Final Quote & A Huge Thank You!!

"A hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank...but the world may be a better place because I made a difference in the life of a child." -- Forest Witcraft

--- I want to say thank you to all my classmates who always took the time to read my post and always give supportive feedback. It was a pleasure to learn from you all and I hope we will meet again through our online courses!

Domestic Abuse

I have been very fortunate to not experience any of stressors mentioned. However I have a cousin in Costa Rica who grew up with an alcoholic father. He was not abusive physically but emotionally he did a lot of damage. He came home every night very drunk. Then after arriving home falling all over the place he was sick. While the mom carried him to the bed and changed him my cousin and her younger brothers were left to clean the house as he purged all the way to the room. Imagine a 6 year old cleaning up after her sick father. Not sick my illness but sick by choice. Till this day he is still the same and they all left the house at the age of 17. They found jobs and got married and none of them drink. I could not imagine living my whole life in a household where every night it was routine to see this happening.

I chose to read about domestic violence because I really do not know which country has the worst rate. I did imagine it to be Afghanistan but wasn't sure at all. When I read this small article I could not believe the amount of abuse a woman goes through in that country.

 Afghanistan: The average Afghan girl will live to only 45 – one year less than an Afghan male. After three decades of war and religion-based repression, an overwhelming number of women are illiterate. More than half of all brides are under 16, and one woman dies in childbirth every half hour. Domestic violence is so common that 87 per cent of women admit to experiencing it. But more than one million widows are on the streets, often forced into prostitution. Afghanistan is the only country in which the female suicide rate is higher than that of males.

Source:

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2008/03/08/ten_worst_countries_for_women.html

SIDS Awareness

SIDS Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is a sudden death of an infant that is not predicted by medical history and remains unexplained after a thorough forensic autopsy and detailed death scene investigation. This is a very sad topic for me to read about but I feel that I must raise awareness whenever I have a chance. I come from a Spanish culture to which it is acceptable to sleep with a baby in the same bed. Also it is encouraged because it makes it easier to breastfeed in the middle of the night. I however find it inexcusable for a baby to be in bed the whole night as you and your partner sleep. I can’t say that my baby has not slept in my bed because it would be a lie. However, I have been awake the full time watching TV and the same goes for my husband (wide awake). I was searching around the world statistics and my findings led to the United States of America being the highest SIDS statistics leading with 2,523 and the second highest was Germany with 429 deaths. Our number is beyond overwhelming. I know everyone has their own way of raising their child but this is one huge deal where I feel that people should read about SIDS and take maximum efforts to follow the preventative ways of avoiding SIDS. I added the link if anyone is interested in seeing the statistics:
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/mor_sud_inf_dea_syn-mortality-sudden-infant-death-syndrome
 

Childbirth in my life and around the world

•Write about a personal birthing experience. It can be your own birth, your child's birth, or one you took part in. What do you remember about the event? Why did you choose this example? What are your thoughts regarding birth and its impact on child development?

I gave birth to my beautiful daughter about 9 months ago. I had a C-section seeing as she was overdue and was in no hurry to come out. I always thought I wanted to have my child the natural way and was a little sad after having to change plans. But like they say, everything happens for a reason. I found this C-section experience to be non-stressful for baby and for myself. Although recovery was tough and painful baby was out in ten minutes. I am expecting again (big surprise!!!) and this baby is due at the end of June. From my experience I hope to have another C-section because I honestly learned that baby does not come out stressed or cone headed because of passing through the birth canal. If baby decides to come before the scheduled date then I will try to deliver the natural way but definitely in a hospital.

 •Choose a region of the world or a country, other than the U.S., and find out how births happen there. Write about what you learned, and the differences and similarities with your experience (in the personal example you provided). What additional insights, if any, about the impact of the birthing experience on development, did you gain from this comparison?

I chose to read a small article on the Netherlands. Holland women are not given any epidurals and if it is needed they must need it during business hours 9-5. Also they give birth at home with a midwife it is rare that women give birth in a hospital. Also, a doctor will only be called upon if there are complications. I think they are amazing and strong women for giving birth this way but I know that I could not do this. I cannot imagine giving birth at home and not having extra nurses and equipment’s in case something really goes wrong. I was also clueless on all the different ways other countries give birth. I have added a link that has small articles on lots of different countries and labor routines.

 

http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/vaginal/birth-customs-around-the-world/?page=2