Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

The only stressor that affected me as a child that I can remember is when I was affected by isolation when I was burned at the age of 9.  It was a hot summer day and my mom was cooking some butter beans in a pressure cooker.  I went into the kitchen and the pressure cooker exploded in my face.  I was a child who was being curious and tried to take the top off, after my mom told me not to go in the kitchen around the stove.  I went into the living room and ran to a mirror and I was horrified when I saw my face.  My family rushed me to the hospital and I had 2nd degree burns in my face and chest.  I spent weeks in the hospital because of my own disobedience.  I was isolated from my friends and family and I was living in pain because of my accident. Although, it was a tragic for me, I still had to endure the physical and emotional drama that I endured over the next five years.  When I finally went back to school, certain classmates were not sensitive to my feelings.  They called me burnt toast, Freddie Krueger, and other mean names.  I dealt with their mean attitudes and at the end it made me a stronger person.  I feel that the stressful events in our lives make us stronger and wiser.  I understand that my disobedience caused my own accident and pain, but at the end it was a painful experience. With the guidance and inspiration of my family and church, I was able to overcome a painful ordeal.  The doctors and medical staff at Natchez Regional Medical Center was truly a blessing for me because their medical procedures and treatment allowed me to gain my facial appearance back to its original texture.  However, as time went by so did the physical and emotional scars.  When I tell people of my ordeal, sometimes they look twice with disbelief because they cannot imagine that I was even burned.  I am truly blessed and thankful that things were not as bad for me.

The country that I would like to know more about is Africa.  The kind of stressors that are affecting Africa is poverty; lack of nutrition-malnutrition, hunger and underweight; diseases-AIDS/HIV and malaria; disasters such as flooding, landslides and pollution; exposures and participation in wars and acts of violence; lack of maternal health that is leading to death and birth complications; lack of primary education; and inequality of boys and girls.  Africa is making progress to alleviate these problems that are affecting the adults and young children in their country. Improved partnerships between African and donor nations have resulted in increased aid flows being used more effectively (Doors to Diplomacy Web Project, 2006).  Children across the world deserve to have a healthy well-being.

References:

Doors to Diplomacy Web Project. (2006). MMBrico.com Doors to Diplomacy Web Project. Retrieved November 25, 2011, from MMBrico.com: http://www.fightpoverty.mmbrico.com/facts/africa.html

CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND PUBLIC HEALTH

Mental health is an issue that is very passionate to me.  Mental health does not have a definite disorder.  Mental health is an integral and essential component of health. The WHO constitution states: "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." An important consequence of this definition is that mental health is described as more than the absence of mental disorders or disabilities. Until recently, I was unaware that mental health affected infants.  As an Early Childhood professional, I was only taught to focus primary on the physical and emotional health of a child.  Now, I am focused on the entire child’s health and well-being.  Over the years, I have been amazed of how many children are being affected with some form of mental disorder or illness.  It has been an out poor of children in our community that has been diagnosed with some form of a mental disorder.  However, after looking at the family of most of the children, we found that many of their parents or grandparents had some form of mental illness. 

When mental health has a negative impact in your life it can cause dramatic changes in your life.  Unfortunately, I have an uncle and two cousins, in which all were diagnosed with schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder.  They all live in separate states and they all receive medical treatment in different ways.  My uncle does not cope well with his disease, which causes him to act out and spend most of his life incarcerated. On the other hand, one of my cousins takes his medication and lives a normal and productive life.  My other cousin is currently taking online classes to receive his degree in electronics. 

In our lives we need to focus on having a strong and positive mind.  As a mother I pray for mental state so that I can raise my children to the best of my ability.  As a teacher I have to be mentally stable working with other people and young children.  I cannot be overpowered with stress or depression because I believe that it will have a negative impact on the well-being that I am providing for the children in my care.

Mental health issues are everywhere.  We all have a mental health, same being as we all have physical health.  Across the world anxiety disorders are increasing. When we think of mental, we think of crazy, loco, off, and or a dangerous individual who may click and go off at any time. Doctors have different ways of treating mental health issues. In Cambodia they use the traditional "cupping" treatment, believing it allows harmful "excess wind" to escape their body. Mental health professionals have long been skeptical of such techniques, but some are becoming more open to including them along with Western treatments. With cupping, a small heated glass is placed upside-down on the skin. As the air inside it cools, it creates a vacuum that draws some of the skin into the cup, leaving a welt.  Whereas in the United States the most common medicines for mental illness are Chlorpromazine (Thorazine), Haloperidol (Haldol), Perphenazine (generic only), Fluphenazine (generic only), Risperidone (Risperdal), Olanzapine, (Zyprexa), Quetiapine (Seroquel), Ziprasidone (Geodon), and Aripiprazole (Abilify).  Though mental health is becoming a major issue in infants and toddler, our past family members have been dealing with mental health issues for a long time.  We must remember that there are treatments, programs, and medications that are in the community that can be utilized, so that we can have a clear state of mind while we are progressing through our lives.

Resources:

http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2008/03/24/culture_gap/

http://mentalhealth.gov/health/publications/mental-health-medications/complete-index.shtml

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs220/en/

Childbirth-In Your Life and Around the World

On August 24, 2011 I gave birth to a 7lb 10oz baby boy.  I was scheduled to do a cesarean delivery on September 10, but my blood pressure increased causing me to have an emergency cesarean delivery.  As I entered into the hospital, I was nervous because I was so unprepared. Although, this was my third child and I had a previous cesarean delivery with both of my kids I was still nervous.  I had never planned on having cesarean delivery but the my doctor was concerned with breaking the shoulders of my first son in June 06, because he was 9lbs and 11oz and so he encouraged me to have a cesarean delivery for the health of me and my child.  So as research has stated once you have one cesarean delivery, you must continue to have them.  Therefore in October 09, I had to also have a cesarean delivery with my daughter. In my last cesarean delivery my husband was there again through the whole process of the nurses prepping me and getting me ready as I went back into the operation room. When I was in the operation room, I had an epidural that was entered into my spine.  My whole top was numb through the whole process. The whole procedure lasted for maybe an hour.  After the doctors delivered my baby boy, my husband and the nurse left and went to take the baby to the nursery.  The anesthesiologist and the nurses were so comforting through the whole process.  After I left the operation room, I went to the recovery room and stayed there with my husband and nurses, while the rest of my family enjoyed the arrival of my new baby boy.  My birthing experience was short and simple, but of course pain came afterwards while I stayed in the hospital for three nights. After my days in the hospital were finally over; me, my husband, and my mew baby boy, Caleb went home to his sister Mackenzie and his big brother Tavion.

 

The country that I choose to read about in reference to their birthing experience was Japan.  In Japan the women try not to use any painkillers.  According to Azi Azuma, a Tokoyo native, this preference relates to the Buddhist perception of suffering:  There is a belief among Japanese that labor pains act as a kind of test that woman must endure in preparation for the challenging role of motherhood (Parents/American Baby, 2011).  However many doctors are now believing that women receive more peace when they receive an epidural.  But many women are keeping the tradition alive and opting out of having an epidural.  The Japanese women have their babies in the hospital, but fathers can only participate in the birth of their child only if they have taking prenatal classes.  Japanese women who have vaginal birth stay in the hospital for a minimum of five days; whereas women who have cesarean deliveries stay in the hospital for ten days. 

Many cultures and countries have their own unique way of childbirth and the customs that follow after birth. In the Japanese culture, I learned that regardless if the father is in the life of the mother, they cannot participate in the birth of the child, if they do not take prenatal classes.  In my culture, men do not have to take any prenatal classes to participate in the birthing experience.  Also, the only way American women stay in the hospital more than three days if there are complications. The only time I stayed in the hospital over three days was with my first son because I had problems with my iron, calcium, and other minor issues.

I feel that women have to have a safe and healthy birth because we want to have healthy children.  If we have complications in birth, then it will have an impact on their child’s development.

References:

Parents/American Baby. (2011). Birth Customs Around the World. Retrieved November 1, 2011,

from Parents Network: http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/vaginal/birth-

customs-around-the-world/?page=4