Child Development and Public Health

SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) the quiet killer is a topic of importance to me because I had a dear friend who had twins who died a week apart from SIDS. I also believe that we can change the number of death and reduce the risk related to SIDS by educating parents, family members, and childcare providers. Research has shown that babies who are placed on their backs to sleep are less likely to die from SIDS. Always place your baby on his/her back to sleep unless health issues diagnosed by a physician prevent you from doing so. Breastfeeding, Smoke-free environments, keeping your baby close, temperature, and regular doctor visits are factors that can lower the risk of SIDS.

 

    In Maori, New Zealand, SIDS has been the leading cause of preventable death.  According to a 2005 survey, these mothers had poor knowledge of SIDS prevention, they also had a higher rate of maternal smoking, stop breastfeeding to early, and shared beds with their infants. Health promotion has become more difficult because of poor socioeconomic conditions and the mothers lack adequate access to health care.

 

Tipene-Leach, D., Hutchison, L., Tangiora, A., Rea, C., White, R., Stewart, A., & Mitchell, E. (2010). SIDS-related knowledge and infant care practices among maori mothers. The New Zealand Medical Journal (Online), 123(1326), 88-96. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1034261563?accountid=14872

Childbirth In Your Life and Around the World

I chose this experience because I would like to share my personal birth experience. In June of 1990 I gave birth to my son by emergency c-section. This was the second of five experiences. I could remember being excited throughout my pregnancy and waiting on his arrival. After months of prenatal care and doctor’s visit on my 34 week visit to the doctor I was asked if I could feel him moving and how often he was moving because he appeared lazy on the ultrasound. I told the doctor that I mostly felt him move at night and he informed me that this was not normal. So I was scheduled to have a more in depth ultrasound and follow up with the doctor following the ultrasound. The ultra sound required me to lay flat on my back for over an hour. When I arrived at the doctor’s office the doctor told me that something was wrong and that I was being admitted in the hospital for further testing. After being admitted, hooked up to the fetal monitor and before any test could be run, the nurse asked if I realized that I was having contractions. I was not aware that I was in labor. She proceeded to call the doctor to see what he wanted to do.  They did not stop the contractions and my labor continued. After careful watch on the monitor from the staff and my mom, the doctor informed me I would have to have an emergency C-section because my contraction would cause his heart rate to go up and because he was hydrocephalic it could cause intensive damage. Because I was put to sleep for the operation I can’t remember much about the birth and what happened afterwards. I also did not see him because he was placed in the NICU. I do remember waking up and my mother standing over me smiling. Not knowing at that time that she was told by the doctor’s not to tell me that my baby was not suppose to live through the night. The next day I was able to go see him in the NICU, I was told he was not eating or responding to the nurses. So one of the nurses placed him in my arms and I gave him his bottle and he did exceptionally well. So every feeding I was allowed to go feed him trying to hide my emotions and be strong for him despite what the doctors were saying. After three days I was released and had to leave him at the hospital because they had no place for mothers to stay. This was very hard for me so I chose not to go see him before I left after getting and trying to heal from the surgery my grandmother would not allow me out the house so my family took turns at the hospital while I continued to heal. After a few days He was moved to the children’s hospital and I was able to stay overnight with him. I was there for a few days and was made to go home and get some rest and finish recovering by his pediatrician. He told me I was not any good to him if I was not getting any rest and not taking care of myself. Coming up to his second week in the hospital he had major surgery where they placed a shunt in his head to drain fluid off his brain to keep his head from swelling any larger. My son is now 22 years old.

I want other parents to know and understand the importance of the bond that a child has with their parents even before birth. Children sense all types of emotions. For a long time I could not understand why my child would not do certain things when he was first born, but now I understand when I our bond was broken after I gave birth and did not see him for a while he was missing something important. We had been attached to each other for 35 weeks and that bond was broken during his birth, but after we were able to reconnect things began to turn around.