I have read the news with bemused interest as Chinese doctors advise prospective mothers about the risks of having a second child. I’m a skeptic. 新闻报道中,屡见中国医生提醒广大妇女,二孩有风险,生育需谨慎。本人读得兴致勃勃,却又一头雾水,对其言论并不敢苟同。 But don’t listen to me.I am not a doctor. I claim no medical knowledge whatsoever. If you’re a woman contemplating having a second child, you should stop reading now. I am not qualified to render a professional opinion about anything — least of all prenatal care. Yet I have also been accused of knowing too much about reproduction. I have eight children — yes, three sons and five daughters. Shocking but true. I will say that a big family is wonderful, especially now that the kids are grown. Whenever my professional colleagues in the United States found out how many children I had, they would invariably gasp. “Good grief! Don’t you know what causes that?” I told them I never really thought about it; I just did what I was told. So I have seen a lot of birthing. All eight of my children were delivered by caesarean section, all from the same woman. My wife set the hospital record for the number of consecutive C-sections. I witnessed every one. In US hospitals, unlike many in China, they typically invite fathers into the operating room. 因此,临盆之事本人司空见惯。本人四双儿女都由同一妇女剖腹产所生。内人创下了在医院连续剖腹产的最高纪录。每次手术本人都在现场亲眼目睹。与许多中国医院不同,美国医院通常会邀请爸爸们进入手术室。 I’ve now seen so many C-sections I’m confident I could perform one in an emergency with a ball-point pen. So if you’re a pregnant woman who courageously kept reading after being warned, take note: I can respond quickly if you every have need — in a taxi, on the subway or climbing the Great Wall. There’s been a great deal of news coverage about China’s second-child policy. Articles often quote doctors saying that a woman is considered “old” for pregnancy if she’s over 35. Tut-tut. My wife was 43 when our eighth child was born. (She wanted more, but I finally drew the line.) Doctors say the risks go up for older women. Regular checkups are essential. Diet is crucial. I’m sure they’re right, so please don’t listen to me. What do I know? I can only report one couple’s experience. With our first child, my wife was very concerned, very careful, very picky about everything — diet, exercise, monthly exams, playing music to the baby in her belly. By the time the fifth or sixth child rolled around, she would simply visit the doctor once and say, “See you in eight months.” She had faith in nature. After all, women have been getting pregnant for thousands of years. One Chinese doctor warned last week about the risks of multiple C-sections, and advised women in their second pregnancy to wait three months before exercising. But my wife exercised from the start. She even went bungee jumping when she was two-months pregnant, and that kid turned out to be super smart. (I’m not advocating this for improving a gaokao score — just saying.) It’s true that parents may feel strained with a second child, but I can attest that it gets easier after three, if only because you don’t notice the additional craziness when you’re already nuts. About the author & broadcaster Randy Wright joined China Daily as an editor in 2013. His career spans 36 years and 10 newspapers in the United States in senior management, editorial writing and reporting roles. He served as adjunct faculty at the University of Arizona and has consulted for many publications, including the California Bar Journal for lawyers and judges. He is a licensed pilot in the US. 兰迪·赖特:2013年成为《中国日报》编辑。36年的职业生涯中,他曾供职于10家美国报纸,担任过管理层、专栏作家和记者等职务。他是亚利桑那大学的兼职教师,担任过许多出版物的顾问,包括专为法官和律师出版的《加利福尼亚律师》。他拥有美国的飞行员执照。 来源:英语点津 |
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来自: smiller2016 > 《20170419》