and no, still NOT my photograph…
Translated…
I gave birth to my firstborn child in Taiwan, and my second in the Netherlands, and I’d had experiences of very different systems of the birth-giving processes. The Netherlands are quite different to Taiwan, in that from the start of the pregnancy, I was examined by professional midwife, and if all goes well, I can have one of three options to give birth: my own home, birthing center, or the hospital. Because it was my second pregnancy, and everything was normal, I’d wanted to, try to give birth at home; but, after my water broke, there was, feces, the midwife worried that there may be infections, so, she’d sent me to the hospitals.
The delivery rooms in the Netherlands has a huge difference compared to Taiwan, it had independent and spacious rooms, not only were the women able to keep their privacies, they’d NOT hear the other painful screams of other women giving birth. Every single member of the medical staff would introduce her/himself to the woman giving birth, and, in the process of giving birth, they’d worked hard, to make the woman in labor feel at ease and relaxed; even as they used a catheter for me, they’d explained things thoroughly. I was even more blessed, to have an intern doctor by my side, she’s very beautiful, and extremely patient, stayed with me through the entire laboring process, guided me, to focus on my breathing, to help me through, the hardest, the most painful part of my labor, she works, way better than my husband!
After my son was born, the nurses only wiped him down simply, then, left him beside us. The obstetrician came to check on us, made sure we’re both well, and announced, that we can get out of the hospital in four hours. The hour before I was about to check out of the hospital, two nurses came to help me bathe and change into my clothes, then, we’d, taken our son home.
The following eight days, the nurses had made house calls, and we could choose for them to stay for three to eight hours, the government of the Netherlands mandated that the service must be at least twenty-four hours total; and because the government is giving some assistance, we’d only needed to pay the nurses about $200N.T.s per hour. My personal care nurse, Sonna, she was only twenty-seven years old, and she’d already taken care of over two hundred infants; she’ weighed my son every single day, checked how I was recovering. For instance, it was the winter, we’d worried that our son might get a cold, so, we’d turned up the heat, and, Sonna suggested that we turn off the heater, and made sure that the air is flowing clearly, and to use a warm bottle, to keep my son warm. And, all of these basic issues, I feel comforted, having a professional close by that I can consult.
When I was in Taiwan, when I’d had questions, I can only search online or call someone at the hospital, I’d walked on eggshells constantly. Comparing, in the Netherlands, I was so very blessed, for the eight days after I gave birth, every day after my shower, the sheets would be changed, the clothes, washed and hung out to dry, the floors, also swept spotless too. Several times my son had gotten up in the middle of the nights and started to cry, my husband and I stayed up with him all night long, and, Sonna had, babysat my daughter, so we can catch up on our sleep.
Thanks to the flexible system in the Netherlands, allowing me to experience a very different birthing experience.
And so, the system of care in Taiwan, PALED by comparison to the Netherlands, and, it’s due to culture, I think, but, this woman was blessed enough, to experience both ways, and, she knows WHICH one is the better of the two now!
Life, the Obstacle Course 