Hello Group1, Feel free to read and make comments or ask for more clarifications Were you surprised to read that in the United States almost 100% of births take place in a controlled and/or clinical setting? I was not really surprised because given the technological advancement in the 21st century I would imagine women would want to use the facilities available. More women do not even want to stand the thought of natural birth and they want medications.
What did you think when you realized that outside of the United States the majority of births occur at home? Personally it is normal to have births at home outside of the United States for the simple reason that many families cannot afford to pay for hospital bills. Sometimes the hospitals are not in the vicinity of the families and they won’t want to trek for miles to go to a far away hospital.
What did you learn about the impact of birth complications and postpartum depression on the developing newborn? As Berger (2009) points out postpartum depression comes from a feeling of inadequacy to cope with the day to day demands of caring for a child. The overwhelming task may lead to sadness after birth. The impact on a child would be to express aggression or anger later on as a toddler. The child will feel unloved if mother is emotionally down. Also intriguing to me is the numerous birth complications that exist in the United States despite all the education on how to prevent some of them. In most parts of Africa, complications from drugs such as marijuana, heroin or alcohol related complications are not common. So far HIV related complications have impacted African children born in the early 1980s- a disease beyond their control.
What other stressors that surround birth might influence a child's development? Economic factors, living in abject poverty can be really depressing, the reason Smidt (2006) points out that parents often struggle to know how to deal with the problems they face. It maybe a dire need for clean drinking water, enough food for a family of ten, or just getting basic human needs, therefore the inability to afford and provide medical care has resulted in high mortality rate in some countries (Smidt, 2006, p.11).
What kinds of support and/or intervention surrounding a child's birth may foster healthy development? In cultures where a child is viewed as valuable, and that it takes a village to raise a child, a lot of support is given by family members. The community comes together and through interaction some financial problems may be solved. Husbands can help their alcoholic wives abstain from drinking or taking drugs. Having a planned pregnancy can socially prepare couples for the new roles of parenthood. (Berger, 2009 p.123)
What birthing experiences has been a part of your life? I have heard of water births, but not experienced it personally. The breathing practice I have used and it helps to calm down the pains.
Have you witnessed a birth, perhaps given birth yourself, and/or have you been part of a child's birth in another way? What memories and emotions do you connect with these personal birthing events?
An experience I would like to share is the birth of my first child. I am a mother of five and each birth was different from the other. My first pregnancy was not preplanned and I remember how it took me off guard. The thought of being pregnant was daunting. The first trimester was the worst phase because I had to go through the entire morning sickness syndrome, and there was constant if not endless queasiness. Everything smelled awful and consequently, I lost weight tremendously and I had to be placed on some medications. There was lack of health education and I relied upon my mother’s assistance in what to do and what not to do. My mom never went to school but she can explain everything about child birth. I guess her experiences come from her eleven children she had. During birth I had being prepared mentally of the pain I would go through. While in labor, I kept anticipating the worst pain and each time I was told to wait for worst yet to come. The worst never came to me because each contraction came in its own right! In the end the joy of successfully “pushing” out the baby turned the pain into a “sweet pain”. Unlike the USA , in most West African cultural settings men do not accompany their wives in the delivery room. The maternity section of the hospital is solely for women who are in labor. After birth however, the men can be with their wives in the general or private wards. The birth of a baby is a wonderful time as the whole village visits the family and special ceremonies are performed when the baby gets home. In addition, they are a lot of house help from siblings, friends, and relatives. Such support allows the woman to recover from the trauma and pain of child birth. So the idea of bonding and attachment with baby early on is still a far –fetched phenomenon in these parts of the world. Having seen husbands participate in the births of their children, I think they emotionally can feel the pain and the risk in birthing and get to appreciate their partners better. I wish that could be encouraged in other societies around the world. I know this is wishful thinking because in Cameroon for instance, men are not allowed to help in birthing as in the USA. It is a woman’s world when it comes to birthing. The only time a man could be involved would be if the man were a medical doctor called to evaluate or perform a procedure. What are your thoughts regarding birth and its impact on child development?
My thought regarding birth and its impact on child development is a simple view. Planned pregnancy can lead to a healthy baby. Education about complications of drugs and socio-emotional factors needs to be explained to mothers to be. This would help prevent depression if they know what they are going in for. Bonding with babies would impact positive personality in future. The less parents are stressed the more children would develop better cognitively, socially and emotionally.
Yes, Shawn, I did feel pain with the other children, but it was different because I knew and expected it.There was less anxiety and fear of the unknown.
BREAST FEEDING The importance of children’s health is prevalent in every age and time. Children are expected to grow physically, mentally and emotionally stable. However, that has not been the case as many children are subjected to conditions beyond their control, and as Smidt (2006) rightly points out that children are a minority group in the sense that they lack power to influence their own lives. Public concern for the well -being of children seems to be a priority in most countries. There is a lot written and said about malnutrition and nutrition, immunization, access to clean drinking water, malaria, HIV, Sudden infant death syndrome, breastfeeding and general mental health of the child and family. These are pertinent topics but I would focus on Breastfeeding because I think most of the other factors could be prevented if a child is breastfed from the beginning. Berger (2009) says breast feeding is the best for children because of the nutritional value it has for the first few months when a child is born. She points out the benefits of human milk as compared to cow’s milk because human milk is sterile, always at body temperature, contains iron, and vitamins that enhances brain development of the child as well as physical and social development. Why is Breast feeding meaningful to me? I was breast fed and I attribute my healthy state of mind to the “foundation” food my mother gave me. Through breast feeding a bond is truly created and after studying about the importance of breast feeding, I come to realize why I have this attachment with my mother. In my culture mother is supreme and the adage comes from the mother being the first person to feed her child, first in the uterus through the umbilical cord to a child’s first latching at her breast. I come from a family of eleven and we were all breast fed. I remember vividly, one of my siblings who was breast fed even up to a year and a half. He would run around play, and come around an demand for it and my mother would breastfeed him. I breast fed my kids solely on breast milk for the first months and I wasn’t surprised how healthy they were growing up. The immune system gets stronger it seems with breast feeding. Breast milk is easy to digest and contains antibodies that can protect infants from bacterial and viral infections. Breast Milk is affordable needs no time for preparation and leads to a lifelong bonding for mother and child.
Different View on Breastfeeding African Perspective: Different parts of the world have different views about breast feeding. In the western culture most women are reluctant to feed their babies because they care so much about their shape than about their babies. Another common reason cited for not planning to breastfeed is that the mother will be returning to work since women are a significant part of the work force in the western world. In African, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Angola where I have visited the aspect of breast feeding is natural. The African mothers breastfeed their babies with love and pride. Mother and baby get connected and the bonding starts as the baby is gazing at the mother’s face each time they are being breast fed. Most often bigger babies would be seen holding their legs as they enjoy the entire process of breastfeeding. Sometimes they will groan and latch at the nibbles expressing an emotion. Babies would tease their mothers and bite at the nibbles and receive a little spanking from mom. Despite the pain mothers may get from biting of nibble breastfeeding is still regarded as a natural right thing to do for the child and women do not have to make a choice to feed or not to breast feed. There is no shame about it and in the presence of men, or strangers mothers without any qualms would satisfy their babies’ needs with breast milk, in public places, in the market squares, stores and in churches. No one cares as it is viewed to be a natural phenomenon and pride to be a mother. I found it absurd when in the USA there is much fuss about breastfeeding in public. Research indicates that women who breastfeed may have lower rates of certain breast and ovarian cancers (Sokol et.al, 2007). I want to agree with this finding given the low percentage of breast cancer in most developing countries. In addition, (Berger, 2009) recognizes that in developing countries breast feeding dramatically reduces infant mortality. I agree with her because given the impoverished situation of most African countries this is the only option that helps nourish the babies naturally. We have all seen pitiful images of children sucking on flabby breasts of their mothers for survival. It shows unconditional love for the child. Unfortunately, with the influence of the Western World most young African mothers are deviating from the culture of breast feeding to bottle feeding. Breastfeeding is a tradition in every culture in the region regardless of socio-economic status; when mothers are not in a position to breastfeed, the services of other mothers are sought. Unfortunately, in the late 1960’s, breastfeeding took a dangerous downward trend when it started to be discouraged through the aggressive marketing of commercial breast milk substitutes; as a result, traditional infant feeding practices started to shift towards more ‘modern’ feeding practices (Sokol ,Aguayo &Clark ,2007) as are result many infant diseases are being noted in most West African countries. In my present and future work with young women I encourage the use of breast milk for their babies especially the first three months. I let them know how valuable breast milk is for their babies. I feel sorry for babies who are refused breast milk just because the moms want to be models and keep the breasts firm. Low and behold come a point in life they will get flabby .The ideal thing is let the baby have it to stay strong and healthy for the most part of his childhood life and even beyond childhood.
Ghongkedze, Wow and I tip my hat off to your mom for breastfeeding all her children. I never really focused on how my grandparents breastfed their children back then. Do you realize how much latching on and off that is? Just think about it. My grandmother had 10, one behind the other. So, just as one was coming off another was going on. And for 10 years! Wow. That's impressive and I'm not sure if I could have done it. But like I told Shawna, I didn't get the chance to breastfed b/c of lack of education and motivation. But if I knew I could pump then store and use for later, I would have at least went that route.
Research shows that through life span development, the exits a bidirectional exchanges between heredity and all levels of the environment. This ongoing, bidirectional influences, do foster cognitive and social behavior (Berk, 2004).The family is the first and foremost context for social and cognitive development for children. In today’s society stratification, defines the level a family functions base on the socio-e economic status (SES). A family with higher SES can provide, nurture, and enhance the cognitive and mental development of the children. Higher SES parents emphasize psychological traits, such as inquisitiveness, self-direction and happiness in their children. A family with lower -SES is exposed to stress, poverty, illness, diseases; famine, isolation, and environmental pollution just to name a few. Lower-SES parents are powerless and have little or no say in shaping the society. These among others are many stressors people deal with on a daily bases.
Have you, or has anyone you know, experienced any of these stressors as a child? How did you, or the other person, cope/survive? I am no stranger to poverty. I grew up in a rural town in the Republic of Cameroon where most people depended on whatever proceeds they got from their farms. There were no tap water so we got drinking water from a stream. Sometimes the stream will get muddy and we will have to trek for miles with big buckets on our heads to find another brook to get clean water. As a child, it was all normal because we could not compare our situation to anything else. I thought that was the normal way of life. There were no flush toilets and the pit toilets were what we had to use. It was daunting to use some of the pit toilets, for fear of falling into it, but one had no choice. Some children died as a result of using the pit toilets which was traumatizing to us losing a playmate. Most children my age could not afford a pair of shoes consequently; children trekked barefooted to school, walking ten miles a day to and from school on rough graveled and stony roads. There were no cars at the time and of course mentally every morning in the cold chilly weather of the dry season, we will walk slowly to school. We had neither coats nor sweaters for the weather, and it was common for everyone to have running noses, coughing and sick at the same time. There was one hospital in the town I grew up in with untrained nurses. We were all subjected to malaria fever. We neither had vaccines nor vitamins; but by the grace of God some of us survived and many died as a result of the complications of malaria. During the main dry season centered on January there is often a lot of dust in the air carried by the harmattan wind, and by the time we got home we were covered in dust as if we had some free foundational powder for our faces. I remember it used to be fun laughing at each other’s face and dusty eye lashes. The classrooms were horrible with no windows, muddy floors, few dusty bamboo benches and desks. Yet we studied using our handmade counters for arithmetic and slates for writing. There were no books yet we were very happy to be in school. My family like most families in Africa was large. I come from a family of eleven. My father was the sole bread winner. From his meager salary of about $25 a month at the time, it is evident that raising eleven kids must have been traumatizing for my parents. Based on family values of togetherness, my mother would put food in a big bowl for all of us to eat simultaneously. The boys used to eat voraciously and within split seconds the bowl would be empty. As a result, the girls were always left hungry since we could not eat as quickly as the boys. Thank God eventually my mother separated the food; we then had two bowls one for the boys and one for the girls. We ate rice maybe once or twice a year and we were sure to eat rice on Christmas day.
We survived as children because we thought that was the ideal situation. There were no TVs; accordingly, no one knew what others were eating or how they were living in other parts of the world. Our impoverished situation; lack of adequate drinking water; poor classrooms, insufficient sanitary conditions, made us stronger as we trekked 10 miles each day to schools and became more resilient in our culture of poverty. In the face of inadequate access to safe drinking water and sanitation, we faced many illnesses and sometimes I tear up remembering some good friends who lost their lives. Growing up in a culture of poverty, it taught me to be appreciative of live, to be contented with what I have. I am fortified to face challenges that come my way in life. In 1990, the president declared state of economic crisis for Cameroon. Since then, the poverty rate has been on the increase. Many families were left yearning for help when the government reduced salaries by 25% in 1995. It was the worst time in my life as an adult. One could not afford to buy even basic household commodity as inflation went up radically and unemployment skyrocketed. I had four children in the secondary schools and suddenly I was in distress when it came to paying for their tuition. Ends could not meet and we had to sacrifice a lot to keep our children in the best schools no matter the situation. Like most civil servants, we all lived from hand to mouth we became working poor population. As a result of salary cuts, there was an increase in dropout rates in the schools. Those who persevered and graduated could not be employed. Violence, stealing and killings became the order of the day in the urban towns. Today, unemployment is still a big problem in the country coupled with high rate of corruption. It is therefore a common scenario to find parents at home still living with their adult children of 25-30 years of age. It is often said, the idle mind is the devil’s workshop, because many youths have nothing doing, it has led to a promiscuous lifestyle for them. The high incidence of HIV/AIDS epidemic in Cameroon can only be attributed to the poverty situation. The young people are dying in their numbers every day, month, and every year. The majority of the youths cannot afford to feed themselves let only afford to buy the medications. I have personally lost three cousins and many friends to this killer disease. Although Cameroonians have been habituated by the impoverished condition, one thing keeps every one going HOPE for a better tomorrow one day.
In what regions and/or countries are children currently experiencing any of these stressors? What do you think happens to those children's biosocial, cognitive, and psychosocial development? A stressor that resonates with me is the abject poverty in the West African Region, the Congo, Nigeria, and Cameroon. What is sad to see is that fifty years after, with the dawn of a new era, more technology and technical knowhow, there are still many out there without enough to eat. Parents go unemployed for months and of course cannot afford to feed their families, just like my father could not do fifty years ago. As a result of poverty, nearly 195 million children under the age of 5 are undernourished. If families are poor and children are not well fed it eventually leads to malnutrition. Malnutrition has a bidirectional relationship with illness that can cause delays in motor development and physical growth, which in turn leads to lowered expectations of the child from others; these lowered expectations can impede cognitive development (Brown & Pollitt 1996). Many reported cases of kwashiorkor and Marasmus diseases caused by an unbalanced diet very low in protein are common in developing countries in West Africa (Berk, 2004). Malnutrition affects physical and cognitive development, and the environment in which malnutrition occurs also influences these outcomes (Santrock,2008). In addition, other factors such as physical growth, quality of the environment, and intellectual stimulation impact the effects of malnutrition on cognitive development. Oduro and Aryee (2003) define poverty as a multidimensional phenomenon that encompasses not only the individual’s physical conditions as measured by consumption expenditure or income. They carried out a study on the state of poverty in West Africa. The study shows that the West African countries are amongst the bottom 25% countries of the human development scale consisting of 173 countries. They note that the high incidence of extreme poverty in West Africa (ranging between 15.1% and 81.7%) is suggestive of a high incidence of chronic poverty. The incidence of poverty has traditionally been measured by estimating poverty lines derived from household surveys or using the international poverty lines of purchasing power parity US$1 or US$2 a day. Another cause of poverty they found out was due to the frequent occurrences of war, violence which has also contributed to the slow development in the social, economic, and infrastructure aspects for most countries. Susilowati and Karyadi (2002) note that children in West Africa face harsh risks and are often subjected to impoverished hostile environments that severely limit their emotional, mental, physical, and social growth and development. They say the incidence of high Low birth weight could be an important indicator of fetal/intrauterine nutrition. In areas hard hit with drought they note that women and Children are acutely vulnerable as households struggle to survive. In addition, Susilowati and Karyadi (2002) suggest that women play an important role in giving birth to the next generation, in food security, and as caregivers for the family. It is therefore important to increase the physical, mental, and intellectual well-being of every woman as a good investment for the well-being of future society. With the high rate of poverty in the region studies carried out indicate different motives for impoverishment. Okpukpara and Odurukwe (2006)’s study show that the child labor and street children are increasing in both practice and characteristic in Nigeria. They also reported that gender restrictions in the involvement of children in work in certain crafts were found to have been eroded such that increasingly boys and girls were engaged in most occupations. In the Nigeria society various factors determine the preference concerning sending a child or children to school or to work as well as being a street child.
According to Dustmann (2003), these factors are; distance to formal education centers, cost of schooling, and characteristics of the child, parents, households and community. These factors do influence the decision to allocate children’s time away from schooling or towards work. Dustmann (2004) further says, poverty and illiteracy reinforced by traditional customs such as polygyny and preference for large family size were identified as root causes of child labor in Nigeria. According to Nelson (2000), the high rate of income poverty, forces children to work to enhance household income and contribute to the sustainability of the family. Child labor also flourishes because children cannot afford to pay for school; they may have some form of disability, or they just lack faith and interest in education (Blum, 2007). More grim reports on the poverty situation in West African Region indicate that, nearly 8 million children died in 2010 before reaching the age of 5, largely due to pneumonia, diarrhea and birth complications (UNICEF, 2004;The state of the world’s children Report 2012). Some studies show that children living in informal urban settlements are particularly vulnerable to diseases. High urban child mortality rates tend to be seen in places where significant concentrations of extreme poverty combine with inadequate services, as in slums (Odigie & Orobosa, 2008).
From the above reports it is clear that, the ramifications of poverty can be very disheartening. As noted, poverty, ill health, poor nutrition and a lack of stimulation during the early years of the child can undermine educational foundations, restricting what children are able to accomplish. By one estimate, more than 200 million children under 5 years of age in developing countries fail to reach their potential in cognitive development (Blum, 2007; The state of the world’s children Report 2012). Most Children in West African Countries currently are in miserable poverty situations. Many children, who are born in poverty, are forced to work at a young age to help support the family. Across Africa, there are an estimated 80 million child workers, a number that could rise to 100 million by 2015 (UNICEF, 2004).Africa is a land with many resources but the covetousness of mankind and corrupted officials have left women and children dehumanized. The lack of accountability and control will amplify the continent's poverty if nothing is done. Poverty is depressing. Poverty is degrading. Poverty is a nightmare. Governments around the world need to find a solution to eradicate poverty.
Blum, R. (2007). Youth in Sub-Saharan Africa: Youth Unemployment and Regional Insecurity in West Africa, Journal of Adolescent Health, vol. 41, no. 3, p. 231
Brown, J. L., & Pollitt, E. (1996). Malnutrition, poverty, and intellectual development. Scientific American, 274(2), 38–43.
Dustmann, C., 2003. Children and return migration, Journal of Population Economics 16 (4), 815-830 Nelson, H. S. (2000) Child Labour and Schooling in Zambia: World Bank Working Paper. Washington, D.C., The World Bank.
Oduro, A. & Aryee, I.(2003). Investigating Chronic Poverty in West Africa (April 1, 2003). CPRC Working Paper No. 28: Retrieved September 27, 2012 from: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1754440.
Odigie, S. A., and A. I. Orobosa (2008). Population, Poverty and Sustainable Development: In Aghayere,V.O.,et al., An empirical investigation of the Nigeria scenario. Nigeria Political Economy and Sustainable Developments, All Nations Printing Press, Benin City
Okpukpara, B.C. and N. Odurukwe (2003). Incidence and Determinants of Child Labour in Nigeria:Implication for Poverty Alleviation. Journal of Economic Policy Vol 10(2).
Okpukpara, B.C. and N. Odurukwe (2006). Child welfare and poverty in Nigeria: A paper presented at poverty phase II dissemination workshop in Addis Ababa Ethiopia on 12th to 13th October 2006.
Santrock,J.(2008).Essentials of the Life-span development.(2nd ed).New York, N.Y: McGrawHill: Publishers
Susilowati,D.& Karyadi, D.(2002). Malnutrition and poverty alleviation. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Volume 11, pages 323–330.
UNICEF (2004). The State of the World’s Children 2004. The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF House, 3 UN Plaza, New York, NY : USA.
12 comments:
Hello Group1, Feel free to read and make comments or ask for more clarifications
Were you surprised to read that in the United States almost 100% of births take place in a controlled and/or clinical setting? I was not really surprised because given the technological advancement in the 21st century I would imagine women would want to use the facilities available. More women do not even want to stand the thought of natural birth and they want medications.
What did you think when you realized that outside of the United States the majority of births occur at home?
Personally it is normal to have births at home outside of the United States for the simple reason that many families cannot afford to pay for hospital bills. Sometimes the hospitals are not in the vicinity of the families and they won’t want to trek for miles to go to a far away hospital.
What did you learn about the impact of birth complications and postpartum depression on the developing newborn?
As Berger (2009) points out postpartum depression comes from a feeling of inadequacy to cope with the day to day demands of caring for a child. The overwhelming task may lead to sadness after birth. The impact on a child would be to express aggression or anger later on as a toddler. The child will feel unloved if mother is emotionally down. Also intriguing to me is the numerous birth complications that exist in the United States despite all the education on how to prevent some of them. In most parts of Africa, complications from drugs such as marijuana, heroin or alcohol related complications are not common. So far HIV related complications have impacted African children born in the early 1980s- a disease beyond their control.
What other stressors that surround birth might influence a child's development?
Economic factors, living in abject poverty can be really depressing, the reason Smidt (2006) points out that parents often struggle to know how to deal with the problems they face. It maybe a dire need for clean drinking water, enough food for a family of ten, or just getting basic human needs, therefore the inability to afford and provide medical care has resulted in high mortality rate in some countries (Smidt, 2006, p.11).
What kinds of support and/or intervention surrounding a child's birth may foster healthy development?
In cultures where a child is viewed as valuable, and that it takes a village to raise a child, a lot of support is given by family members. The community comes together and through interaction some financial problems may be solved. Husbands can help their alcoholic wives abstain from drinking or taking drugs. Having a planned pregnancy can socially prepare couples for the new roles of parenthood. (Berger, 2009 p.123)
What birthing experiences has been a part of your life? I have heard of water births, but not experienced it personally. The breathing practice I have used and it helps to calm down the pains.
Have you witnessed a birth, perhaps given birth yourself, and/or have you been part of a child's birth in another way? What memories and emotions do you connect with these personal birthing events?
An experience I would like to share is the birth of my first child. I am a mother of five and each birth was different from the other. My first pregnancy was not preplanned and I remember how it took me off guard. The thought of being pregnant was daunting. The first trimester was the worst phase because I had to go through the entire morning sickness syndrome, and there was constant if not endless queasiness. Everything smelled awful and consequently, I lost weight tremendously and I had to be placed on some medications. There was lack of health education and I relied upon my mother’s assistance in what to do and what not to do. My mom never went to school but she can explain everything about child birth. I guess her experiences come from her eleven children she had. During birth I had being prepared mentally of the pain I would go through. While in labor, I kept anticipating the worst pain and each time I was told to wait for worst yet to come. The worst never came to me because each contraction came in its own right! In the end the joy of successfully “pushing” out the baby turned the pain into a “sweet pain”.
Unlike the USA , in most West African cultural settings men do not accompany their wives in the delivery room. The maternity section of the hospital is solely for women who are in labor. After birth however, the men can be with their wives in the general or private wards. The birth of a baby is a wonderful time as the whole village visits the family and special ceremonies are performed when the baby gets home. In addition, they are a lot of house help from siblings, friends, and relatives. Such support allows the woman to recover from the trauma and pain of child birth. So the idea of bonding and attachment with baby early on is still a far –fetched phenomenon in these parts of the world. Having seen husbands participate in the births of their children, I think they emotionally can feel the pain and the risk in birthing and get to appreciate their partners better. I wish that could be encouraged in other societies around the world. I know this is wishful thinking because in Cameroon for instance, men are not allowed to help in birthing as in the USA. It is a woman’s world when it comes to birthing. The only time a man could be involved would be if the man were a medical doctor called to evaluate or perform a procedure.
What are your thoughts regarding birth and its impact on child development?
My thought regarding birth and its impact on child development is a simple view. Planned pregnancy can lead to a healthy baby. Education about complications of drugs and socio-emotional factors needs to be explained to mothers to be. This would help prevent depression if they know what they are going in for. Bonding with babies would impact positive personality in future. The less parents are stressed the more children would develop better cognitively, socially and emotionally.
Did you ever feel the real pain with your other children?
Yes, Shawn, I did feel pain with the other children, but it was different because I knew and expected it.There was less anxiety and fear of the unknown.
BREAST FEEDING
The importance of children’s health is prevalent in every age and time. Children are expected to grow physically, mentally and emotionally stable. However, that has not been the case as many children are subjected to conditions beyond their control, and as Smidt (2006) rightly points out that children are a minority group in the sense that they lack power to influence their own lives. Public concern for the well -being of children seems to be a priority in most countries. There is a lot written and said about malnutrition and nutrition, immunization, access to clean drinking water, malaria, HIV, Sudden infant death syndrome, breastfeeding and general mental health of the child and family.
These are pertinent topics but I would focus on Breastfeeding because I think most of the other factors could be prevented if a child is breastfed from the beginning. Berger (2009) says breast feeding is the best for children because of the nutritional value it has for the first few months when a child is born. She points out the benefits of human milk as compared to cow’s milk because human milk is sterile, always at body temperature, contains iron, and vitamins that enhances brain development of the child as well as physical and social development.
Why is Breast feeding meaningful to me?
I was breast fed and I attribute my healthy state of mind to the “foundation” food my mother gave me. Through breast feeding a bond is truly created and after studying about the importance of breast feeding, I come to realize why I have this attachment with my mother. In my culture mother is supreme and the adage comes from the mother being the first person to feed her child, first in the uterus through the umbilical cord to a child’s first latching at her breast.
I come from a family of eleven and we were all breast fed. I remember vividly, one of my siblings who was breast fed even up to a year and a half. He would run around play, and come around an demand for it and my mother would breastfeed him. I breast fed my kids solely on breast milk for the first months and I wasn’t surprised how healthy they were growing up. The immune system gets stronger it seems with breast feeding. Breast milk is easy to digest and contains antibodies that can protect infants from bacterial and viral infections. Breast Milk is affordable needs no time for preparation and leads to a lifelong bonding for mother and child.
Different View on Breastfeeding African Perspective:
Different parts of the world have different views about breast feeding. In the western culture most women are reluctant to feed their babies because they care so much about their shape than about their babies. Another common reason cited for not planning to breastfeed is that the mother will be returning to work since women are a significant part of the work force in the western world. In African, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Angola where I have visited the aspect of breast feeding is natural. The African mothers breastfeed their babies with love and pride. Mother and baby get connected and the bonding starts as the baby is gazing at the mother’s face each time they are being breast fed. Most often bigger babies would be seen holding their legs as they enjoy the entire process of breastfeeding. Sometimes they will groan and latch at the nibbles expressing an emotion. Babies would tease their mothers and bite at the nibbles and receive a little spanking from mom. Despite the pain mothers may get from biting of nibble breastfeeding is still regarded as a natural right thing to do for the child and women do not have to make a choice to feed or not to breast feed. There is no shame about it and in the presence of men, or strangers mothers without any qualms would satisfy their babies’ needs with breast milk, in public places, in the market squares, stores and in churches. No one cares as it is viewed to be a natural phenomenon and pride to be a mother. I found it absurd when in the USA there is much fuss about breastfeeding in public. Research indicates that women who breastfeed may have lower rates of certain breast and ovarian cancers (Sokol et.al, 2007). I want to agree with this finding given the low percentage of breast cancer in most developing countries.
In addition, (Berger, 2009) recognizes that in developing countries breast feeding dramatically reduces infant mortality. I agree with her because given the impoverished situation of most African countries this is the only option that helps nourish the babies naturally. We have all seen pitiful images of children sucking on flabby breasts of their mothers for survival. It shows unconditional love for the child.
Unfortunately, with the influence of the Western World most young African mothers are deviating from the culture of breast feeding to bottle feeding. Breastfeeding is a tradition in every culture in the region regardless of socio-economic status; when mothers are not in a position to breastfeed, the services of other mothers are sought. Unfortunately, in the late 1960’s, breastfeeding took a dangerous downward trend when it started to be discouraged through the aggressive marketing of commercial breast milk substitutes; as a result, traditional infant feeding practices started to shift towards more ‘modern’ feeding practices (Sokol ,Aguayo &Clark ,2007) as are result many infant diseases are being noted in most West African countries.
In my present and future work with young women I encourage the use of breast milk for their babies especially the first three months. I let them know how valuable breast milk is for their babies. I feel sorry for babies who are refused breast milk just because the moms want to be models and keep the breasts firm. Low and behold come a point in life they will get flabby .The ideal thing is let the baby have it to stay strong and healthy for the most part of his childhood life and even beyond childhood.
References:
Berger,S. K.(2009). The Developing Person Through the Life Span (5th ed). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Sokol E, Aguayo V, Clark D(2007). Protecting Breastfeeding in West and Central Africa:25 Years Implementing the International Code of Marketing of Breast milk Substitutes. ©UNICEF Regional Office for West and Central Africa.
Smidt, S. (2006). The developing child in the 21st century: A global perspective on child development. New York, NY: Routledge.
Ghongkedze,
Wow and I tip my hat off to your mom for breastfeeding all her children. I never really focused on how my grandparents breastfed their children back then. Do you realize how much latching on and off that is? Just think about it. My grandmother had 10, one behind the other. So, just as one was coming off another was going on. And for 10 years! Wow. That's impressive and I'm not sure if I could have done it. But like I told Shawna, I didn't get the chance to breastfed b/c of lack of education and motivation. But if I knew I could pump then store and use for later, I would have at least went that route.
Research shows that through life span development, the exits a bidirectional exchanges between heredity and all levels of the environment. This ongoing, bidirectional influences, do foster cognitive and social behavior (Berk, 2004).The family is the first and foremost context for social and cognitive development for children. In today’s society stratification, defines the level a family functions base on the socio-e economic status (SES). A family with higher SES can provide, nurture, and enhance the cognitive and mental development of the children. Higher SES parents emphasize psychological traits, such as inquisitiveness, self-direction and happiness in their children. A family with lower -SES is exposed to stress, poverty, illness, diseases; famine, isolation, and environmental pollution just to name a few. Lower-SES parents are powerless and have little or no say in shaping the society. These among others are many stressors people deal with on a daily bases.
Have you, or has anyone you know, experienced any of these stressors as a child? How did you, or the other person, cope/survive?
I am no stranger to poverty. I grew up in a rural town in the Republic of Cameroon where most people depended on whatever proceeds they got from their farms. There were no tap water so we got drinking water from a stream. Sometimes the stream will get muddy and we will have to trek for miles with big buckets on our heads to find another brook to get clean water. As a child, it was all normal because we could not compare our situation to anything else. I thought that was the normal way of life. There were no flush toilets and the pit toilets were what we had to use. It was daunting to use some of the pit toilets, for fear of falling into it, but one had no choice. Some children died as a result of using the pit toilets which was traumatizing to us losing a playmate. Most children my age could not afford a pair of shoes consequently; children trekked barefooted to school, walking ten miles a day to and from school on rough graveled and stony roads. There were no cars at the time and of course mentally every morning in the cold chilly weather of the dry season, we will walk slowly to school. We had neither coats nor sweaters for the weather, and it was common for everyone to have running noses, coughing and sick at the same time. There was one hospital in the town I grew up in with untrained nurses. We were all subjected to malaria fever. We neither had vaccines nor vitamins; but by the grace of God some of us survived and many died as a result of the complications of malaria.
During the main dry season centered on January there is often a lot of dust in the air carried by the harmattan wind, and by the time we got home we were covered in dust as if we had some free foundational powder for our faces. I remember it used to be fun laughing at each other’s face and dusty eye lashes. The classrooms were horrible with no windows, muddy floors, few dusty bamboo benches and desks. Yet we studied using our handmade counters for arithmetic and slates for writing. There were no books yet we were very happy to be in school.
My family like most families in Africa was large. I come from a family of eleven. My father was the sole bread winner. From his meager salary of about $25 a month at the time, it is evident that raising eleven kids must have been traumatizing for my parents. Based on family values of togetherness, my mother would put food in a big bowl for all of us to eat simultaneously. The boys used to eat voraciously and within split seconds the bowl would be empty. As a result, the girls were always left hungry since we could not eat as quickly as the boys. Thank God eventually my mother separated the food; we then had two bowls one for the boys and one for the girls. We ate rice maybe once or twice a year and we were sure to eat rice on Christmas day.
We survived as children because we thought that was the ideal situation. There were no TVs; accordingly, no one knew what others were eating or how they were living in other parts of the world. Our impoverished situation; lack of adequate drinking water; poor classrooms, insufficient sanitary conditions, made us stronger as we trekked 10 miles each day to schools and became more resilient in our culture of poverty. In the face of inadequate access to safe drinking water and sanitation, we faced many illnesses and sometimes I tear up remembering some good friends who lost their lives. Growing up in a culture of poverty, it taught me to be appreciative of live, to be contented with what I have. I am fortified to face challenges that come my way in life.
In 1990, the president declared state of economic crisis for Cameroon. Since then, the poverty rate has been on the increase. Many families were left yearning for help when the government reduced salaries by 25% in 1995. It was the worst time in my life as an adult. One could not afford to buy even basic household commodity as inflation went up radically and unemployment skyrocketed. I had four children in the secondary schools and suddenly I was in distress when it came to paying for their tuition. Ends could not meet and we had to sacrifice a lot to keep our children in the best schools no matter the situation. Like most civil servants, we all lived from hand to mouth we became working poor population. As a result of salary cuts, there was an increase in dropout rates in the schools. Those who persevered and graduated could not be employed. Violence, stealing and killings became the order of the day in the urban towns. Today, unemployment is still a big problem in the country coupled with high rate of corruption. It is therefore a common scenario to find parents at home still living with their adult children of 25-30 years of age. It is often said, the idle mind is the devil’s workshop, because many youths have nothing doing, it has led to a promiscuous lifestyle for them. The high incidence of HIV/AIDS epidemic in Cameroon can only be attributed to the poverty situation. The young people are dying in their numbers every day, month, and every year. The majority of the youths cannot afford to feed themselves let only afford to buy the medications. I have personally lost three cousins and many friends to this killer disease. Although Cameroonians have been habituated by the impoverished condition, one thing keeps every one going HOPE for a better tomorrow one day.
In what regions and/or countries are children currently experiencing any of these stressors? What do you think happens to those children's biosocial, cognitive, and psychosocial development?
A stressor that resonates with me is the abject poverty in the West African Region, the Congo, Nigeria, and Cameroon. What is sad to see is that fifty years after, with the dawn of a new era, more technology and technical knowhow, there are still many out there without enough to eat. Parents go unemployed for months and of course cannot afford to feed their families, just like my father could not do fifty years ago. As a result of poverty, nearly 195 million children under the age of 5 are undernourished. If families are poor and children are not well fed it eventually leads to malnutrition. Malnutrition has a bidirectional relationship with illness that can cause delays in motor development and physical growth, which in turn leads to lowered expectations of the child from others; these lowered expectations can impede cognitive development (Brown & Pollitt 1996). Many reported cases of kwashiorkor and Marasmus diseases caused by an unbalanced diet very low in protein are common in developing countries in West Africa (Berk, 2004). Malnutrition affects physical and cognitive development, and the environment in which malnutrition occurs also influences these outcomes (Santrock,2008). In addition, other factors such as physical growth, quality of the environment, and intellectual stimulation impact the effects of malnutrition on cognitive development.
Oduro and Aryee (2003) define poverty as a multidimensional phenomenon that encompasses not only the individual’s physical conditions as measured by consumption expenditure or income. They carried out a study on the state of poverty in West Africa. The study shows that the West African countries are amongst the bottom 25% countries of the human development scale consisting of 173 countries. They note that the high incidence of extreme poverty in West Africa (ranging between 15.1% and 81.7%) is suggestive of a high incidence of chronic poverty. The incidence of poverty has traditionally been measured by estimating poverty lines derived from household surveys or using the international poverty lines of purchasing power parity US$1 or US$2 a day. Another cause of poverty they found out was due to the frequent occurrences of war, violence which has also contributed to the slow development in the social, economic, and infrastructure aspects for most countries.
Susilowati and Karyadi (2002) note that children in West Africa face harsh risks and are often subjected to impoverished hostile environments that severely limit their emotional, mental, physical, and social growth and development. They say the incidence of high Low birth weight could be an important indicator of fetal/intrauterine nutrition. In areas hard hit with drought they note that women and Children are acutely vulnerable as households struggle to survive. In addition, Susilowati and Karyadi (2002) suggest that women play an important role in giving birth to the next generation, in food security, and as caregivers for the family. It is therefore important to increase the physical, mental, and intellectual well-being of every woman as a good investment for the well-being of future society.
With the high rate of poverty in the region studies carried out indicate different motives for impoverishment. Okpukpara and Odurukwe (2006)’s study show that the child labor and street children are increasing in both practice and characteristic in Nigeria. They also reported that gender restrictions in the involvement of children in work in certain crafts were found to have been eroded such that increasingly boys and girls were engaged in most occupations. In the Nigeria society various factors determine the preference concerning sending a child or children to school or to work as well as being a street child.
According to Dustmann (2003), these factors are; distance to formal education centers, cost of schooling, and characteristics of the child, parents, households and community. These factors do influence the decision to allocate children’s time away from schooling or towards work. Dustmann (2004) further says, poverty and illiteracy reinforced by traditional customs such as polygyny and preference for large family size were identified as root causes of child labor in Nigeria. According to Nelson (2000), the high rate of income poverty, forces children to work to enhance household income and contribute to the sustainability of the family. Child labor also flourishes because children cannot afford to pay for school; they may have some form of disability, or they just lack faith and interest in education (Blum, 2007).
More grim reports on the poverty situation in West African Region indicate that, nearly 8 million children died in 2010 before reaching the age of 5, largely due to pneumonia, diarrhea and birth complications (UNICEF, 2004;The state of the world’s children Report 2012). Some studies show that children living in informal urban settlements are particularly vulnerable to diseases. High urban child mortality rates tend to be seen in places where significant concentrations of extreme poverty combine with inadequate services, as in slums (Odigie & Orobosa, 2008).
From the above reports it is clear that, the ramifications of poverty can be very disheartening. As noted, poverty, ill health, poor nutrition and a lack of stimulation during the early years of the child can undermine educational foundations, restricting what children are able to accomplish. By one estimate, more than 200 million children under 5 years of age in developing countries fail to reach their potential in cognitive development (Blum, 2007; The state of the world’s children Report 2012). Most Children in West African Countries currently are in miserable poverty situations. Many children, who are born in poverty, are forced to work at a young age to help support the family. Across Africa, there are an estimated 80 million child workers, a number that could rise to 100 million by 2015 (UNICEF, 2004).Africa is a land with many resources but the covetousness of mankind and corrupted officials have left women and children dehumanized. The lack of accountability and control will amplify the continent's poverty if nothing is done. Poverty is depressing. Poverty is degrading. Poverty is a nightmare. Governments around the world need to find a solution to eradicate poverty.
References
Blum, R. (2007). Youth in Sub-Saharan Africa: Youth Unemployment and Regional Insecurity in West Africa, Journal of Adolescent Health, vol. 41, no. 3, p. 231
Brown, J. L., & Pollitt, E. (1996). Malnutrition, poverty, and intellectual development. Scientific American, 274(2), 38–43.
Dustmann, C., 2003. Children and return migration, Journal of Population Economics 16 (4), 815-830
Nelson, H. S. (2000) Child Labour and Schooling in Zambia: World Bank Working Paper. Washington, D.C., The World Bank.
Oduro, A. & Aryee, I.(2003). Investigating Chronic Poverty in West Africa (April 1, 2003). CPRC Working Paper No. 28: Retrieved September 27, 2012 from: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1754440.
Odigie, S. A., and A. I. Orobosa (2008). Population, Poverty and Sustainable Development: In Aghayere,V.O.,et al., An empirical investigation of the Nigeria scenario. Nigeria Political Economy and Sustainable Developments, All Nations Printing Press, Benin City
Okpukpara, B.C. and N. Odurukwe (2003). Incidence and Determinants of Child Labour in Nigeria:Implication for Poverty Alleviation. Journal of Economic Policy Vol 10(2).
Okpukpara, B.C. and N. Odurukwe (2006). Child welfare and poverty in Nigeria: A paper presented at poverty phase II dissemination workshop in Addis Ababa Ethiopia on 12th to 13th October 2006.
Santrock,J.(2008).Essentials of the Life-span development.(2nd ed).New York, N.Y: McGrawHill: Publishers
Susilowati,D.& Karyadi, D.(2002). Malnutrition and poverty alleviation. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Volume 11, pages 323–330.
UNICEF (2004). The State of the World’s Children 2004. The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF House, 3 UN Plaza, New York, NY : USA.
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