HW 59 - SOF Prom 2011 & DSPs

I did not attend the actual prom but I was at the after prom Thursday night (or this morning). When I went with Eloise and we both had trouble getting to the location but we eventually made our way there. When we arrived, the party hadn't started yet because a lot of other people hadn't shown up so, we decided to wait outside because it was so nice out. Friend groups started to accumulate as more and more people started to arrive. Once it was around 2am the party started to head back inside.

HW 58 - Prom Interviews

 Experience (M.R., FEMALE, 19)- When I initially asked her about her prom experience she instantly replied horrible. This was surprisingly a story I haven't heard from her although we are very close. She had dropped out of high school so for prom to even be an option for her, she needed to be asked. She was asked by a guy she hooked up with once at a party and actually liked the possibility of going with him but she was going out with her girlfriend of the time and had been set on going with her. Unfortunately, a week before prom began, her girlfriend broke up with her. She found another date in time though and went to what would be her senior prom if she had still attended the school. She (drunkenly) made out with someone else in the limo ride there and when she arrived to the prom her ex-girlfriend had already found out about it which only stirred up more drama between them. She knew everyone there but she felt out of place because she no longer attended this school. She caught up with old friends and tried to reconnect with her ex-boyfriend there but he was not interested in doing so. Her date was pretty much left ignored although she assured me he didn't mind. Lastly, at the after party, her ex-girlfriend threw he a curve ball by walking up to her and kissing her then walking away multiple times. They ended up dancing together and trying to talk things out but her ex's friends eventually pulled her away.

It seems like her experience was filled with confusion and mistakes which is something I think is almost necessary in a right of passage. This is an experience she definitely learned from because she had so much to deal with at once. This prom experience seems so far from the basic prom outline I've been feed in movies. It made me question what she expected from this experience. All that she expected was good music and dancing and she said she was disappointed with the actual outcome. I asked her what she thought the importance of prom was. "Well on [the Wendy Williams Show] someone said that it's like the first red carpet of your life" she quoted something she had recently heard on her favorite talk show.  I found this funny because it directly related to the discussion we had in class. She had a different take on this question though; she felt that it was a way to celebrate the torture of high school before going through the torture of college. After recently dropping out of college and also dropping out of high school, I knew that this was her actual honest opinion. I wish I had asked her how the experience is meant to celebrate (or make up for) high school trauma, but the question hadn't come to me until now.

PRE-PROM INTERVIEW (C.H, FEMALE, 17)-

I started off the interview by asking her what her expectations of prom are and she said that it was mostly based on what her parents prom experience was like.  She expected to get an attractive date whom her parents approved of and to have a "fun, memorable, exciting  and, enjoyable" night. She says that she would "plan every detail to a science" when it came for preparing for prom. Dress style, dress color, shoe style, hair, nails accessories would all be organized by the time the date comes. The goal of this is to make her prom as perfect as possible. She says she would choose a date carefully because it would be featured in the yearbook. Prom is apparently a huge tradition in her family so it is important to all of them how her prom experience.


PROM EXPERT (S.R, FEMALE, 39)-


As soon as the topic of prom was brought up, my mother instantly replied "it's fun you definitely should go!". It's safe to call my mother a prom expert because she went every year since her sophomore year of high school.  She said that her first time going was the most special. She went with her senior boyfriend, wore a home-made dress my grandmother made with her high school colors. She also said that at the time, it was a big deal for a sophomore to go to prom. She didn't really remember her second prom to much but she went with a guy from another school. The third time she went alone to her senior prom but she thought it was important to go to her last prom. When I asked her why she believed prom was important she said that it was a right of passage and the "first opportunity to dress up and be fancy."


I found it funny how my mother considered this a right of passage and the first opportunity to dress up and go out because it directly correlated to the discussions we've had in class. I thought it was interesting how my mother pointed out that the first time she went was the most special. According to her description, the first time she went had more of the fairy tale affect, but I wonder if the significance of the night also came from it being her first experience with prom. Most people don't go to prom 3 times, and in our school prom is a one time event. But maybe going once is enough and all proms after that just get less significant. Another thing I found interesting was how much my mother fixated on what she wore. It seemed to be the only aspect of all three proms she remembered.

HW 57 - Initial Thoughts on Prom

When the prom script was broken down in class today, it became clear that prom is a ritual that comes with a subconscious outline. Every prom experience I've seen on television or movies all stay true to the same chain of events no matter how individual they try to make it. It makes me wonder why we choose to accept this blueprint as the way of having a successful prom. It's like a game where life points are earned each step you get right. And if this outline is performed right then we have successfully lived on the ritual and we can move on with our lives more fulfilled and experienced. It seems like the prom's goal is trying to cram a bunch of adult experiences (at least the good ones) into one night so we have a taste of what we are getting ourselves into.

One thing I've always found questionable about prom is the announcement of prom King and Queen. I'm not completely against the idea, I just think its strange that on the night where everyone is supposed to feel special, the aspects of high school still prevail and the popular or most liked win. The idea of voting on one person to represent or rule the night of equality and togetherness makes no sense to me.  I wonder if SOF does this at our proms because I've never heard of anyone being prom king or queen, but I also didn't know the higher grades that well to know what was going on with their proms. I hope not though because our school is so small that the "winners" would be so predictable and it would give everyone less chance to prove themselves worthy of the role (as I typed out the last few words of that sentence I began to cringe because I realized I was taking a dumb role so seriously.)

Further Questions:
- Do they have proms anywhere else other than America?
- What importance does it have on our culture?
-What are some examples of alternative proms?
- What are the key components of a successful prom experience?
- How do we ensure that everyone feels good at prom? What do teachers and volunteer organizers do to make this happen?

HW 56 - Culminating Project Comments

Comments Given:

Jay- I believe that it was smart of you to include an opposing view of home funerals because so far a lot of the information we've received has been for it. It makes sense that home births make certain people uncomfortable because that the memory is alive in your own home which you walk into daily. I also thought asking about people's lack of information on the topic was important. Her answer was honest and accurate but it was never explained why people "don't want to know" and I think that would have been a nice follow up question for you to ask.

Steven- One of the most insightful points I believe you brought up was, "... but nowadys its the exact opposite people cant imagine dealing with thier decesed." It made me realize that I had never personally thought of handling any of my dead loved ones bodies personally, even throughout the course of this unit. So I wanted to ask you if this is something that you've consciously or unconsciously envisioned yourself? The information you provided was very helpful in terms of determining what exactly is the best fit option for your personal budget. The only thing critical that I have to point out is your spelling and grammar. Otherwise, great job.

___________________________________________________

Comments received:
Brianna(protege)- I thought the line "When we see that other people have passed away, it reminds us that our bodies could ultimately fail us no matter how much it tries to resist death" was very interesting and thought provoking. I began to actually think of different ways that our bodies resist death. The story was very interesting and stuck in my head after i finished the post. 

Sophia- I thought this post was beautifully written, especially the last paragraph. Your writing was very descriptive, and I could visualize the woman swerving over in her car. I agree that people are in denial over the fact that they will die someday, but when they realize they will, they feel ashamed.

Marcus( mentor)- I found it interesting when you said that your "belief is that our fear of death originates from the human instinct of our bodies resisting death as much as possible". I totally agree and also believe that we are programed to want to multiply and give life instead. It only becomes more ominous when we realize the unknown (death) is inevitable. Self preservation is fundamental and inherent in all living things. The fear of death and fear itself is a part of this mechanism. Which made me wonder why anyone would not be afraid of death? And what could we possibly do to surround ourselves more with death?

xc-COTD5

 Season 1, Episode 1: Pilot, 3 June 2001
Ball, Alan, Michael Cuesta, Joshua Marston, Jeremy Podeswa, Alan Poul, Adam Davidson, Mary Harrom, Matt Shakman, Daniel Attais, Rodrigo Garcia, and Dan Minahan. "Pilot." Six Feet Under. HBO. 3 June 2001. Television.
- A family in the funeral business is forced to face their dysfunctions when their husband and father dies. They have to handle this death in a professional matter all while handling their own individual grief. The common death care practices and rituals are questioned in this show and also by particular characters.  A representation of their father follows all of them around and interacts with them; this aspect touches on the possibility of staying connected to the earth in the afterlife.

Season 1, Episode 2: The Will,10 June 2001

Ball, Alan, Michael Cuesta, Joshua Marston, Jeremy Podeswa, Alan Poul, Adam Davidson, Mary Harrom, Matt Shakman, Daniel Attais, Rodrigo Garcia, and Dan Minahan. "The Will." Six Feet Under. HBO. 10 June 2001. Television.
- While still dealing with their grievances, the family is deciding what to do with their futures and the future of their funeral business. This stress is putting a strain on their relationships between loved ones and each other. They are offered to be bought out by a national cooperate funeral chain which represents how the funeral business is becoming more industrialized. Whether or not they agree to this deal, the cooperates plan to run them out of business which is always the case in highly industrialized fields.

Season 1, Episode 3: The Foot, 17 June 2001
Ball, Alan, Michael Cuesta, Joshua Marston, Jeremy Podeswa, Alan Poul, Adam Davidson, Mary Harrom, Matt Shakman, Daniel Attais, Rodrigo Garcia, and Dan Minahan. "The Foot." Six Feet Under. HBO. 17 June 2001. Television.
 - Although Nate had spent his entire life trying to run away from the family funeral business, he realizes that it is his purpose in life and that he not willing to sell it. David on the other hand has spent his life working at the funeral home and is open to the new opportunities selling the business would offer. This episode shows that the death industry views the funeral business a pure steady profit. They cannot offer the same amount of empathy for the dead and the grieving.

Being born into the funeral business seems to be a common occurrence in this industry and often funeral homes a partially family legacies. The reason this show is so interesting is because it gives a relatable perspective of the families who are born into this business. Majority of the remaining family members are for selling their family business, which I think is because the more our culture separates us from the dead the more appealing it must be for them to do the same. But what puts them at odds is the symbolic family meaning behind it. It makes me question how many people in the death care field who were born into it actually want to stay in it?

This show also analyzes the cooperate take over in this "industry". The potential buyer of this family's funeral home is interpreted as a sleazy businessman counting up the dead like dollar bills. The show is definitely trying to vilify this growing industry of funeral chains. Although family businesses are still businesses, they show more concern for the family of the deceived than any cooperate worker will. What is scary about this portrayal is that the death care industry is growing in our country without any of our knowledge because we would rather not focus on the dead. I wonder how accurate the depiction of the death care industry representative is?

XC-COTD1

Eloise and I went upstate for the weekend together and visited two grave sites. Prier to, we were exciting ourselves with possibility of paranormal activities and ghost sightings. All the while, we watched clips from intense and creepy movies such as the Omen 2, Reservoir Dogs, and lastly Monster with Charlize Theron. During the scene where she prostitutes herself and kills the man who picks her up, Eloise, our friend Evan, and I realize it is time for us to head out to the cemetery.

In Roxbury, New York, the streets are very empty and desolate, which is obviously unlike what I'm used to. But it is more than quiet in this town; it is an old and very small community that seemed abandoned. It looks as if it were the perfect place to film a scary movie, which is something I had commented on a year earlier on my first visit to Eloise's upstate house. The first cemetery we went to had been established almost three hundred years ago, which was a fact that creeped us out the most.  It was a strange thought that we might encounter spirits who have been in this country since its erection.

We pulled up to the cemetery on the opposite side of the road. It was fenced in by a short stone wall and it was right next to an abandoned church. As we entered, I started to experience a fidgety energy. I had left my coat in the car so the cold air gave me a chill that only added to my paranoia. I wanted to turn on my flash light but Eloise and Evan thought it would be better to let our eyes adjust. Below is a video of us observing a gravestone in detail for the first time:  

We were shocked at how withered the grave stones were but they were clearly very old. We looked at more of them with our flashlights and then we all heard a noise. It was a car coming down the road and Evan and Eloise both ducked quickly behind headstones. I on the other hand, was not so quick and just dropped on the floor. We didn't want anyone to call the police and report us for defacing graves or performing strange satanic acts.  I wandered around for a bit and saw myself being more attracted to bigger gravestones. The larger headstones were made of nicer stone and the names, dates, and designs carved into them were still clear and apparent. One head stone had its own platform and gate. The people who purchased these were clearly rich and clearly wanted their head stones to be the most noticeable, and it worked.

As we went deeper in, I began to hear music and talking and laughing. I thought it was strange because it was midnight in a cemetery in a normally quiet town. I hadn't heard the music or the people until I reached a certain part of the cemetery either so I was a little shaken. When I asked Eloise about it she informed me that it was just a trailer park that was right below the cemetery between the forest. Hearing laughter and music and communication from the other side of the forest while we were in an empty cemetery standing above dead people was a cruel contradiction.

Eloise and I wandered around for a little while longer, asking each other questions.  Eloise discovered a fallen headstone and we began to realize that there were a lot of head stones that had fallen over and most of them had sunken into the ground over time. When we fell into silence, I began to hum a 50s medley I was learning for the school's chorus to overpower it. Then Eloise pointed out that Evan was missing. She thought she saw him behind a headstone but I couldn't see exactly what headstone she was pointing out. I looked around aimlessly and saw a headstone on the other side of the graveyard that looked like he was hiding behind. He was wearing all black so he appeared as a shadow in the dark. As we stood there for five minutes discussing where he could be, I suggested that we might as well keep moving because we were just worrying ourselves more by sitting there wondering. We took four steps forward and Evan pops up behind a headstone bringing us to shrieks. We finally got the scare we were anticipating. Afterword we all started laughing because we were worried he was going to do just that yet as soon as we let it go, it actually happened. It was also funny because he definitely heard us talking as well.

After our good scare, we decided we had been in this cemetery for long enough and started to head toward the next one. We retrieved to the dark and eerie road. This next grave site was up at the peak of the mountain so we gradually raised up until we passed it. Once we approached the grave site, we drove into a pit of fog that was only in this one area. "Woah" was Evan's initial reaction. I had seen the fog rising from random points on the mountain from down below and I guess we were currently in one of those spots. We walked through these closed gates made of open square frames. As my eyes adjusted I saw picnic tables and a triangular board with information written all over it.  Did we go to the wrong location?!! Evan and Eloise wandered around the place for a while wondering were the cemetery could be. I was kind of distracted reading the facts about the man this memorial was for, John Borroughs.



I turned my flashlight back on so I could see the path I was following. It seemed like the longest path I could I've ever taken when because I was not completely sure of my destination. As I approached the grave site, I see Evan taking pictures and Eloise trying to hop onto this huge bolder that had a few words carved in it in his Burroughs' honor. "It's just a one man show tonight." said Eloise. I looked over at the grave and it was a square boarder made from stone. The vegetation inside the grave was different from what was outside of it.

Once I adjusted to my surroundings all my paranoia faded away and I realized I was in a pretty peaceful area. I put my back against this bolder and examined the view. It overlooked his grave, then the forest deep in the valleys then the mountains. The distance was clear enough to see but there was a light fog in the air that made everything blend together. It was actually quiet amazing; his grave was somewhat the centerpiece of the image ahead. I tried to get a picture but unfortunately without the flash everything was pitch dark and with the flash you could only see what is close ahead. It was still nice to enjoy my surroundings in the moment though. I think that having read information about what this man stood for added to my comfort by his grave because his values weren't so far away from mine. I closed my eyes and rested with him for a bit.

HW 55 - Culminating Project - Care of the Dead

This unit exposed me to the extent we try to separate ourselves from the dead in our current society. It made me question where this general fear of the dead had stemmed from because it isn’t necessarily the healthiest way to approach death. My belief is that our fear of death originates from the human instinct of our bodies resisting death as much as possible.  For example, if I hold my breath for long enough my body will eventually force me to inhale. When we see that other people have passed away, it reminds us that our bodies could ultimately fail us no matter how much it tries to resist death.

A crow approaches a woman's car while she was driving down the highway. Completely shocked by the crow she swerves to the side of the road and gets out of the car. The crow then begins to pick at her face and grab at her scalp. She ends up laid out on the side of the road with her face greatly disfigured and bloody and the crow flies away. A huge truck starts to drive down the highway and the woman builds up her strength to walk right in front of it. This is a scene from a film I watched over the weekend that sparked my current theory. I wondered what possessed this woman to go against the human instinct and commit suicide. I also wondered how that added to the fearful aspect of the movie. 

The conscious desire to stay alive is derived from the human and animal instinct. Even when it is a conscious decision to harm oneself, the body physically does what it can to resist ones actions. To overcome that the conscious desire must be strong enough to overpower the urge to stay alive. I gave an example of how the body does this in the first paragraph. There are many other intuitions the human body has been built up to avoid death such as a question of taste, fear itself, etc. 

The desire to stay alive is institutionalized in us from the moment we can breathe.  Surrounding ourselves with death is a conscious reminder that our bodies cannot always fulfil this desire. The more we separate ourselves from death and support a current system that handles death in a similar way plumbing handles excrement, the higher the belief that we above death raises. So, when we are finally faced with it we feel extremely weak and ashamed by our grievances.

HW 53 - Independent Research A

Into the Great Green Beyond by John Collins Rudolf

Précis: The market of environmentally conscious consumers has risen dramatically in the last decade and the option to die in a "green" way has just been presented. Because this is such a new option, many people who would be interested in the idea of an eco-friendly funeral do not know it is a possibility. Traditional funerals include non-biodegradable caskets containing embalmed bodies filled with toxic chemicals. This means that this commonly used style of funeral leaves a huge impact on the Earth. Alternatives such as biodegradable urns and caskets made of renewable sources are becoming appraised. These choices are still very rare in America though, so if you were interested in them you would have to plan ahead of time.

Analysis: This relates to the last third of my book "Curtains" by Tom Jokinen where he acknowledges the few places that do offer eco-friendly funeral options in this country. I believe that the objective of this article is just to raise awareness about this topic to attract this specific market. I consider this a positive move because people should be aware of their options before making a choice, especially if the options they are unaware about match their values the most. I wonder if this article will cause the topic to be more discussed in mainstream media and create a more public discourse about the topic.

I wonder if changing these aspects of a "traditional" funeral also changes the emotional and spiritual aspects of the ceremony. Choices are obviously made based on your own principles, but I wonder if eco-friendly burials add or take away any feelings that would occur in a commonly practiced burial. It may seem more ideal for one person to degrade and become one with nature while another person favors the idea of permanently staying on this earth. What does it say about American culture if the majority of us gets buried in steel caskets, get embalmed and have concrete support in burial our plots? Do we strive for permanence?

Citation: Rudolf, John C. "Into the Great Green Beyond." Nytimes.com. New York Times, 30 June 2010. Web. 09 May 2011. <http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/30/into-the-big-green-beyond/?scp=5&sq=embalming&st=cse>.

Thinking Outside The Urn by Roxana Popescu

Précis: Turning your loved ones ashes into artwork is a new trend where a teaspoon of ashes can transform into paintings, sculptures, jewelry, etc. It is a great way to express the spirit of the person through art that conveys specific emotions. Cremation is rising as a more popular funeral option, but not everyone wants their loved ones displayed in a classic urn. People want more personalized ways to hold their loved ones ashes, thus came this amazing alternative.

Analysis: This article grasped my interest because it was a topic that I've recently been considering. The article referenced a link to the "Art in Ashes" website which displayed all their artistic option for possessing ashes. I personally thought they had very beautiful options but it disappointed me that they were not customizable. I'd rather design/ create my own art-urn or have a loved one the same than be carried in eternity in something that doesn't project my essence. Are there more services where that option is available? How many people are aware of this option in America?

Citation: Popescu, Roxana. "Keepsakes From Loved Ones Ashes - Newsweek." Newsweek - National News, World News, Business, Health, Technology, Entertainment, and More - Newsweek. The Newsweek/Daily Beast Company LLC, 03 Nov. 2007. Web. 10 May 2011. <http://www.newsweek.com/2007/11/03/thinking-outside-the-urn.html>.

_________________________________________________________________

Interview Précis (in the view of the undertaker):  This line of work is something I was born into. My Grandfather owned this place, then my father inherited it, and so did I. I know all of the common practices by observing my father; I was also interested in biology growing up and part of my job is being a scientist. Overall, the most important skill in my job is comforting the living, "the dead are in God's hands." I like the fact that my job offers a steady supply of costumers but I dislike all of the prejudice I receive. "Necrophiliacs or unduly morbid folks are rare in this profession." And we are not swindlers either. I separate my private life and my line of business, though sometimes I feel disappointed when handling suicides. It's a shame to see how many people don't value their lives. Funerals should cost as much as a wedding does because they are somewhat similar events. People expect funerals to cost around a months pay, but when all the costs are factored in, the average price is closer to a years pay. When I was younger I thought this was a huge waste of money but now I see how it helps others appreciate their loved ones.

Analysis:  When he first said that his least favorite part of his job was the judgments people made about him because of it, I thought that was very self-ish of him. Learning in class about how funeral homes are profiting off of people's grief and guilt, I thought it was strange that he was talking about how much he gets judged. After I asked him to clarify on what prejudice he receives made his point all the more valid. I have actually heard of those same rumors and generalizations from various sources like TV shows, and even in normal conversation. I believe this has more to do with people's prejudice against the dead than it does actual morticians. People just can't grasp anyone who chooses to be around dead people for a living. It is more comforting for the majority to keep life and death separate.

HW 52 - Third Third of the COTD Book

Precis: At Neil's funeral home, drama started to brew between everyone out of concern for their positions. The death rate has been lower than it had in the past ten yrs and it isn't expected to rise again for another 5-10 yrs where the baby boomer generation is expected to die off. So for a business that is meant to be rescission proof, business is pretty bad and income is low. Shannon was threatening to leave to accept a higher paying job that shes been offered and Erik and Richard have been arguing over who deserves to take over the funeral home. While this all happens, Shannon's uncle dies; and as we all attend her funeral it reminds us that we are all somewhat family. Afterword I tell Neil that I'm going to California and Nevada for a while to check out these highly publicized alternative funeral options such as eco-friendly burials and dead artwork.


Quotes:

"Soon enough, as if he wants to keep his hand in the game, Death throws us a gift to occupy our time, but it's wrapped in sad irony."(200)

"People spend more on pet services than they do for themselves. They love their pets without ambivalence." (204)

This whole section of the book refers to the traditional aspect of the funeral business and how although there are many new alternatives for death care arising, certain traditions still hold true. There were many intriguing alternatives to death care described that sparked my consideration, such as being turned into a piece of artwork or eco-friendly cremation. These alternatives have been coming up left and right but they are not as accessible as the traditional options. I question whether it will take a shift of public interest for the alternatives to become more popular or if the alternatives need to become more available for that to happen. What will need to happen first?

HW 51 - Second Third of COTD Book

Precis: Now that I have been training as an undertaker for a while, I feel less uncomfortable around dead bodies as I used to. I've done so many embalmings that after a certain point I stopped seeing it as cutting up and filling a helpless human being with chemicals, and started seeing it as a job. It important to disconnect from the bodies and the families you work with, or you are at risk of getting too personal. The idea of handling grief is much worse than the thought of handling a dead body in my opinion. At Neil's crematorium, I had my first experience cremating an overweight man. He was a good 500 lbs and he lit up so much that he made light show. Cremation has become more and more popular in the last two decades, especially because of the prices are lower than traditional burial services. Neil's prices are particularly higher than other crematoriums but he offers transparency which makes him more reliable than other cremators. Most cremators treat their crematoriums like business and to them it doesn't matter whether a costumer gets the wrong ashes if they get paid. Also, costumer's don't usually end up paying the sticker price. These are all risks that people take when going to just any crematorium.

Quotes:
"Grief scares me more than death; it may be as simple, and as complicated as that." (106)
"Funeral service and the rituals we choreograph are meant to tamp down the wild, reality, and it's like watching a glass vase fall and hit the floor." (108)

One aspect of this book that I found particularly humorous is how closely related undertaking and performing are. The fact that they have to convey empathetic emotions they don't necessarily feel and continue going when they make mistakes directly reminded me of the skills you have to possess to be a good performer.

HW 50 - First Third of Care-of-the-Dead Book Post

Precis:
I am an undertaker-in-training attempting to discover why we handle death the way we do in our current society, and how we handle the bodies that remain. I figured that the best way to learn about these things is through personal experience, although I have to admit, I can barely handle myself on top of any of the deceased that cross my path. A theory I've developed for why the majority of people tend to avoid the subject of death and the care of the dead rather than exploring it is because in our society we human beings have managed to conquer nature but the two aspects of our lives that remind us that we're human are: sex and death. Therefore these two major aspects of our lives have been tabooed; and death was best left to be handled by the experts. There are a wide variety of ways to deal with dead bodies, some cheaper than others, some more more extensive than others, but what you are your deceased loved one chooses to undergo completely depends on your, or their, values. I've had to sit through crematings, which are very short and simple, and if also had to prepare for open caskets, which is no where close to short or simple. I've assisted the funeral-home's embalmer make (and pump chemicals into) this recently deceased men and women to make them look almost lively enough for his family to recognize them before they were buried into the ground. See, this is the life I traded in over my old job as radio producer at CBC, but I'm glad that I had because uncovering this gap between death and burial time was important to me.

Quotes:
"Death wasn't something to fear, it was something to aspire to, after the troubling business that came before it, of which there was little need to speak."(26)

"In death you're a cold, physical problem that must be dealt with."(26)

"Bake, shake, be done with it." (32)

"The embalmed corpse is an in-between: both a person and an object to fear." (57)

"fuzzy noble notions made fuzzier by repetition." (76)

I believe that Jokinen's theory about why death and sex are tabooed in today's world makes a lot of sense and is very interesting. It explains why many people don't educate themselves or others about "the gap" because they would rather keep death a bigger mystery than it already is.  While reading him describe actually handling and touching dead bodies, I imagined myself in the same position and I have to admit that I felt a little uneasy from  it.  Not that death disgusts me, but it just seems that painting, cutting open, dying, pumping chemicals into a cold human being with who has no control over what you do to them seems messed up. I know this is all for the sake of families, but it just seems to me that after a person dies the right thing to do from then on is to leave them alone (unless they requested otherwise). One thing that was brought up in the book about caskets and burials that really made me question was that a lot of these caskets are built so the last as long as possible underground. I always thought that the whole point of being buried is to become one with the earth again, not to take up space in it. I wonder if they make caskets that will eventually decay into the earth in a way that isn't harmful to it.

HW 49 - Comments on Best of Your Break HW

Comments Given:

Sophia S. :
In response to your interview with your aunt "M", I thought it was very smart of you to connect us separating ourselves from the dead or the dying "because that would involve facing the fact that it's going to happen". This relates to a similar point the author of my book, Tom Jokinen, made about humans making the topic of death and the dead a taboo in general because it is an aspect of nature we can't control. I believe that your aunt had a good point about dying at home being a better environment for the one who is dying. One thing you can explore is how dying at home effects everyone else in the family. Another thing you could explore that you mentioned in this post is how formal funerals are more suppressed and why or why not this may be true.

Chris R. :
I like your honest approach to what you do and don't know. Somethings you can think about to go past your initial thoughts are what goes behind organizing a funeral and why are they organized the way they are? Considering every way a body is handled after it is dead as "care for the dead" is a good mindset to have because there are intentions for everything we choose to do and the body is involved in every situation. I think it was very important when you stated:"thinking about someone who has died makes you wonder about your own death." because it seems to be the general reaction of everyone. I wonder why that is usually the initial reaction after someone has died rather than thinking about the person as a whole.

Comments Recieved:

Sophia S.: 

I really liked your last paragraph, because you said what you learned from talking with your grandmother ("Having built up emotions and guilt with no resolution can definitely cause emotional distress, and not being able to ever know how the deceased feels adds to the grief of the mysterious aspect of death")and stated how it affected you ("It is only human to feel unbalanced when you are handling unresolved hardships, but this reminds me how important it is to always express how I truely feel to people and always look for closure in different circumstances"). I also thought that this was a really good insight: "If your connection to whomever is deceased is weak (or has been weakened) it is very easy to begin to focus on yourself and how you feel about the situation, which isn't necessarily selfish." You acknowledged the fact that people don't always think about the deceased person - they will focus on themselves, and the situation they are in, and how they have to act. 

 

Chris R.:

I liked this blog post because you decided to use your grandparents instead of friends, cousins, parents or something like that. I feel like this is one of the more unique blog posts because it has the point of view of a grandparent who has obviously been alive longer then a parent, a cousin, or a friend. The only thing that that I would suggest for you to have done would have been list the questions. I kind of wanted to know what you asked them because you said "Perhaps the deaths that he held closest to him were the deaths of his parents. His father was a marine in WW2 and was given a veteran burial plot because of it". I just wanted to know where this came up in the conversation it is something that I wanted to know more about because "insight" is overused in this course. Interest is what I think everyone should go for, and i enjoyed reading this however I thought with a few minor things it could have been very interesting. 

 

Marcus B. (mentor):

i think this is the most personal and in depth of all your posts. you reminded me that people tend to avoid the subject of death which can have some negative repercussions.  you will be much more prepared when the inevitable happens, if you come to terms and deal with the subject of death. you will also probably have a better relationship with your loved one knowing that your time with them wont last forever. as you said "having built up emotions and guilt with no resolution can definitely cause emotional distress". thinking about death will most likely allow you to connect with your loved one and try to resolve whatever issues you may have before they die. it also allows you to prepare for respectful final ceremony for your loved one. it cant be easy to arrange a funeral for someone if you aren't quite sure of how they would like to be remembered.

HW 48 - Family Perspectives on the Care of the Dead

Interview with my Grandfather: Over the course of his life he has attended many different funerals that vary from formal to informal. Perhaps the deaths that he held closest to him were the deaths of his parents.  His father was a marine in WW2 and was given a veteran burial plot because of it. Both him and his wife were buried in the same place, which is something my grandfather finds sweet because he has the opportunity to visit them both together. They were both Jewish, so their funerals were very formal and religious. They had the Kaddish read allowed at their funerals which is a Jewish prayer for the dead. My grandfather does not have any preference of funeral service and no religious influence on them. He believes that over all, "a funeral is an opportunity to pay your respects  regardless of your religion". When I asked him how he would prefer to be "taken care of" after he passed away, he told me that he had no solid plan and that that would be a decision made based on whatever is best for his surviving loved ones.

My grandfather made it clear that all the ceremonys that he has attended have been respectful no matter how formal or informal. That seemed to be all that was important to him when it came to funeral services. I agree that religion doesn't really matter when it comes to respecting an individual life (in most cases) because it is important to seperate the values of an intierer reliogion from a specific person. Especially when it comes to ceremonies in America because there is a huge veriety of people don't necessarily agree on religious stances but live harmoniously regardless and still appreciate one another.


Interview with my Grandmother:
My grandmother has had to deal with the death of her parents as well, but she had an experience fairly different from my grandfather. Her mother had died when she was 11 and she died at home while she was there. My grandmother said that this was actually a good experience for her because she was able to feel resolved with her mother dying. This is also partially why she believes it is so important to die at home rather than in a hospital because being surrounded by loved ones in the comfort of your own home also affects how your family comes to terms with your death.She then began to bring up a very interesting point that part of the reason why funerals are so emotional is because people don't always have closure with the person dead.  She feels that this makes funerals "for the living, not the dead".
 
Having built up emotions and guilt with no resolution can definitely cause emotional distress, and not being able to ever know how the deceased feels adds to the grief of the mysterious aspect of death.If your connection to whomever is deceased is weak (or has been weakened) it is very easy to begin to focus on yourself and how you feel about the situation, which isn't necessarily a selfish. It is only human to feel unbalanced when you are handling unresolved hardships, but this reminds me how important it is to always express how I truely feel to people and always look for closure in different circumstances.

HW 46 - Initial Thoughts on the Care of the Dead

In class we had a discussion where someone briefly brought up how the dead is often highly respected, no matter how nasty they were when they were alive. I started to think about this and I believe that this is the case because death is something that none of us have experienced. In life, generally speaking, the choices we make are when mold us and if someone disagrees with another person's choices (i.e would have handled a situation differently) they are somewhat entitled not to like them for it because their experiences and perspective. But in terms of dying, none of us have a clear picture of what a dead man or woman is (or isn't) going through. They are also no longer able to defend themselves so it feels extremely cruel to attack someone or dislike them in their weakest state.

I believe this relates to how good the care of the dead is because we ultimately respect the dead almost more than the living. When someone dies, the living then becomes accountable for their body.  Because the dead person isn't alive to oversee how well you take care of them, it seems like we would care less. But I believe that religion is also a factor in this case because the death and afterlife are unknown and religion is the answer/ explanation to the unknown. So, someone dying is a reminder that there might actually be something beyond earth and that someone/something might actually be looking down on us. Also, good care taking of the dead is reassuring for all of us who will eventually die and will hopefully be taken good care of as well.

HW 45 - Reply to Other Peoples' Comments

Based on the information I received during this unit, I did have a clear idea of what I thought to be the best policy to give birth would be. I choose to make my bias very clear, especially when it came to convincing my mother of it, because she is someone I truly care about and want the best for.  I know that it was very confusing that parts 2-4 were missing, but that was due to technical difficulties and out of concern of time. I attempted to summarize the rest of my discussion with my mother, but of course it will never be as clear as the real thing. I see that a lot of you respond well to video presentations so maybe for future projects I will attempt to do one again (just one that is not as lengthy and more concise)

HW 44 - Comments on Other People's Projects

Comments received:

Christopher R.- The main idea of your post seemed to be finding out what a woman with kids thought about birth. But at the same time you introduced it as a decision of whether or not your mother should have another kid. The only thing that is confusing about this is you say your mom knows a lot of information so I find it confusing how you would go about informing her more. Maybe I'm just lost. Also I'm confused about parts 2-4. But anyway I think all these projects are useful pieces of information but at the same time I like that you mother was more informed about birth then "common people". For whatever reason I thought people who gave birth wouldn't know as much as I did but 9 months of thinking gives more information then a month of what we did. I think this project matters because the video was actually very entertaining. Most birth stories are, they are rarely talked about and usually great stories.

Christopher M.- I really likes your project because it was different from the rest of the students in the class. You were planning out a procedure to follow so when your mother decided to have another kid everything would be natural and the best for your mother.

I really valued your overall goal that you wanted to achieve in your project because you were applying what you learned from class,the movie, and the book to help out someone out in your family that you care for.

The reason your project mattered to me was because it was different the fact that you had a video that people could watch to see the work that you did for your project. 

Brianna M. (protege) - I liked the fact that you pushed birthing centers as apposed to hospitals. Hearing it argued in favor of birthing centers helped open my eyes to the other side of the argument. I also liked the video aspect of the entry. I think you could have made it more clear what influence the stories from the book had on your opinion.

Sophia S.- You interviewed your mother about your birth, and then gave her information about birth that we learned in class. I liked that you acknowledged that you had a biased opinion going into the project - people don't always realize or admit to this. You project matters because you brought up the idea of birthing centers, which hasn't really been discussed. The only advice I would give is to make it more clear what the intention of the project is.

Marcus B.(mentor)- I thought your post was great. I like the fact that you did so much research on different methods of childbirth. However, I have to agree with your mother, when it comes to going through the birthing process,  experience does help with narrowing down the options. Although one might do sufficient research, you probably won't know what works for you until (at least) the second time around.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Comments Given:

Rossi C. - I believe the most effective way to learn is through experiences so it was smart of you to go out of your way and converse with these nurses for a real honest outlook on this medical system. The voices of the nurses are very un-sung so it was nice to see their perspective. Based on these answers it seems that a nurse's main objective is to be protective; either of the women and newborns, the doctors, or the hospitals. These nurses seemed to be very informed about their area of interest and are definitely aware of what goes on behind the scenes. I'm glad that they are there and hopefully they keep the obstetricians they work with very grounded.

Brandon Z.- I'd like to thank you for doing a project about this particular aspect of birth because I believe I've received the least amount of information about it in this unit. I understand that every woman's experience is different (so these mother's pregnancy effects will most likely be to mine sometime in the future) but it is always beneficial to get as much insight as I can about the topic.

These three women all seemed to share similar experiences (so I'd have some idea what to expect). But, the most interesting commonality between these answers by far is how all three of these women felt like the experience of pregnancy was beautiful and worth it. They considered it a pivotal moment in their lives and it is nice to know that no matter how much you struggle or suffer during your pregnancy, having a healthy child makes up for it all.

Kevin W.- This was a very good topic to write about and you had a very interesting approach. Your ideal birthing system sounds very beneficial but if OBs have a different outlook on birth than I believe that would always cause a conflict between them. They should each study more on each others practices so they know who is needed and when. Many midwives have a good grasp on this but, as you said, most OBs look at pregnancy as another one of their medical procedures because they are not even required to look at a home birth. A question I would ask is if the lower maternal and infant mortality rate provided by midwives is due to the small amount of midwife attended births in this country (9%). I know that in other industrialized countries this isn't a case, but the population of these other countries are also generally healthier due to their better health care regimens.

Elevator speech

HW 42 - Pregnancy & birth culminating project

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5veFTtPGUKY-- (the first part of the video of 4 parts)

the rest of the film goes on in a second discussion with my mother. I start off by giving her a list of local midwives and birthing centers in our area. Then I go on by telling her their services and practices. I read her exerts of my book (born in the usa) but she eventually let me know that she knew a lot of this information already. She wasn't completely against the medical model or the idea of going back to that environment but in conclusion, she assured me that she would highly consider going to a birthing center (which is what I was trying to convince her of).
Reflection- When I went into this project, I had a very biased opinion of what was the "right" way to give birth. I came into this discussion expecting to convince my mother of what I believed because I had so much information about it but she was very informed herself, and on top of that, she was way more experienced. She knew what it was like to be in a hospital and give birth and she didn't experience any of the horror stories that I had read about in Born in the USA by Marsden Wagner. In fact, it sounded as if she had very good and informed obstetricians, one of whom very much encouraged the natural birthing process (by asking her to squat, refusing to give her any drugs, and being against unnecessary C-sections). Doctors may not be as coddling as Midwives, but they are precise and get straight to the point which is something my mother may have needed. Based on the information I provided her about birthing centers (which you could obviously tell I was trying to push), she said that she would definitely consider that option, but now knowing a little more about her OB-GYN, I wouldn't be as worried for her and my future possible sibling if she took up her services again.

HW 41 - Independent Research

NATURAL LABOR  INDUCTION ALTERNATIVES


Annotated Bibliography-
1. Kelly AJ, Kavanagh J, Thomas J. Castor oil, bath and/or enema for cervical priming and induction of labour. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2001, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD003099. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003099

This is an investigation of the effectiveness of Castor oil for inducing labor and/or ripening the cervix during labor. Castor oil is a natural labor catalyst that has been used for many years and is considered "traditional". It is commonly used by practicing midwives although there has never been a clear grasp on its effectiveness. This study compares this method of induction to other commonly used practices. The group of women included in this study was too small to have a determinable outcome but based on the results, Castor oil had very little effect.

2. McFarlin BL, Gibson MH, O'Rear J, Harman P. A national survey of herbal preparation use by nurse-midwives for labor stimulation. J Nurse Midwifery 1999;44:205-16.

This study was conducted to show the effectiveness of herbal preparations for cervical ripening, induction, and augmentation of labor.  Also, this study investigates whether or not midwives are teaching these practices with accurate information of the effectiveness of herbal methods. Herbal methods for labor induction are somewhat popular in the midwifery field and those who use them do because they are "natural", while those who do not claim they don't have enough information about them to practice them on woman. Based on this study, majority (92%) of the midwives who use or teach these practices are using and teaching them informally.


3. TENORE, JOSIE L. "Methods for Cervical Ripening and Induction." Precious Passage Birth Services- Homebirth Midwifery Akron Ohio. American Academy of Family Physicians, 15 May 2003. Web. 01 Apr. 2011. <http://www.preciouspassage.com/Methods for Cervical Ripening and induction.htm>.

This article provides information about the most commonly used alternatives for labor induction.

The most prescribed agents are evening primrose oil, black haw, black and blue cohosh, and red raspberry leaves. Evening primrose oil is the most used out of all listed above but they have not been proven to have any effect on the softness of the cervix or the speed of the labor. This article states that the risks and benefits of these listed herbal alternatives are still indeterminable. Also, sexual intercourse and stimulation has been suggested in this paper as an alternative for induction. Although there are many logical reasons why it makes sense for sexual intercourse to speed up the laboring process, its effectiveness is still indeterminable.

4.  Smith CA, Collins CT, Cyna AM, Crowther CA. Complementary and alternative therapies for pain management in labour. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2006, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD003521. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD003521.pub2.

It is important to be relaxed during labor for it to proceed quicker and less painfully. Tension and anxiety make labor pains worse and stress can also slow down labor.  There is some evidence that acupuncture may be a good alternative for relaxation methods but more research needs to be done for it to be proven. Some other alternative methods for relieving labor pain are massage, reflexology, herbal medicines or homoeopathy, hypnosis and music.

5.  "Foods That Induce Labor?" Empowering Each Woman Giving Birth Naturally. GivingBirthNaturally.com, 2007. Web. 01 Apr. 2011. <http://www.givingbirthnaturally.com/foods-that-induce-labor.html>.

Many women believe in and turn to food for inducing labor. Based on gathered information, the most beneficial and effective foods for the labor process are Pineapple, spicy foods, Chinese food, eggplant Parmesan, and licorice. There is only anecdotal evidence proving that these foods work for inducing labor but more evidence needs to be gathered to solidify this claim.



Based on the information gathered, I see there is a common theme that a lot of natural alternatives to labor induction and cervix ripening have not been fully explored. I believe that this is a real problem because there is plenty of information about the benefits and pitfalls or medical a mechanical interventions. I think that it is important to turn to nature for the answers before artificial chemicals, and where nature doesn't prevail, medicine should then be used. Maybe I could take this information (or lack there of) to create a campaign for doctors to do more research on natural alternatives because if they are effective enough, they could become common practices replacing the drugs Cytotec or Pitocin (which have their own cons).

HW 40 - Insights from Book - Part 3

Letter to Marsden Wagner, M.D., M.S.:

Dear Doctor Marsden,

Your book completely changed my view of the practices of obstetricians( not that I knew much about their practices to begin with.) You did an amazing job executing your main objective which was that majority of obstetricians in America have convoluted mindsets and objectives but if they learn to work with midwives, the U.S. maternity care system would be much improved and therefore match the success of many other advanced nations. Also, this reiterated the importance of women being educated about what potentially happens to their body. Honestly, I might have underwent the "normal" procedure of birth in this country if I had not been provided the information you offered me, but gaining an actual obstetricians perspective helped me realize how that might not be something I would want to partake in. Their motives lead to unnecessary interventions that make their lives easier (but from the looks of the risk factors, not necessarily the lives of women or babies), they also lead to misinformation about their practices and the practices of their so called "competitors" (midwives) To be fair, your book does shine a very negative light on these practicing doctors as a whole but I realize the importance of this because it seems that doctors stand on their self-built pedestals that we the people help support.

I like how specifically in the last third of the book, you discuss how the medias portrayal of birth adds to the misinformation of the birth process and the added trust in doctors to make everything better. I believe this beefs up your initial argument that if women were informed about what they are experiencing, then they (we) would want better for themselves (ourselves). We have a very negative outlook on such a beautiful process which makes us afraid of our own bodies and what we are going through. From all the television shows and movies I've seen, women turn into irrational beasts screaming in the most severe pain begging out for an epidural. Based on this image, birth does seem like something that need to be controlled and restricted.

3 QUOTES THAT RELATE TO THIS POINT:
"Thanks to soap operas and sitcoms, most of the American public currently thinks birth is a surgical procedure carried out not by a woman but by a doctor (the hero)" (pg. 220)

"Any group that wants to maintain a monopoly and is worth its salt knows that controlling the media must be a key part of its strategy. Organized obstetrics in the United States puts enormous energy into what is often called "public relations". (pg 221)

"If the book or article says, 'ask your doctor,' 'trust your doctor,' or 'listen to your doctor', it has failed the trust test and should probably go back on the shelf. If it says, "trust your body," or "trust the scientific evidence,' then it is probably worth reading.(pg. 223)

You did an amazing job proving your ideas and providing an alternative perspective on our countries normal practices, but I believe to take this book further you could have provided more positive birth stories from alternative births rather than statistics that they are just "better for low-risk women".  Positive stories are more encouraging and help women really grasp what having a natural birth is like. Because it is not a necessity it is nice to know what the natural option provides. Also it would have been great if more information about what qualifies as a high risk birth is very important. Not every woman is suitable for natural home births so it is important to distinguish those women apart from the majority. obstetricians do have a purpose so it is necessary to know when they are needed.

But I don't want you to feel like I'm criticizing. I appreciate the immense amount of labor you dedicated to this important issue and particularly for making me think about what an obstetricians true intentions may be before I put all my trust in them  and also how regular practices and the maternity field could greatly damage me and my (theoretical) child. In fact, I'm likely to seek the help of a midwife and experience a completely natural birth thanks to the information provided by this book.

Thank you for writing!

From, Amhara Rein

HW 39 - Insights from Book - Part 2

Wagner, Marsden. Born in the USA How a Broken Maternity System Must Be Fixed to Put Women and Children First. Berekely and Los Angeles, California: University of Berkely, 2006. 1-189. Print.

1. So far, the movie "Business of Being Born" has a good balance of factual evidence and personal experiences while the book has a clear thesis that is constantly proved by numerical and anecdotal evidence. It seems as if the movie is a reference of experience and information about the birthing process for women, and the book is greatly encouraging natural childbirth while demonizing those in the obstetrician field and their common practices. The movie, at one point, brought up the rates of medical interventions in the country and how they are connected to the high maternity rates in this country but the book repeatedly references these rates and also explains the reason behind why they are so high although all this information has been proven.Having practiced with many obstetricians , the author of the book has a lot of insight about their perspective and their true motives behind their actions. The movie offers a much more objective view where midwifery is encouraged, but not advised. The movie also did not go into as much depth about the decrease in midwifery in the United States and the reason behind it. Midwives and home-births are very vilified in this country and it is important to address why they are even though many other highly developed countries use their practices and have a lower maternal and infant mortality rates. Marsden Wagner explains how doctors use the power of their authority to "knock out the competition".
2. I believe that the biggest insight the author is trying to communicate in the second hundred pages of the book is that most obstetricians work in fear: fear of competition and losing their jobs to equally competent midwives, fear of being sued for litigation, fear of losing control and monopoly over the births in the U.S., and mostly of making a mistake and having to admit that they are wrong. I feel as if these obstetricians are fighting for a position that they do not necessarily want to handle. They go to extremes to vilify (through the law and inaccurate statistics from biased studies) midwifery and alternate birthing options yet they aren't willing to handle the pitfalls of their own mistakes.

HW 38 - Insights from pregnancy & birth book - part 1

Response to: Born in the USA by Marsden Wagner. M.D., M.S.

Based on what I have read so far in the book, and the chapters titles in table of contents, this book has a clear tendency to argue right vs. wrong. Each chapter reveals a new nightmarish aspect of the medical maternity system and argues how much better it would be if midwifery and natural births were more common. The book starts off stating the atrocities of the common practice of birth in the medical field, then it eventually leads up to his perfect vision of birth. The general question the author is trying to answer is "what is the most optimal way to birth a child?" I personally agree with his angle of valuing this process as a pivotal moment in life that woman should experience fully. I do believe that every woman deserves the right to choose how she delivers, but more woman should be informed about their options to make the perfect decision to answer this essential question. The major insight given in this section of the book communicates that most obstetricians are more concerned with themselves and their convenience that they do the women they treat and they ultimately take the power of the birthing process in their own hands. The author illustrated his points very well by using mass amounts of evidence regarding statistics of the times of birth and also personal experiences with other obstetricians.  I see how doctors would ultimately want to make the process easier on themselves, seeing as their work hrs are (or should be) indeterminable, but in many cases the convenience of the doctors take away a lot of the convenience of the women in labor. It is a big issue how much doctors take this significant process for granted, but I wouldn't want to vilify them because I can understand their desire for time and convenience, which is a right every human being should be able to possess (which is unfortunately not the case). I believe that the authors use of evidence is very strong and reliable but it is also very bias. The author casually introduces anecdotes which mostly relate to the emotions of himself, other obstetricians, woman, interviewers etc. They help build his points with a poignant connotation. Usually after he makes a major argument,  he backs himself up with statistical and scientific evidence because, as he argues, all the facts should be available to women before they are told what to do.

5 interesting aspects:
1. Doctor's commit insurance fraud by giving elective C-Sections( which aren't beneficial unless in extreme/ rare cases).
2. Interventions during pregnancy usually lead to more interventions that all have their individual risks to the woman and her child.
3. The natural method of giving birth is almost outdated in this country even though it would seem to be the better option for the majority of women.
4.Doctors rarely admit their mistakes or inform women the risks of their procedures. Doctors want full control of the birth process and want it to be as convenient as possible for themselves.
5.  A lot of medical methods used during the birth process not only prove to be unnesicary in most cases, but also increase a lot of risks for the woman and child. They also cost a lot more money to perform than any natural model of birth. (what's the pro in this situation? who is benefiting?)

HW 36 comments

Comments received:

Chris(group member):
WELL,
Before I say your best line and how you can improve, Ill say something I liked about the entire assignment, you started to build off ideas and you basically answered the last part of the blog that you did in blog three times. After every story you talked about how it changed your mind and how it made you realize some things. You started to mention some things about how you had some questions and wanted to look into things after the story. Personally I think your best story was your first one but i think you could have analyzed this more. Because you probably know this story I think you analyzed it less and this shows because in your story about the inducing of birth, you say you didn't know a lot about it and you analyzed that the best in my mind. I think thats how you can improve, you started out alright and ended great so if you could start off as great as you ended you would have a even better post. Heres the line I liked the most "Before this, I had no clue that doctor's inducing birth was something standard. I began to wonder how the drugs and gels given by doctors affected the children, and if they were more affective than any natural alternatives" it shows curiosity and willingness to grow.

Sophia(group member):

First off, this was my favorite line from the interviews:

A- "Did you receive any pain relievers?"
F- "No, this wasn't America" {Laughs}

I really liked the whole first interview, because it was interesting, as you said, to hear about how birth happens in other countries (like how there are maternity homes instead of hospitals).

You also built off your previous ideas after each interview, and you brought up many different topics: natural vs. induced labor, whether the father should be there for the birth, and why birth makes people uncomfortable.

I also didn't know until recently how common it is now for labor to be induced by a doctor; I've heard this isn't very good for the mother or the baby.

All in all, I thought your post was well done and organized. I also liked this line of yours: "It was also interesting to see how these two different parts of the birth process were connected to one another. It makes me imagine the process as a game board where your path is altered depending on where you move."

Brianna (protege):

I think that you did a very good job of analyzing the interviews. You seemed to build off ideas mentioned in the first interview. You also sound really interested in what you are writing. My favorite line was "This interview geared me in a new direction in thought that I hadn't really considered before, which was the difference in birth experience depending on the country your in". I thought that it showed how you were learning new things during the interview. I thikn that you could analyze the first interview a little more thouroughly. It seems the be the most informative so if you analyzed it some more there would be more comparisions to make, points to argue , etc. 

Marcus (mentor):

its interesting to hear your thoughts on the differences in the birth experience depending on the country you're in. your grandmothers experience in a third world country does sound interesting and unlike most of the stories we are used to hearing. that being said i also think that within each country there are also many different experiences. i am not sure if maternity homes are used as widely by women in the u.s. but people also give birth in hospitals in Jamaica. i think that something to consider is not only seeing the differences but also the fact that in any culture there will always be alternative ways of going about things.
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Comments Given:


to Chirs:
I liked how you started this assignment with an idea/ theme in mind because it shows how much thought you put into your objectives before you actually perform them. Plus it was a pretty cool idea to compare birth stories from different time periods. I thought the most interesting part of this post was comparing the male counterparts participation of the sisters birth process. I could see you were on the brink of asking a very insightful question which is " how involved is too much and how involved is not enough?". Another question you could have asked yourself to take your thought process further is: why did the woman in the first interview think it was strange that her male counterpart was so involved?- those questions would have led you to a lot of good points and thoughts.


to Sophia:


I thought it was smart of you to explain the physical and mental effects DURING a pregnancy, which is something I didn't really have in mind going into this assignment. Its important to explain those specific things because in our culture there are many assumptions and stereotypes of women while pregnant. It was also interesting for you to talk about how other people treated her during the pregnancy because that is also definitely a factor.

I believe that your best thought was:
"
I thought it was interesting how her friend's death made her want to have another child. "

because you were touching on the big idea of what motivates people to have children! and this is a very unique and beautiful example of that.

HW 36 - Pregnancy & Birth Stories

My Father's Birth Story:

An interview with my grandmother Farika. (My father asked to be apart of this interview because he had never heard his own birth story and was interested.)

A- Me

F- My grandmother

M- My Father

A- Was he born in a hospital?

F- He was born in a maternity home in Trenchtown [Jamaica]

A- What’s a maternity home?

F- That's where mothers come to have babies

A- Did you have a doctors assistance?

F- No, a nurse delivered my baby. In Jamaica a lot of nurses are qualified to do that.

A- Did you receive any pain relievers?

F- No, this wasn't America {Laughs} but I took a lot of calcium.

A- What does the calcium help with?

F- It relaxes you

M- ohhhh

A- Was my grandfather present?

F- The nurses kicked him out {Chuckles}

M- What time was I born?

F- 8:15 in the morning?

M- 8:15  or 8:50?

F: 8:15

A- Did you have to rush to the maternity home?

F- No, but I still did. Most people's first instinct is to rush weather or not they have to.

A- If you lived in Kingston, why’d you go to Trenchtown to give birth? Was that where the nearest maternity home was?

F- No, but this place was recommended to me by a friend because it was inexpensive and the nurse studied a lot in England so I trusted her

A: Did anything else interesting happen?

F: The maternity home was very crowded; there were many other women there. I'm pretty sure your father has a twin! {Chuckles}

M- Twin?

F: Yeah, born on the same exact time as you. There was a woman who gave birth right before me who had a dry birth.

M- What's a dry birth?

F- Her water never broke-

A- Eh, that sounds uncomfortable

F- Your father was a really lazy baby; He didn't want to come out! {Laughs} You were also a very fat baby. You came out head first but you had such wide shoulders that didn't budge.

A: How big was he?

F- He was 9lbs, and he was really short.

F- Is there anything else you want to know?

A: Yeah, did he cry? - Cut my eyes at my dad and smile-

F: Yeah I'm pretty sure; once he was born I fell asleep. He was crying in my ear but I didn't really hear him.

This interview geared me in a new direction in thought that I hadn't really considered before, which was the difference in birth experience depending on the country your in. In this interview with my grandmother, she mad it very clear that the process of birth in Jamaica was different than it is here in America. And, looking back at the questions I asked, they were mostly based off of what I knew about the American way because I was so ignorant to the Jamaican way. I also thought it was interesting how my grandmother new the stories of birth of the other women in the nursing home because I always imagined the birthing process as something secluded.

Epidurals are very common in our country but I question how the drugs giving to pregnant woman effect the child they're trying to give birth to. The usage of calcium seems a lot more practical because it is a natural vitamin; granted, I'm sure calcium is a lot less effective than an epidural. One thing I didn't agree with was the nurse kicking my grandfather out of the maternity home because I feel like a father should definitely witness the birth of his child. If this was an issue of space, I could partially understand because my grandmother did say it was very crowded (which must have been a stressful environment to have a kid in) but a father shouldn't be distanced from that pivotal moment.

Ava's birth story:

An interview with my mother's college while I was visiting her at work

A- Me

S- Mother's College

A- Excuse me is it okay if I take a little time out of your day to interview you for a school project?

S- Yeah sure you can, what it this about?

A- I wanted to ask you about the birth story of you daughter

S- yeah sure, that's fine! Ava was born a little later than expected. I had my labor induced on June 20 and thought I would give birth the next day, but she wasn't born until three days later.

A-What exactly do they do when they induce your labor?

S- My doctor gave me many doses of medicine to try and induce labor, but nothing was working on me so they had to perform an unplanned C-section

A- did the unexpectedness of this worry you at all?

S- Somewhat, but I was going through so much pain because of contractions I just wanted to get the whole thing over with.

A- How painful was your contractions?

S- Very. But, I ended up getting an epidural because I couldn't handle the pain anymore.

A- Thank you for your time

This interview in particular gave me the most insight about how ignorant I was of the process of childbirth. Before this, I had no clue that doctor's inducing birth was something standard. I began to wonder how the drugs and gels given by doctors affected the children, and if they were more affective than any natural alternatives. Obviously in this case they were not, so this woman had to have an unplanned C-section. This made me think of how unpredictable childbirth is, and although there are many different approaches to the same procedure it is impossible to tell which one is the most beneficial until the birth actually happens.  It was also interesting to see how these two different parts of the birth process were connected to one another. It makes me imagine the process as a game board where your path is altered depending on where you move.

During the interview, I remember starting to think of the medical and technical process of childbirth. I had no idea that labors were to be induced by a physician, but in later research, I found out that it is a rather common occurrence. This being my second interview, I saw a theme of "natural vs. medical methods" beginning to arise. I have heard of many natural birth inducing processes but I never heard of any medical ones until this interview. This is important to look into because those who give birth are constantly debating the two methods.

Aldin's birth story:

An interview with my Cousin (male)

A- Me

M- My cousin Michael

A- So you had Aldin about a year ago right?

M- Yeah

A- Would you mind telling me about the birth process from your perspective?

M- Yeah sure, no problem

A- Were you and [your girlfriend] together when you went to the hospital?

M- yeah, I was in bed when her water broke and she woke me up so I could drive her to the hospital

A- did you rush to the hospital?

M-  Well not really because she didn't start having contractions yet, so she told me it was fine if I got dressed and everything before we left.

A- did you witness any of the actual birth?

M- No, I couldn't, just imagining the sight of child birth makes me nauseous.

A- But don't you think that it is important to witness your child being born?

M- I actually do but seeing stuff like that makes me woozy

A- How did your girlfriend feel about you not being there?

M- I mean she understood. She's the same way about things like that. And her sister was in there for moral support, she cut the cord and everything. I came in after that though and held Aldin.

This was the least informative of the three interviews conducted but it was interesting to see the huge difference between a woman's experience and a man's. My cousin chose not to be in the room during the birth because it made him uncomfortable. I was amazed at how much of an option men have to participate during the whole process of pregnancy! If they did not care enough they could be removed from the whole thing. Luckily my cousin was supportive enough to go to the hospital with his girlfriend and come in after the birth.

 My cousin's girlfriend had also had Aldin in a hospital, which reassured my assumption that going to the hospital was our country's most standard birth procedure. This geared me in the direction of research I'd be doing, because if the majority in our country practices the same procedure, then it is more important to learn about the details of that specific method. I also wanted to compare birth giving strategies, so it is necessary to know a lot about what I'm comparing these "alternatives" to.

* I would like to study relaxation and pain relieving methods during pregnancy (such as epidurals and etc.)