Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

Week 4 Assignment

When I was younger I would go with my Aunt to the food bank at our local church where she would volunteer and I would help her on the weekend. We would serve the food to the homeless or the families who did not have enough food to feed their entire family causing them to be faced with hunger. Hunger is something that is becoming more and more common in our country due to the economic crisis and as a result of many Americans losing their jobs. We are feeding families that were never in a position to receive any form of assistance and they are so afraid to request the services. Before when you would think hunger you would think of a country far, far away but now it is so common in our own backyards. The children at the food bank did not realize the reality of malnutrition and the detrimental effects it would have if they are not getting the nutrients that they need to support healthy brain development. It could cause all forms of learning disabilities as well as many types of health problems. It was a heart breaking experience at the food bank when you would see the many children who had no clue the circumstances that they are facing.

Many of the children would seem so happy and cheerful at the large tables close to their parents eating their dinner for the night. Many of the parents would worry day to day trying to figure out where their next meal would come from before they discovered the food bank and if the food bank was not available. I would serve the food and try not to get absorbed in the emotions of the situation, but tried to help everyone as quickly and nicely as possible.

          I have some parents that are from Kenya and they speak of some of the devastation that they face in their country. Poverty, drought, high population growth, internal conflicts, political stalemate and the growing problem of refugees are among the many factors that have recently affected this area of our world. Kenya faces an extremely high poverty level which makes hunger a very prevalent issue among the children in this country. Poverty is leading to many other conditions that the children of this region face. Isolation, hunger, Chaos, diseases, environmental pollution and violence. Hunger is a growing problem that is not being solved quickly enough and this is something that as a nation we need to think fast to minimize for the sake of our children’s healthy development.

Child Development and Public Health

Week 2, Blog Assignment

Breastfeeding is on the rise and now mothers of newborn babies are realizing why this is so. Breast milk is complete nutrition and nourishment for your baby. Breast milk provides natural protective antibodies and it can boost a newborns immune system fighting many diseases and infections. Breast milk provides a healthy environment within your baby’s digestive system giving the support of live probiotics which can help aid in the maturation on the immune system. The composition of breast milk adapts to meet the changing needs of your growing baby. Breast milk provides natural fatty acids that play aid in the healthy development of brain and eye development. Breast feeding also provides an ample amount of positive results for the mother as well. Breast feeding helps your body to produce oxytocin and this is a hormone that will make your uterus contract causing it to quickly return to its normal state which reduces the risk of infection or long term problems. Breast feeding will help in reducing your risk of breast cancer or ovarian cancer. Breast feeding also allows you to develop a strong bond between you and your baby that is like no other. Another really great positive aspect of breast feeding helps you to return to your pre pregnancy weight by burning extra calories and lowering fat that is stored.

Breast feeding is really important to me at this time because I am almost 7 months pregnant and I was unable to breast feed my oldest son because of some underlying medical problems that prevented me from successfully completing my task of providing him with the best possible early nutrients possible. My son was diagnosed with childhood asthma at the age of two years old and he is still suffering with many allergy problems today. I hope that by providing my new baby with all the healthy components of breast milk that he will not have any of the same problems as his older brother.

South Africa is one of 12 countries where the infant mortality rate is on the rise. It has one of the lowest levels of exclusive breast feeding as estimated 8%. Children who are not breastfeed are 6 times more likely to die from diarrhea and have a higher chance of respiratory illnesses. Breastfeeding has been scientifically shown to be the number one most important intervention in preventing children’s death in South Africa. The country’s health system is in opposition and are not supporting the practice.

I never realized until I had a child of my own on how important breastfeeding is to the healthy development of a growing baby. Many mothers that I deal with on a day to day basis are also not aware of how important breastfeeding is to a newborn growing baby. It will be a part of my mission to spread the word starting locally within my community and my facility how important starting off your child’s life with healthy practices of breast feeding. It  is very important in the initial healthy start for you and your child.

Childbirth In Your Life and Around the World

Blog Assignment #1

My childbirth experience with my son was a little terrifying to say the least but the overwhelming joy of his presence was all worth it. I was 5 days over do and was more than ready to deliver. I had went to the doctor early that day and was given an induction date if he did not come on his own. Later that night I was feeling really weird and thought I should go to the hospital and luckily I did because my blood pressure was high and I was induced that same night. I was given an epidural that worked for the first 6 hours or so and then I started to feel the pain only on one side which was extremely uncomfortable. About 15 hours later the doctor had told me that I had not dilated more than 1cm and they insisted on a C-section because my baby’s oxygen level had declined and his heart rate started to drop. I was so scared to say the least but later that night I woke up in recovery and saw my precious baby boy for the first time weighing in at 9lb 2oz. looking back this was the best day of my life and I would not change it for the world. I think that a risky childbirth experience can have a great impact on child development because if something goes wrong it can create conditions like cerebral palsy which can cause a great delay on the development of a child. I think that being educated on your options and the risk factors involved are very important in having a healthy baby and a happy child birthing experience.

We are very lucky to have advanced medical treatment in delivering our babies and alternate birthing methods as an option not an expectation. In Africa maternal death rates are extremely high because of unskilled midwives, obstructed labor, anemia, malaria and HIV. Many women die giving birth due to unsanitary conditions while giving birth. The women of this country are too poor to get medical care so they are expected to give birth at home without the proper resources. If a complication should arise then death is certainly likely. In Kenya there are 488 deaths of the mother for every 100,000 live births. I have learned that I am extremely grateful for our modern day technology and are ability to have access to them in America. Even though my birthing circumstance came with some problems I was lucky to have the medical team there and able to react fast to my needs. If I were giving birth to my son in Kenya me nor my son would have probably made it through.  If I lived in Kenya I would never want to have children due to the risks involved.