We are all told that though painful, giving birth is one of the most amazing and beautiful experiences that a person can go through. When talking to two women that have given birth you see the differences of the two but you also see similarities. Given the opportunity to talk to two mothers I learned their stories and how things have changed in life from one time that one had given birth to the time the second woman gave birth. Even down to the simplest things there are differences in todays experience of giving birth that make things easier compared to 50 years ago. Two women, two stories, and a little person brought into this world, these sort of conversations are both enlightening and beautiful stories.
Barbara Martin, a 72 year old caucasian woman, was the first woman I interviewed about her experience on the birth experience. With the stories she had told me I could already spot differences that I just knew have changed since she gave birth 54 years ago. In June 1959, 17 year old, Barbara Martin of Maryland Heights, Missouri realized she had missed her period and just knew she must be pregnant. Barbara, a newlywed that got pregnant on her honeymoon, was filled with happiness when she became pregnant, she knew they wanted to start a family and that was just the beginning. When I asked if there was a lifestyle change when she became pregnant, Barbara quickly said “no here was really no difference in everyday life other than my body changed, I got fat and that wasn’t very fun”. The whole experience of pregnancy Barbara said that everything she went through was exactly what she anticipated. When talking about “old wives tales” there was only 1 really mentioned to her. The wives tale she was told about was that she was not to p...
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...h is a breathtaking process that brings the world together, and creates a whole new generation of life that we also hopefully get the chance to experience this wonderful moment.
Learning about the experience that both of these women went through was fun and enlightening. Though I myself have yet to experience pregnancy or birth, learning about the process is a beautiful thing to learn. Whether you give birth naturally, or have a c-section, you still feel the same about the child in the end, it is your baby, your other half. There are many things to learn about when it comes to pregnancy and what to expect, but it is hard to take ones word when you never know what your experience may be like. Barbara and Shea-La shared intimate moments about their first borns with me that have opened my eyes to the, beautiful and scary parts about being pregnant and having a baby.