Personal Story
The first part of this assignment has actually been a struggle for me as I have been very lucky in my life experience. I have certainly known people who were affected by the death of a sibling or violence in their home, but I have not known them well enough to comfortably share much about their experience.
I have chosen to write briefly about my roommate from college who lived in a home where there was abuse. Although she never provided specifics, I believe she and her siblings were victims of both physical and sexual violence. I believe she escaped this situation by leaving home to go to school.
During our freshman year she struggled emotionally, drinking a lot and developing friendships that supported her self destructive behavior. She eventually tried to hurt herself and spent time in a residential hospital. When she returned to our campus she continued to work with therapists to over come the events in her past that made it so hard for her to treat herself with the kindness and respect she deserved.
Because she did not have an opportunity to seek the help she needed when she was young she compensated by hurting herself further with self destructive behavior. Once she was a young adult she was able to work with professionals who could support her and help her respond in more appropriate ways so she could become more emotionally healthy.
Tsunami in Japan
On March 11, 2011, Japan faced a 3 tiered disaster that will have long term affects on the children who were victims of a double natural disaster first a level 9.0 earthquake which caused a massive tsunami, and a man made disaster, the meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant complex. Children lost their homes, communities, family members, and safe water to drink. Immediately following the disaster young children were showing signs of stress. Many were not sleeping, having nightmares and were shutting down emotionally. An estimated 40% of affected children have shown signs of Post traumatic stress disorder.
In Japan there is a stigma attached to mental health and a cultural desire to be resilient. There is little differentiation between mental well being and mental illness. "The worry for many psychologists and mental health experts is that many survivors could be going through serious emotional distress in silence without seeking any help" (Kumar, 2012). Just after the disasters, many outside organizations came from across the world to help with disaster relief including mental health issues. The problem is that as time passes these outside organizations have left Japan and the tsunami survivors risk being forgotten in the shadow of structural and economic recovery... getting on with business as usual. "The core priorities of recovery have been set around economic revival and benefits. Missing, however, from the equation is any discussion to comprehensively address the emotional and psychological needs of survivors"(Kumar, 2012). Many of the people, especially children, may never get the help they need to move forward emotionally and the effects may be long lasting.
Reference:
Kumar, D (2012, March11). Japan's recovery will be a test of mind. Aljazeera. Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/03/2012311123334901314.html
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Saturday, November 10, 2012
Early Breastfeeding Practices in Cambodia
As I began to think about this blog assignment I started to explore several of the topics on the list. I wanted to get pieces of information before I made a decision on the topic I would write about. During this exploration also decided to narrow the search to South East Asia. I found that many countries in South East Asia have similar feeding practices during the first 6 months of a child's life and similar outcomes in-regards-to nutrition and physical growth. I have chosen to highlight these practices with information on to Cambodia. 45% of all Cambodian children under the age of 5 are malnourished and show signs of stunted growth (Cambodia Falls Short of Early Childhood Nutrition Goals, 2012). Much of this can be contributed to poor feeding practices. I will now highlight those practices which take place in the first 6 months of life and are associated with breastfeeding
The World Health Organization recommends that infants be put to their mother's breast for a first feeding within 60 minutes of delivery. In Cambodia only 11% of all infants born are breastfed in the first hour of life and 1 in 4 are breastfed in the first day of life (Cambodia, 2012) . When the newborns miss out on this practice they not only miss out on the health benefits of colostrum, the rich protein filled fluid a mother's mammary glands produces in the first few days after the birth of her child, but also the initial bonding period early breastfeeding offers.
The World Health Organization also recommends that infants be exclusively breastfed for through the first 6 months of life. Most infants in Cambodia are given both other types of fluids and are introduced to solid food well before this benchmark. Introduction of solid foods is often a time when malnutrition begins to take place (Cambodia, 2012) Exclusive breastfeeding provides the proper nutritional and caloric needs of an infant. It also provides exposure to pathogens and reduces infants risk of infection (Cambodia, 2012).
As I move forward in this work I would like to spend more time investigating ways healthier early feeding practices are being supported in Cambodia and all of South East Asia.
Reference
Cambodia Falls Short of Early Childhood Nutrition Goals. (2012) Population Reference Bureau Retrieved from Population Reference Bureau website http://www.prb.org/Articles/2003/CambodiaFallsShortofEarlyChildhoodNutritionGoals.aspx
The World Health Organization recommends that infants be put to their mother's breast for a first feeding within 60 minutes of delivery. In Cambodia only 11% of all infants born are breastfed in the first hour of life and 1 in 4 are breastfed in the first day of life (Cambodia, 2012) . When the newborns miss out on this practice they not only miss out on the health benefits of colostrum, the rich protein filled fluid a mother's mammary glands produces in the first few days after the birth of her child, but also the initial bonding period early breastfeeding offers.
The World Health Organization also recommends that infants be exclusively breastfed for through the first 6 months of life. Most infants in Cambodia are given both other types of fluids and are introduced to solid food well before this benchmark. Introduction of solid foods is often a time when malnutrition begins to take place (Cambodia, 2012) Exclusive breastfeeding provides the proper nutritional and caloric needs of an infant. It also provides exposure to pathogens and reduces infants risk of infection (Cambodia, 2012).
As I move forward in this work I would like to spend more time investigating ways healthier early feeding practices are being supported in Cambodia and all of South East Asia.
Reference
Cambodia Falls Short of Early Childhood Nutrition Goals. (2012) Population Reference Bureau Retrieved from Population Reference Bureau website http://www.prb.org/Articles/2003/CambodiaFallsShortofEarlyChildhoodNutritionGoals.aspx
Thursday, November 1, 2012
A Personal Birthing Experience and Other Birthing Practices From Around The Globe
The Birth of My Daughter
I had the very unique experience of witnessing my daughter's delivery by c-section in the OR, but I was not the woman delivering the baby.... I was the support person. I had on disposable scrubs and a cover over my head. I was an observer and a cheerleader. My head was above the surgical screen while my partner's head was behind it. I could see the incision being made, the opening expanded and the doctor reach in and pull out a healthy baby girl. I was also saw the blood pooling and wondered is this normal, is my partner OK? But I could not dwell on this too long. My partner was move to the post surgical unit while my baby and I went to in to the OB unit for a little oxygen... she needed a little help pinking up. We were all reunited within 15 minutes to begin our new adventure as a family!
About an hour later my mother was visiting her granddaughter for the first time and holding her. She turned to me and said she had never held a baby so newborn, not even her own because she was sedated as was the protocol then.
Birthing Practices in Turkey
In Turkey, until 20 or 30 years ago most births especially in rural areas took place somewhere other than in a hospital and were over seen by a midwife. The few doctors that were available were mostly found in larges cities. With the increase of university medical schools in Turkey over the last several decades birthing practices have shifted away from midwives to more hospital deliveries with OB-GYNs supervising. Along with the shift toward doctor facilitated deliveries there has been a huge increase in elective c-sections and has reached almost 75% of all deliveries (Schalken, 2012). This is attributed to the lack of anesthesiologists who have specialized training in the area of obstetrics and are unable to preform epidurals. Women are opting for a c-section with a general anesthetic rather then having a natural birth without any painkillers.
Birthing Practices in Japan
In contrast, in Japan it is common practice to deliver babies in hospitals with a doctor present without any painkillers, because they feel the pain of labor is sort of a test in preparation for the difficult task of motherhood. Fathers are not necessarily involved in the delivery of their child and may not be present in the delivery room during a typical birth in Japan and cannot be present if there is a c-section.
Personal Reflection
As I think about the birthing practices in Turkey and Japan in relation to my personal experience I have 2 reactions. Although I was not the birth mom of my daughter, I cannot imagine not having the experience of being in the OR during the c-section and carrying my daughter to be weighted, measured, holding the oxygen and placing her on the chest of my partner in the recovery room. I am thankful that I was able to be there. I also think about my mother's reaction to holding my daughter just after delivery and that she was unable to have that experience with her own children because she was under general anesthesia. I am glad we were able to share that moment together even if it was decades after my birth.
References:
Schalken, L. (2012). Birth Customs Around the World. Parents. Retrieved from http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/vaginal/birth-customs-around-the-world/.
I had the very unique experience of witnessing my daughter's delivery by c-section in the OR, but I was not the woman delivering the baby.... I was the support person. I had on disposable scrubs and a cover over my head. I was an observer and a cheerleader. My head was above the surgical screen while my partner's head was behind it. I could see the incision being made, the opening expanded and the doctor reach in and pull out a healthy baby girl. I was also saw the blood pooling and wondered is this normal, is my partner OK? But I could not dwell on this too long. My partner was move to the post surgical unit while my baby and I went to in to the OB unit for a little oxygen... she needed a little help pinking up. We were all reunited within 15 minutes to begin our new adventure as a family!
About an hour later my mother was visiting her granddaughter for the first time and holding her. She turned to me and said she had never held a baby so newborn, not even her own because she was sedated as was the protocol then.
Birthing Practices in Turkey
In Turkey, until 20 or 30 years ago most births especially in rural areas took place somewhere other than in a hospital and were over seen by a midwife. The few doctors that were available were mostly found in larges cities. With the increase of university medical schools in Turkey over the last several decades birthing practices have shifted away from midwives to more hospital deliveries with OB-GYNs supervising. Along with the shift toward doctor facilitated deliveries there has been a huge increase in elective c-sections and has reached almost 75% of all deliveries (Schalken, 2012). This is attributed to the lack of anesthesiologists who have specialized training in the area of obstetrics and are unable to preform epidurals. Women are opting for a c-section with a general anesthetic rather then having a natural birth without any painkillers.
Birthing Practices in Japan
In contrast, in Japan it is common practice to deliver babies in hospitals with a doctor present without any painkillers, because they feel the pain of labor is sort of a test in preparation for the difficult task of motherhood. Fathers are not necessarily involved in the delivery of their child and may not be present in the delivery room during a typical birth in Japan and cannot be present if there is a c-section.
Personal Reflection
As I think about the birthing practices in Turkey and Japan in relation to my personal experience I have 2 reactions. Although I was not the birth mom of my daughter, I cannot imagine not having the experience of being in the OR during the c-section and carrying my daughter to be weighted, measured, holding the oxygen and placing her on the chest of my partner in the recovery room. I am thankful that I was able to be there. I also think about my mother's reaction to holding my daughter just after delivery and that she was unable to have that experience with her own children because she was under general anesthesia. I am glad we were able to share that moment together even if it was decades after my birth.
References:
Schalken, L. (2012). Birth Customs Around the World. Parents. Retrieved from http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/vaginal/birth-customs-around-the-world/.
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