Poverty and Hunger

I personally never experienced being hungry and not able to eat.  I always had the things I needed and most of the things I wanted as a child.  Although my family wasn't rich, we had enough that I never experienced poverty.  I can recall the stories of my mother's child hood.  My mother's childhood was not as fortunate as mine. As a child, my mother had little to eat daily.  She grew up in a family of 8 brothers and sisters.  My grandmother was disabled and her husband left when she became ill.  My mother was the youngest of them all.  As a child, she can recall being teased when she tried to go to school because her clothes were always someone else's making them too big for her.  She can recall seeing her mother praying for a miracle to pay their rent.  As a young child, my mother decided that she had no other choice but to contribute.  She sold cakes, pies, baby sit, clean houses, and anything else she had to do.  My mother was a young entrepreneur by the age of 8 when most children are still playing with dolls.  My mother was too poor to ever own a doll.  Although she experienced a terrible childhood, her childhood is what made her into the great woman she is today.  She gain a passion for helping others, a passion for cooking, and a humble spirit.

In Southern Africa, children experience multiple stressors.  Hunger, poverty, HIV/AIDS and other diseases all effect the children in Southern Africa.  Due to the many stressors that affect this region, programmes and their government has failed to resolved the stressors that affect this country.  The children in Southern Africa are far more vulnerable to the stressors because they are all around them. Many intervention methods are needed to resolve the different issues. By increasing the resilience and range of options that families have, through services and safety nets, one can optimise the positive outcomes for children.

• a region or country in the world that you would like to
  know more about and/or for which you have a special affinity. Find out, and
  describe, the kind of stressor(s) that impact the development of children in
  that region/country and what is being done to minimize the
  harm.

• a region or country in the world that you would like to
  know more about and/or for which you have a special affinity. Find out, and
  describe, the kind of stressor(s) that impact the development of children in
  that region/country and what is being done to minimize the
  harm.

• a region or country in the world that you would like to
  know more about and/or for which you have a special affinity. Find out, and
  describe, the kind of stressor(s) that impact the development of children in
  that region/country and what is being done to minimize the
  harm.

• a region or country in the world that you would like to
  know more about and/or for which you have a special affinity. Find out, and
  describe, the kind of stressor(s) that impact the development of children in
  that region/country and what is being done to minimize the
  harm.

• a region or country in the world that you would like to
  know more about and/or for which you have a special affinity. Find out, and
  describe, the kind of stressor(s) that impact the development of children in
  that region/country and what is being done to minimize the
  harm.

Public Health Topic: Immunization

This topic is meaningful to me because I always kept all of my children appointments especially the ones that included vaccinations. Now that I am in the child care field, I am learning that their are so many children that have not been immunized. I recently have a family member who wanted to enroll her two children into my daycare. It was then that I learned her children had not been immunized since she brought them home from the hospital which was 2-3 years ago. I found this information to be esstonishing to me because her children aren't protected. I also know that their are many people who do not believe in immunizing their children due to religious reasons or personaly beliefs.

Immunizations for children in the U.S. are doubled the amount for children in the Western countries (Generation rescue, 2009). A study was performed to see if the higher vaccination requirements lead to autism and under 5 mortality rate. At the end of the study, the idea that vaccinations cause autism was dismissed due to the implications that a lesser vaccination requirement would increase infant mortality and other diseases (Generation rescue, 2009). Iceland and Sweden have a vaccination requirement of 11 manadatory shots. Iceland infant mortality rate is 3.9 and Sweden is 4.0 per 1,000 children. Although these rates are low compared to the United States additional studies are needed to actually reduce the amount of required immunizations in the U.S.

This information could change the amount of immunizations that are required for children in the U.S. to begin daycare. Considering their isn't enough evidence to support this theory, I still feel that parents should be knowledgable about the importance of vaccinating.

Generation rescue inc., (2009) Retrieved on November 11, 2010 from www.rescuepost.com/file/gr-autism_and_vaccines_world_special

My Birthing Experience

The birth of my son Karon was a very exciting and blessed experience for me.  He was my first child.  I read "What to Expect When You are Expecting" throughout my pregnancy to prepare for his birth.  This book helped me a lot since I did not know what to expect.  Even still, I wasn't fully prepared for such an experience.  I went into labor around 1am.  My labor lasted until 2 pm with an enormous amount of pain.  I was then told that an emergency c-section had to be performed because I wasn't dilating enough.  I can remember being terrified and scared.  I was relieved to know that my entire family and friends were with me through this event.  When I saw him for the first time, I can remember crying and thinking how this little person was growing inside of me for such a long time and I was finally meeting him.  I chose this example because it is a personal experience that I will never forget.  I believe that the birth of a child is truly amazing to say the least.  It is still overwhelming for me to know that a child's development only begins when they are created.  Thinking back on my experience, when I finally was able to meet my child, I was relieved to know I did the best I could to eat healthy and keep all of my prenatal appointments.

In reading about childbirth in other countries, I found out that children are normally born at home by midwives in other countries world wide.  I also found out that in Sweden, child birth is considered to be an accomplishment for women.  Medication is available for women but is not recommended.  This is totally different from my experience.  I had my baby in a hospital and he was delivered by a doctor.  I also received an epidural around the time I had dilated to around 3 or 4 centimeters.  I also found out that in some cultures, woman who are expecting fast throughout their pregnancy. 

Retrieved from http://www.pregnancy.families.com/

My Child birth Experience

• Write about a personal birthing experience. It can be your own birth, your child’s birth, or one you took part in. What do you remember about the event? Why did you choose this example? What are your thoughts regarding birth and its impact on child development?

The birth of my son was a very exciting and blessed event.  I was in labor from 1am to 2pm.  I can recall having tremendous labor pains and thinking when will this be over.  When I wasn't progressing the way I should have, my doctor advised me that I would need to have an emergency c-section.  I remember being scared and upset about things going differently than what I had read about.  I chose this example because it is personal and I wanted to share my personal experience with childbirth.  I feel that child birth and development is truly amazing.  When I saw my son for the first time, I was happy that I didn't drink alcohol, ate healthy and kept all of my prenatal appointments.  When I held my son, I saw why it was important for me to do the right thing and give him a better chance at developing properly.

I found out that in other countries, 80% of children are born in the home rather than the hospital.  I also found out that many births are performed by midwives and medical intervention only happens when their is a need for it.  I've learned that in Sweden, childbirth is considered to be an accomplishment for women.  Similarily, in the U.S. childbirth is considered to be an accomplishment but not the only accomplishment of women.  I also learned that pain medication isn't normally given.  I can speak for my experience, I knew going in the hospital I wanted an epidural.  I also read that in other countries, most women kneel, squat, and lay in vertical positions as oppose to lieing on their backs with their shoulders up.  The miracle of childbirth is truly wonderful!

Retrieved from: http://pregnancy.families.com/