Hope's Blog: November 2011

My husband’s grandmother, known as his Obachon, grew up in Japan where she experienced many wars as a child. She was a teenager when World War II began. During this time she didn’t have access to much and had very little food. She had to leave behind many of her possessions. Obachon is 91 years old now and lives in a retirement home. She has dementia and she is constantly hoarding everything she sees, afraid that it will be taken away from her. Her nurses are always finding tons of items packed away under her bed and hidden around her room. They find food, toothbrushes, toilet paper, toothpaste, and much more. It’s apparent that what she experienced definitely affected her body and soul. Seeing my husband’s grandmother act in this manner and hearing my mother-in-law talk about it, makes me think about all the stressors that children of war encounter. It makes me think of the war in Afghanistan and the many stressors that the children endure each day in those areas. Children there witness death regularly and often see loved ones die. This definitely has psychological effects on a child and such violence could also lead to violent behavior by the children as well. “The average Taliban and Northern Alliance soldiers are a product of the same cycle of violence and social upheaval experienced from early childhood” (2011).

Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta. Children of war: the real casualties of the Afghan conflict. Retrieved on November 25, 2011 from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1122273/

Child Development and Public Health

I strongly believe in the benefits of breastfeeding and providing education about its benefits to all mothers to be. It seemed strange to me to read that breastfeeding is uncommon in the third world countries because I thought it would be something their cultures would embrace for many reasons including the fact that it s natural and, inexpensive and easily accessible. The decline in breastfeeding is one of the leading causes for malnutrition. Breastfeeding is challenging in third world countries such as Africa and South Asia due to their lack of education and proper nutrition. Many mothers in these countries do not realize the importance of strictly breastfeeding for the first six months and are unaware that the water they are mixing their child’s formula with is unsanitary. Breast milk has nutrients that cant be found in formula and often times the bottle the mothers feed from are unsanitary as well. I do understand that some mothers have complications producing milk and are unable to nurse, but I definitely think it is something everyone should at least try before ruling it out completely. Breast milk provides an infant with antibodies to help prevent diseases and as a result breast fed babies aren’t sick as often and the risk of asthma, obesity and heart disease is decreased.

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

http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1405

http://psychcentral.com/lib/2008/breast-feeding-vs-bottle-feeding/

Childbirth-In my life and around the world!

When researching births and customs from around the world, I found out about many different and interesting traditions and beliefs. When reading about pregnant Chinese women, I read that there are many taboos regarding food and what a pregnant Chinese woman should eat. Some of the taboos consisted of eating pineapple because it may cause miscarriage or making sure all food is cut up and mashed or the baby will have a careless deposition. The Chinese also believe that pregnant woman should refrain from having construction in the home during pregnancy and pregnant woman should refrain from hammering because it could cause deformities. The Chinese also do not believe in naming the child before he or she is born. After the baby is born the mother is expected to stay home for the first 40 days in somewhat of a confinement. I found the Chinese traditions and customs to be very interesting and some of them were very similar to my birthing experience and beliefs. First of all, I remember when I was pregnant many people told me about various foods that I should and shouldn’t eat with different beliefs about what could happen if I did eat them. All though I didn’t truly believe all of the advice I was given, I still followed what I was told because I didn’t want something to be wrong with my baby when he was born and I would blame myself for not listening to what advice was given. I remember not chewing come for nine months because someone told me it was bad for the baby. I also chose to stay at home with my son for the first 2 months after he was born because I was told that it would allow him to build up his immune system. However, unlike Chinese women, I did name my child before he was born and I think this is the case for many American women.

Throughout my pregnancy and even during labor, I felt that it was important to stay calm and patient because my son could sense and feel my emotions and I didn’t want to put stress on him. My son is a very patient and down to earth child and I think it’s because of this. Even today I try not to get too worked up in front of him and I make sure to not discuss disagreements in front of him. I I remember being dilated way before my due date and I remember my doctor telling me that my son was turned diagonal and wasn't head down yet so I had some time. I remember my son was very active and always moving around until I was at my appointments and my doctor was checking me. The doctor laughed and told me I have a baby with quite a personality. My parents were flying in from Michigan to be with me when my son was born. I felt like he was going to come early so I called my parents and told them to hop on a plane. They arrived and 2 days later I woke up with sharp pains. I had been feeling them a lot throughout the night, but wasn't sure if I was in labor. So at about 5am I called my sister and asked her if my pains meant I was in labor. Sure enough I was. I went to the hospital thinking that my son would be born shortly. I knew that I was going to have an epidural if I needed it and I tried for a while to not have it, but I soon gave in. When I was getting the epidural the nurse asked me if I was okay and I remember telling her I was, but I didn't think my husband was. The nurse looked at him as he was about to faint and grabbed him and sat him down. Soon after my epidural I started having some complications. My blood pressure was dropping and my son was still turned and being stubborn. I was not aware, but they were preparing for a C-section. Luckily they were able to turn my son and I was able to begin pushing. My son was born sunny side up a week early at 9:40pm. He weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces. Four years later he is a stubborn little boy with a remarkable sense of humor that reminds me of when he was in my belly. My pregnancy and birth of my son was the most amazing experience and I feel privileged to be able to experience such a magical part of life.

http://www.babyzone.com/pregnancy/labor_birth/birthing_traditions/article/childbirth-traditions-china/

http://www.4panda.com/chinatips/culture/baby.htm

Personal Childhood Web

Five people who nurtured and cared about me as a child:

1. My Mother & Father-
My parents always made me feel special and still do. I admire this because my parents have 5 children and were able to make each one of us feel important and loved. My mother made me feel special by baking and doing crafts with me and my dad made me feel special by teaching me to play baseball and encouraging me to p lay sports. These little moments meant a lot to me because they involved time spent with just my parents and doing activities that my other sibilings did not. I remember my parents discussing these moments with their friends and family and I felt so proud. My parents have been married for 42 years and have raised 5 children. I have seen them go through many challenges, but they have stuck together and worked through them together and that inspires me.

2. My Siblings-
I honestly can say that my sibilings are my best friends. I have 2 older sisters and 1 older brother and 1 younger brother. There is a 15 year age difference from my younger brother to my older sister, so growing up my older sibilings helped nuture and influnce me to be who I am today. Growing up I could count on my sibilings to help care and nuture me, to support me when needed, to listen to me, to stick up for me and to be honest with me even if I didnt want to hear what they had to say. We continue to provide all this for each other even now.

3. Mrs. Hewko-
In fourth grade I transferred from a small private school to a public school and was quickly overwhelmed and lost. However, I was lucky enough to have Mrs. Hewko for a teacher. I was 1 of 25 kids, but she made me feel like I was the only one in the room. Mrs. Hewko made sure to get to know me and really make a connection with me. This influnenced me to do the same with my children.

4. Ms. Czarnecki-
She was my middle school math teacher, which was definitely a difficult task. Math is not my strongest subject and until 7th grade I managed to squeak through each math class without really understanding what I was doing. Ms. Czarnecki however, was different then my other teachers. She took time to really know her students and reallized I was struggling. Mrs. Czarnecki made sure she called on me to answer questions in class and when I didnt know the answer she worked through it with me instead of moving on. She made me stay after class and assigned me more work. She walked by my desk and made sure I was on task. Although I was not too fond with her at first, I realized she really cared for me and was helping me. I was very lucky to have her again in 8th grade. Then when I went to highschool and tried out for softball, she became my coach. She was there for me during a really difficult time and worked to continue to build a reationship with me and make sure I was doing okay in and out of school. She even gave me shoes to wear and a new glove to use. I realized that sometimes the ones who really care for you are the hardest on you because they know your potential.

5. Mr. Price-
Mr. Price or better known as Phil, was my high school math teacher and is also my brother-in-law. He spent lots of time and effort teaching me math as well. We spent long nights working on assignments and he was always willing to help. He was also a big part of my life during a really difficult time, he listened and supported me. Phil and my sister were like my second parents. When I was struggling to get along with my parents during my teen years, they allowed me to stay with them and took me on trips with them.

Baby Heart

This is a picture of me with my older brother. I love this picture because it brings back so many great memories of time I cherished with my brother and how much I wish he was still here today. My mother shared a story with me that really portrays what an amazing older brother I had. When I was about 2 years old, my brother was 4, we werer at the grocery store and someone came up to my mother to tell her how cute she thought I was and my brother said, "step away from my baby heart please." My mother said he was very protective of me.