Consequences of life stressors

There are many life stresses that children have to deal with even at a very early age.  From natural disasters, to familial stress all children are bound to have some stress to deal with.  Sometimes, children are exposed to too many problems, and these problems may be hard to overcome.  Violence is especially traumatic to young children.  Today many of our children are born into families that violence is common place.  According to the Children's Defense Fund (1997), in America on an average day, "10 children are murdered, 16 die from guns, 316 are arrested for crimes of violence, and 8,042 are reported abused or neglected".  These numbers are tragic and fifteen years after being published are different.

Recently, in my program we had a 3 year old girl, that was becoming extremely aggressive towards the other children, the staff, and myself.  After speaking to the mother, we found out that the child had witnessed a very violent fight between her parents.  The parents were verbal, and physical in front of the child.  When the child began to show similar tendencies, we coordinated  help to have the child discuss her anger.  Unfortunately, her behavior got so bad, that I had to expel her from my program.  I worry about her well being because I know the challenges she will face throughout life if her mother doesn't receive extra help for her child. 

In Australia, the data regarding violence against children is high as well.  According to the Australian Human Rights Commission (n.d.) "there were over 31,000 reports of abuse to children in 2008-2009" .  Furthermore, violence in television, music and play items is surrounding our children on a regular basis.  Violence can be helped with discussing concerns with others not involved in the issue.  A good example of someone to talk to, would be an early childhood educator.  Our job is to take what children tell us, and alert the proper authorities.


References:

Australian Human Rights Commission. (n.d.) Violence, Harassment and Bullying: children and young people. Retrieved from http://www.hreoc.gov.au/pdf/bullying/VHB_children.pdf

Children's Defense Fund. (1997). Every day in America. CDF REPORTS, 18(2), 15. Washington, DC: CDF.

Breast Feeding

This week's assignment asks us to discuss a health topic that is meaningful to us.  Breast feeding is encouraged around the world as a great source of nutrition for infants and toddlers. Personally, I was never a big advocate for breast feeding before I had children.  I always thought it was "inconvenient", and formula would be so much easier because my husband could field the child.

It all changed three years ago, when I was being rushed into the operating room for an emergency Cesarean section.  My daughter, Julianna born nine weeks premature was so delicate and tiny weighing just 2 lbs. 12oz.  I was encouraged to pump breast milk for her by the nurses in the NICU.  The NICU also had a full time lactation consultant that helped all of the new mothers.  The nurses educated me on the importance of providing breast milk for my daughter.  Once she was able to drink milk through her N/G (Naso-gastrointestinal) tube, my milk was given to her.  She was able to receive the colostrum, and as soon as she was off the tubes, and able to come out of the isolette, I began to nurse her.

I felt so happy that I was able to provide my daughter with nutrition, while forming an incredible bond with her.  Prior to having my daughter, it would not have mattered how many people told me how beneficial breast feeding was; I would have still thought I would use formula.  However, when I had a preemie depending on me to not only feed her, but sustain her I changed my mind forever. 

According to UNICEF, "breastfeeding of children under two years of age has the greatest impact on child survival of all preventive interventions, with the possibility of preventing 1.4 million deaths in children under five in the developing world annually" (UNICEF, 2008).  In addition,  those infants born in southeast Asia are more likely to be breastfed then any other area of the world.  I believe it shows that the need for further education on the benefits of breastfeeding is crucial.  In our industrialized nation, where everything is earned quickly, and spent twice as fast we need to utilize our collective power to encourage new mothers to breastfeed.

Furthermore, since having my own daughter, I have implemented a "breast feeding friendly" facility.  In my program, mothers are encouraged to spend break times visiting and nursing her children.  We provide a rocking chair and a privacy screen for the mothers to allow the mother and child to have a peaceful and satisfying experience.  I will continue to encourage mothers, especially the young mothers that we serve to breastfeed.  I will provide training and information to pregnant parents that also encourages nursing. 

Berger, K. S. (2009). The developing person through childhood (5th ed.). New York, NY: Worth.

Bradford, N. (2005). The miraculous world of your unborn baby.  Chicago, IL: Contemporary Books.

UNICEF. (2008).  Overview of breastfeeding patterns. Retrieved from http://www.childinfo.org/breastfeeding_overview.html.

Kangaroo Care

Since we have had some discussion on Kangaroo care, I decided to share some "kangaroo" pictures of my daughter, husband and I during her time in the NICU.  Also, if you'd like more information I have attached the March of Dimes website regarding many different aspects of parenting preemies (and kangaroo care).

http://www.marchofdimes.com/baby/inthenicu_kangaroocare.html