Consequences of Stress on Child Development

When I was growing up, I witnessed one of my friends sister experience maltreatment.  She tried to stop a domestic dispute between her mother and her mother's boyfriend.  She was tragically killed in the process.  On another occasion, another friend of was missing too many unexcused days from school and was on the verge of having to repeat the same grade.  All of this was due to her mother having a mental break down.  In this situation, my mom intervened, allowing the girl to move in with us.  My mother got her the help she needed to get back on track at school so she was able to finish successfully.

Now, I understand what my mom was protecting us from.  As a child, you are not aware of any of the dangers around you, especially if you're growing up in a nurturing, supportive, and healthy environment.  Looking back, a lot more of my friends were being abused, neglected, maltreated but we just didn't know.  It's sad how they became accustomed to it.  They thought that was the way life is suppose to be but there is more to life than oppression, emotional abuse, or being malnourished.

Children worldwide are experiencing poverty.  In Australia, about 500k children are living in poverty.  Poverty affects the quality of life and any future opportunities that these children might have.  When children are raised in stressful environments they tend to do poorly in school.  For example, in a family of four, two adults and two children are living in inadequate conditions due to unemployment, it is extremely hard for children to focus on learning and their future plans when they are worried about their next meal or where they will sleep or if their parents will break up do to the down turn of the economy.  I think some children take it personal and blame themselves for what is going wrong or unraveling in their family.  In Australia, they are trying to minimize harm of poverty by providing better national job strategies, better employment entitlements to part time workers, improve the minimum wage to meet standard living expenses, and improve assistance to young people by guaranteeing at six months of paid work for those who have been unemployed for two or more years.   (Melland, 2011)

For more information about poverty in Australia and how it is affecting child development, please visit:   http://www.democrats.org.au/campaigns/poverty_in_australia/

Mental Health and Pregnancy

Any and all women can develop a mental disorder during pregnancy or within the first year giving birth.  Other environmental factors, such as poverty, stress, domestic violence, extreme conflict, geographic, natural disasters, SES, and down turn of the economy increase the risk of certain disorders for expectant mothers.  Some of the consequences of mental disorders during pregnancy can affect whether or not the expectant mother gets adequate sleep and nutrition.  Depending on her circumstance and the stability of her mental health, she may not take advantage of prenatal care and medical consultation.  Instead, she increase her chances of trying to make herself feel better by turning to drugs, tobacco products, and alcohol to comfort herself.  In high stress and depression cases, it’s even possible that the mother to be may inflict harm on herself or the unborn baby.  If mental health is left untreated, the results could end in suicide or abuse.  Another indication of abnormal mental health in mothers would be the absence of wanting to bond with the newborn.  When mothers are depressed they are not focused on nurturing the newborn or paying attention to the cues the newborn expresses when uncomfortable, unhappy, or hunger. 

Some Symptoms of Depression are:

·         Restlessness

·         Mood swings and uncontrollable emotions

·         Excessive crying

·         Too much or too little eating and sleeping

·         Memory problems and excessive indecisiveness

·         Lack of interest

·         Inability to find satisfaction

·         Feeling of worthlessness

·         Withdrawal and Isolation from friend and family

·         Constantly experiencing discomfort

·         Suicidal thoughts

I chose to the mental health topic because there are a lot of women, worldwide, they go untreated before, during, and after pregnancy.  Taking time to look at post partum depression and get a better understanding of what it is and how it’s treated is very interesting.  I always thought it was a culture thing; that only certain women from certain ethnic groups experienced the “baby blues.   Now, knowing that it can happen to any woman and there are other factors that must be taken into account when doctors diagnose which treatment method is best for women who suffer from depression.  I guess I never looked at pregnancy as being a stressful process that could trigger any mental health disorder.  As of now, and in the future, I will be more observant of the parents I work with, my family and friends, and others that I connect with regularly, to make sure they are abreast to maintaining a balance for their mental health.  Also, I would like you to pay close attention as well.  If women are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, they should immediately contact a medical professional.  If you notice any of your friends, relatives, coworkers, or colleagues experiencing any of the following, you should help them get the medical assistance they need.  Remember, it’s their health and life at stake as well as the innocent and helpless infant.   

For more information please visit the World Health Organization website at http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide/MaternalMH/en/index.html

Other Reference:  Stewart, D.E., Robertson, E., Dennis, C-L., Grace, S.L., & Wallington, T. (2003).  Postpartum depression: Literature review of risk factors and interventions.   

BRAZIL: Do deceptive medical birth procedures de-humanize women?

BRAZIL: Do deceptive medical birth procedures de-humanize women?

Maternal and Newborn Health in Developing Countries

Neonatal mortality accounts for almost 40% of deaths in other countries. This means a child is 500 times more like to die within the firs year of life. These deaths are linked to women not receiving medical assistance or professional help when giving birth. 80% of maternal deaths are linked to hemorrhaging, infections, self inflicted abortions, and other pregnancy complications. These risk can be avoided through education, intervention/prevention, having access to medical care, and being able to respond promptly to the danger signs.
To view the entire article please go to: http://www.unicef.org/health/index_maternalhealth.html

Remembering My 1st Born...

I was 19 when I had my first child!  I know, I started early, but I thank God for our 13 years together.  I was well prepared to give birth to my first born.  I had taken the classes, read the books, saw the videos, and listened to numerous testimonies.  But there is nothing, (I repeat), nothing like actually experiencing it.  About 3 am I started feeling pains or having contractions.  I politely woke him up, called the doctor and my mother, and we grabbed our already packed bags and headed to the Labor & Delivery Unit.  To my surprise I arrived there just in time.  I had already dilated 6cm!  Which is very important because you have to be at 10 cm to start pushing but you can't be at 8 cm because they won't be able to give you any drugs.  And trust me, you will want them.  I thank God for whoever invented the epidural! Within hours, we had our first baby girl.  She was 21" and 6.5lbs with head full of hair!  It's really a joyous time, but with all the energy it takes and the medication keeping me numb, I really didn't get a chance to hold her right away.  But once I was back to normal and all the post birth test were done, I got a chance to take it all in!  And trying to breastfeed her for the first time....that's a whole different story.