Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

Hi Everyone,

This week we learned about many factors that can have a negative impact on a child's development. As I learned about these factors, I was forced to think of the factors that may have had a negative impact on my own  development. As an African American female, obviously I was very aware of Racism and Sexism at a very early age. While I have had some incidents in my life, none of them have had a severe impact on my development. Or rather, my Mother never let my gender or the color of my skin define who I would become or play a role in my learning development. As an adult, I see racism as one of the many unpleasant aspects of life. There will always be ignorant individuals in the world, and I pray that I can raise my own children as my mother raised me....to rise above it. 

The most prominent type of stress in my life has most likely been disease. As an epileptic asthmatic, I have had to adjust my life according to the illnesses that effect me. In an attempt to alleviate my asthma symptoms, I shunned outdoor play and became a bookworm who preferred adult conversation (oftentimes the librarian or English teacher was my favorite person at school). Due to my studious nature, my language and reading skills developed very early, and I advanced in all manners of written and verbal communication as well as literature.

As an epileptic child, I knew that as I grew up I would be discouraged to do certain things on my own. Thus, I became fiercely independent in any way that I could, and always tried to assert myself. On the flipside, I was a late bloomer in terms of driving and living on my own (both of which I didn't do until my 20s).

Compared to what some children deal with in terms of disease and racism around the world, I realize that I was very blessed to experience such an upbringing. To think that some children are killed without a second thought because of their race or nationality, or die from old-world diseases breaks my heart. A year ago, a group called Watoto came to my church and gave a rousing performance to raise funds for children in Uganda. The children in this country often suffer from a lack of nutrition, abuse and little to no education. Th Watoto Organization is committed to taking care of as many children, often orphaned, as possible and giving them the basic necessities needed to survive and become thriving productive members of society.  The work that this organization does is so inspirational, and offers a glimmer of hope for children who suffer in the world. 

If you're interested in Watoto, you can find the link to their official website below:

The Watoto Organization

Week 2 Discussion- Breastfeeding

Hi Everyone!

This week in my Child Development class we have been discussing the physical, mental and emotional health of children as they grow. This lends itself to a multitude of public health topics pertinent in today's world. For this post, I chose the ever-controversial topic of Breastfeeding. 

Now it is no secret that breastfeeding is extremely healthy and beneficial for children! Not only is breastmilk free, easily digestible (for the majority of children) and yummy to your baby, but it will also provide a great deal of necessary nutrients and immunity-boosting goodies for your child. It seems like today, there is a world-wide campaign for breastfeeding. 

I recently came across an article entitled "Protecting Breastfeeding in Peru" from the World Health Organization. This article describe the experiences of a young Peruvian mother, determined to breastfeed her children after she saw the enormous benefits of it after the birth of her first child. This article was so informative and gave a number of really surprising statistics regarding the status of breastfeeding across the world. Who knew that about 38% of babies across the globe are exclusively breastfed the first six months of their lives! I mean wow, that number seems so low.

As a new mother, this topic was especially interesting to me. I chose to go the natural route and let my daughter wean herself onto organic formula which I began to supplement because she was a tad underweight. It seems to be such a sensitive topic for women, and yet, I don't feel as if it needs to be. Whether a woman formula-feeds her baby or breastfeeds, I think we're all just trying to work with what we've got to raise healthy children. And there's nothing wrong with that! :-D

If you're interested in the article I mentioned above, please feel free to click on the link below an take a look! It was very interesting!

WHO: Protecting Breastfeeding in Peru

Welcome!!! Early Childhood Development!!

Hello Everyone!

My Butterbean...fresh out the oven!!
(Pulled this pic from my personal blog)

This week I started my course in Early Childhood Development! I'm sending a very hardy welcome to all of my peers, new and old, to my blog! I'm sure we will have a wonderful semester learning about this important subject!! All who are involved in the early childhood field understand why it is so important to understand the physical, emotional, social and cognitive development of children. SO...without further ado I will jump right into this weeks topic!

Childbirth in Your Life & Around the World!!

This week we took a look at childbirth in our country an many of us learned that the process oftentimes goes extremely different in other countries. Honestly, the facts that I learned this week didn't surprise me at all. I recently gave birth to my own baby girl last June (and have another one on the way...this September) and did a lot of research as to how I wanted my birth experience to go. As I was a potentially high risk pregnancy (and was afraid that I may have a panic attack), I decided to have my daughter in a controlled medical environment...i.e. hospital. Oh what I would have given to be brave enough and birth at home like the majority of women in other countries do. However, I liked having the piece of mind that I would be taken care of quickly if something went wrong. While I dislike hospitals and got up out of there as soon as I could, I really did have an enjoyable birth experience with very little medication and very little medical intervention (My OB basically just turned into my push coach). My body just kind of knew what to do, and I have healthy rapidly developing little wonder to show for it!

Last year, while I was doing all of this research on birth experiences I came across a blog by a young American lady named Jennifer entitled, FrenchMamma. In this blog, she speaks a great deal on her birth experience in a totally different country....France! Now France is pretty modern and one wouldn't think that birth experiences in America and France would be so different, but according to Jennifer they really were! Doctors were very hesitant to intervene during her labor, even though she was in a hospital. They just kind of left her alone the whole time. Reading about her experience was really eye-opening and showed me just how much medical intervention there is in America when it comes to having babies.....something that should be so natural for a woman to do (although I do realize that a lot of women have complications and definitely need the medical intervention). It also made me realize how much it costs to have a baby in America, and how "lucrative" it is for many companies and individuals. Obviously there are some situations in which the birthing process will have an impact on the development of a child, but it is my understanding that these types of situations are a minority in the vast majority of births in the world. There is a great deal of debate over the topic of childbirth, but all in all I choose to go with this nugget of wisdom:

At the end of the day we are all in the business of having healthy little babies, it doesn't matter how they here....just get them here in a safe process that works best for you and your family!

~Me (haha)

If you're interested in some of the sources I checked out this week below you will find the following links:

FrenchMamma Blog

The Business of Being Born (A great...slightly controversial documentary on childbirth in America...very eye-opening!)

Babies (A super cute documentary that I loved watching while I pregnant with my daughtter about the birth and development of four babies from different parts of the world!)

Thank You!

Hi Friends,

And so, I have come to the end of my first course in my Early Childhood Studies program. Throughout this course, I have been posting to my peer's blogs, and vice versa. The great thing about an online learning environment is the bond you form with your peers. There are no words that can quite explain it. It is very different from the bonds we formed as students in a physical classroom setting...but it is just as strong and so beneficial. At times, it seems as if we are going through an initiation process with each other...supporting each other...trying to survive the world of online education. Personally, I have greatly appreciated the varying backgrounds of my peers,and have enjoyed reading about their experiences. Through them, I have gained frontlines information from those who are out there in the field every day. 

And so...today....on the last day of this course...I would like to thank my fellow classmates. You have served as wonderful resources throughout this course and a source of neverending support. I hope that you have felt the many positive vibes that I have sent and will continue to send your way, and I hope that I was a source of support for you all as well. I wish you all many blessings an so much success in the paths that you have chosen or are pursuing.

THANK YOU.