she would
examine me at 6.30am but, by 5.30, I told her I wanted to push, so she had a
look and said I was 9cm dilated and to try pushing if I wanted. I tried for a
while, but nothing happened, so I sat on the birthing ball and rocked about a
bit, which did the trick.
I pushed for about 45 minutes and my daughter, Lucy, was
born at 7.06am, weighing 7lb 8oz. She was so beautiful - not a wrinkle in sight
- and a head full of dark hair. Andy was a star all the way through, wiping my
forehead and giving me sips of water. The midwife passed Lucy to him, while
they sorted me out, and he was teary with emotion. We will both remember the
experience forever - it was the best day of our lives. Lucy is 12 weeks old now
and we enjoy every minute of her as she develops her own little personality.
Don't get me wrong, giving birth is hard work, but it
really is all worth it when you see your gorgeous baby smiling up at you.