Stressors of Life

A friend of mine experienced racism as a young child from one of her own family members. Her mother is white and her biological father was Native American. When she was 2 years old her mother and father separated. When she was 4 her mother remarried and her stepfather (who was also white) adopted her as his child. Her stepfather's mother (her grandmother) never truly accepted my friend because she felt that her skin was too dark and that she could not pass for being "all white". For Christmas the other grandchildren would get nice toys and sometimes money, while she would receive old hand me down sweaters. Several times he mother questioned the grandmother about her treatment towards my friend but the grandmother just disregarded the questions as if they were nothing. As my friend got older to began to distance herself from her grandmother as much as she could even though her mother was trying to get them to make a bond of some kind. For years she hid her pain from the rest of the family because she did not want them to know that the treatment bothered her. Everyone else in her family truly loved her but it did not make up for the pan that was caused by her grandmother. Now finally as an adult she constantly wishes her skin was lighter like her other two siblings and it is difficult for her to explain to people why she and her sister look so different. The trauma that she experienced as a child still haunts her today.

Hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa has the 2nd worst hunger cases, approximately 239 million people are going hungry. A third of all child hood death in Sub-Saharan Africa is caused by hunger (thp.org). Children who go through hunger do not develop as normal children would. The brain development is much slower due to the lack of myelin in the brain because the brain does not have enough nourishment to function. Children who are malnourished have no body reserves to protect them against common diseases (Berger, 2009). If malnutrition goes too far a child can through marasmus, which is when the body starts to slowly waste away and the child stops growing. The Hunger Project is making an effort in areas such as Africa to provide them with food and clean water.

Berger, K. S. (2009). The developing person through childhood (5th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

www.thp.org The Hunger Project

Immunizations in Brazil

Immunizations for me is a big topic because it's there are times that you here of someone who traveled to a country for a vacation and a few days or a week later they are in the hospital fighting some type of unknown disease. Brazil is a beautiful country with a lush culture and it is home to the Amazon and the Iguazu Falls. Even though it is very beautiful there are some immunization requirements for visiting this country. Yellow Fever is a vaccination requirement for all passengers who planb to visit the rural areas of this country like Amapa, Amazonas, Mato Grosso and so forth. Brazil does not have a outbreak of yellow fever at this time but it does not mean that one should be not prepared. Malaria and Heptatitis A are also among the required vaccinations. This topic is meaningful to me because I have often thought about traveling to different countries for vacations as well as doing some mission work. It is always helpful to do your research before visiting a country and if a vaccination is needed then it is wise to get your vaccination then wait 4to 6 weeks to allow the vaccination to work before traveling. To find out more information about the requirements for Brazil you can visit www.braziltravelinformation.com.

Birth In Other Countries

In the Netherlands docotrs are not involved in the delivery process unless the case is high risk. Most women who are pregnant are seen by their family doctor and referred to a mid wife for the delivery. Majority of the women choose to have their babies at home rather than in a clinical setting, which is not so different in the U.S. More women in the United States are choosing to have babies at home where they are comofttable and have more privacy. In the Netherlands epidurals are not a normal choice for pain because most epidurals are only given if there is an anesthesiologist is avaliable. This one thing that is very different in the U.S. because epidurals are discussed with the doctor before delivery and so the mother-to-be can opt in or out before her delivery date.

Childbirth Experience

I witnessed the birth of my godchild and let me say that it was the happiest, most anxious and nerve racking expereince of my life. It was August 23rd 2005 and I had just received the call that my bestfriend had just went into labor. She lived about an hour away so I jumped in my car to head out to the hospital. When I arrived I was greeted by a very nervous grandmother-to-be and she was overwhelemed with emotions. I held my bestfriend's hand through this whole expereince. We shared laughs, tears, and at one point I thought she would break every bone in my hand. When my godchild decided to finally make his appearance his lips looked bluish and he did not make a sound. Cheer suddenly turned to panic, while I quicky turned my attention to my best friend to let her know that everything would be fine and they were just cleaning him up. All the while in my mind I was in a panic mode myself because this was her very first child and I knew that if something was wrong it would crush her. A minute went by but it felt like an eternity and then we heard a loud healthy cry and our fears were quickly swept away. I chose to use this example because it was the first time I had ever witnessed the birth of a child. Birth is a stressful expereince on a mother and her child and I beleive that if she can be supported through the experience then the child will be better off as he or she grows.