Stress and the Effects on Children

            One major stress that continues to become worse all over the world is poverty.  Growing up I was fortunate enough to have two parents who both worked and were able to provide for my siblings and myself.  I did however, have a friend in elementary school who was not as lucky.  She had only her father and brother and they had to move into her grandmother’s home.  Her father worked multiple jobs to make ends meet and often worked over night, not allowing her to spend time with him.  She was a very outgoing young girl and loved coming to school.  I often noticed when it was time to go home; she would become quiet and withdrawn.  She was often upset at school functions such as honor roll assembles or chorus concerts because her father could never attend.  We spent a great deal of time at my house on the weekends.  She was always very thankful to come over and spend time my family and I.  After elementary school, we had different classes and ended up going our separate ways.  I often hear that she now works in a local retail store and still lives with her grandmother.  Her father was able to leave one job after suffering health issues and she is helping to make up for his income.

            A country that immediately comes to mind in regards to a major stressor for children is Afghanistan.  The children over there are being exposed to different aspects of war and are suffering as a result.  Many are developing post traumatic stress disorder from witnessing such events as car and house bombings to violent abuse in their homes.  Some children even have to go into hard labor jobs at a very young age to help supplement the families’ income.  The children are starting to have psychologically disorders, mostly the girls from seeing things that any child should never be around.  One way in which the country is trying to minimize the harm is by creating more opportunities for the children to get educated.  By doing this, the children will have a more promising future, helping them provide for their families at a more suitable job. Unfortunately this task may be very difficult with the challenges that the country is still facing on a daily basis.  Another way in which they are trying to help is by providing preventative healthcare.  This is expensive and many families cannot afford that luxury.  For the sake of the children, hopefully something more can be done to help them live a normal life once more.

Reference

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623112106.htms

http://www.hqlo.com/content/6/1/29

This article does not relate to Afghanistan but I found it to be informative because it deals with childhood and the effects stress has on emotional development.

http://www.education.com/reference/article/stress-as-factor-social-emotional/

Nutrition in India

Nutrition/malnutrition

Nutrition/ malnutrition is a topic of particular interest to me.  I live and work in a town where many of the citizens are at or below poverty level.  They are not able to provide their children with the proper nutrient that are needed for their healthy growth.  Many are overweight because they only have access to fast food because it is cheap and they can get a lot more for their money.  Many rely on their children’s school’s to provide their children with free lunches, which are also not the healthiest despite the countries attempt to make them.  Many children are also going to bed hungry and not sure of when their last meal will be.  I know that I have a few students in my class where they do not have enough money to eat dinner.  Or one particular child lives in a house with multiple families and shares a bedroom with his mother.  Whenever they do have food, the other families eat it before they can.

One part of the world in which I sought information is India.  This country has many issues regarding low birth weights and both iodine and vitamin A deficiencies.  Many newborns are being born with very low birth weights causing a higher rate of SIDS.  They are also getting PEM or protein energy malnutrition.   Some disorders from PEM are irritability, hair discoloration, and growth failure.  Although the children I work with are not this severely malnutrition, it is still difficult to think about children the age of my students suffering like this.

The information that I have obtained about India will help me take a greater appreciation for what I have and how fortunate my students are to be in the program I work with.  The mothers are also taken care of in the Early Head Start program, making sure they are getting the proper nutrition to help their unborn child strive.  India needs a program similar to this to help them help end some of the problems such as the low birth weights.  This will affect my future work by having a greater appreciation for what the parents of my students do for them.  Although they may not be feeding them the proper food, it is the best they can do with what little they have.  It makes me open my eyes and want to help the children in India more. 

References

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/434445/nutrition-problems-in-india

Child Birth Experiences

Since I do not have any children, I do not have a personal experience to discuss or share.  However, I know from what my mother has told me about my own birth that it was scary for her and my father.  When I was born, I was in distress.  I was suffering from an asthma attack as my mother described it and came out all blue in the face.  They immediately rushed me away without informing them of anything and became to do CPR.  After some time, which I’m sure seemed like forever to my parents was crying and fine.  I did not suffer any complications due to that experience and currently do not suffer from asthma.  I’m not 100% sure if that is what caused me to come out blue but it was the explanation they were given.  I also have a 15 month nephew who was an emergency C-section due to the doctors losing his heart beat and not wanting to risk him any further stress, they decided to take him out.  In the end he is perfectly healthy and has had no issues.  It was only scary for all of us, especially my sister.

One country that interests about childbirth and their procedures is Spain.  Having traveled there a few years ago, I like the culture and the people there.  The women there see midwives throughout their pregnancy instead of a doctor.  The births are done as termed by the site, “old fashioned” with stirrups and many people in the room.  There are a high number of C-sections done in the country as well.  Women were complaining because the babies were whisked away before the mother could see them and no one was allowed in the operation room with them.  The experiences described by the women who discussed their child’s births sounded similar to how my sisters C-section went.  The mother did not get to see their baby just like my sisters situation.

One major insight that I gained from the experiences, especially after doing research, is how different every single birth is.  Even after learning about my own birth, it is clear how different and scary they truly can be.  I do not have kids but plan on it someday and now have a better understanding of what to expect in terms of our countries prenatal care and after care.  It was interesting to see how different women are treated in other countries when it comes to childbirth. 

References

http://www.mumabroad.com/interviews-with experts/Midwife_Alex_Weatherhead_on_childbirth_in_Spain-10723