Four-hundred and sixty four is the number of deliveries carried out in the labor room last month. It is the number of mothers that lay in a bed waiting for their turn to enter the room. I know the sentence sounds depressing, and to tell you the truth it kind of was. But every experience, good or bad, I am able to learn about the hospitals' procedures, the local women's mindset, the Indian culture and about myself. In two days I was able to observe five natural births and one c-section! It was tense, scary and exciting all rolled into one. But before I get too in depth with my personal thoughts, let me lay down some of the things that the residents shared with me and other things I saw.
There are six beds in one room. In the two days I was posted in the labor ward, most of the beds were full the entire time. At one moment, there were two pregnant women sharing one bed. Pregnant women receive drugs depending on how dilated they are. They can refuse treatment, but this sounded rare. Family and friends are not allowed in the labor room. Once the baby is delivered it is immediately rushed into the neonatal resuscitation room to be cleaned. After the baby is clean, it is brought to the nursery. The mother does not see her baby until she stops bleeding. I asked why the mother is not able to hold their baby after delivery, and one intern said that the local women think that the baby is in better hands if the doctor is taking care of it. For all first pregnancies, the women receive an episiotomy no matter what; it's a part of procedure. The women are not charged for having their delivery in the hospital. The only thing that the women pay for are the drugs used, which are very inexpensive. So these are the ground rules that I am aware of.
I also wanted to share a story that one of the other interns told me while they were posted in the maternity ward. It is kind of sad-okay not kind of, it is sad. But I don't want you to think I hated being posted in the maternity ward. I actually really enjoyed being in the maternity ward - there was never a dull moment! You have to take into account that this was my first time ever seeing a delivery, and being in a hospital's labor room, so all of these things are very new to me. But I am also very thankful for being an American woman. 
A woman came into the maternity ward that was 24 weeks pregnant. Her water was broke, and believed it to be a premature birth. The medical professionals could not figure out why her water broke when she was only 24 weeks pregnant, but they believe that the woman went to a private doctor to receive an ultrasound to find out the gender of the baby. She has two daughters already, and when she found out that she was carrying another girl she decided to break her water on purpose. There is nothing the medical professionals can do to save the child; neither will the woman admit to this story. However, I don't believe this story to be far off the beaten pathway. As discussed before, in the Hindu religion it is important for each family to have a son and a daughter. Once a parent passes away, the son will light a fire to cremate the parent which will open the gates to heaven. Although, it is commonly forgotten that the family also needs a daughter in order to go to heaven. When I first heard the story, I couldn't help, but cringe the entire time.