Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

Poverty -

In 5th grade I meet a girl who was living in poverty.  At first I didn’t how to help her.  In class she always stayed to herself and away from everyone.  Other kids in the class always picked on her.  Her clothes and hair were not always clean so she had a body odor.  Befriending her was the best thing that I could have done to help her.  When she would come over to the house she would bring extra clothes.  We would wash her clothes and hair, so that she had fresh clothes to wear and did not have an odor.  This was a difficult time for her as she wanted to fit in and have friends like everyone else.  I remember that she would study very hard so that she got good grades.  She always had the answers to the teacher’s questions.  At the end of the school year her family moved closer to other family members in hoping they could offer assistance to them financially.  I asked my mom is I could give her a gift of friendship to remember us.  We went to the store and bought her a brush and comb; along with other personal hygiene items and some items for her hair.  She was excited about the gift but embarrassed at the same time.  She told has that she had not gotten a gift for a long time.

The number of children under six living in poverty rose to 5.9 million in 2010 from 5.7 million in 2009 (Berman, 2011). The number of American children living in poverty has grown by 2.6 million since the recession began (Berman, 2011).  The rate for child poverty has increased in 38 states over the past 10 years (Berman, 2011).   The southern states have the highest rate of child poverty with Mississippi having the highest (Berman, 2011).

Berman, J. (2011). One in four young U.S. children living in poverty, study finds. Huff Post Business. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/22/children-in-poverty-us_n_976868.html

Nutrition/Malnutrition

This is a topic of great concern for me.  When your children show up to school hungry, they do not receive the same education as the other students.  Their mind is focused on what they didn’t have for breakfast and will I have any dinner tonight.  So when this issue starts at an early age their little bodies are underdeveloped and delayed making life a struggle.  All children need to eat healthy to be happy and successful.  Children should not have to go hungry!

Nutrition/Malnutrition in Asia

Asia is home to more than two-thirds of the 148 million children who are under 5 years and underweight for their age (Nutrition, 2009, p2).  Asia still accounts for nearly half of the world’s deaths in these young children (Nutrition, 2009, p2).  Childhood malnutrition can lead to growth stunting, poor cognitive development, and delayed motor development (Nutrition, 2009, p2).  Programs can be set up to assist and manage malnutrition through insuring clear water supply, health education for healthy diets, and improve access to healthy food (Nutrition, 2009, p3).

Healthy food will always be in my classroom and offered to any student who has not eaten breakfast.  This will ensure that each child has had something to eat to start their day off energized. Each child should be afforded the appropriate nourishment to have a successful day at school.

Nutrition Advocacy. (2009). Clinical Nutrition News, p1-8. Retrieved from

       http://anhi.org/learning/PDFs/Clinical/Abbott%20Clinical%208.5x11b.pdf

Birthing experience and Comparison to Korea birthing

The birthing experience I was involved in was for an extended family member overseas.  She had a fairly normal pregnancy up until her 37th week and she developed toxemia.  From this point on she had to be hospitalized.  At 38 weeks the doctors decided to take the baby by caesarian section.  She asked me to sit with her during the procedure.  I wasn't sure if I could handle seeing someone having surgery.  I agreed to it knowing if I didn't she would stress out and cause her blood pressure to rise even higher than it already was.  Having never been in the operating room or such a procedure I couldn't image that she would be awake during the c-section.  To my amazement she was sedated from the rib cage down.  She never felt a thing until they pulled the baby out.  Needless to say I was the kid with their mouth wide open in Ah!  Thanks to modern medicine and technology the baby was born with no complications.  They monitored the baby for the first 24 hours and then released the both of them within 72 hours after delivery.  I have to say this was the most amazing thing to have witnessed.

Since my experience took place in Korea I reviewed their procedures on birthing.  Some of the differences are the doctors are not used to taking instructions from the patient, explaining what is going to happen or answer any questions (Korea, 2011).  Korean fathers are not traditionally present during delivery like they are with American births.  Korean hospitals are being more aware of foreign customs with delivery procedures and automatically assume that is what foreign patients want (Korea, 2011).  If parents want something different then have to voice their desires to the doctor and hospital.  The big difference between the two countries is that it is common for Korean for women to restrict their movement for two weeks after the deliver, often checking into a "maternity hotels" for one to two months (Korea, 2011).  This is one custom that I won't mind sharing.  However, when does the father have the opportunity to start bonding with the baby, if the mother has the child for the first two months alone? 

I am thankful that we are afforded the opportunity to have our children in a hospital in privacy with appropriate family members present during the delivery.  

Having a baby in Korea – giving birth. Published 2011. Retrieved from 

    http://www.korea4expats.com/article-giving-birth-in-korea.html on March 1, 2012.