Birthing experience

I would like to talk about the birth of my son, since that is the one I know the best. He was born in 2010.  I wanted a midwife, and most people thought I was crazy for wanting that.  research midwifes in the area, thankfully I lived close to Cleveland, OH at this time so  I had options.  I remember filling out my birthing plan and chose to have him at the hospital because my mother was terrified of complications.  I chose natural child birth, and the nurses thought I was crazy  that I refused an epidural.  The plus side of not having the epidural was that I was free to move around, and not confined to the bed during labor.  I also was able to get a shower just a few hours after giving birth, which was the best shower ever!  Nathaniel also scored a 9.9 on his first APGAR screening.  He was very alert, and not drowsy like he would have been if I had taken the epidural.  I have no regrets on not taking the epidural.  He did have his first BM in utero, so I am glad that I opted for the hospital instead of at home.  His mouth had to be suction before he took his first cry to prevent him from swallowing it.
I am glad  that the USA is starting to make different birthing options available. I know when I was born cesareans was the norm, and  one was scheduled weeks early with no real reason for the it other than it was convenient.
I decided to see how my birthing experience compares to that of Japan.  Most women in Japan opt to not take any painkillers, but they do deliver at a hospital or birthing center, (Schalken, n.d.).  I was surprise that the average hospital stay is 5-10 day after giving birth.  I think I was only in the hospital for 2 days after giving birth. Another interesting fact, fathers are only allowed in the delivering room if they took a prenatal class with the mom to be, and  have to be in the waiting room for a cesarean. I like this idea, my ex-husband was freaking out and made things worse for me. Last fact,Japan has the lowest infant mortality rate in the world, and the USA is #27th  according to Child Health USA (2013).  I wonder if the extended post natal stay has anything to do with this.

References
Schalke, Lara (n.d.). Birth Customs Around the World. retrived from
http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/vaginal/birth-customs-around-the-world/

International Mortality Rate retrieved from
https://mchb.hrsa.gov/chusa13/perinatal-health-status-indicators/p/international-infant-mortality.html