Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

Throughout the first ten, critical years of a child’s life, the attention that children receive from their parents affect them for the rest of their lives during these years. In the case of a child who was raised in a stable, secure home, for the rest of their lives, they will find that they naturally gravitate towards successful choices in their marriage, social life and career.
My best friend in high was sexually abused by her stepfather. I remember when she started homeschooling. I was so upset. I was too little to understand what was really going on with her. I remember going home crying for hours. However, it was just a few months that I found out why she started homeschool. He took her out of the public school system so that he was able to sexually assault her even more. She messaged me on social media the other day and told me everything that happened to her and how important our friendship was to her and that I only the person in school at the time she could really trust and I did not laugh at her. I realized you never know how much you can really mean to someone just by being kind and showing love. I never would have thought this was going on with her. Her mother was the sweetest person. She told me that she still have anxiety and nervous problems. I remember her having a speech problems when we were in school and students laugh at her. It is so true that a child’s early home environment has a profound effect on his well-being. Beginning in infancy, a problematic home environment can disrupt the brain’s stress response system, reduce the quality of caregiving a child receives, and interfere with healthy development.

                                      Family Value(s) in China

Chinese family values have undergone many changes. There are some aspects of the Chinese culture that are still the same. For instance the father is still the maintainer, provider and protector of the family. He may still have a final say in the important matters concerning his children but no longer does the man of the house enjoy absolute control over his family members. The children of today’s Chinese family are more or less free to choose the career they want to pursue but are required to consult their elders for advice.
When it comes to marriage we find the Chinese to have an elaborate wedding celebration culture. The wedding events include many ritualistic practices. Although they have been toned down over the years they have been retained to a certain degree because they are meant to honor the institution of family.
he father of the house is also responsible for housing and educating his children up until the time of their marriage. Once married the children move into their own homes. Traditionally married couples would also stay with the parents of the groom for a short while before moving out into their own homes.
A unique phenomenon of the Chinese family is the one child policy that has been enforced by law in the country. This policy was introduced as a means of controlling the rapidly growing population and to control the draining of the country’s natural resources.
In the rural areas the families are given some exceptions especially if their first born is not a boy. The one child policy geared towards controlling the population outburst has had widespread effects on the marital relations between couples along with the status and prospects for women in society.


References:


Berger, K. S. (2016). The developing person through childhood (7th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

 "The First Two Years: Cognitive Development"

Globerove. (n.d.). Retrieved May 28, 2016, from http://globerove.com/

Child Development and Public Health

I choose immunization because this topic is important to many in several different ways. First, immunizations have continued to keep the spread of disease low. They have also lowered the amounts of deaths and saved lives over the years. However, I have had a couple instances at my years at Head Start where parents that are against “Immunization” for religious reasons. I had a student in my classroom two years ago that stayed sick all the time and it was a big concern for me. I spoke with the parents and informed my center director of the situation and she documented  all the comments and concerns. She also called the school nurse and informed them of the situation but that was the parents choice. Whatever, bacteria or viruses this student had needed medical attention. In the article Should Any Vaccines be Required for Children, the scientists and disease experts contend and claim, “anti-vaccination studies are often faulty, biased, and misleading.”  Obviously, educated individuals like them would be much convincing than say your neighbor. If parents would take the time to view both sides of the argument, they would open their eyes to all the advantages that vaccines bring to their children. I personally feel like it is important to get your children immunizations. I can not see how some parents go without. I understand the different religions. We are all unique in our own special ways but truth be told. If it was not for immunization we probably would not be here.

Vaccination for Child in China

Every child deserves to benefit from lifesaving vaccines. The world has the resources to resolve and dramatically improve immunization programs in even the poorest of countries. I feel like good health is the foundation upon which individuals and families build long, healthy lives. I real problem occurs when we start talking cost and how these vaccines are stored. The article Vaccination for Children in China it stated, “ In 2014, 4 children died and an additional 70 became ill due to improperly stored vaccines. The  government insisted that the vaccines were safe but admitted that the manufacturer of the vaccines and the provincial Center of Disease Control and Prevention had violated the regulations.” After researching about immunizations I feel this will impact my future work by paying closer attention to immunizations that are brought in by students and keeping up with the current information from DHEC.

Options for Vaccinations in China

Types of vaccination	Disease
Imported vaccines	Pneumococcal disease, rabies
Joint venture vaccines that are produced outside of China but packaged in China	Hepatitis B, pentaxim (5 in 1 for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and Hib),
Local vaccines	Japanese encephalitis, varicella, MMR, hepatitis A, DTaP, BCG

The Rotavirus vaccine and Typhoid vaccine are currently not available in China. (as at June 2013)


References:

Vaccines ProCon.org. (n.d.). Retrieved May 14, 2016, from http://vaccines.procon.org/

Vaccination for Children in China. (2012). Retrieved May 14, 2016, from http://www.expatmedicare.com/vaccination-china

Birthing Experience

The first birthing experience that came to mind was of course the birth of my daughter. It happened 6 years ago, but everything that happened that day and night and following day is still fresh in my head.

Halyn was born  April 14, 2010 at 4:14. She wasn't due until the first of May, but signs of pre eclampsia caused me to be induced three weeks earlier. I remember on April 14, I had a doctors appointment for an ultrasound and was told we need to go ahead and induce me. The doctors were concerned that my daughters lungs wasn't completely developed. I had to be at the hospital at 7:00pm so they could start the Pitocin. Then after a few hours of medication I still haven't dilated any. My blood pressure continued to rise which was very scary. The doctors continued to monitor me then came in and told me they were going to prep me for a C- section. Then, right before they  were getting ready to take me back they checked one last time and Halyn was almost out. Apparently she didn't want me cut! She came out blue with the cord wrapped around her neck. Needless to say I didn't get to hold her right then and there but after she was ok it was the best moment of my life.

 

I was fortunate to have my family members in the room while I delivered. My sister videoed  and took some photos. My mother in law was there watching her first grand daughter come into the world. I really felt supported and safe. It was a hard few hours of labor and the pain from the contractions vanished as soon as I got that swell of emotion of seeing the baby on my belly that had been in my belly for so long. She was beautiful and amazing.

I chose this story because it was the one I remembered the most. Just writing about it brings back so many memories! 

I chose to look at stories of women in Nepal and their birth experiences. I had heard that Nepal has one of the highest maternal death rates during childbirth. I found a fascinating news story done by a Nepalese woman who herself was pregnant. Her news story was about how different her experience being pregnant was with that of her poorer sisters in the countryside. I was saddened to learn that even though money and support has been given to the elders of the villages, much of it never makes it to the women in the form of skilled birth attendants to assist the mothers. I also learned that complications during the birth are normal in Nepal which is why so many women are dying when they give birth. These types of births can also be traumatic for the unborn baby. Lack of oxygen to the brain, poor blood flow, infection, and stress can all cause infirmity in the baby when it is born. 


There were not many similarities between my birth and the one of the poor mothers in Nepal. The only thing I saw that was the same was how much we all loved our babies. I also noticed that perhaps we all have a fear of dying during childbirth, but for the poor women in Nepal, that fear is very real and very possible without the proper medical care.