Discussion
Birth Preference
Introduction: The birth of a baby is a perfect work of nature. Many factors are involved for this work to be carried out to completion. For this process, the physical and psychological health of the mother must be kept in an optimal state throughout the development of the baby's gestation. Today, the statistics show an increase in the anticipated birth of a baby. Researchers are still in the process of looking for possible causes of the increase. For now, the majority of research shows that the low weight of the baby induces him/her to anticipate their birth. The question today, more than at all times is; if mothers wish to bring their baby into the world, in a hospital, under professional care, or if they prefer to do it in the comfort of their home, where they are exposed to all kinds of risk? With this group work, we show the results of this particular scenario and discuss other questions related to this matter in different demographic groups. Method: 8 students conducted 5 surveys each asking the following questions regarding birth preference:
● Which of the following do you think is the best place to give birth? ● Who do you think should be present at birth? ● Which medical personnel should be present at birth? ● Should pain killing medication be given to the women at birth? ● How far should doctors go to save the life of a newborn child who is at high risk for
severe physical or mental disabilities?
Participants were also asked their age, sex, education level, and marital status in order identify the demographic. It is important to note that all participants gave consent and were given a brief explanation of the survey being conducted prior. Demographics: There were 40 survey participants recorded, with varying demographics.
Sex
72.5% were female, 25% were male, while 2.5% didn’t specify.
Age
35% in their teens, 32.5% in their 20s, 12.5 % in their 40s and even some of the elderly with 20% above 50 years of age.
Highest Level of Education Completed
47.5% of our participants held a college degree while the remaining 52.5% were either in high school or attended college.
Marital Status:
Our participants were mostly single (60%), while 25% were married, 10% dating and the other 5% preferred not to say.
Results: Question 1. Which of the following do you think is the best place to give birth?
Our participants were evenly split between the birthing center attached to hospital and a hospital as the best place to give birth (47.5% each) while the remaining 2% went with home and birthing center separate from hospital. Question 2. Who do you think should be present at birth?
Most of our participants (92.5%) thought that the husband/father of the child should be present, while the remaining 7.5 % were between parents, friends and child coach. Question 3. Which medical personnel should be present at birth?
77.5% believed a medical doctor and obstetrician should be present while 17.5% and 5% believed a midwife and a registered nurse should be present.
Question 4. Should pain killing medication be given to the women at birth?
When it came to analgesics, 72.5% believed it was up to the mother, while 22.5% believed it should be given and the remaining 5% were against it. Question 5. How far should doctors go to save the life of a newborn child who is at high risk for severe physical or mental disabilities?
When it came to the length doctors should go to save a newborn’s life, 52.5% believed it’s up to the mother; 30% believed they should go as far as they could without harming the parent; 10% believed as far as the medical staff can and the remaining 7.5% went between risking the birthing parent’s life and as far as both parents feel necessary.
Interpretation: This survey was conducted of 40 surveys of various age groups and demographics. The first graph shows that the majority of the participants were female, which could heavily impact the choices. Continuing on in the second graph, it shows that a large percentage of the respondents were teens and young adults. Participants that were 19 years of age had the highest percentage according to the survey data. The highest level of education most participants had was college, which weighed at 17.5%, and 60% of the participants were single. Now with the survey questions, it came out to be that 47.5% of the respondents believed the birth should be at a birthing center connected to a hospital. Also, a large portion of participants believe the husband/father of child should be present, which was 92.5%. 77.5% voted that a medical doctor/Obstetrician should be the medical personnel. With the topic of painkillers, 72.5% believe it should be up to the mother. The question regarding if the doctors should save the life of the child became a topic of controversy. This question had many different answers, but the majority stated that however far the parent consents to, which weighed in at 52.5%. These results, however, are not based on the entire population. Conclusion: This study took the thoughts/opinions of 40 different individuals of varying demographics, whether it was age, sex, education, or marital statuses, in order to determine a consensus on birth preferences. So, the results merely reflected our sample of 40 individuals and their particular preferences regarding how the process of birthing a child should be carried out. In terms of their demographics, a majority of these individuals were female and single but we saw a wide variation in age and education. However, despite such a variety in demographics, there were certain consistencies found within our results. The first major details to be taken into consideration is that from 95% of our participants, their preferences were equally split between giving birth in a hospital and giving birth in a birthing center attached to a hospital, specifically 47.5% for each. Meanwhile, the rest of our results had clear majorities. The majority of the participants decided that the father should be present at the birth alongside medical personnel (Doctors/Obstetricians). Furthermore, most of our participants decided that when it came to birth, the mother holds the decision over pain medication and how far doctors should go to save a baby at high risk. Overall, it can be concluded that despite the range in demographics from our sample, there were clear majorities to be determined regarding birth preferences. Nowadays, a general consensus can be met in regards to the fact that technology advancements may hold reasons to the desire to have birth at or near a hospital. Along with this, the modern ideals that birth is mother-centered can hold relation to plenty of our results.
Questions: 1. In chapter four of “Developmental Psychology Stories in Context“ written by Chrysalis Wright, “Presently, almost 12% of all births in the United States are to preterm infants (National Center for Health Statistics, 2012a). These are infants born before 38 weeks gestation. These babies are at an increased risk for a variety of health problems. Many of the complications that arise from preterm delivery are directly related to the infants’ birth weight. Low birthweight infants are those that weigh about 5.5 pounds and constitute a total of 8.15% of all births (National Center for Health Statistics, 2012a).” That being said, if your baby was born prematurely, would you rather give birth in the hospital with the supervision of doctors and nurses and any medical equipment you may need or would you rather give birth in the comfort of your home although there is a chance that your baby will be born with some medical complications? 2. In chapter 3 of “Developmental Psychology Stories in Context”, written by Chrysalis Wright, it states that women over the age of 40 can conceive through ART although the baby will be at very high risk of stillbirth, preterm delivery, and birth defects (Wright, 59). Do you think it is worth going through all the trouble of IVF, for instance, just to risk the life of the baby at birth? 3. In chapter 3 of “Developmental Psychology Stories in Context”, written by Chrysalis Wright, it states that a cesarean section (C-section) should only be performed if the delivery is expected or becomes a risk to the mother and/or baby. However it does state that some doctors and mothers choose to deliver this way despite no medical need for it (Wright, 54). Should mothers and doctors be able to choose this method of delivery without needing a reason? 4. Chapter 3 of “Developmental Psychology Stories in Context” written by Chrysalis Wright, it discusses plenty of content regarding the trials and tribulations of pregnancy and giving birth. To focus more on the aftermath of delivery, it states that approximately 75% of new mothers experience maternity blues, and in extreme cases, postpartum depression (Wright, 54). Knowing this information, should women also be offered mental health assistance accompanied with the physical medical assistance that is naturally provided with birth?