Consequences of Children's Development

Children all around the world have to face stressors every day, but the level of severity can be very different for each child.  Thankfully, I have not had to deal with any major stressors in my own life, but I have a cousin who I believe has.  When my cousin was 4 years old, he was found walking to his neighbor's house asking for a piece of bread.  The only thing he was wearing was his underwear.  He was living in deep poverty, with a mother on drugs, and he had nothing to eat.  Child protective services was called and he was then sent from foster home to foster home when he made it to my aunt and uncle's house when he was 8 years old.  My cousin had already seen so much chaos and felt so isolated, he had lived in poverty and had been to points of starvation all by the time he was 8 years old.  My aunt and uncle did not adopt him until he was 12 years old, but by this point my cousin had been through so much in his life that it was difficult for him to develop typically.  He left home when he was 16 years old and he has greatly struggled.  He continues to struggle with love, and hope, and sometimes even drugs.  He has a heart of gold and would do anything for anyone.  Although he doesn't have a lot of money, he still finds young teenagers who are struggling and gives them money for food.  His life has been extremely difficult from the stressors he was faced with as a young child, but somehow he still continues to make it today.  He is definitely a strong example to me of someone who is doing all they can to cope with what life gave them.

I chose to study about stressors in Thailand because my older sister lived there for a year and a half and during that time, I loved learning about the country and culture. My sister was there ten years ago when a very large tsunami hit the country.  I was surprised to see that most of what I was looking up still had to do with the tsunami in 2004.  When this tsunami hit, my family was so worried about my sister and we weren't able to contact her for a couple of days.  Luckily for us, she was not hurt and the tsunami was far enough away that it didn't impact her, but she was able to do service for those that it had affected.  I found an article about a girl who witnessed the tsunami when she was 13 years old.  She said that it still affects her life today.  Her home and family business was destroyed, but all of her immediate family survived and went to live in a refugee camp where she helped the younger children try to cope with what happened.  Her school was severely damaged and didn't reopen until years later.  She talked about the chaos that this natural disaster brought to her life and she still recalls the memory today with a shaky voice she says, "Ten years have passed, but the memory of tsunami never goes away" (Nong Bee, 2014).  It really hit me that the stressors that children go through stay with them for a lifetime.  When working with young children, it is important to help them cope with any struggles they might have and help them have the best possible outcome in life.

References: Keenapan, N. (2014). Tsunami +10: Life is back to normal, but memories remain fresh. Unicef.  Retrieved from http://unicefeapro.blogspot.com/2014/12/tsunami-10-life-is-back-to-normal-but.html

Child Development and Public Health

Breastfeeding

I chose the topic breastfeeding because I feel that it is very important to do, but my grandmother, mother, and sister all had problems with producing milk and so I am not sure if I will even be able to breastfeed my children.  There is a special bond that comes from breastfeeding and after learning all of the benefits that come from it, I definitely hope it is something I can do, someday. 

Breastfeeding has benefits that are able to help the baby, as well as the mother.  "According to the World Health Organization (WHO), breast milk has the complete nutritional requirements that a baby needs for healthy development. Furthermore, it is safe and contains antibodies that help protect infants and boost immunity." Breastfeeding is the most natural way for babies to eat; it has been done as long as there have been humans.  There are some countries who have higher rates of breastfeeding than others.  Breastfeeding is becoming more and more popular in the United States, which is an improvement from what the rates were earlier. In 2011, nearly 80% of infants had been breastfed.  

Breastfeeding in Malawi

I chose to find information about breastfeeding in Malawi.  There are not a lot of women who exclusively breastfeed because women who are HIV positive lose weight and feel lethargic from breastfeeding (Ryhove, 2015). There is also the concern of HIV being passed to the infant while being breastfed, but it is not very likely. An interesting tradition that the people in Malawi have is that within the first 48 hours after birth, the paternal grandmother advises whether or not mixed feeding should begin because it is perceived that they are key decision makers in good parenting  (Ryhove, 2015).  

I have learned that although there are many benefits that come from breastfeeding, it may not always be the most ideal situation for the mother and child. I still believe that if the mother is able, it is definitely a more preferable source of feeding the child.  My opinions have changed of how I feel about breastfeeding.  Up until recently I wasn't very concerned about being able to breastfeed, but after learning more about the benefits, it is something I hope to be able to provide my children with and encourage other mothers to be able to breastfeed their children. 

                                                                References

Ryhove, S. (2015). Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding exclusive breastfeeding in Southern Africa. Polityorg.za. Retrieved from 

http://www.polity.org.za/article/knowledge-attitudes-and-practices-regarding-exclusive-breastfeeding-in-southern-africa---part-1-2012-12-05

Childbirth in My Life and Across the World

I don't have any children of my own yet, but a birthing experience that is very close to my heart is when my nephew was born.  I was in the ninth grade and I got a phone call from my dad saying that my sister was headed to the hospital to have the baby and that he was on his way to pick me up.  I was extremely worried when I got this call because the ultrasounds had shown that my nephew had dwarfism, among other problems, and the doctors weren't sure if he was going to make it.  We rushed to the hospital where my sister gave birth to a beautiful baby boy.  Along with dwarfism, my sweet nephew had arthrogryposis, which basically means all of his joints were fused together, and he had such terrible scoliosis that it was crushing his lungs.  He was immediately put on life support and we waited, longing for good news that he would make it.  There was hope at four days that he would be okay, but that was taken from us the next day when we were told that it would not be possible.  He was taken off life support after one week.  My life changed during that sweet, yet tragic week, and I will never forget that noble baby.

I chose to learn about birthing experiences in Finland because my brother is currently living there and I enjoy learning more about the country.  Currently in Finland, there is a company that is creating a machine to help with more relaxed births.  Cheryl Powell explains that, "The 800-pound, motorized device can be moved from room to room to offer patients the opportunity to sit, lean, stand, squat, rock, lie sideways or apply counterpressure to the back — whatever position is most comfortable during the labor process" (Powell, 2014).  The idea came from a Finnish midwife who wanted to allow mothers the opportunity to choose how to deliver their baby, in the most comfortable way for them personally.  I have found that this relaxing birthing method is what is most commonly happening in Finland right now and it is obvious that midwives play an important role in Finland. I like the idea of having a midwife that cares so much about the mother's care.  I feel that this relaxed birthing method is a very wise invention that could be helpful to mother's everywhere.

                                                                 References

Powell, C. (2014). Finnish company delivers new birthing option to patients at Summa Akron City   Hospital. Beacon Journal Medical Writer. Retrieved from
 http://www.ohio.com/news/local/finnish-company-delivers-new-birthing-option-to-patients-at-            summa-akron-city-hospital-1.507375