Part I:

Birth and death has been medicalized very differently in the Netherlands, in Vietnam, among the Inuit, and in the U.S based on each country’s cultural scripts. The Netherlands, Vietnam, and Inuit support much more home and traditional births while the U.S. relies heavily on the hospitalized births and C-sections. The difference between these countries methods of birthing lies in the culture surrounding the topic.

            To start off, in the Netherlands most women have their children at home and their hospitals and services are set up, so this is possible. Almost 61% of women compared to 31% have their children at home (Jonge A, et al 2009). The research done by the Child Health Programme at the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research showed that giving birth at home was just as safe as in a hospital. They have really good transportation and short distances to hospitals. This helps improve the safety of the birth and encourage more women to do it. This also reflects the idea that women and mothers are capable of taking care of their children, passing along their knowledge, and having authoritative knowledge for birthing like the doctors. Families have more control over the environment and the mother can feel more comfortable surrounded by family (Jonge A, et al 2009).

            Secondly, in Vietnam the birthing process has become much more medicalized but has left out some people. Midwives are still highly valued and respected as well as doctors. However, while people have started to move to hospitals, they have made it harder for more rural people. The hospitals and health centers aren’t always close and present a problem when the family wants to give a safer birth (Ahlmark & Precel 2011). Also, some of the rural people mistrust the doctors and say they won’t really help them. A huge role of the midwives has been to educate people and get them to the hospital or health centers. The people struggle with this because they don’t want to forget their traditions (Ahlmark & Precel 2011). I think it would be possible for Vietnam to increase the number of safe home births if they did something like the Netherlands, increasing knowledge about the process and providing more readily available emergency services. This would help increase the people’s comfort and control over their environment.

            Thirdly, the Inuit people have become more medicalized than they originally were but still stay close to traditional births. The Inuit people originally only gave home births, but once the foreigners came into their villages, bringing in modernization and health centers they were forced to start birthing in those (Pauktuutit Inuit Guide to Culture 2006). Now they have worked out agreements so that they can have more control over which birth they can have, increasing the people’s authoritative knowledge, and giving the women back their primary job of caring for the children (Pauktuutit Inuit Guide to Culture 2006). They have also brought back midwives or women who have more experience to help with birthing.

            Finally, the U.S has completely switched over to medicalized birth within four generations. It is almost unheard of to have birth at home, or a midwife help you. Doctors and nurses help you give birth in a hospital where it is “safe and sterile”. The problem is that women are not surrounded by family and have lost that authoritative knowledge. The families have less control over how everything works as well. Often doctors resort the c-sections because they are easier. Additionally, we have medicalized death. Death is hardly ever talked about in our culture and we cremate most of those who pass away. By doing this we don’t fully mourn in a healthy way and lose the ability to say goodbye to our loved ones (Rush 2012). We do this with birth too by making it lonely and impersonal.

            To conclude, the cultures in the Netherlands, Vietnam, the Inuit people, and the U.S. view birthing very differently. The Netherlands, Vietnam, and the Inuit people lean more traditional and give more home births. They have midwives and a community that supports both options. The U.S. on the other hand is extremely medicalized and only supports hospital births, leading to impersonal births.

Part II:

This image is an almost perfect representation of birth in America today. In the picture you can see the women giving birth is in a hospital gown and wearing a hair net. You also see physicians in hair nets, gloves and gowns helping and standing around her. She is in the hospital and no family is in the room. I like this picture because I think it accurately shows for the most part, how births are performed in America today. Most women go to the hospital, give birth surrounded by doctors, and keep the area sterile via their instruction. The only thing I don’t think is accurate is that there is no one from her family in the room, or at least it looks like it. This change has come from our change in knowledge about germs and maternal and child deaths upon giving birth. However, this image further shows our movement away from tradition and the loneliness of birthing today. I think it also shows how much we trust doctors today too. Overall, the picture reinforces the standard practice we use today.

1. De Jonge, A, and B Van der Goes, et al. “New Figures from the Netherlands on the Safety of Home Births.” An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 15 Apr. 2009.

2. UNFPAasia, director. The Mountain Midwives of Vietnam. YouTube, YouTube, 27 Apr. 2011, www.youtube.com/watch?v=1F1dmcJTd9U.

3. Pauktuutit Inuit Guide to Culture. 2006.