Consequences of Stress-Week 4

I have a second cousin, Brooke, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor when she was 2. She also had a fraternal twin, Cassie, which made the situation more complicated. The disease not only impacted the Brooke, it also had an affect on her sister. It was a year and a half long journey of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and therapy. Both children suffered extreme attachment problems since the twins had never been apart before. Because of their age they could not understand why they couldn't be together. Cassie was raised mainly by her grandparents while her parents were in the hospital which caused more attachment problems. This also led her to become slightly spoiled because everyone did not want to further upset her since she was already separated from her parents and sister so there was little discipline. For Brooke, she underwent several painful treatments and suffered tremendous sickness. Because of the location of the tumor she did have to receive therapy to regain her motor skills. This caused her frustration because she would see her sister do an activity, but she could not do the same thing. She still has some trouble walking because of damage done while removing the tumor. Though she has been cancer free for seven years, both girls become extremely anxious the weeks leading up to her annual brain scan. They have trouble sleeping and eating. Though they were young when this happened, the feeling of being separated still lingers today.  This disease caused stress on the entire family and impacted the physical development of Brooke and the emotional development of both children.

The entire world hears about natural disasters several times throughout the world. It seems every time I watch the news there is a tornado, earthquake, hurricane, flooding, landslides, and so many more some where in the world. While it is easy to think about the immediate impact on children physically, we also must think of how this will change them permanently. Children who experience a natural disaster whether it is massive or even minor can carry those memories and be scarred for life. After a natural disaster, children will likely experience a degree of poverty, hunger, noise, chaos, disease, environmental pollution, and possibly violence. Areas of natural disasters can be hectic and chaotic and it could be a while before a child has a stable environment again. This will cause stress and will have a life long impact on development. I have never considered the long term consequences of natural disasters on children and now wish there was more I could do to help those who have lived through these horrible experiences.

Child Development and Breastfeeding-Week 2

I really believe more information and more support needs to be given to new mothers to help with breastfeeding. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. Breastfeeding is something that seems like it should be easy because it is natural and yet there are many complications that without support and knowledge could cause a woman to give up. After I had my daughter I had no assistance in the hospital and actually had a nurse tell me she should go about 4-5 hours between feedings. This caused her to be extremely hungry and would not latch and she became dehydrated. After spending a very long evening in the ER, we had to start supplementing with a bottle. Luckily, I had a friend who was a lactation consultant who was available to come help me and when my daughter was a week old she finally latched and I was able to exclusively breastfeed until six months and continued to breastfeed until she was a year old.

Not all women have access to support and will give up when it becomes difficult. I also learned that in some countries babies who are not breasfed instead receive low-quality replacement milk which causes poor growth development (Chan, 2011. In 2009 Chine had 13 million children who were stunted because of this problem (Chan, 2011). Breast milk is the best nutrition for a new baby, but if mothers cannot or do not want to breastfeed they still need information and access to quality formula. I am so saddened to read about these children who will be affected for life because their mother did not have the same advantages that I did. I would love to help spread to word of the benefits of breastfeeding, both for mother and child.




Chan, J. (2011). UNICEF: Lack of Optimal Breast Feeding in Developing Countries. Retrieved from http://www.asianscientist.com/health-medicine/unicef-breast-feeding-china-india-mortality-rate/

Childbirth

Giving birth was the most amazing experience, though the whole day is kind of a blur. I was in labor for 15 hours, 2.5 hours of pushing to finally deliver an 8 lb 13 oz beautiful little girl. Even with bouncing on a ball and walking, my daughter was extremely stubborn and did not want to come out so after 9 hours I got an epidural. I almost had to have a c-section because she was not making progress, but they turned off my epidural and I was able to feel the contractions better and push her out. I was impressed with the hospital staff because they were not in a rush for a c-section and made every effort so I could have her vaginally. However, after all the pain and the exhaustion I will never forget the moment when I finally learned if we had a boy or girl (because we wanted it to be a surprise). When they placed my daughter in my arms she didn't cry she just looked around with the biggest eyes. She was so precious.

After reading the article Birth and Maternal Health Around the World, I was surprised at how some countries vary greatly and many still practice traditional customs. This also means some countries still face high mortality rate during birth such as Nigeria where 1 in 18 women will die in labor (Davis). In Korea the mother is not supposed to express pain because they believe negativity will have an adverse impact on the baby (Davis). After reading this I am extremely grateful I did not give birth in Korea because I definitely expressed pain during labor and had a few choice words for my husband.

Reading about the different customs and beliefs surrounding childbirth was interesting. I feel for the mothers who experience labor alone and in primitive conditions. I was grateful for everything modern medicine had to offer when I gave birth.

References
Davis, Lisa Selin. Birth and maternal health around the world. Parenting. Retrieved from http://www.parenting.com/article/birth-maternal-health?page=0,0