Since I love weighing babies/ making sure that they are well nourished, I'm in the maternity everyday. This means that I find myself in the back birthing room quite often. I must admit that I enjoy watching child birth- not in a sick twisted way that usually accompanies a statement like that. It's kind of like watching a game (basketball, football, etc.) You're rooting for the object- in this case a baby not a ball- to go through the designated area. Not too different from a hoop or a goal post. The midwives look at me a bit sideways when I actually start chanting go, go, go, GO in escalation! Or when I cry wooohooo! when the babe makes it safley in the catcher's mitt. I like to think that I'm only encouraging the mom to be aggressive...b-e a-g-g-r-e-s-s-i-v-e. At least it will be a good story for her to tell the kids. I was in labor with you for 5 whole days, in the blazing heat, while a crazed American screamed nonsense at my vagina for you to come out...
Like I was saying I find myself in the room of life yet again. This story begins with the mother at the crowning stage- but ladies and gents this is no Game of Thrones. This first time mommy at the ripe ol' age of 17 is pushing as hard as she can, but the hole in not stretching to accommodate the head. The midwives begin to voice their frustrations. "This is an example of a 3rd degree excision. How are women expected to successfully go through labor when they are mutilated like this, c'est pas possible! blah blah blah" For those who don't know a 3rd degree excision is the second most invasive type of
female genital mutilation. They completely scoop out the clitoris and either sew together or remove the labia majora. The women end up looking like a scarred barbie doll. The Burkina government is getting involved in prevention and education on excision but it is still a huge reality for a lot of girls and young women.
Since the babies head will not exit, Madame Zongo grabs a pair of scissors and begins to cut the outside rim of the woman's vagina...no anesthesia. I'll write that again NO ANESTHESIA!! To make matters worse the scissors are dull. Madame Zongo is just snipping away but it's not cutting through. At this point the woman is screaming bloody murder, and what does Fati do? She slaps her in the face of course. I hand Zongo a pair of slightly less dull scissors and after a few snips she successfully tears through. They end up having to make another incision on the other side to further enlarge the opening, and the baby finally makes it through. SCORE! Although we're not in the safe zone yet. We still have to sew the mom back up (no anesthesia). I guarantee that most of these women have issues with their sex for the rest of their lives. I mean they are expected to keep popping out babies like bunnies while continuing to satisfy their husband's carnal desires. No wonder women here view sex as a chore.
Let's review the score board kids:
No clitoris,
excision scars,
childbirth scars,
the pressure to have sex before healing completely,
the knowledge that more sex will lead to another painful childbirth, AND
constantly having your
genitals mutilated whether by excision or childbirth. Talk about reopening healed wounds. Looks like no one wins here...well at least not the women.
