Childhood Stressors

This assignment was difficult for me in that I have never experienced any of those stressors listed growing up as a child.  It was not until college where I heard my first stories of people growing up poor.  I remember the story my friend told me of her experience.  Her, her mom, and her brother lived in a 1 bedroom apartment.  They received public assistance to pay the rent, get food, and pay bills.  They all slept in one bed in a rodent infested building.  On morning she was sleeping and woke up to a dead rat in her bed.  She said she was forced to work as soon as she turned 13 to help bring income into the house.  She said there were many days were they had limited food and many times she went to bed hungry.  Her mother worked but did not make enough to fully provide for the house.  Her experiences with poverty are her driving force for the work she does today.  She is a member of many organizations that empower girls and help guide them to make the right decisions.  She is extremely money conscious, ensuring that she and her son would not fall into the situation she was raised in as a child.

There are many stressors children face in Brazil.  Poverty and drug use are very common among children as more than half of the countries population lives in extreme poverty (Children  of Bahia, 2005).  It is estimated that 8 million children are living on the streets.  Brazil has one of the highest populations of AIDS in South American, which effects families and children (Children of Bahia, 2005).  Last year the government implemented a program called Brasil Sem Miseria (Brazil Without Poverty).  This program is designed to provide health and education programs as well as giving money to the poor (BBC, 2011).  In return for some of the services, guardians must ensure their children attend school and are vaccinated (BBC, 2011). 


Resources

Children of Bahia (2005). Child Poverty in Brazil. Retrieved from http://www.childrenofbahia.com/childpoverty.htm

BBC News (2011).  Brazil launches scheme to lift millions out of poverty. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-13626951

Child Development and Public Health- Malnutrition

As I work in different areas and schools, I understand how important proper nutrition is to the development of young children.  Many school districts are beginning to implement healthy breakfast for all young children at no additional cost.  I can be honest and say I had reservations around breakfast being served to children in school, as it is one less responsibility parents will have.  However I know in low income areas, children do not have access to healthy meals and snacks and developing healthy children is the responsibility of everyone who functions within the society.   Malnutrition causes 30% of deaths in young children from birth to age five (WHO, 2012).   Malnutrition can effect proper brain development, stunt physical growth, and increase acceptability of diseases (Berger, 2009, p.157).  Malnutrition is affecting almost 195 million children around the world.  An insufficient amount of essential nutrients, including protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, is the main source of malnutrition, not just a minimal amount of food (Doctors without borders, 2012, para. 1, 3).

 There are the “hotspots” for malnutrition which includes Sahel, South Asia, and the horn of Africa.  In some South American countries, the implementation of nutritional programs has begun to decrease malnutrition rates among young children (Doctors Without Borders, 2012, para. 5, 7).  In South Asia, malnourished children have high deficiencies in iron, vitamin A, and iodine.  Poverty is the main cause of malnutrition, although status of women in society, low birth rate, poor hygiene, and poor child feeding practices also contribute.  Approximately, 1/3 of children are malnourished and over 1/3 of women are underweight and malnourished (The World Bank, 2011). 

It is important that parents and teachers are educated about nutrition and the effects of proper and improper nutrition.   I will include such information as part of my advocacy work with parents in efforts to increase their support for healthy development for their children.  In my work with teachers, I will begin to include more nutritional pieces as it is vital to the development of the “whole child”.

Resources

Berger, K. S. (2009). The developing person through childhood (5th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers

Doctors Without Borders. (2012). Malnutrition. Retrieved from http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/issue.cfm?id=2396

The World Bank. (2011). South Asia. An urgent call for action: undernourished children of South Asia.  Retrieved from http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/0,,contentMDK:22264595~menuPK:158937~pagePK:2865106~piPK:2865128~theSitePK:223547,00.html

World Health Organization (WHO). (2012). Promoting proper feeding for infants and young children. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/nutrition/topics/infantfeeding/en/index.html

Birthing Expereince

It is difficult for me to write about a personal birth experience.  Of course I do not remember my own, I do not have any children, and I have not been in the delivery room for any of my friends (only 3) who have had children.  What I can say is that of all my friends who have had children, all asked for assistance from pain medicine, and 2 of the 3 were vaginal.  The cesarean birth was not by choice but a choice made by the doctors.  When the time comes for me to have children I would like to explore the process of natural birth with the assistance of a midwife and doula.  I think the birthing process is amazing.  The impact of the process on child development for me focuses on the parents and how the birthing experience can enhance, change, or deepen their feelings around the freedom and exploration they give their children has they grow. 

In Japan, the birthing process is different than that in the US.  Many women choose to not use pain medicine as representation of suffering in the Buddhist religion. Enduring pains through labor is a representation of the pains and challenges a women will endure during child raising.  This practice of not using pain medication is slowly beginning to change as the use of meds can allow for a more pleasurable birth experience.   During labor in the US, fathers are often the labor coaches and/or present during delivery but, that is not common practice in Japan.  Fathers are only allowed to be present if they have taken prenatal classes with the mother.  Also in Japan women stay in the hospital much longer than women in the US after giving birth.  My friends who had vaginal births were sent home in 3 days and my friend who had a cesarean delivery was sent home after 7 days.  In Japan, mothers stay at the hospital for at least 5 days after a vaginal birth and a minimum of 10 for ceserean birth.

Resources

Schalken, L. (n.d.) Birth customs around the world. Parents. Retrieved on March 3, 2012 from http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/vaginal/birth-customs-around-the-world/?page=4