Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

Hunger and Poverty

     I have a friend who has confided in me about her childhood.  She has said that she doesn’t mind me sharing with the class. For the purpose of the assignment, I will call her Amira.  Amira was raised by her mother who had become a single parent because her father left home to live with another woman and her family.  Amira could remember many days not eating at home or eating soup from the local soup kitchen.  She loved school  days and hated weekends, holidays and summer break.  At least at school she could get at least two meals at school.  The weekends were especially difficult because her mother had become a drug addict.  Her mom frequently used illegal drugs in her presence and neglected her motherly duties.  Amira was the youngest of three girls. Her mom did not work and relied on government assistance.   Her older sisters tried as best they could to take care of her.  It was their responsibility to get ready for school early and make sure Amira was also ready.  Sometimes, if they overslept and missed the bus, they were did not go to school.  Amira said those were the worst days because they were very hungry all day long.  Until this day, Amira still cannot understand why her mother wasn’t reported to the child protection agency.  She said they lived in the housing projects sometimes with no water or utilities and always borrowing from a different neighbor. Amira says that she only had new clothes when it was given to them by someone.  Other than that, they wore used clothing that they begged for at the Thrift store.  Amira said they didn’t receive any support from family for academics.  All of the children of her household had poor self-esteem, poor grades and were significantly small that their peers. Chilton said, “Even the slightest forms of food insecurity can affect a young child’s development and learning potential.” (Chilton, 2007)  Today, my uneducated friend, Amira is still living below poverty in America.  I would say this is due to her rough start and no support system. Analyzing Amira’s situation, I think her food insecurities affected  her motivation to learn.  According to Winicki, “Children in households  with any signs of food insecurity score lower and learn less during the school year.” (Winicki, 2003)

     The international area I chose to study was the Philippines.  I’ve read that so many children are required because of necessity to quit school and work.  I read a story about a mother of two, named Winnie.  She is a seasonal worker expected to rear a family.  Her 14 year old son quit school so that he could help provide for his family.  His 12 year old sister attends school and cooks for her mother and brother because they have to work.  Their father died of liver cancer.  Jainy and Alponso’s diet consists mainly of vegetables and rice.  They cannot ever remember tasting meat.  Despite of the wage of 100 pesos earned by Alponso and Winnie, they are still required to pay school fees for Jainy.   The government identifies malnourished children once a year and provides a single meal to those children.  After 7 years of age, one is no longer considered malnourished but simply small and thin.  In the article that I read,  the government provided one glass of milk to a family with 2 young children but the contents of the glass was to be divided.  As Americans, we really don’t realize how blessed we are to partake in at least three meals and at least two snacks a day.  Rice is a staple in the Filipino diet.   I read that the poorest Filipinos have created “milk” for their children by utilizing the foam that forms on the top of the rice.   The call this “am.”  How many of us can say that we drink milk that doesn’t come from a mammal?

   

Chilton, M., Chyatte, M., & Breaux, J. (2007). The negative effects of poverty & food insecurity on child development. Indian Journal of Medical Research, 126(4), 262-72. Retrieved from  

 http://search.proquest.com/docview/195974257?accountid=14872

Winicki, J., & Jemison, K. (2003). Food insecurity and hunger in the kindergarten classroom: Its effect on learning and growth. Contemporary Economic Policy, 21(2), 145-157. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/274259896?accountid=14872

http://www.humanrights.asia/resources/journals-magazines/eia/eiav4n4/child-labour-hunger-and-child-malnutrition-invisible-in-the-philippines  

http://wsws.org/articles/2010/oct2010/phil-o20.shtml

Child Development and Public Health

“Breastfeeding”

When I was younger and contemplating a family, I said that I would breastfeed.  As an undergraduate studying Nutrition, I performed my internship at the Women, Infant and Children’s Program (WIC).  Needless to say in public health, you see everything.  I spent an entire semester working at that facility.  The registered dietician that supervised me specialized in lactation. What a new and informative experience for me.   So many of the WIC participants immediately rejected the idea of breast feeding.  Some of the reasons were they heard that it hurt really bad, they were embarrassed to take out their breast in public and not wanting the baby to make their breast larger and sag.  From what I’ve read in the brochures in the WIC clinic, breastfeeding is convenient, always sterile and the milk is always at the proper temperature.  I interviewed a family friend because she breastfed.  Here is the interview.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWODmONtPfQ

     The country I chose was the Philippines.  In my research, I came across a Dermatologist who is an advocate for breastfeeding. Her story is very interesting. Dr. Esguerra gives expecting mother support for breastfeeding.  She even speaks of using breast milk for skin problems.  She promotes breast feeding for working women and counsels them on how it can be done.  Dr. Esguerra shares a wealth of ideas on the topic of breast feeding.  

http://breastfeedingphilippines.weebly.com/inspirational-talks.html 

Another article starts with a quote from the Qur’an, it readsMothers shall suckle children for two whole years, for those who desire to complete the suckling. It is for the father to provide for them and clothe them honourably. No soul is charged save to its capacity: no woman should suffer because of her child, nor any man because of his. The same responsibilities are incumbent on the heir. But if (the couple) decide by mutual consent to wean (the child), there is no blame on them. And if you desire to seek nursing for your children (by hiring a foster mother), there is no blame on you provided you pay her fairly. Fear God, and know that God sees everything you do (Qur’an, 2.205).

This article brought into light for me   God’s purpose for a breast. Also, this article demonstrated what commercial baby milk companies tried to do while demoting breastfeeding.  “Anything for a buck,” I thought.  It’s a good thing the government stepped in.  Then, an explanation of the benefits of breast milk proceeded to follow in this article.  Read it, it’s good information.

http://www.thehealthnews.org/religion.and.health/breast_feeding_in_quran.html

My final article about breastfeeding in the Philippines kind of made me chuckle.  Philippines break the Guinness World book records for the number of mother’s breast feeding simultaneously.  The purpose of the vast number of mother’s feeding was dual purpose; first, they did it to break the world’s record. Secondly, it was to protest against false claims by commercial baby milk formula producers.

http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/philippines_33982.html 

As a future early childhood educator, I realize that some women are confident about their bodies and care to nourish their children by breast feeding gives me a greater respect for the reasons people all over the world choose this method.  I am encouraged. When speaking to expecting mothers of my future preschool children, I will have a small reservoir of information to share about the benefits of breast feeding.

When I think of Child Development....

Childbirth—In Your Life and Around the World

     It was a cold and dreary night about 1a.m.when my phone rang.  It was my brother who said in a low monotone voice, “Dana is going into labor.” I replied okay just let me know when she has the baby, I’ll call you later. A couple of minutes later when I came to myself, I yelled, “My niece is coming!”  I got myself together so fast and headed along the road for my hour long journey.  On the way there, I called back in a frantic uproar asking is she here yet? “No! We were waiting on you to get here.  LOL! I had never witnessed a live birth of any kind. My niece was born in a family birthing suite.  It was about 10 of our relatives and friends present. Dana had previously said that she wouldn’t take any meds for labor.  About 2 hours later her tune soon changed.  The baby was ready to come.  My brother was a nervous wreck with his video camera falling on the floor.  I sat on the sofa quietly in the corner of the room because I didn’t know what to expect. Dana delivered and the doctor received.  He did absolutely nothing but umpired the event.  It was beautiful---everything! Now we have a whole new person to love.  Her name is Brooke Addison Miller and she is my first “blood” niece. I chose this experience because I didn’t realize you can automatically love someone. Brooke is now 4 years old and well versed in every subject.  She is loved and cared for by so many people and I realize that all of her external supports have shaped her personality.            

      For this assignment, I chose to find out how the children of Africa are birthed. Since health care is so expensive in this country, most babies are born at home using unskilled midwives who are willing to help the mother through the birthing process.  Some births are directed by trained midwifes.   Some births are  performed in non-sterile environments which place both the mother and the baby in jeopardy of becoming exposed to infection.    I viewed  two videos clips of African births. Both clips showed very different views but both are interesting. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XKrIeMRNAA    

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3SsGYjir2Y

   I read that most births in the U.S.A. are performed in a controlled environment unlike Africa.  From the few examples, I didn’t see any similarities. I learned to be thankful that I live in a developed country and that I should count my blessing.  Comparably, in the example I provided, I supposed that the all of the women in labor were surrounded by people who love  them.  Dr. Kien stated a fact to me in the discussion that was particularly important.  The economic  recent research on young children's brains helps to explain why poverty can have a detrimental impact on early development. "Given the role of environmental factors in early brain development, these children are at particularly high risk of developmental delays and impairments" (Shore, 1997, p. 45). I realize that the development of all the children involved is going to be different compared to all the infants spoken of in this post.   Somehow, I wished I would be able to follow the study of the African children past childbirth so that I can see what kind of children they will be. 

     Shore, R. (1997). Rethinking the brain: New insights into early development. New York: Families and Work Institute.

Brooke @her 4  year old Birthday Party