Haiti

Compared to the poorest countries in the world, the poverty rate in the U.S. is relatively modest. In some countries, the poverty rate is more than five times the U.S. current figures. In Haiti, the highest in the world, 77% of residents live in poverty.

The presence of extreme poverty usually coincides with significant obstacles. The poorest countries consistently performed poorly in all areas such as limited resources, disease, famine and war economic stability, health and education

Educational attainment and literacy rates are particularly low in poor countries. While adult literacy figures were unavailable for many of these nations, those that have reported data were among the worst in the world. In several cases, less than half of eligible children were enrolled in primary education (the equivalent of elementary and middle schoolLife expectancy, not surprising, is also very low .In Haiti life expectancy is less than 60 years, the average resident will not live to see 50.

In some cases many factors of stress are present and children do the best they can to overcome such awful odds. Haiti is a case of war, poverty and many other issues. Children are poor and hungry and there is no possible way for these children to develop as normal children in a normal situation would.

There are many foundations out there supporting the people of Haiti, either financially or by getting specialists to work with the people in need. Social support, religious support as well as money support to actually take care of the problem of hunger, etc are small steps in making  a difference in children`s lives.

Consequence of Stress on Children`s Behavior:

A couple of years ago, I got I decided to give international teaching a go. I got an offer to cover a maternity leave in Japan for 3 months. That was perfect for me since 3 months would be enough for me to get that experience of teaching in Asia but short enough for it to be ok with the rest of my family. I knew Japan was a country with a high earthquake rate, but I never imagined what was about to happen in just the 3 months there.

It was a beautiful sunny Friday afternoon, my class and I had just come back from playing outside.  We were just getting settled and ready for an afternoon snack, I was getting someone`s snack out of a cubby, when I felt the floor shake…I thought I might just be dizzy…but I soon realized it was an earthquake. I got all my students under tables as we watched our huge fish bowl shake and water pour out. I looked at the face of my assistant that had been living in Japan for over 15 years and was used to earthquakes…she was sacred…I then knew it did not look good.

The students in my class were fine, most used to the drill, however most parents were not able to get back to school to pick up their children since most of them worked in Tokyo and transportation had been affected. Other parents took children in and they managed to be picked up my morning.

The earthquake was just the beginning, because soon there was news about the tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

The important thing to note was that my 3 year old daughter Alexia was with me.

School was cancelled the following days and the situation was getting more and more serious with the radiation threats. Back home everyone was trying to get me to return as soon as possible.  I realized that I needed to get home as soon as possible.  I managed to change my plane tickets and leave earlier than planned, on the 19^th. The 11^th to the 19^th were the longest days of my life. The constant aftershocks determined m to move out of my little apartment and an extra room in the school. I felt more secure there. I was terrified about what could have happened…but for my little girl I was very calm, cheerful and strong.

Alexia remembers this whole earthquake thing as when we went under the tables and the fish water spilt out and Shotaro slept at school with us. I treated it as a fun sleep over at school and did my best to be calm. I did not let her see how scared I was. Things did start to change soon…school ended we moved into the school for the remaining days before me we went home. I always did my best to reassure her that everything is fine and she was ok because she knew I was in control. I did my best to watch little if no news around her. She just accepted things as they came and did not seem affected by them. This just foes to show how resilient children are and how much of an effect the manner in which the caregiver reacts/treats the issue. I know that I will be forever marked by what happened although for for Alexia it is still an interesting memory.

 In case anyone is curious to learn more about this tragic natural disaster.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA9t9Hiz5C8

 

The public health topic I chose to write about is breastfeeding. This topic is one very close to my heart since my children were both breastfed as babies. I truly believe that apart from the very many health benefits for both the baby and mother breastfeeding is a first way of bonding with your baby and creating that first foundation for a strong relationship. I will never forget the look in Tudor`s eyes or how he would hold onto my finger with his tiny hand. Those moments are priceless for me!!!

 Breast milk is widely acknowledged as the most complete form of nutrition for infants, with a range of benefits for infants' health, growth, immunity and development.
-- Healthy People 2010, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia

Studies have demonstrated a number of important health benefits to breastfeeding. Among them:

• Breast-fed children are more resistant to disease and infection early in life than formula-fed children
• Breast-fed children are less likely to contract a number of diseases later in life, including juvenile diabetes, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and cancer before the age of 15
• Mothers who breastfeed are less likely to develop osteoporosis later in life, are able to lose weight gained during pregnancy more easily and have a lower risk of breast, uterine and ovarian cancer.

I decided to take a look at what breastfeeding looks like in Japan. I have an interest in Japanese culture which began 2 years ago when I lived and taught there. I was very curious about how the Japanese felt about breastfeeding. 

 Having healthy children is highly valued in the Japanese culture. Breastfeeding is viewed as necessary for the health of the child. There are some Japanese kindergarten admission applications that ask how long the child was breastfed. Something that demonstrates the importance of breastfeeding is the fact that a figurine or plaque may be given to the breastfeeding mother to help her prayers for sufficient milk. Breastfeeding may continue for a year or longer. Many Japanese women are caught between the traditional values and customs, and "modern" concepts of working outside the home, formula bottle feeding and how women in the United States feed their infants. I guess no mater how important it is culturally, unfortunately, everyone gets caught up in busy lives and ends up bottle feeding sooner that later.

I think that reading about breastfeeding and how important it is for children will support my continued growth on child development. I would like to use my knowledge to help inform mothers in order to make the best possible choices for their children and themselves. I have not yet figured out how I will go about that but it is something I am continuously considering.

Childbirth In My Life and Around the World

I have 2 wonderful children and the moments they came into this world were truly special for me. When I was pregnant with my daughter 6 years ago I did everything humanly possible to ensure everything would go smoothly. I ate extremely healthy and drank plenty of water, read everything about pregnancy I could get my hands on and went to regular checkups and even found other doctors for second opinions. I know….but first time mommies do worry. My birthday is on November 15^th and that is the day I went for a checkup. I thought my water had broken but they took the liquid to the lab and told me to come back if the liquid persists. I came back 2 days later and they discovered that my water had been broken probably for a couple of days…probably a lab mistake….so…In 10 min they had me sign the papers and a C-section it was. 30 minutes later Alexia came into the world. I found it quite troubling that the communication between the doctors and myself was very minimal…I had not received information on why the C-section was chosen or what type of anesthesia would be used. I woke up and I had had the baby without having any memory of it. I had been completely asleep when I would have preferred to have a partial anesthesia. Alexia was born in a state hospital with a busy well know doctor with a very good reputation in the area. An important issue for others to know in order to understand is the fact that birth should be free in Romania although in state hospitals you really have to give doctors money in order to ensure proper care. When it comes to nurses, the same thing, you need to constantly be placing money in their pockets to make sure they are taking good care of you and your baby…although in many cases that does not happen anyway…

My son was born 1 year ago exactly (today is his 1^st Birthday). I decided I needed another doctor that was more open to communicating with me. I also decided to give birth in a private hospital where they would actually listen to me and give me choices where possible. All I can say that everything went perfect. Except the fact that Tudor came 3 weeks early…thanks goodness he was healthy and considered full term. I was able to make the choice for them to not give the baby formula because I wanted to breast feed. At this private hospital I was surrounded by helpful staff that did not expect extra remuneration. I was not stressed about anything and I was able to focus on recovery after my second C-section and caring for my baby. I found it much easier after giving birth in a hospital with caring doctors and nurses. I found the recovery went much better and I adjusted to motherhood much easier. As for the babies, in my daughters situation, I could have had major problems because of the lab mistake, they made the call to send me home when in fact my water had been broken for a couple of days…so health care is extremely important. In Romania it makes a huge difference if you have your baby in a state hospital or if you can afford a private hospital. I guess the more you pay the better care you get, which is very sad considering how many women cannot afford a private birth.

 

Since C-sections are so popular in Romania (unfortunately) I wanted to look into countries that believe babies should be born in a more natural context. I decided to read about Dutch childbirth. I have heard how mothers prefer to have their babies at home in the Netherlands. The Dutch have a statistic that sets them apart from the rest of the Western world and one their women and medical system want to nurture: the highest percentage of home births.  While other developed nations have turned their backs on a practice deemed old-fashioned and risky, giving birth at home with a midwife in attendance is considered the norm, with one-third of all babies born this way. Dutch home births also mean no anaesthetics. Only medical doctors can administer such drugs, so all home births in the Netherlands are done without anaesthetics.  Even in hospital, women who ask to be anaesthetised are the minority. The Dutch attitude is that pregnancy is not an illness, that home births are the norm. Health insurance does not cover the full cost of a hospital birth unless there was a real medical imperative.  I find it facinating that home births with no anesthesia where in Romania some doctors prefer to use a C-section so they don1t have to stick around 12 hours for the baby to come naturally. I also like the fact that the prefer to not use drugs. I have had cases where the doctor would give me very strong medicine that was great at taking the pain away, however it couldn`t have been good for the baby I was breastfeeding.