Stress in Children

Growing up in a small town in rural Minnesota I was fortunate enough to not be raised with majors stressors in my life. I also do not know personally of anyone that was raised with these kinds of things in their lives. Coming from one of the poorest counties in Minnesota I know it was around but it is not something that was widely talked about among my peers. This being the case it might have been even harder for these peers to not have others that may have been able to help them and make it better for them.

The country I chose to learn more about stress in children is Israel. Children in this country have many stresses in their lives having to do with the war with Palestine. According to the article I read many of the children suffered different kinds of trauma including, tear gas attacks, night raids and family members being sent to jail. The study noted that children with less mental flexibility suffered from issues such as PTSD as well as low self esteem and neurotic symptoms. Some of the ways they have found to help children cope with these stresses is by having them reenact the situations with stuffed animals. By doing this they are able to lessen the emotional impact of the trauma and develop a sense of self control. They also recommend positive interactions with family members. These things help the children to become more resilient and able to handle stressful situations.

http://www.oswego.edu/Documents/wac/Psychology.pdf

Children's Access to Healthy Water

Water is one of the most important things for any living creature. Living in the area that I do worrying about the safety of my water or if I will have access to water at all is not a concern that even crosses my radar. It is easy to take something that is so readily available for granted. This is not the case for so many children around the world. According to The Water Project website, around the world, 1 out of every 5 deaths of children under the age of 5 is due to an illness caused by a water related illness. Because of infant and children's weakened immune systems they are especially susceptible to getting diseases that are carried in the water. When a child that attends school gets sick they are not able to attend and get the education that can get them out of poverty. Not only that but when a child is sick another often needs to stay home to care for them. This takes away wages that could be earned.

Not only is this an issue that happens in less developed countries it can also relate to many children living in poverty in this country. When children are living in poor conditions their healthy will be impacted. When they are sick they are not able to attend education classes. Much like the children previously mentioned this interferes with their ability to get out of poverty. As an educator it is my job to help these children. I can help to provide healthy, safe environments to come each day as well as help to educate parents about what kinds of nutrition and environments they should provide for their children. Although this work may be small, children will be impacted by my influences.

I can also take steps to help those in other countries that don't often have access to healthy water. With the money that The Water Project raises they are able to provide safe drinking water as well as sanitation to areas that do not have access to it. Making a small donation can help children have the potential to a better, healthier life.

http://thewaterproject.org

Birthing Experiences: Similarities and Differences

I do not have a birthing experience of my own but I have two older sisters that each have one daughter that I was able to be there for. The experiences my sisters had were very similar. My oldest sister had a daughter 7 years ago in October. I remember being at her house the night she went in to the hospital. It wasn't until I got home that she sent me a message saying that she was going in to the hospital. The labor was slow and lasted over 24 hours. She pushed for around 2 and ended up having to have a cesarean because the baby was stuck and was not going to budge. Everything after that went well and she had a healthy baby girl. She was slightly jaundiced and was sent home with a light for a few days but everything was good after that. My second oldest sister had a baby last May. Her water broke at about 2 in the morning and went to the hospital shortly after that. At the time I was living 2 hours away and had to work. I sat by my phone all day waiting for news. She was in labor for about 12 hours and pushed for 1.5 hours. Just like my oldest sister that baby wasn't budging! So she also ended up having a cesarean. Everything went well with her as well and by the time I was able to get home she had a healthy baby girl. Just like my oldest sister the baby was slightly jaundiced and had to be under the light for a while before going home but she was better by the time they needed to be discharged. I don't remember what it is called but both of my sisters had the same thing wrong that the baby wasn't going to be able to come the rest of the way out. Cesareans are the only thing that I am familiar with and have had experience with. My mom had all 4 of her children by cesarean as well. This doesn't give me much hope if I have children in the future. Time will tell!

Since cesareans are what I know I was interest while doing research at the number of cesareans that are done in Brazil. The rate of c sections in Brazil is at 40% and in some private hospitals it is 100%. The article says that many of these births are to middle and upper class citizens. The relationships that mothers have with their doctors is so strong that they will often times do what the doctor suggests. Some of the doctors will suggest c sections so that they are able to collect higher payments from insurance companies and because they take less time then hours of labor and delivery. 

In an effort to change this the Brazilian government has started procedures in public hospitals to reduce the number of c sections. The government stipulated that any hospital above 30% will not be compensated for any procedure that is above that number. In 4 years the rate went from 32.4% to 24%. 

This article also had an interesting section about woman during pregnancy. According to the article woman that are pregnant are treated like princesses. They are often ushered to the front of lines. Also after the mother and baby leave the hospital many people will come to the house to visit. They will bring a gift for the baby and will get something in return with a not that says it is from the baby. 

While there are many similarities it is interesting to learn about the differences. It is especially interesting to read about how mothers are taken care.

http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/vaginal/birth-customs-around-the-world/?page=5