Violence and War

There are children all over the world that are struggling with war and violence. Several years ago I met a child who had two very loving adopted parents, but this children struggled with self-regulation, impulse control, and had some cognitive delays. As I spoke with the parents and begin to learn about the child's past I was shocked to hear about the violence that not only they witnessed, but also endured themselves. Even though this child was removed from the violent environment before two years of age the lasting impacts of it were still evident at age four. When I met the family every day was a struggle, the child was not able to spend any time in the classroom with having a tantrum or violent outburst. It took time, lots of patience and an understanding of the history involved. The family found counseling not only for the child, but for everyone in the family. The child also received speech, Occupational Therapy and behavioral therapy. The road to recovery was not an easy one and the family had many set backs but they also had many successes and soon the good days out numbered bad. The overall outlook for this child is great and when I check in with the family I hear the joys and successes they are having in elementary school. This is not the case for all children

There are several war torn countries in the world right now, and the largest causalities of these wars are the children. Children in war torn countries can suffer from both direct and indirect violence or effects of war. Children are often forced into service or witness their homes, schools and families destroyed. The children in war-torn countries suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome with symptoms ranging from insomnia, avoidance, and cutting off their feelings. There is still little mental help for children in war torn countries but UNCIEF, Save the Children, and other organizations are developing programs to assist these children.

https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/10828/multi0page.pdf?sequence=1

Breastfeeding and Overall Health

Today I had a great and in depth conversation with a young pregnant women about breastfeeding, she was weighing the pros and cons of exclusively breastfeeding or doing a combo of breast and formula. As we talked I begin to see how confusing and difficult feeding an infant can be, but it doesn't need to be. Simply put "breast is best".  Her concerns about breastfeeding were valid and centered around her return to work, pain of breastfeeding and fears that her child would not get enough to eat, but the benefits to not only the child but to the mother as well out weigh any cons that may come with breastfeeding. First is the health benefits- Children who are breast fed have overall better health than children are are formula fed, this first stems from colostrum- the first milk produced is rich in antibodies and gives the infants immune system a boost. This overall better health carries on for a lifetime in terms of weight and overall health. Secondly- Breastfeeding support strong attachments and bonding, this is not to say that children who are formula fed do not have strong attachments, but the intimacy of breastfeeding provides for a natural attachment to form between mother and child. There is several new studies emerging in regards to the importance of positive strong early attachments and future academic, social- emotional and cognitive success.  Lastly is simply the convenience of breastfeeding- Breast milk is always prepared, it comes out at body temperature and usually where they baby is. In response to this mom's concern about returning to work and finding time to pump, this is the biggest concern and hindrance of continued breastfeeding when mothers need to return to work. While it is often a challenge several steps have been taken to ensure that nursing parents are supported at work with time to pump and effective in 2012 breast pumps are covered by insurance companies.

In most developed countries women breastfeed their infants almost exclusively for the first six months, this differs in undeveloped nations where many moms cannot produce enough milk due to malnourishment or were encouraged not to breastfeed because of HIV/AIDS, new research suggests that even these children should be breast fed to avoid malnutrition or starvation.


In the end whether or not a new mom breast feed is her choice, but I think that everyone needs to be educated as to the benefits to breastfeeding.

Birth Stories

Women all over the world often share their birth stories with one another as a way to bond with one another. Birth stories also serve another valuable purpose, they serve as a verbal history for the earliest development of a child. As the mother of three children I have shared the stories of my children's birth with many people, including pediatricians and therapist.
I had my first two children when I was a teenager and was not fully aware of what was happening in my body as I brought another person into the world. In my twenties I gave birth to our youngest and was more aware of my labor and the changes taking place in my body.

On April 20, 2014, I sat in my Ob's office as he told me he wanted to induce labor because he feared that the baby was getting to big and he feared that I was going to need a c-section. He gave me the option of the next day which was Friday or the following Monday. We choose Monday so we would have the weekend to prepare. At 10:00 am on Monday morning we went to the hospital, got checked in and I was hooked to an IV with Pitocin to induce labor. I labored comfortably making some progress for two hours. At 12:00 pm my OB came in to check on my progress and to break my water to help speed my labor along. At this point I was having several small and inconsistent contractions and the doctor was concerned. After several increases in my dosage of Pitocin I began to get uncomfortable and was having regular contractions. At 3:00 pm I was told by the nurse that the doctor was on his way back and had ordered an Epidural and the anesthesiologist was on his way. I had not wanted an epidural, but because the nurse and doctor felt that I was not progressing as they wanted I was going have a cesarean section and the epidural was necessary. I was helped back into bed and was checked again for progress, the nurse surprised everyone letting us know I was fully dilated and the baby was coming. There was no time for an epidural, eighteen minutes later we welcomed our daughter Annika into the world weighing in 7pounds even and measuring 19 inches long. After her birth Annika weighed, measured, examined and given eye drops before she was put in my arms. Once she was in my arms we were able to bond and the nurses left me and my husband alone for two hours for bonding. The lights were dimmed and the room stayed quiet and we had no interruptions. At the two hour mark we were transferred from labor, delivery and recovery to the maternity ward, where Annika and stayed for 24 hours. The next day we were discharged from the hospital.

I think that Annika's birth story is a very common story in which mom's are pressured into inducing labor because medical professionals feel Annika was not too big, she was not overdue but I listened to the medical experts. For many women this doesn't turn out as my delivery did, with a vaginal-pain free delivery, but with a delivery that ends with a c-section.

The childbirth experience in Sweden is different than in the United States. In Sweden the majority of women receive prenatal care via a midwife, with only medical intervention if there are complications. Sweden is one of the safest places to have a baby while the United States ranks number 27th.
Maybe less intervention is better...