Violence and Chaos and its Effects

Violence and chaos are two stressors that can go hand in hand; with violence comes chaos. Children, especially at the tender age of infancy and toddler, are not equipped to handle and cope with such devastating, life-changing trauma. Exposure to stressors like violence and chaos leave traumatizing effects on a child's life, as early as infancy, and can follow them into adulthood. In my many years as an Early Childhood Educator, I have interacted with many children from all walks of life. I vividly recall a young boy, four years of age, who was clearly exposed to violence and chaos. It was during our "Community Week", in which we invite community helpers (police officers, fire fighters, doctors, dentist, etc.) to visit with the children and speak about how they help the community. On this particular day, we had Police Officers to visit. All the children we sitting on the floor, kris-cross applesauce, and ready to listen. As the Police Officers entered the classroom, I noticed this little boy become very fidgety and nervous. Not wanting to alarm the other children, I slowly walked over to him, in efforts to comfort him; but before I could reach him, he begins screaming at the top of his lungs, tears running down his little face, yelling repeatedly, "Please don't take my daddy!Please don't take my daddy!". At that point, myself and the director of the center comforts him as we escorted him out of the classroom. At this point, I too had tears in my eyes, which I tried to hold back, because I have never experienced this before. Words cannot describe the pain I felt in my heart for this little boy. The director encouraged me to go back into the classroom with the other children, but I reassured him that my assistant and the additional teacher were capable of monitoring the other children. There was no way I could leave this little boy, after what he just experienced. Later that afternoon, I spoke with his mother and informed her of what happened earlier that day. To my surprise, she seemed quite nonchalant about everything, and replied it's a part of life, we all got to grow up at some point.  The amount of anger and mixed emotions that boiled up inside of me were too much to handle, and I thought it in my best interest to cut the conversation short, report the conversation and her response to my director, and made a mental note to pay close attention to this particular little boy, as he well needed to be comforted and reassured that he was in a safe environment when he was at school, and in my presence.
Brazil is the one place that I am longing to visit. Brazil has the highest poverty rate in the world.
"The disparity between the rich and poor in Brazilian society is one of the largest. The richest 1% of         Brazil's population control 50% of its income. The poorest 50% of society live on just 10% of the country's wealth, while the poorest 10% receive less than 1%!" (http://www.childrenofbahia.com/childpoverty.htm). Most poverty amongst children in Brazil is caused by abandonment, and HIV among parents. Survival on the streets involve finding foods in bins and garbage cans, exploitation, running drugs and stealing. Other children turn to drugs, such as glue sniffing, because it is so inexpensive, as a means of escape from the realization of their poverty stricken lives. The affects of drugs and exploitation on children in Brazil are tremendous and traumatizing to their physical and mental health.

References

Child Poverty in Brazil-Facts, Reasons and what can be done. Retrieved from       http://www.childrenofbahia.com/childpoverty.htm

The Breast is the Best

Breastfeeding is one of the most preeminent forms of bonding with your infant, not to mention, the only source in providing your infant with the most essential nutrients and vitamins necessary for healthy brain and bodily development. The specific fats and sugars in breast milk make it more digestible and better for the brain than any formula (Drover et al., 2009; Riordan 2005; Berger 2012). Breastfeeding is a very meaningful topic to me because my mother was breastfed as an infant, my mother breastfed me as an infant, and I continued on the tradition by breastfeeding my daughter as an infant. Unfortunately, I was only able to breastfeed by daughter up to six weeks, but she was still able to receive those essential nutrients and vitamins she needed. In the future, when I am blessed with another child, I will definitely breastfeed. After reading about breastfeeding and its many other advantages, such as enhancement in developmental skills at an early age and promotes weight loss, I will definitely seek other resources that will enable me to breastfeed as long as possible.

In the United States, we are blessed with laws and regulations that protect mothers and permit breastfeeding in public arenas, however, places like Russia, have a ways to go. In Russia, women are banned from breastfeeding in public. Not only is breastfeeding considered socially unacceptable, but the exposure of a woman's breast suggest a form of sexuality and grounds for harassment. A mother is not allowed to leave her home until she has weaned her child off of the breast, but can still provide breast milk for her infant by pumping or only breastfeeding in her home.
Despite these laws and regulations, women are still judged and ridiculed here in the United States. I encourage all mothers, young and old, to freely breastfeed their children, whether in private or in public...its your right as a mother, in the land of the free.

The Birthing Experience of My Daughter

The birth of my daughter was my first experience of childbirth. I remember it was a Wednesday night, and I had just taken a shower. I dressed and climbed into the bed, ready to sleep. I remember feeling like I was urinating on myself, and I got up and ran back to the restroom. Just as I stood up, I remember feeling a release, and then more water began to run down my legs. I was excited and scared all at the same time. I ran into the bedroom and told my husband that it was time. He jumped out of bed and we were on our way to hospital. I was accompanied by my mom, my dad, my husband, my mother-in-law and my brother-in-law. During the delivery, my mom, husband and mother-in-law remained in the room, while my brother-in-law and dad waited in the waiting room. As I began to feel the contractions, I remember thinking “ok, this is not that bad…I can handle this”. The nurses and Dr. made my family and I feel extremely comfortable. They provided me with physical and emotional support, they monitored the health and heart rate of my daughter and I regularly, and the overall service was amazing. As the contractions began to get stronger the pain began to get worse and worse, till the point where it was just unbearable. I pleaded with my mom, to please call the nurse for the epidural. I remember cringing anytime someone touched me, outside of my husband. The Anesthesiologist came shortly after and administered the epidural. Minutes after, my Dr. entered and reassured me that I made it to 8 cm before getting the epidural, and suggested that my daughter would not be ready for delivery for another two, maybe three hours. Roughly, thirty to forty-five minutes later, I began to feel immense pressure. I called for the nurse and requested that the Dr. return because I knew my daughter was ready for arrival. To their surprise, my daughter was already crowning and ready for delivery. The whole delivery process was smooth and painless. After my little Olivia arrived, the Dr. allowed me to hold her, to initiate our mother/daughter bond by encouraging her to latch. She then placed her under an incubator, washed her up, and then placed her on the scale. She then held her by her hands, as Olivia griped the Dr.’s thumbs, and pulled her up in the air. The Dr. reassured me that she was extremely healthy and that her bodily functions were moving great. After completing a few more standard procedures, Olivia was wrapped up in a blanket and placed in her daddy’s arms. The whole process was a life changing experience for our entire family. My daughter is now 10 months and just as healthy and happy as she can be, thanks be to God.

Due to lack of technology and other vital tools needed for healthy deliveries and safe childbirth, many infants are born with lasting effects of insufficient childbirths. Without enough oxygen, children can suffer from mental disabilities, which can affect child development. There are many tests that nurses and Dr.'s may advice expectant mothers to take prior to delivery. Tests that may help detect signs of modified genes or chromosomes that can cause Down Syndrome, perhaps. Without accurate tools such as Doppler heart radars, Dr.'s may not be able to detect when a child has a low heart rate, which can also cause mental disabilities, or even death.

After reading about different child birthing rituals and practices in different parts of the world, I was fairly intrigued by the child birthing rituals of Native Americans. In comparison to my child birth experience, Native American expecting mothers do not lie down during childbirth, but instead, either stand, kneel or sit. When Olivia was born, the Dr. supported and gently withdrew her as she was being delivered, whereas, during Native American child birth, no one attempts to catch the baby during delivery, but allows the baby to fall onto a patch of leaves, placed under the mother. Native American mothers also undergo diverse post-delivery practices as well. After a child is born, for two years, the mother practices a ceremonial act of dipping their child into a river; a ritual that is said to strengthen the child that no deformation comes upon them.