Consequences of Stressors on Child Development

Maltreatment and Trauma

My husband has had a rather tumultuous childhood, full of high points and low points. He has emerged from what one may call a traumatic upbringing to become a courageous, loving, inspirational adult through all of the adversity.

Howard McClearin Lee was born November 26, 1959 to a young unmarried woman. The great thing is that her family background was loving, supportive and very large. Howard had a loving Grandfather, a praying Grandmother, 5 aunts and an uncle on his mother’s side of the family. Which means there was loads of love and support for the new baby boy. His Father was lost to the streets but wanted to marry his mother. With family pressure, she refused. Howard had relationships with his paternal grandparents and uncles.

His mother eventually married three years  after he was born to another man. This man turned out to be physically abusive to both Howard and his mother. She remained in the marriage for years 8 years. She was shot and fatally wounded by her husband while they were separated. Howard and his brothers were split up between the aunts to be raised. His mother recovered but her health was fragile.

My husband tells me that he felt during that time like a vagabond , going from house to house to live until his mom recovered and was well enough to get her children back. Even then when she would have health episodes, Howard and his brothers had to be moved again. His activities while in school were football (where he could release the hostility he felt) and music. He was a drummer in a band.

He went on to play football in college and studied to become a very effective, minister. His Ministry is far reaching and very influential to young men, inspiring them to be all that God would have them to be, in spite of the hard times and circumstances in life. He encourages them that they could make a decision to fall victim to what life offers or rise above it, advising that there is divine help if you are willing to make a change.

My husband realized that there were things (as we all do) he had to work on like temperance. But he overcame the violent circumstances from his childhood and used that experience to give hope to others that there is life and that your life could be lived abundantly.
The Children of Somalia
I had come across an article that really blessed my heart to see and read. It was in reference to the children of Somalia. We have all heard that the region is in a state of civil unrest, torn with war, famine, and receiving not much help from a corrupt government. Nancy Lindborg, an official with the U.S. government aid arm, told a congressional committee in Washington on Wednesday that the U.S. estimates that more than 29,000 children under age 5 have died in the last 90 days in southern Somalia. In Somalia, the children are forced to participate in Al-Queida  and pirate activity.

　

The picture shows the children playing

Somali children play in floodwater on Wednesday just outside their refugee camp in Dadaab, north-east Kenya. The UN says the floods could be the worst in the region for 50 years.

　

Where there is nurturing, there is hope

　
　

Somali women are the basis on which Somali society continues to thrive and exist. They take care of the household chores, they work, they raise children, they keep the family together, and they regularly send money to the extended families back home in Somalia. Click below to read more.
　
thrivehttp://aduunyo.com/2010/06/somali-women-the-better-half-of-the-society/



The thing I believe that helped my husband most to be a productive adult and not go the path of his father ( who eventually gave his life over to God and became a powerful preacher) was faith and positive nurturing relationships with in his family circle. To help the children of Somali overcome the violence they face daily it would most likely take the same ingredients; faith, family, and perseverance.

　

　

　

Child Development and Public Health

Beware of . . .BPA!

             

　

An issue that I find rather scary as I have been hearing more information about it, is a toxin called bisphenol-A (BPA). This element is found in many things that we come in contact with on a daily basis. Traces of BPA can be found in paper money, sales receipts, water bottles , baby bottles, sippy cups, pacifiers, toys, canned food (the lining inside the can is most likely to contain BPA). Studies have linked exposure to bisphenol-A in lab animals to a number of problems, from obesity to diabetes, early onset puberty, impaired immune function and even breast cancer.

Health Effects

Bisphenol-A is an hormone disrupter (endocrine) which can mimic the body's own hormones and may lead to negative health effects in animals, including humans. These disruptions can cause cancerous tumors, birth defects, and other developmental disorders. Specifically, they are known to cause learning disabilities,severe attention deficit disorders, cognitive and brain development problems, deformations of the body (including limbs); sexual development problems, feminizing of males or masculine effects on females, etc. Any system in the body controlled by hormones, can be derailed by hormone disruptors.Early development appears to be the period of greatest sensitivity to its effects and some studies have linked prenatal exposure to later neurological difficulties. Regulatory bodies have determined safety levels for humans, but those safety levels are currently being questioned or under review as a result of new scientific studies. A 2011 study that investigated the number of chemicals pregnant women are exposed to in the U.S. found BPA in 96% of women.

The critical period of development for most organisms is between the transition from a fertilized egg, into a fully formed infant. As the cells begin to grow and differentiate, there are critical balances of hormones and protein changes that must occur. Therefore, a dose of disrupting chemicals such as BPA, can do substantial damage to a developing fetus (baby). Whereas, the same dose may not significantly affect adult mothers but BPA is said to encourages obesity, and thyroid problems.



A Global Effect a Global Initiative
Canada has declared BPA a "toxin", therefore they are eliminating the production of products using this chemical. Judging from many of the health issues people in our country face, the United States should do the same. Or will there be profits over people? In April 2008, Health Canada concluded that, while adverse health effects were not expected, the margin of safety was too small for formula-fed infants and proposed classifying the chemical as '"toxic' to human health and the environment."
After the release of that assessment, Canadian Health Minister
Tony Clement announced Canada's intent to ban the import, sale, and advertisement of polycarbonate baby bottles containing bisphenol-A due to safety concerns, and investigate ways to reduce BPA contamination of baby formula packaged in metal cans. While the agency concluded that human exposures were less than levels believed unsafe, the margin of safety was not high enough for formula-fed infants. Around the same time, Wal-Mart announced that it was immediately ceasing sales in all its Canadian stores of food containers, water and baby bottles, sippy cups, and pacifiers containing bisphenol-A, and that it would phase out baby bottles made with it in U.S. stores by early 2009.

I say bravo for Canada, China, Malaysia, Europe, and some of the States in the US who have banned the import and production of items using this dreadful chemical .
Who do you think would be most affected by this toxic chemical? That’s right …poor people.



Want ToRead More?   I have included web sites for your convenience to check this info out for yourselves. It is evident that consumers have to take responsibility for their own safety and not leave it to chance in the hands of companies that profit from this product. Do it for yourselves, if not, then do it for your children


http://www.momknowsbest.ca/en/latest-news/c377976190/index.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/prenatal-exposure-bpa-affect-childrens-behavior/story?id=14793835

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44600724/ns/health-childrens_health/t/controversial-bpa-found-canned-kids-foods-report-says/

http://amomsblog.wordpress.com/2007/12/20/bpa-in-gerber-baby-food-containers/

http://www.thirdage.com/news/bpa-industrial-chemical-found-in-kids-canned-foods_09-22-2011

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/product-reviews/consumer-protection/plastic-safety-heat-food-6

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/4885

Birthing Experiences

My Birthing Experience

I am a mother of four daughters, so I have had four separate birthing experiences. I‘ll elaborate on my very fist pregnancy and birth experience.

For me and my husband we were overjoyed 27 years ago when we discovered we were having a baby. I knew I had to find an obstetrician so that the pregnancy could be tracked. We had no insurance then and didn’t make a lot of money as we worked in ministry. I enrolled at the nearby clinic that allowed for the sliding scale fee and was seen monthly. The staff was so nice and attentive. They made sure that I was given information to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. My pregnancy, for the most part was BLISSFUL. I can say that because I had no morning sickness to speak of, or swelling or other aches and pains that went along with the blessed event. The only issue I had, was fighting hard to keep my iron count up. If I went in for examination and my iron was even one half point down, I would get scolded. So, I ate right and took my vitamins and iron pills. The Baby came two weeks after the projected due date along with a long, hard labor nearly 30 hours!

The attending physician at the hospital made certain that our baby girl was healthy and that I was doing fine after such a long laborious delivery…natural, without anesthesia or other medication! (No medication is crazy talk nowadays!) The delivery was in a room where it was given a home-like atmosphere, not at all clinical and sterile. Post partum depression, never heard of that! All was well with the world, my baby and I were healthy and happy. I do believe I may have been a little anxious being a new mom. To top it off, I lost all the weight gained rather quickly.

The pregnancy experience I believe, helps to shape the unborn child developmentally. My husband did his part by making sure I ate right, and got rest and great foot rubs and backrubs! All of that activity may have played an important part of a pleasant experience for me.

An Experience in Venezuela

I read about the experiences in Venezuela where many of the births at one time were done in the homes through midwifery. Now with modernization most births are performed in private clinics under the direction of a physician who will most likely give a caesarian-section. I came across an interesting story of a physician who turned midwife and fought to maintain the traditional practice of childbirth through midwifery at homes and to make that birthing process be legitimate and recognized . Please read further of this gentleman who was going against the establishment. Here in the US, a woman can have a choice to go to a hospital or give birth in her home with the help of a certified midwife who will make note of the birth and vitals of the newborn.

Insights gained form this information is that modernity is not necessarily better. The midwives offer wisdom to the expectant mothers and families. With the modern facility, traditions are thrown off, and the human experience as mentioned is the article is made to be more clinical than natural.



The Story of a Male Physician-Turned-Midwife
[April 2008]

My name is Fernando Molina, Family Physician, Certified Prenatal instructor and Midwife by heart. I am called “el Partero” in my hometown of Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela, which has a population of approximately one million people.

Let me give you some idea of how women are giving birth in Venezuela. In 2006, 98% of births were attended by MDs, and 2% by traditional midwives in rural areas.

Births attended by midwives have been a dying infrastructure for the last 40 years. In Venezuela we hear about midwives mainly in the west Andean mountain region. In the East, where I live, there are a handful of traditional midwives, very old in age, with no new generation taking over their knowledge and wisdom. They feel very alienated by the medical establishment. We do not have any university that certifies midwives.

More numbers: In 2006, in private clinics, the c-section rate in private clinics was 80% and the vaginal birth rate was 20% (in the public hospitals it was 30% c-sections and 70% vaginal births). These figures are given by the Latin American network for the Humanization of Birth, who somehow monitor what is happening in Latin America.

Unfortunately, in Venezuela midwifery is not recognized in the infrastructure of perinatal care. For babies who are born outside hospitals or clinics (and are not taken to these premises afterwards, where mother and baby would be hospitalized as “infected”), in order to register the baby, the government has a network called the LOPNA (law for the protection of children and adolescents), where the few midwives who deliver babies have to take four witnesses to the birth and the signature of the “chief of the neighborhood” where the delivery took place. This paperwork is a hassle.

I have had the honor of delivering babies at home since 1983, with the birth of my own son. During the last 10 years, I have been dedicated exclusively to gentle homebirths, mostly waterbirths. Since I have an MD degree, I asked the Public Health and Sanitary Dept. to allow me to register “my babies” directly in the official department of newborn registration without the hassle implied in outside hospital births. They could not understand me and were very reluctant at first, so I had to hire a lawyer to help me in the matter. Finally we won the case. I became (with pride) “el Partero.”

This is my humble experience in Venezuela.

God Bless,

— Fernando Molina

http://www.midwiferytoday.com/international/Venezuela.asp