Childbirth in China & Kazakhstan!

Because I have children adopted from China and Kazakhstan, I knew a lot about the child birth in these countries but I continued to look up additional information! I found that in Kazakh, the hospital stay is free!  That is unusual! If you have to have tests, or more medical care then you do have to pay for that.  When I was in Kazakhstan 9 yrs ago, the average income was only $200 per year! So having free hospital delivery is awesome! Most women there do deliver their babies in a hospital setting.

In China, it can be a different story.  China is changing a lot and taking up a lot of our American ways.  Child birth is one of those ways. In the major cities, having a baby is pretty much like having a baby in the U.S.  Although some of the “older” culture beliefs still are practiced such as screaming or yelling during childbirth is frowned upon! In the very rural areas, hospital births are almost unheard of.  There is where you will find more of the traditional home births, and traditional customs still carried out. The food the woman eats during pregnancy is considered very important but important in a different way than the U. S.  The Chinese belief the temperature and color of the food is very important.  They have many, many superstitions in China that most Chinese still feel is true.  One such superstition is that you should not sleep with a knife or scissors close to your bed. This could cause a cleft lip.  Also another custom carried out in the rural areas and some big cities is that no one but close female members can be in the delivery room with the mother. Not even the father.  The father of the baby and ALL men stay away from the mother and baby for 30 days.  It is bad luck to give a baby shower before the baby is born. Also the babies are not given a name until after they are born.  Customs and traditions continue to play  a major role in child birth in China.