Childhood Stressors

Divorce

Divorce can be very hard on a person, but can be even worse for a child. I don’t believe in divorce but sometimes people just can’t work things out and it may be healthier to separate than to be together. I disagree with divorce when there are children involved because I know how hard it can be on a child. I just never understood why you would want to leave your children and in many cases never have anything to do with them anymore. It seems as if divorce has almost become a norm today in the U.S.

Divorce to me was a childhood stressor and sometimes I still think about how it affects m life 25 years later. My parents divorced when I was 4 years old. My sister and I would go visit my dad upstate for a few days during the summer up until I was bout about 9 years old. I don’t have much of a memory of my dad because I was so young when he left. I do briefly remember he from my summer visits. From the time I was 4 years old until I was about 7, it was just my mom, my sister and I. I enjoyed it just being the three of us and got comfortable in that style of living. My mom did go on a few dates here and there. My mom remarried when I was 7 years old. It was very hard for to me except someone new in my life. I would finally have a male figure back in my life and it was very hard for me to like this idea. I called my stepfather by his first name as opposed to dad. It took me some time and my mom talked to me making me realize I should call him dad because he is taking on the responsibility of becoming my stepfather. As I got older and was able to understand more, I was spent time wondering what made my father leave us.  I consider my stepfather to be my dad and nothing less than that. He has played such an important role in my life and has done so much for my mom, my sister and I. He was there for me growing up and was very involved in my life. Now at 25 years old, I still find myself thinking about how different my life would have been had my parents’ stayed together or if my mother never remarried. I am very happy with the life I had growing up and the person I have become because of it, but I still can’t help but wonder.  I also wonder if it makes me a bad person because I had such a good life growing up and I think of those things.

Divorce in Europe:

“Dronkers (1996) found that effects on the well- being of Dutch youth are not only found in a short period after the divorce but are also found long after the parental divorce has occurred. These long term effects are clearly connected to the degree of parental conflict, which continues often after the divorce.” (Dronkers pg.2)  It seems as if in Europe the idea of divorce is being passed down to the children. “Spruijt (1993) found that young people between the age of 12 and 24 from one-parent families created by divorce, when compared with young people from stable and unstable two-parent families, had already had more relationships, had their first sexual experience at a younger age, had had sex with people more often, had more often had their first sexual experience with a casual partner, had less traditional ideas about relationships and were less likely to say that they wanted to start a family.” (Dronkers, pg.4) Children seem to thinking that divorce is okay and if their parents did it why cant they. It is very important for children to look to their parents as role models but only when it is positive behavior and actions.

“England and Wales have the highest divorce rate in Europe and it is estimated that 41% of all marriages that took place in 2000 will end in divorce. At the moment over 25% of children under 16 experience their parents divorce, and an additional 3 million children are living in step-family situations.”

References:

-The Need. © 2008 Growing Through. Site by QM Consulting Ltd. Retrieved from http://growing-through.org/theneed.html

-Dronkers, J. Following in their parents' footsteps: intergenerational transmission of divorce in the Netherlands?. SCO/Kohnstamm Institute, University of Amsterdam. Retrieved from http://www.eui.eu/Personal/Dronkers/English/interecht.pdf

Malnutrition

Malnutrition is the condition that develops when the body is deprived of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it needs to maintain healthy tissues and organ function. Poor eating habits or lack of available food may lead to malnutrition. Malnutrition occurs in children who are either undernourished or overnourished. Malnutrition can be found all over the world, affecting young children, adults, and even animals. Breastfeeding a baby for at least six months is considered the best way to prevent early-childhood malnutrition. The main cause of malnutrition is poverty.

Malnutrition in the U.S

In the U.S. today, more children suffer from malnutrition due to dietary imbalances rather than nutritional deficiencies. About 1% of children in the United States suffer from chronic malnutrition.  Looking through our text for this class and on the Internet, I did not find that much information about malnutrition in the U.S. I feel this is because our country has the money and technology to help those out immediately who may be suffering from malnutrition.

Malnutrition in Africa

Malnutrition is known as the “silent emergency.”  Nearly 12 million (4 million in Sub-Saharan Africa) children under the age of 5 die annually. 55% of these deaths are caused by malnutrition. In Sub-Saharan Africa every third child is malnourished, while 2 out of 5 are stunted in growth. Malnutrition in composed of two reinforcing factors: insufficient nutrient intake and illness. The most common form of malnutrition in Africa is protein energy deficiency, affecting over 100 million people, especially 30-50 million children under the age of 5. “South Africa provides nutrient-fortified flour to 30 million of its 46 million citizens. Nigeria adds vitamin A to flour, cooking oil and sugar. Ethiopia’s government hopes to iodize all salt by year’s end. United Nations programs now cover three in four sub-Saharan children with twice-a-year doses of vitamin A supplements” (www.nytimes.com)

Symptoms of Malnutrition

•                Pale, thick, and dry skin

•                Bruises easily

•                Rashes

•                Changes in skin pigmentation

•                Thin hair that is tightly curled, and pulls out easily

•                Achy joints 

•                Bones are soft and tender

•                Gums bleed easily

•                Tongue may be swollen or shriveled and cracked

•                Night blindness

Increased sensitivity to light and glare ( www.hopkinschildren.org) 

Childbirth-In Your Life and Around the World

My Birth( from my mothers view point)

This specific topic was one that did not come to easily to me. That is because I have never personally experienced giving birth and have never helped out in someone else's birth. I called my mom during the week and left her a message to call me back because we needed to discuss her birthing experience with me. When she called me back she was unsure of why I needed this information at first. I explained to her that it was for my class and she was my only source of information for this part of the blog. While on the phone my mom went and got my baby book and began to read my what she wrote down about my birth. On Saturday June 1,1985 my mothers water broke around 12:30am, she left for the hospital and arrived there around 1:15 am. The weather was very rainy and there was a thunder storm during her time at the hospital and during her labour. My mom had very light and easy contractions. At 3:39 am on June , 1985, Brigette Anne Stehm was born. I was 6lbs 7oz and 19 inches long, and my head was 31 1/2 cm. My mom said it was a very quick and easy birth. The only problem she had during the birth was that I was posterior (meaning I was facing downwards)  at first. The doctor had to go in and turn me around so it was easier for my mom to push and deliver me. She had a natural child birth with no drugs.  One interesting fact  my mom told me was that there was a quarantine in the birthing ward. My father was the only one who was allowed to come in visit. My mom said my older sister was very upset she could not come visit her new baby sister.

Birthing Experience in Ireland
I decided to do some research on how mothers in Ireland experience birth.In Ireland, births happen through Spontaneous (normal) Delivery, Caesarean Section, Assisted Delivery, Forceps Delivery, Ventouse Delivery, Home (domiciliary) Births, and Water Births.

            Reading about how births occur in Ireland, they are similar to the births in the U.S. “Normal deliveries account for 63% of all births in Ireland (CSO, 2001), a reduction from 74% in 1990 (CSO, 1990)” (www.maireaddriscoll.com) “The rate of delivery by caesarean section in Ireland has risen steadily from 10.5% of all births in 1990 to 22% in 2001 (CSO, 1990, 2001). Multiple births carry a greater risk of Caesarean section, with the figure standing at almost 53% in 2001 (CSO, 2001).”(www.maireaddriscoll.com) One thing I noticed that occurred more in Ireland was home births. I found a website for Doulas, who are similar to a mid-wife, to order your own inflatable tub to have your very own birthing experience at home in water.   On this website you will find information the type of room the tub should be placed in, what to eat/drink before your birth, when to get into the tub, what to do with debris, etc. I think this website would be very helpful to a midwife as well as the mother giving birth. 

"Birth is not only about making babies. birth is about making mothers...strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and know their inner strength." Barbara Katz Rothman

References: http://www.doulaireland.com/pool.html

http://www.maireadodriscoll.com/the_birthing_experience.html