I just watched a video about traditional Moroccan postpartum medicine, and boy am I jealous! It made me really think about the differences between Traditional postpartum care compared to Western postpartum care.Â
Every other developed country shows an increased decline in maternal deaths. Why could this be? Iâve heard a lot of opinions ranging from most hospital's viewpoint of âbaby first, mother secondâ which can be extremely detrimental to a new mothersâ health. Obviously, if the baby is under some sort of distress, and the mother is fine the baby SHOULD come first. After giving birth to my son, I noticed how little visitation from medical professionals aside from the Lactation Consultants I had. One day after having an emergency C-Section, I was asked to leave the hospital. I asked if I could just have one more day to recuperate, and the doctor on call rolled her eyes right in front of me. The average stay after having any other major abdominal surgery is four days. In the US, to simply put: you are given mesh underwear, a peri bottle and sent on your way. 6 weeks later, you are told to make an appointment with your obstetrician to check for any signs of infection.
In countries like Germany, you are not expected to do much within this time except focus on recovery and caring for your baby. Some of which I read said that: âIn the first 10 days after delivery your midwife will visit you at home every day, then every 2-3 days until the end of the 8th postpartum week. She will give advice, teach, and help practically with everything related to taking care of the baby, e.g., breastfeeding, bathing, diapering, as well as your postpartum recovery and general well-being.â In countries like China, they have something called âzuo yueziâ or âsitting the monthâ where all of momâs needs are taken care of either by family or hired care nanny. All mom has to do is focus on the care of the baby; in bed. In traditional Moroccan postpartum medicine, the new mother is honored with teas, she is never alone and always has support and is always provided for, and given nutritious foods for 40 days.
So why, in the United States, are new mothers are figuratively left in the cold? Why are new mothers sometimes expected to return to work a mere week after experiencing birth? Why arenât families helping new motherâs? What happened to the âvillageâ?Â
Many countries offer jealousy inducing maternity leave, and even sometimes paternity leave. The United States remains the only country in the developed world that does not mandate employers offer paid leave for new mothers, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. New mothers in Finland, for instance, are entitled to up to three years worth of paid leave. Norwegian moms get up to 91 weeks. The U.K. grants new mothers up to 39 weeks, while our neighbors in the frigid Canadian north get one year.
With the average birth costing mothers over $10,000 (sometimes up to $100,000 with complications), and employer-based insurance covering typically between 25 percent and 90 percent of costs (keep in mind that this is only if the deductible has been met, and sometimes there are separate deductibles for each family member. â In other words, if each family member (including your newborn baby) has a $2,000 deductible, youâd have to pay the first $4,000 of expenses for both your and babyâs medical care, plus whatever else your plan doesnât pay for. â
The United States also has the highest rate of unnecessary, expensive and even sometimes dangerous, interventions in the developed world. There are even instances in which doctors forcibly intervene without consent. Â
With all of these compounding factors, itâs not really surprising that the United States has some of the highest instances of postpartum depression. Â
In the end, the United States, and even Western culture, in general, has much to consider and I can only hope in the coming years, things begin to change for the betterment of pregnant motherâs everywhere.Â
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