POVERTY

Poverty is the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support.  I spoke with my mother about her childhood growing up and what she recalls her stressors to be and how they affected her.  Poverty was the most prevalent stressor she endured.  Below is a part of our dialogue she contributed:

As a child, I didn't understand what "poverty" was.  By age of 6, I did understand about the times that I was hungry from no food to eat as well as the feeling of shame.  I felt when my 1st grade teacher took me to a room and gave me a pair of shoes to wear.  I remember having no indoor bathroom so we had an outhouse while everyone who lived around us had indoor facilities.  We had no bathtub, so we had to bath in the kitchen sink.  We lived in a house that consisted of 4 rooms:  parent’s bedroom, living room, kitchen, another bedroom that us 5 girls shared and a small closet area where my brother slept.  At the age of 9, found out there was no Santa Claus and that the gifts I had received was from a lady who lived down the road.  At the age of 10, gifts from Santa came from a local church.  Although thankful for the gifts, I felt shame in knowing that the gifts came from somewhere else other than home.  Later, in life I came to the realization that most of my childhood years, the lady down the road supplied most of my needs such as haircuts, dresses and gifts.  This lady, I called "Mama Walker".  She was my mother's employer for 17 years but for me she was like a mother. She was the one that showed me love and affection.  I am eternally grateful for her support.

Africa has many stressors that affect a child’s development.  Some of those stressors include:  extreme poverty, education, violence, gender equality, and diseases.  These stressors are linked to behavioral and emotional problems as well as psychological well-being in African children (Barbarin & Richter, 2001).  Due to many of these stressors, anxiety, depression, aggression and opposition develop in many children.   

Similar to the poverty case that I stated above, children in Africa experience many of these same or similar experiences.  Africa is taking many steps to improve the living conditions and toward adjusting support such as health, nutrition, education and child protections (http://www.unicef.org/). 

References:

Barbarin, O., & Richter, L. (2001). Economic status, community danger and psychological problems among south african children. Childhood, 8(1), 115-133. doi: 10.1177/0907568201008001007

http://www.unicef.org/ (n.d.)

SIDS

SIDS is the sudden death of an infant under one year of age which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the clinical history (http://sids.org/index.htm).

I chose this health topic because a friend close to me lost her child to SIDS.  I can not imagine the pain a parent feels when they enter a room to check on their innocent, sleeping baby and find him unresponsive.  This has to be one of the worst tragedies.  I remember the questions that went through her mind.  What could I have done differently?  What if…?  Because the exact causes of SIDS are not defined, researchers can only offer precautions that can be taken by parents and caregivers to ensure added safety and to eliminate risks.

In Germany, a study was conducted to investigate the risk factors of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).  This disorder continues to be the leading cause of death in most developed countries.  The research shows that the United State has far more deaths contributed to SIDS than Germany.

In 2005 in Germany 298 infants died of SIDS, emphasizing the continued importance of this disorder.  The number of SIDS deaths in the United States in 2005 was 2230 (Vennemann, 2009).

Regardless of the country in which you reside, there are many precautionary steps that can reduce the risk of SIDS.  While working in the early childhood field, especially at the location I am currently employed, it is important to train staff about the risk factors of SIDS and ensure that they have a clear understanding of the health topic.  In the same respect I believe it would be beneficial to distribute information with new infant families on ways to reduce the risks as well.

References:

Vennemann, M. M. et al (2009). Sleep environment risk factors for sudden infant death syndrome: The german sudden infant death syndrome study. Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, 123(4), 1162-1170. doi: (doi: 10.1542/peds.2008-0505)

http://sids.org/index.htm. (n.d.)

My Birthing Experience

I found out I was pregnant with my first child shortly after I turned seventeen.  I was a junior in high school with my whole future ahead of me.  I was now faced with fear, stress and anxiety.  How was I going to support a child when I was a child still myself and without any support from her father?  What would this mean for my future as well as my child's future?

Being pregnant was easy.  Life however was stressful.  I still needed to go to school in order to graduate on time, I was no longer able to participate in sports, which was my whole life and I lost many friends whose parents said they could no longer associate with me.  No doubt my unborn child was developing under the fear, stress and anxiety that I was going through. The one thing I was sure of was that I loved my baby with all my heart and I was dedicated to our future success regardless to other's thoughts and opinions.  Daily I encountered obstacles and road blocks.  I was determined to continue my fight!

Alixx Brianna was born December 13, 1994 in a traditional hospital setting with no complications.  She was a beautiful and healthy baby girl.  She was welcomed into the world by many people who loved her and supported both of us.  Alixx was supported through family and friend's interactions with her as well as by their hopes for her future. 

Today Alixx is seventeen (scary when I consider the fact that I was pregnant at this very age).  She is still beautiful and healthy and has grown into a very smart young adult.  I chose this birthing experience to share because there were many unfavorable factors that could have impacted the development of my unborn child.  There was tremendous support following the birth of Alixx.  I was determined to finish high school and move directly into college.  I finished my degree along with my peers without delay.  Alixx’s life has been filled with many positive interactions and positive guidance. 

I chose to compare my personal birthing experience to that of China.  In 2009, 18,294 births were recorded (http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/china_statistics.html).  The mortality rates of children have decreased dramatically since China has begun to support mothers financially to have hospital births versus births at home.  "It's a combination of strengthening facilities, training providers, equipping them with the skills and drugs to offer better care – and, through insurance, encouraging families to give birth in hospitals (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/16/china-cuts-childbirth-mortality-rate).   When considering my personal child birth options, it was not between hospital birth and home birth but rather which hospital to deliver at.  They gap is slowly closing between the US and China in regards to prenatal and childhood development.

(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/16/china-cuts-childbirth-mortality-rate

 (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/china_statistics.html