pregnancy at Child Development

Every woman does not be pregnant alone if she lives with intimate person. Usually both partners are pregnant. But what does it mean? It is not a secret, that people who live together have the same thoughts and opinions; they bear resemblance to each other. Even have the same symptoms of sickness. Men take hard pregnancy practically as women. There is a good people’s saying: “We are pregnant” or “We wait a child”
The situation of pregnancy for a man, who lives near, is more extreme than for a woman. She simply meets her engagements. Every woman knows that it is her mission to become a mom. And motherhood is the main purpose in the life. The same situation we can see in the nature. Males are a match for females, chase about them very carefully. Females choose prepotent and the most healthy male with thinks to have the most healthy and valuable descendants. Then, when the female has chosen, everybody wants to reproduce. Decree of nature! And after the female has become pregnant, she does not allow coming near the male. She has reached her goal. The next period is child-bearing. In the nature the male is only means, and the goal is posterity.
In the life people have another variety of means and goals, which are more global than animals have. But motherhood still remains unconscious instinct of every woman. That is why in spite of hard child-bearing and delivery, women want to have their own children. But about what does think every man, when he has heard this news? News about approaching fatherhood for man, especially young, ambition and energetic, firstly cause a real shock. He does not fell happy. He does not think about his contribution to the history. He does not think that someone will have his surname and will continue his family. I’m sorry, but the majority of the men think that they lost their sweet liberty and unconcerned adolescence. But not all of course! Some think like this: “How did it happen? I’m not ready…”
As for women, all their thoughts direct to upcoming baby. People say that expectant mother is more laid-back. She has unusual enigmatic look, softness and defenselessness. The man feels alarm, panic and fear of the unknown. His happiness comes much later. Men become responsible for the child. They have to protect their woman from the difficulties of the rest of the world. Pregnancy causes radical changes in the life of the both, in their relations, attitude to the life. It is a real strength test. It is a limitation of needs, responsibility for future, rebuilding of the plans and reconsideration of life values. It is a critical situation, only without critical days.
The conduct of future father depends on a lot of factors. Firstly, on his internal and individual features, upbringing, relations with his parents, attitude to the wife, maturity as an individual, readiness to realize emergent difficulties and new responsibility and desire to show his worth in a new role: defender, supporter,  bread-winner and educator. It is very difficult for a man to be in the mood for experiences of his wife. From very beginning a woman contacts with her future baby. Pregnancy gives a wonderful chance to receive a lot of new feelings. It gives a feel of unity, divine pacification. Some men are delighted with woman’s capacity for giving a birth to a new person. The others perceive it easy, as physiological peculiarity. This feature from one side causes a feeling of women’s power and from another a feeling of men’s imperfection. This state of affairs provokes a man to compensate such situation. And as a result they work a lot, find a new woman or spend all their free time with friends.
In the beginning a man faces only with losses (from his point of view!) – less care of his wife, loss of his liberty, social and  everyday problems, uncertainty and alarm for his future life. Sometimes a man feels that the baby takes his place, that the woman becomes all-sufficient and does not need him. Fear to become useless is the most serious emotional experience of every man.
Expectant woman can evoke in the man an image of his mother. And his reaction to the pregnancy will depend on a lot of his relations with the mom. Men like a big children!
Pregnancy is a real chance to strengthen a family. Both partners can not be free, because their future baby binds them as invisible thread. Sometimes men try to come back to their past life, time when they were really free. And as a result they can have affair with another woman. It looks like as psychological relaxation from new problems and future concerns. Some men are bored with their expectant wives, because women speak only about the baby and problems with their health. They are not so interesting interlocutors as it was before. And as a result men find passions and hobbies.
It is very difficult for man to understand what happens in the organism of his expectant wife. He can not have the same feelings according to his biological nature. But nowadays the scientists states that there are expectant man. Some men try to be imbued with pregnancy of their wives. The level of hormones in blood of this men increases. But this does not damage them. On the contrary, these men become the most careful and attentive fathers. After the delivery the level of hormones in blood rehabilitates itself. Such men for nine months are psychologically ready to the birth of the baby. And the baby before the birth has a positive image of his father. This active conduct of the man brings together both partners and influences positive to the process of pregnancy, emotional state of the woman and valuable intellectual development of the baby in future.

The statistics is too sad: for example, in Russia every third woman decides to have an abortion. Almost 10 per cent of women of childbearing age have an abortion once a year, at that 60 per cent of women break off their first pregnancy. It is an obvious fact that abortion is the most popular method of contraception. What are the origins of this national phenomenon? In order to answer this question I would like to turn to the history.
In Ancient Greece and Rome law did not defend the life of fetus. The government did not punish the artificial fetus wastage. It was punished only in the case of selfish ends or other low motives. At that time people used the special preparation of ergot – plant, which stimulated spastic clonus and dead of fetus. But this method did not always cause stillborn foetus and it had serious casual consequences. Later, when the Rome Empire needed more slavers and soldiers to conquer the territory of its neighbors, the government punished pronouncedly all women and men, who provoked abortion.
According to Christian dogma, the fetus from the moment of conception has his own soul, that is why his murder in belly is a very serious fault. Therefore, in the Middle Age abortion was considered as the heinous crime and was equal to the murder of relatives. In the sixteenth century under the influence of the church the majority of the European countries, such as England, France and Germany, punished abortion with the death penalty. In succeeding years it has been changed in hard labor and imprisonment. Punishment has involved both a doctor and his patient. The situation was the same until the beginning of the twentieth century. In England the government permitted abortion in the case of medical statements, and also in the case of rape.
All doctors say: “There are no good abortions”. All abortions classify in early (to twelve weeks of pregnancy) and late (from twelve to twenty eighth weeks). But in practice the doctors use abortion in the early period of pregnancy. There is such conception as mini-abortion (from twelve to twenty fifth days).
 There are a lot of methods of pregnancy breaking. Unsurgical methods of pregnancy breaking have much more advantages in comparison with traditional ones, because they practically do not cause the negative consequences. There are not mechanical traumas. There are not complications and difficulties, connected with anaesthesia. But there are of course some disadvantages, such as the presence of contra-indications and decrease of effectiveness. But if it is too late to have abortion, there is only one method. This is so called classic abortion. When women choose a hospital it is necessary that this hospital has a special license and doctor has a special certificate.
Sometimes there are some complications after abortion. For example, excreta containing some blood. Their quantity and the period depend on the term of pregnancy, blood coagulability.  There are two types of complications: early and late. Early ones take place during the abortion or after it. The late abortions appear after a while, sometimes many years after the operation. Generally speaking the complications are not the infrequent phenomenon.
The doctors mention High-risk group:
-women with two and more abortions;
-women who have sickness of privy parts;
-women who have operation of uterus before;
- women who broke off their first pregnancy with surgical method
Early complications:
The most terrible complication of abortion is change of wall of uterus. The most frequent complications are bleeding, damage of cervix of the uterus, damage of coagulability of blood. Besides, after abortion
become more acute chronic deceases of privy parts. So called infected abortion represents a great damage.
Late complications:
Here I can mention sickness of privy parts, hormone-containing damages, and barrenness. After abortion increase the frequency of abdominal pregnancies. After one abortion there is a threat of miscarriage and it consists of 26 per cent.  After two abortions it increases to 32 per cent and after three and more – 41 per cent.
Recommendations of gynecologists:
The choice of women that decided to have an abortion must include only methods without operations. Of course it will be cost more expensive, but we can not play with our health. Mini-abortion is the most appropriate type of chirurgical operations. It characterizes
the least frequency of casual effects. All chirurgical operations should include the antibiotics. As usual the doctors prescribe the antibiotics two days before the operation. It is desired to be observed by the doctor after abortion. In the case of chirurgical operations women can live their sexual life in 7-14 days, in another case (I mean instrumental operations) in a month. But, in general, all women and men should know that the main method of planning the family and decreasing the number of abortions is competent using of modern contraception.
          

I think that this question disturbs every man and every woman throughout the world regardless their religion and age. However, in reality what does it mean to be mother and to be father?
All people suppose that the destination of every woman in the Earth is to continue human race. But our forefathers thought that if a woman had not children she could not be valuable. They made believe that only after a woman understood what it meant she would be able to feel her feminity completely. The birth of child is a miracle, which approaches every woman to the God. Everybody knows that practically all religions have a cult of mother.
A lot of women explain that they are not ready to be a mother. Furthermore, they frequently approach to this important event very irresponsibly. It is not a secret that the majority of them even do not plan the birth of their children. They become mothers in consequence of silly fortuitousness. A lot of women do not want to have children because these living beings limit their liberty. Moreover, children need many financial charges and very often they spoil a figure.
Nevertheless, if a woman decides to become a mum, it is necessary for her to raise the next question: Why I need this baby? It is not a secret that the most commonly used answer is I need someone in my old age, who will be able to offer a glass of water. It turns out that parents take care of their children only because they need someone, who will be able to look after them in declining years. And if a baby does not justify their hopes in future, he will receive reproaches about his ingratitude. However, it is necessary to remember that a child is not a bank to which people deposit their money with hope to receive interests in future. He must be desired. It is essential to take care and love him without selfish ends.
Every woman must evaluate her readiness to become a mother and it is necessary for her to think about what she will be able to give her baby. And the most important thing here is spiritual values. An educational program, elaborated for the majority of schools and universities, has not a goal to educate women in the sphere of motherhood. That is why if a woman decides to chose this way, she will have to study a lot in order to behave in a proper way during her pregnancy, childbirth and in post-natal period. It is really very important because the future of every child depends on it.
And now I would like to speak about men and their attitude to fatherhood. It is not a secret that for the majority of men fatherhood is not the most important and significant affair in the life. The first positions occupy their career and job. And it is useless to blame our dear mankind in selfishness and loss of consciousness. Simple the nature decided that in all periods of time men were getters and bread-winners, while women were the keepers of house fireside. Although, in spite of continuous pressure of work, they have to participate in the upbringing of their children. Every child needs not only maternal, but and paternal love and kindness. He carefully keeps an eye on the behavior of his parents and tries to imitate it.  And then in the future he will try to build his family according to the model in which he lived and grew up. That is why it is very important for every child to see under his very nose deserving example of both parents.
The desire to become father is frequently unconscious, at the level of instinct. All men simple want to continua their family and they do everything no to let it disappear.
The same way as women, all men should think carefully about their preparedness for this serious step.  They should begin to think about what they will be able to give their children. It is essential to weigh all merits and demerits. Psychologists believe that if woman feel motherhood in the first period of pregnancy, man begins to feel his fatherhood not also after baby birth. That is why in order to speed up his knowing of responsibility, man should prepare to the birth of his child together with his wife. Moreover, he should help her during the pregnancy, childbirth and in post-natal period.
So as we can see in our society both of parents should be responsible for the birth of healthy and valuable baby. The way to motherhood is very important in the life of every woman. And man has not to keep his distance. During the pregnancy he should take care about future mother and future baby by her deliverance from housekeeping. It is important to create in the house friendly and positive atmosphere. Sometimes a woman, who waits a child, has different whims in food and desires. In accordance with Kazakh folk custom, all wishes and desires of future mother are holy and father makes unbelievable efforts to satisfy them. Besides, fathers must remember an advice of ancient Greeks: a woman, who waits a child, should look at beautiful statues, pictures and listen to pleasant music. Accomplishment of all these conditions will help an expectant mother to give birth to healthy and cheerful baby!!!

There is another interesting information.

Doctors should advise overweight moms considering another pregnancy to take off extra weight first because they are at greater risk of having big babies, a new Saint Louis University study finds.

Researchers found that moms who don’t lose the weight they gained during the first pregnancy and continue to gain after their first child is born are at risk of having bigger babies than mothers who do not gain weight between pregnancies. A patient’s prepregnancy weight remained the strongest predictor for the birth of a large infant in the next pregnancy.

The good thing it is to take off the weight you gained during one pregnancy and not to gain weight between pregnancies.

Large babies can be more difficult and take longer to deliver than normal weight babies because they are too big to fit easily through the birth canal. Large birth weight also might lead to a cesarean delivery.

The ideal is to have your weight as close to normal as possible. Weight gain between pregnancies doubles the risk of having a ‘large for gestational age’ baby.

Dr. Blaskiewicz compared 38,086 women who were of normal weight at their first and second pregnancies with 10,585 women who were of normal weight for their first pregnancy but overweight for their second.

A baby who is “large for gestational age” typically weighs about eight pounds, 13 ounces. Most babies weight about seven pounds.

Actually I don’t understand how even a five pound baby can fit easily through the birth canal. I’m going to give a birth to my baby soon and can’t imagine how it is gonna be! It scares me!!!

If  you are going to smoke, make choices so the kids aren’t affected!
I got the information that tobacco carcinogens found in urine of smokers’ babies have detected cancer-causing chemicals associated with tobacco smoke in the urine of infants whose parents smoke.
Parents who smoke are passing detectable levels of cancer-causing chemicals to their infants, according to new research of the Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota.

The researchers collected urine from 144 infants, aged 3 months to 12 months, who lived in homes where at least one parent was a smoker.
Urine from nearly half of the infants contained detectable levels of NNAL, a chemical byproduct produced in the human body when it processes NNK, a cancer-causing chemical, or carcinogen, found only in tobacco.
“You don’t find NNAL in urine except in people who are exposed to tobacco smoke, whether they’re adults, children or infants,” study team member Stephen Hecht  said.
In the families of babies who had detectable levels of NNAL, family members reported smoking an average of 76 cigarettes per week. For babies who had no detectable levels of NNAL in their urine, the average number of cigarettes reportedly smoked by family members was 27 per week.
Levels of urinary NNAL in the infants were higher than that seen in older children and adults exposed to secondhand smoke.
The researchers suspect this is due to infants being less able to move around and avoid the smoke.
They also hypothesize that it might not be enough simply to stop smoking in the presence of babies, since NNAL and nicotine could potentially cling to dust and the surfaces of household objects.
A previous study by Hecht and his colleagues indicated that the first urine from newborns whose mothers smoked during pregnancy contained even higher levels of NNAL compared to babies in the current study.
My husband is smoking a lot. About  70- 80 cigarettes a week. I don’t like it. I think that the best thing for him is just to quit smoking. But that can be difficult. So at least I force him to smoke outside or it’s going to impact my child’s health.

Pregnancy and childbirth are the main things in lives of many families. You are giving life to a new man. It is awesome!!!!! And I don’t understand how some cruel people can use it. There is one story about it. 

An Alexander woman arrested for writing almost $3,000 in hot checks is also wanted for allegedly defrauding couples interested in adopting a child. 

Lindsey McCall was arrested on a Saline County warrant charging her with allegedly writing $2,817 in hot checks. 

Authorities said she also is wanted on contempt of court charges in Bryant and Sherwood. 

McCall lied about being pregnant and allegedly collected money through an adoption agency from a Concord, N.C., couple interested in adopting her child, a Saline County Sheriff’s Department report states. 

Capt. Jason Massey discovered the possible pregnancy scheme after speaking with a Concord Police Department detective who said McCall used falsified documents from an Arkansas medical provider stating that she was pregnant. 

Massey initially contacted the Concord detective concerning a warrant charging McCall with allegedly obtaining property under false pretense. The warrant states that “the false pretense consisted of goods and services obtained by means of (McCall) receiving $10,478.75 in wire transfers for birthparent expenses from June to December 2004 from the victims when the defendant knew she was not in fact pregnant and acted as if she was pregnant to continue to collect these monies.” 

Massey said the sheriff’s office has also received information that the San Francisco Police Department is investigating McCall for possibly defrauding another couple in that area. 

Deputy Josh Hickey and Benton police Officer Bobby Shell went to McCall’s residence on Friday to arrest her on the felony hot check warrant but could not find her, authorities said. 

Hickey returned to the residence later Friday and saw McCall’s parked vehicle packed with clothes “as if she were ready to leave the state,” the sheriff’s report states. Hickey was again unable to find McCall, however, and called Shell and Deputy Harold Higgins for assistance. 

According to the report, McCall called Saline County dispatch while the officers were outside the residence. She then spoke to Higgins on the phone and said she was in Hot Springs at Lake Ouachita and that she wanted to turn herself in at 3:30 p.m. at the Saline County jail. 

Higgins asked McCall how she got to Hot Springs when her car was parked in front of the house. She replied that a friend had picked her up in a white car, but Higgins said neighbors said they never saw a white car at the residence. 

Higgins then told McCall he knew she was in the house and urged her to exit the residence before he had to obtain a search warrant and go in after her. 

About an hour after denying she was in the house, McCall surrendered and was taken to jail. 

Massey said the FBI is investigating whether McCall attempted her alleged pregnancy scheme in other places. 

McCall has been transferred to Rivendell Behavioral Health Services near Alexander. 

So, guys, be careful! 

There is a big problem in America. Over 41 million Americans are uninsured and many of those who are insured are underinsured. Insurance premiums have been increasing and they are expected to continue to rise. This has led many Americans to go without insurance and hope for the best for their health. As a result, there are approximately 13% of women who become pregnant each year who are not insured, which results in pregnant women receiving inadequate prenatal care.
Another challenge uninsured pregnant women face is the notion from many insurance plans that pregnancy is a pre-existing condition. Medicaid, a federal funded program for low income persons, will accept women who are already pregnant. However, if you are not eligible to receive Medicaid it can still be a challenge to pay for all the prenatal visits and delivery. The estimated cost of delivery alone is $6,000 – $8,000 for a normal pregnancy and the cost increases if it is a high risk pregnancy. It is really expensive.
This is the crisis that many pregnant women find themselves facing when they learn that they are pregnant. The excitement of being pregnant is quickly dissolved by the worry and anxiety of financial burden.
Government funded programs
Medicaid is a state run program that is federally funded. Medicaid provides medical assistance for low-income families and individuals.
You may find that there are other options, depending on your state, which provide additional programs for women who are pregnant such as Medical from the state of California.
WIC is a federal agency that serves to safeguard the health of low-income women, infants and children under the age of 5. WIC provides nutritious foods to supplement diets, information on healthy eating and referrals to health care.
Healthcare discount programs
There are many alternatives to traditional health insurance and Medicaid. These alternatives offer a discount on your healthcare and may help you out.
MaternityCard™ is a discount health program that can save you up to 60% on doctor’s visits, lab work, sonograms, your hospital stay and much more. MaternityCard is not insurance but it works with a National Preferred Provider Maternity Network. For a low monthly fee, MaternityCard can provide you with a comprehensive maternity plan. You can receive these benefits even after you have found out that you are pregnant.
AmeriPlan is a discount plan that is currently available in all states except Alaska. AmeriPlan saves people up to 50% and more on their health care services. Benefits include physician, hospital, and ancillary services (i.e. lab work, tests, x-rays). Since AmeriPlan is not insurance, all pre-existing conditions are covered (except orthodontic treatment in progress), there are no deductibles, no waiting period, no claim forms and no annual limits.
Smart Health Care Solutions is not insurance but an affordable alternative to the soaring costs of health care. All pre-existing conditions are accepted. As an Association, Smart Health Care Solutions is committed to providing members with access to healthcare providers at reduced rates that are both nationwide and affordable regardless of any pre-existing health conditions
Other options for managing healthcare costs
Here are some additional ideas for helping you manage the costs related to prenatal care and birth:
If you are delivering at a hospital you can contact the account office and talk to someone about setting up a payment plan or ask if they offer a sliding scale. Many hospitals do offer these, but they are not utilized because people do not know what is available to them.
If you are having an uncomplicated pregnancy you may want to consider giving birth at a birthing center. The estimated cost of a delivery and prenatal care at a birthing center is about $3,000 – $4,000. This is half of what it would be for a delivery at a hospital. Many birth centers also provide sliding scales, payment plans and accept Medicaid.
If you are a single parent you can go to Single Parenting: Making It Work and Doing It Alone for other ideas on how to save a little extra money.
It is expensive to give a birth in USA. But I know that it is much more expensive in Sweden. The estimated cost of a delivery and prenatal care is about $12,000- $25,000 if you don’t have any problems and  $18,000- $29000 if you need Cesarean section. In Germany cost of a delivery and prenatal care is about 18400 – 22000 euro. THAT IS REALLY EXPENSIVE!!!
I know that the medicine is free in some countries. For example you don’t have to pay anything for delivery in Russia. If you want medical personal to be very nice you can pay. It is gonna cost you  about $100 – $1,000. Pregnant woman usually don’t have insurance.
I don’t know why it is so different in different countries and I don’t know where is better. Can anybody explain to me?

There are many rules about what you should and shouldn’t do to ensure a healthy pregnancy throughout Europe. One such tradition maintains that wearing a brooch, generally made of boar’s tooth, will protect you from evil and secure prosperity or honor for the baby. These amulets were sold in fine jewelry stores across Europe.
Many traditions are based on the belief that otherworldly beings are determined to steal human babies before birth. In order to avoid the attention of these beings, some conceal their pregnancies altogether, even to the point of not preparing for a baby’s birth (Scotland’s Orkney Islands).
In addition to fearing otherworldly beings, pregnant women are also taught to avoid the dead. For example, you should not stay in a house with a corpse or attend a wake, as this could cause premature labor. (Ireland) And you should also avoid graveyards, or, at least, gravestones, because if the shadow from a gravestone cross is cast on you, it could cause you to miscarry (European Gypsy Folklore).
Associating with corpses and graveyards can also affect your child’s future health. Even if you avoid the shadows of gravestone crosses, the simple act of entering a graveyard may cause your child to starve or have weak spells (Ireland). And if you step on a grave, your child could die (Germany).
Unfortunately, graveyards aren’t the only things you need to avoid. If, in your travels, you meet a hare in the road, your child will be born with a harelip (Ireland). Or if, heaven forbid, you cross the path of someone who is to be executed, your child will share the same fate (Germany). My God, probably it is a good idea to stay at home during pregnancy?
If you choose to avoid everything and remain in your corpse-free house, you can, at least, indulge in pregnancy cravings! And if anyone (e.g., your husband) complains about having to go out at 3am to buy pickles and ice cream, you can simply point out that you are ensuring your child does not have a birthmark in the shape of a pickle cone (Greece). But if bread is what you’re craving, be sure to warn anyone preparing it that they cannot pierce it with a knife or fork, or your child’s eyes will be poked out. And you mustn’t indulge every craving – if you eat fish or snails, your child will be slow in learning to speak or walk, respectively. Perhaps food isn’t going to be much of a comfort after all. I’m happy I don’t like bread!
Since you can’t go out and you can’t eat everything in sight, perhaps it’s time to start preparing for the delivery of your new arrival. To ensure a safe birth, you could blow on the bellows at the local forge (Italian). That is, of course, if you’re lucky enough to have a forge around. But, wait a moment, you weren’t supposed to leave the house. So instead, you could simply take a bath … just remember to turn the tub over afterward (Germany).
But just because you’ve secured an easy delivery, doesn’t mean you can let your guard down. You still need to be wary of otherworldly beings. If they weren’t able to snatch your unborn child early in the pregnancy, they’re certain to make a second attempt. To protect yourself, simply place a knife or a bible in your bed, and when your baby is born, transfer the items to the baby’s bed for its protection (Scotland’s Orkney Islands). Knife to baby’s bed?????? It is dangerous…..
But what if you don’t have a local forge? Or are afraid to venture outside? Or if you forgot to turn your tub over or aren’t able to, as it is attached to the wall? And now your labor is upon you. Well, if you and your husband are honest in naming all of your past lovers, giving birth can still be easy. If, after confessing, your labor is still difficult, perhaps you should take a closer look at your husband, or suffer the consequences of your own dishonesty (Russia). Duh… that is really funny and interesting!!!!!!! I’m gonna ask my husband right know!!!
In addition to rehashing the past, the father of your child can be helpful in other ways. He could tie your garters in order to ease the birth (Germany). If you don’t own garters, he could let you wear his slippers for the same effect. Or, he could do the most helpful thing of all and leave you to the women of your family (Ireland).
Congratulations! You’ve given birth to a beautiful baby. Now it’s time to relax and enjoy! Or is it? Unfortunately, just when you thought you could forget about them, they rear their ugly heads again – those pesky otherworldly beings. And now, not only do you have to worry about having your baby exchanged for a changeling (Germany), but the mother must also be protected, as otherworldly beings need nursing mothers to feed all the babies they’ve abducted (Ireland).
And while you’re busy protecting your little one from others, don’t forget that your actions can have detrimental consequences for him/her as well. If you don’t want your child to be clumsy, be sure to lay him/her on the left side; if you don’t want your child to have bad teeth, avoid putting pins into curtains within six months of giving birth (Germany). If you don’t want your child to grow a beard (girls) or be beardless (boys), have the child christened (Scotland’s Orkney Islands). You will also be restricted in what fashion trends you can follow. Wearing a rope for a belt could get your child hanged, and walking around without shoes could cause your child to have difficulty learning to walk (Germany). And be sure the first movement your child takes is in the upward direction, as a downward direction will lead to a lowly life without fortune or fame (Gaelic). Maybe it’s a good idea just stay in bed ????…

Pregnancy was always considered the most important period in the life of women of all nations. That was usually a period when women were to observe special rules, and these rules were as a rule similar with different people.
People from Latvia - a country on the Baltic coast next to Lithuania and the Russian Federation - hope that the Goddess of Fate smiles kindly on their newborn baby. Latvians believe the Goddess of Fate, or Lamia, determines a child’s future the second he’s born.
They may also pray to Mara, or Mary, for help in childbirth. It’s believed that Mara rules the human body and can make a woman’s labor easy or difficult. Young wives will often try to get in Mara’s good graces with gifts even before they become pregnant. In ancient Latvia, babies were usually delivered in a small building called a pirt. Pirts are similar to Finnish saunas and are designed to be used as steam baths. Mothers, infants and midwives return to the pirt three days after a baby is born for a ceremonial bathing of the mother and the new baby called Pirtizas. Women who helped with the birth may also attend and take part in the ceremonial feast which follows. When leaving the pirt, a new mother will often leave a gift for Mara

Nine days after the baby is born, his or her godparents host a name-giving ceremony, or Krustaba, at the parents’ home which lasts two days. In Latvia, a baby girl has two godmothers and one godfather. A boy has two godfathers and one godmother. Parents usually appoint relatives as godparents. Latvians believe children inherit their godparents’ good qualities, so they select someone they’d like their children to emulate. In addition to participating in the name-giving ceremony, godparents are expected to raise the child in the event that the parents cannot.
The name-giving ceremony begins in the morning. Guests arrive bringing gifts for the baby and food for the feast. Talk is happy that day; it’s believed that there should be no unpleasant conversation at the ceremony. And women wear their best and most expensive jewelry. The actual name-giving ceremony is performed at Mara’s church — a sacred grove of oak or birch trees. At the church, guests receive a quick meal of bread, milk, cheese and honey. Guests eat the meal while standing. They then form a circle around the child to insure good habits and sound physical development of the child

The child is placed in water and the clergy performing the ceremony asks the godparents if they will accept the child and lift her into Mara’s sun or leave her in the water of the Vala Mate (Mother of Spirits). The godmother lifts the infant out of the water and holds the her in front of the symbol of the cross while all the godparents promise to care for the child. At that point the selected name is bestowed upon the baby. In Latvia, the godparents select their godchild’s name

When the newly named child returns home, everyone welcomes the child as a full-fledged family member, and the child’s name is announced. Songs of praise and good wishes are sung at a feast, and the godparents perform a ceremonial dance with the baby. Guests join in and soon everyone is singing good wishes for the child while executing a light dance step and passing the child from guest to guest

On the second day of the name-giving ceremony, the godparents attend the preparation of the cradle. The godfather first leads a party of guests to a nearby woods and selects a suitable pole for the cradle while other guests prepare a light basket to hold the infant. The godfather fastens the pole between the ceiling and the wall and affixes the cradle to the other end. The godmother places the baby into the cradle along with a gift. The other godparents and guests also place a gift in the cradle. The name-giving ceremony concludes with guests giving thanks for the new family member. And, they give the baby their best wishes that life will smile kindly upon him.

Such a beautiful and interesting ceremony! I also want to have 2 godmothers! So they can care about me!!!!!!! I just don’t like that godparents select their godchild’s name! I think that biological parent’s should choose it. This is their decision.

Today, people speak a lot about the importance of applying bringing-up methods even before babies are born. Some of us believe the tendency has outlined just recently, however this tradition was popular even in the past centuries.
By Candidate of historical sciences, lecturer in History of Medicine Larissa Kondrashkina
in Ancient India and Ancient China, parents began to inure their babies to understand the arts three months after the conception. For this purpose, pregnant women had only fine things around them and listened just to fine music; they ate tasty meals sanctified in the church. These measures were believed to make unborn babies beautiful and talented. I also believe in that and trying to look at beautiful things and get positive emotions.
Nowadays, doctors say that contemporary pregnant women must have the same environment for better pregnancy and good future of their babies. In the old times, husbands in some provinces presented their wives with jewelry when they learnt about pregnancy. Pregnant women wore clothes made of delicate and expensive fabrics; the blue color was considered the most favorable for the development of unborn babies. Fine music was obligatory for pregnant women, as it is actually good for babies and mothers. That is why, artists in Asian countries regularly organized concerts for pregnant women thousands of years ago. Why I was born in 20th century? I also want some jewelry!
At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a special institute assisting women in childbirth in St.Petersburg, Russia, founded with the assistance of famous accoucheur Dmitry Ott. The doctor insisted that the hospital must have a concert hall with an organ. Every week, all female patients of the hospital were invited to concerts at the hall. It is pity they don’t have such tradition now.
In Ancient India and Ancient China, pregnant women always sang, drew birds and plants during pregnancy. These traditions may seem naive, but they do have an effect upon unborn babies. It is known that Napoleon’s mother drew toy tin soldiers and imagined they were battling. So, the future emperor probably knew the essence of battles even before he was born. In the cultures of many countries, arts were obligatory for pregnant women.
In Ancient China, pregnant women sang nice and quiet songs, at that the melody and the text were of little importance, as singing first of all helps bring much oxygen to the organism of a pregnant woman. Indeed, during singing we first take a deep breath, and then goes slow exhalation. So, singing is in fact a really esthetic physical exercise.
Contrary to many of the modern recommendations, many nations disapproved of walking during pregnancy. When it was evident that women were expecting babies, they never walked too away from the home. Moslem women were prohibited to go outside before the sunset during pregnancy. On the one hand, it is a good method to avoid heavy UV-radiation. On the other hand, Moslems believed that a baby would be born with too many birthmarks if a mother was exposed to sunrays for too long. I don’t like this one! What about fresh air? I think it is very important for pregnant woman to go for a walk. Besides it is really good for you legs if you have varicose veins and for you blood if you have anemia.
Contemporary couples often want to deliver their babies together. Many centuries ago, men in European countries often stayed in the maternity ward during baby delivery. They encouraged their wives and helped them endure pains and suffering. In addition to the moral support, husbands also served an actual physical support for women during labour pains. Men’s presence in the maternity ward was typical of men in Italy, Spain, France, Yugoslavia and Scandinavian countries. But in some countries, husbands were prohibited to enter maternity wards, as only women were allowed to see how babies come to the world.
It is arguable point. On the one hand it is good when husband is there. He can calm you down and support you. But on the other hand, the statistics shows, that number of divorces among pairs which gave birth together is higher than among pairs where the husband did not participate. A lot of men who took part in childbirth need sexological help after that.
Women who assisted in delivery, often stayed in the home for some time after the delivery to look after the house. Mothers were not allowed to do anything about the house for several days after delivery. Women in Arab countries had the longest after-delivery rest that lasted for 40 days when they were prohibited to do things about the house. Instead, they were focused on their health and on babies. A tradition similar to this was also popular in Europe and Russia. That is really good and right tradition. Especially for women who had Caesarean section.
In Russia, an accouche became the key figure in the house after a baby came to the world. This woman stayed in a house for several weeks and looked after the baby; she got back home only when the mother was strong enough again to look after her baby herself. This seems to be a wise tradition indeed. Women need some time to restore their health and energy after the childbirth. Doctors say it is important when a woman has someone to help her about the house and look after the baby when she is still weak after the difficult work of baby delivery. In Russia, the post-delivery period traditionally depended upon the well-being of a family. Those who had little money had no opportunity for long rest as they needed to work.
Baby delivery was not always a success in Russian villages, as there often were poor hygienic conditions. As a result, mothers could get infected and some even died in baby delivery. Women not only in villages but even in large cities died of childbirth fever because doctors were not always tidy when operating in the maternity ward. Doctor Zemmelweis from Hungary was the first who offered to wash hands before baby delivery, but his colleagues declared him insane because of this initiative. It was just several years later that the teaching of aseptic and anti-septic appeared. My God! I’m happy it was long time ago. It is not funny to die because of dirty hands.
So there are a lot of different traditions in different countries. Some of them are really beautiful. Some of them are not clear. I like this topic very much and I’ll try to find some more information about it!!!!!!!!

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