Tinisha's Childhood Experiences

As a child I was raised in a home that included my mother, father, and older sister. Although my parents appeared to have a martial relationship built upon support, communication, and love for my sister and I, their styles of parenting were extremely different. My father’s parenting style was characteristic of Baumrind’s “authoritative parenting” whereas my mother’s parenting style was characteristic of “authoritarian parenting”. My father set rules and regulations for me and my sister, while maintain open communication, and expressing his forgiveness at times when we may have disobeyed him. My mother’s unspoken motto was “what I say goes with no exceptions”, therefore my sister and I was not allowed to question my mothers rule, regulations, or forms of punishment. There was never communication with my mother regarding me and my sister’s feelings and we hardly ever heard my mother utter the words “I Love You” to me or my sister. Whenever I would disobey my mother or behave in a manner that was unacceptable to her standards I was harshly punished. My mother would become verbally abusive, calling me derogatory names such “stupid” and “dumb”, while also becoming physically abusive. I was hit open-handed and closed-fist, beat with belts while wearing little or no clothes, and grabbed my arms and hair. Often this form of punishment would occur when my father was at work as my father would strictly forbid my mother from punishing me in that manner. Although my father was not in agreement in my mother’s style of punishment, he was unable to avoid her using that form of punishment due to the fact that this type of behavior often took placed in my father’s absence. This type of punishment occurred between the ages of 7 and 15 years old (if my memory serves me correctly). During these years I tended to you my friends, extracurricular activities, and grandparents as forms of emotional support. My friends were individuals that I could confide in and seek emotional support. Extracurricular activities were used as an outlet to escape the uncomfortable and uneasy feeling that resulted from my mother’s return home from work as I never knew her emotional state which directly effected her communication and interaction with me and my sister. My grandparents were the most beneficial form of emotional support due to the fact that they provided me a sense of love, emotional support, stability, and sense of nurturing which were all aspects that I was lacking in my home and longing for in my mother. In researching stressors that impact the development of children in other countries, I chose to further research the types of stressors that impact the development of children in India. The main stressor that impacts the development of children is the effects of poverty in India. Women in India are traditionally housewives, expected to take care of their children, husband, and household chores. These women typically depend on the income of their husbands as they do not posses enough education or skills to earn their own income and contribute to the overall income of the household. A major problem arise when the husbands of these women become absent from the home due to dissertation or separation. In these types of circumstances the household income takes a drastic decrease while leaving the women with the responsibilities of taking care of the children and household. As a result women typically have to obtain employment outside of the home and leaving their children home to take care of themselves. Seeking caretakers for their children is impossible as these women are at a financial disadvantage and cannot afford the cost of caretaker’s services. These women are often left feeling anxiety about the future of their children. To minimize the harm of poverty on the development of children several policy recommendations have been made which include:

1.      Forming self help groups for single mothers

2.      Adequate publicity and initiation of innovative strategies to reach out to needy families in an effort to enlarge the scope of existing welfare services.

3.      Forming programs for the provisions of childcare and other support systems for the mother headed families.

4.      Providing foster care, child sponsorship, nutrition, and day care programs.

5.      Creating flexible workplace provisions and work schedules for mothers.

BREASTFEEDING ROCKS!!!!

Breastfeeding is an important and meaningful public health measure to me because I am the mother of a 10 month old son who is breastfeed. From the moment I discovered that I was pregnant I knew I wanted to exclusively breastfeed my baby for as long as my body would allow. During my pregnancy I read many books and magazines which provided several breastfeeding tips such as the proper position to hold the baby while nursing, particular foods to consume to increase my milk supply, recommendations on the best breast pumps to purchase, and the exceptional benefits that breastfeeding provides to the child. With this information I felt that I was fully prepared to nurse my baby once I delivered. To my surprise I experienced several obstacles in breastfeeding my son when he was born. My son had a difficult time learning how to properly latch on to my breast which may it difficult for him to nurse and receive the amount of milk that his body desired. I also had a difficult time learning how to properly position my son while he was nursing which created some frustration and sense of failure for me. Due to the fact that I was 100% positive that I wanted to exclusively breastfeed my son, these obstacles that I experienced made me feel extremely upset and overwhelmed. Three days after the birth of my son, consistent effort on my part to breastfeed, and an overwhelming amount of teaching and support from the nurses overseeing the care of my son and I; my son finally learned how to properly latch on and I learned how to position my son in a way that was comfortable for the both of us. From that day forward I exclusively breastfeed my son for approximately 7 months. Today my son is 10 months old and breastfeed mostly during the evening hours when I return home from work, in the middle of the night, and early morning before I leave for work. During the hours in which my son is in daycare he receives 2% milk and apple juice (when he desires). Breastfeeding is very important to me because I believe it provides the child with the healthiest source of nutrition while creating an amazing bond between the mother and child.

I research breastfeeding practices among Urban and Rural mothers in New Delhi India and discovered some surprising statistics.  As a global public health recommendation, exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) should be practiced for the 1^st 6 months of a baby’s life to achieve optimum growth, development, and health. Breastfeeding in India is almost universal but the EBF rate is low. The Third National Family Health Survey from India reported an EBF rate of 46.3% at 5 months postpartum. A longitudinal study was conducted in New Delhi and Ballabgarh India which showed that 21% of urban woman and 35% of rural woman initiated breastfeeding within 1 hr of giving birth. The EFB rate at the time of discharge was 38% for urban woman and 57% for rural women. The EFB rates in India are low and fall progressively during the first 6 months.

Reading this information inspired me to become and advocate for breastfeeding. I believe woman who are less educated about the benefits of breastfeeding, techniques to aid in the adjustment of breasting for the mother and baby, tips for working mother who chose to breastfeed are less likely to attempt breastfeeding or continue breastfeeding beyond their discharge from the hospital. An increased amount of advocacy, support, and education will increase the number of breastfeeding women which enhances the growth and development of babies in the present and future generations.

MY PERSONAL BIRTHING EXPERIENCE

On December 19, 2010 I entered into the maternity ward of Riddle Memorial Hospital in preparation to have my labor induce. As the nurse assisted me with registration and began my IV I instantly became fully aware that I would be holding my newborn son within the next 24 hours.  My induction began with a dose of medication in an effort to “jump start” dilation. Typically this medication is followed by a dose of Pitocin should dilation not progress. In my case Pitocin was not needed as the medication began dilation and caused a steady progression of labor. Approximately 7 hours into labor I was given an epidural which eased the pain and discomfort of my consistent contractions enabling me to rest comfortably for a few hours. Approximately 10 hours into labor I awakened from my sleep feeling rested and slight relief from the pain of my contractions. As my labor progressed my contractions became more intense and at times they felt unbearable. At this point I was given second epidural because I was not receiving any pain relief from my original epidural. The second epidural slightly reduced the pain of my contractions but I felt an extreme amount of discomfort and pain in my lower abdomen with very contraction that occurred. Approximately 16 hours into labor my oxygen levels began to drop and my son’s heart rate became irregular. The doctor warned me should I not dilate to 10 cm. or the heart rate of my son continues to drop she would request a C-section to be performed. Approximately 17 hours into labor I was examined by my doctor and informed that I was 9(1/ cm. dilated but the heart rate of my son was in danger. At this point my doctor requested an emergency C-section. I was immediately transferred to an operating bed, prepped for surgery, and transported down the hall into the operating room. In the operating room the doctors began to quickly provide me with anesthesia while the nurses assisted the doctors in preparation for surgery and the delivery of my son. After 19 hours in labor and approximately 10 minutes of surgery my son was born on December 20, 2010 at 3:55pm, weighing 8lbs 9ozs, and 21 inches long. I chose this experience because the birth of my son because is the most rewarding and joyful experience of my life. The birthing experience of a child impacts the child’s development particularly during the period of 0-12 months. This period is crucial to the physical, mental, and emotional development of a child. For this reason it is important to make every effort to have and or promote a calm, supportive, and safe labor and delivery for the mother and child.

I researched the birthing experience of woman in South Africa in reading an article titled “Woman Experiences of a Vaginal Delivery Conducted by a Private Midwife”. Similar to my birthing experience, most births in South Africa take place in a hospital under the care of a medical practitioner. Unlike my birthing experience many South African woman feel dissatisfied with their birthing experience, disempowered, loss of control during labor, sense of abandonment, and lack of involvement. As a result there are an increase number of women who prefer to have a midwife perform the delivery of their child. South African woman who had a midwife perform the delivery of their child reported feeling safe, secure, and in control which helped them enjoy the birthing process.