Children today are surrounded by stressful situations in child cares homes, and schools. Violence is a huge problem in the United States. Violence can affect many people, from infants to the elderly. Violence is a stressor in children’s lives that endangers their well being and life outcomes.
I had a childhood friend who was brought up in an abusive home. Her father was always beating on her mother, almost every day. We were around seven years old and I remember her always coming over to my house to let me know that her father hit on her mother. Sometimes she would be present when this happened. I did not know what to do at the time but talk to her and be her friend, which wasn’t enough. The violence she observed between her parents really affected her in many ways. She could not concentrate which caused her not to do well in school which eventually caused her to drop out. She also became depressed and started drinking alcohol and doing drugs. According to an article, “Exposure to domestic violence has also been linked to poor school performance. Children who grow up with domestic violence may have impaired ability to concentrate; difficulty in completing school work; and lower scores on measures of verbal, motor, and social skills” (NCTSN, 2013).
We lost touch when I moved, but reunited after a couple of years. She was still going through depression when we reconnected and since I was older and knew more, I suggested that she get some help with what she was going through. Now, I am happy to say that she is doing much better and is no longer depressed, drinking, or doing drugs. She earned her high school diploma and now works as a counselor.
According to an article, “Australian children single out alcohol as country’s main cause of violence. The report found that 45% of Australian children surveyed believe alcohol is a main cause of violence. Cambodia had the highest response with 90%, followed by Mongolia with 53%. An Australian child, Erin, 10, told the survey: “I think the main violence in my country is domestic violence from alcohol and drugs. Many adults have too much alcohol and drugs and hurt or treat their families in a bad way. I think we could stop this by limiting the amount of alcohol adults drink and buy” (Davis, 2013).
Cases of alcohol-related violence have been highly publicized in recent years. Awareness groups campaigning to reduce the number of alcohol-fuelled attacks have focused on incidents such as the death of the Sydney teenager Thomas Kelly (Davis, 2013).
Violence is a huge stressor around the world. Violence causes a major threat to children’s physical, emotional, social, and psychological well being, especially if the violence that is occurring is persistent.
Davis, H. (2013). The Guardian. Retrieved November 23, 2013, from http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/nov/20/australian-children-single-out-alcohol-as-countrys-main-cause-of-violence
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (2013). Children and Domestic Violence. Retrieved November 23, 2013, from http://www.nctsn.org/content/children-and-domestic-violence
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Child Development and Public Health: SIDS
According to an article, “Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is defined as the sudden death of an infant less than 1 year of age that cannot be explained after a thorough investigation is conducted, including a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the clinical history” (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013).
“SIDS is the leading cause of death among infants aged 1–12 months, and is the third leading cause overall of infant mortality in the United States. Although the overall rate of SIDS in the United States has declined by more than 50% since 1990, rates for non-Hispanic black and American Indian/Alaska Native infants remain disproportionately higher than the rest of the population. Reducing the risk of SIDS remains an important public health priority” (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). Today, SIDS rate is very low because many people are being educated about this problem.
This topic is meaningful to me because I had a cousin who died of SIDS many years ago. She was being placed in a crib on her stomach and the mattress she was sleeping on was not firm. She also had toys, soft bears, pillows, blankets, and bumper pads in the crib. The doctor informed my cousin that placing the baby on her stomach and all of the items that she had in the baby’s crib contributed to her death.
I did the same thing with my first child. I placed him on his stomach occasionally but mostly on his side. In his crib, he also had bumper pads, blankets, pillows, soft bears, and other items in his crib. After attending a class and becoming more educated about SIDS, I immediately put a stop to it and started placing my children on their backs and nothing was allowed in their cribs, just a firm mattress and a fitted sheet.
According to an article, “The infant mortality rate (the number of infant deaths per thousand births) in Australia in 1901 was a little over a hundred. Mind you, this was better than England and Wales (128 per 1000), France (144) and Russia (272). The big killers in those days were the childhood infectious diseases like whooping cough, diphtheria, scarlet fever, and measles” (Lavelle, 2013).
“Today the infant mortality rate in Australia stands at just under six per thousand, thanks to better nutrition and sanitation, immunization, and antibiotics. In Australia, SIDS causes one death in about 1000 live births, or about 250 babies each year.
It's most common between the ages of two to four months, though it can happen to younger and older infants – it's rare over the age of 12 months. About 60 percent of cases involve boys and 40 per cent are girls” (Lavelle, 2013).
I used to work in the infant classroom (6 weeks to 12 months) for Early Head Start and parents were always asking me why the babies had to be placed on their backs because at home they were placing the babies on their stomachs. They told me that they thought their babies sleep better on their stomachs. I was always informing my parents about SIDS and how many babies are dying from it. The information I have learned about SIDS has helped me and I will continue to educate parents about placing their babies on their back instead of their stomachs. Also, my plans in the future is to own a childcare center. I will be able to educate caregivers, who will be working with the infants, on SIDS.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Sudden Unexpected Infant Death and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Retrieved November 9, 2013, from http://www.cdc.gov/sids/
Lavelle, P. (2013). ABC Health & Wellbeing. SIDS. Retrieved November 9, 2013, from http://www.abc.net.au/health/library/stories/2003/05/29/1831797.htm
“SIDS is the leading cause of death among infants aged 1–12 months, and is the third leading cause overall of infant mortality in the United States. Although the overall rate of SIDS in the United States has declined by more than 50% since 1990, rates for non-Hispanic black and American Indian/Alaska Native infants remain disproportionately higher than the rest of the population. Reducing the risk of SIDS remains an important public health priority” (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). Today, SIDS rate is very low because many people are being educated about this problem.
This topic is meaningful to me because I had a cousin who died of SIDS many years ago. She was being placed in a crib on her stomach and the mattress she was sleeping on was not firm. She also had toys, soft bears, pillows, blankets, and bumper pads in the crib. The doctor informed my cousin that placing the baby on her stomach and all of the items that she had in the baby’s crib contributed to her death.
I did the same thing with my first child. I placed him on his stomach occasionally but mostly on his side. In his crib, he also had bumper pads, blankets, pillows, soft bears, and other items in his crib. After attending a class and becoming more educated about SIDS, I immediately put a stop to it and started placing my children on their backs and nothing was allowed in their cribs, just a firm mattress and a fitted sheet.
According to an article, “The infant mortality rate (the number of infant deaths per thousand births) in Australia in 1901 was a little over a hundred. Mind you, this was better than England and Wales (128 per 1000), France (144) and Russia (272). The big killers in those days were the childhood infectious diseases like whooping cough, diphtheria, scarlet fever, and measles” (Lavelle, 2013).
“Today the infant mortality rate in Australia stands at just under six per thousand, thanks to better nutrition and sanitation, immunization, and antibiotics. In Australia, SIDS causes one death in about 1000 live births, or about 250 babies each year.
It's most common between the ages of two to four months, though it can happen to younger and older infants – it's rare over the age of 12 months. About 60 percent of cases involve boys and 40 per cent are girls” (Lavelle, 2013).
I used to work in the infant classroom (6 weeks to 12 months) for Early Head Start and parents were always asking me why the babies had to be placed on their backs because at home they were placing the babies on their stomachs. They told me that they thought their babies sleep better on their stomachs. I was always informing my parents about SIDS and how many babies are dying from it. The information I have learned about SIDS has helped me and I will continue to educate parents about placing their babies on their back instead of their stomachs. Also, my plans in the future is to own a childcare center. I will be able to educate caregivers, who will be working with the infants, on SIDS.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2013). Sudden Unexpected Infant Death and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Retrieved November 9, 2013, from http://www.cdc.gov/sids/
Lavelle, P. (2013). ABC Health & Wellbeing. SIDS. Retrieved November 9, 2013, from http://www.abc.net.au/health/library/stories/2003/05/29/1831797.htm
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Childbirth In My Life and Around The World
I have four children and each birth took place in a hospital. I thought about giving birth at home but was scared something would go wrong. I remember when I gave birth to my first son. It was incredible from the beginning to the end. Even though I was in pain, it was an incredible and awesome experience. I remember my mother and husband sitting by my bed in the hospital. After I woke up from my nap, I remember her asking me, “How can you sleep through all that pain?” But when the pain became unbearable, I remember having her in the headlock, don’t ask me how that happened, and I also remember beating my husband’s hand against the bedrail. I did not want an epidural because I wanted to have a natural birth without any medication and I also wanted to experience the good, the bad, and the ugly with my first birth. In Beijing, delivering in the hospital is their main option. As stated in an article, “Home births are not a viable option in Beijing, as there is no support system in place that allows a woman to deliver her baby outside of a hospital. Midwives are generally not available, and no health care provider is legally able to participate in a home birth. There are many hospitals that are willing to respect your no- or low-intervention birth plan. A hospital environment does increase the possibility of unnecessary medical intervention; therefore it is imperative for mothers to be informed about the natural birthing process. It should be noted that Beijing United Family Hospital (BJU) is the only international hospital with a neonatal intensive care unit” (Rodriguez, 2011). My thought regarding birth and its impact on child development is, from the time babies are born, they are able to communicate and give little signals when they are tired or hungry. Newborn babies’ brains develop rapidly. Their social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and language development increases month to month. Parents should interact and communicate with their newborns daily to enhance their development. Rodriguez, M. (2011). Giving Birth, Naturally. Beijing Kids Magazine. Retrieved November 2, 2013, from http://www.drmelissarodriguez.com/media.asp?cid=28&id=72