Consequences of Stress on Children's Development

When I think about my daughter who is three I look at the list of the stressors and I hope that she never faces many of these stressors in her life time.  One stressor that I know of that impacts her is noise.  She does not like high pitched noises like a lawn mower, a leaf blower, a blender, hammering etc.  When she hears these things she looks around and covers her ears.  Sometimes she will run to another room to get away from the "noise".  When she does this my husband or I will go and and talk to her about the noise.  We typically try and show her what is producing that noise so that she will become familiar with it and not be scared of the noises.  We have even had her hearing check to try and understand why certain noises impact her. 

 

When I look at the list of stresses that a child may have in their life I see this list in many of the children we serve in our program and the way children cope with themselves varies.  When I look at this list I see children experiencing more than one of these things in their lives and they are all under the age of five.  The children we serve are facing poverty, racism, isolation, hunger, chaos and violence.  When I think about Rural Alaska I feel that many of these stressors are prevalant in our communities.  How do we get families out of poverty?  Poverty leads to hunger, isolation and violence.  I feel thataction of violence is typically the end of the line for many.  When I see children that are hungry we see them acting out, eating a lot at school and withdrawn. This then effects their behavior, attendance at school, how they learn and retain that information.  I think that there are many programs in our region to help with the effects of the stressors.  In the region I live in I see a lot of programs like our free and reduced lunch program, attendance and drop out programs, wellness programs etc.  

Child Development and Public Health

Breastfeeding is a topic of interest for me.  I have two children and I breastfed my daughter exclusively for 14 months and my son is 6 months old and he has only been breastfed.  Before I had children I was working in a Head Start program and I was probably the only worker there that did not have children.  I found it interesting that many of my co workers did not breastfeed their children.  I also found this intersting because many of my co workers live in poverty and would rather go buy formula than breastfeed their baby.  I believe that this is due to the lack of information/knowledge and resources that is given to them in the hospital.  Living in rural Alaska women fly out of their communities and into a central hub.  They wait (away from their home and families), deliver the baby and are sent home on a plane within three days of delivery.  When they get home there is a lack of medical services (In our rural communities there is not a doctor or a nurse.  Most communities have an entry level health aide.) let alone a laction consultant in the community. 

For many parents of the world and even in some parts of the United States there is a lack of food, formula is expensive and water is an issue (lack of water or not clean water).  Breastfeeding children could make a difference for the child and families.  It is a natural resource of food for families and could relieve some of the stressors that some families have. 

For my work with our families at our program we are already sharing this information on breastfeeding.  The benefits of breast feeding for both the baby, mother and family (especially if there are money concerns within the family).  When we were developing and designing our infant toddler classrooms we created spaces for mothers to come in and nurse their babies.  We also make sure to inform parents of this area when doing enrollment and giving tours of our centers. 

Benefits for Baby & Mother

• Lower incidence of certain viruses
• Lower incidence of respiratory illness
• Reduction in ear infections, meningitis
• National Institute of Environmental and Health Sciences found that breastfed children have a 20 percent lower risk of dying between the ages of 28 days and 1 year
• The immune factors in breast milk guard against invading germs and result in a natural buildup in babies of protections against many forms of illness
• Breastfeeding may protect babies from developing allergies
• Research has demonstrated a connection between breastfeeding and cognitive development (greater intelligence)
• Recent studies show a strong link between breastfeeding and a lower incidence of obesity as a teen or adult.
• The longer women breastfeed, the greater the mother’s protection against breast and ovarian cancers.

http://www.voices.org/issues/childrens-health/call-to-action-on-breastfeeding/?gclid=CPnZjtD4xLkCFYZ_QgodD3EADQ

Childbirth

Childbirth is a unique experience to each and every person.  I have been privelaged to given birth to two children.  My daughter was born in 2009 and my son was born in March 2013.  Each was unique in their own way but also similar.  I had a lot of prenatal appointments with both my children.  These appointments included measurement of the baby, fetal non stress tests, blood pressure checks on myself and the doctor just getting to know me.  I remember waiting in anticpation for the arrival of our daughter. I also did not want anyone in the room with me except for my husband.  For me being in labor and giving birth to our daughter was very easy.  I even remember saying that was it? I could do that again.  The nurse looked at me and said most people don't say that.  I remember when the nurse handed my daughter over to us I felt happy, relieved that she was healthy and couldn't believe how tiny she was. 

I chose this example because it is what I know.  I also believe that it is important to share positive brith stories.  Too many times I hear of horror stories and it scares people and gives people a negative attitude when they go into delivery.  It was important to me that I welcomed our daughter into a postive enviornment. 

I feel that if families/parents are stressed the child is going to pick up on that.  I believe that the stress impacts the child developing properly.  When stress is involved I feel that children will develop more slowly and will not thrive like they should. 

I looked up information on the Netherlands.  I found it interesting that pregnant moms do not see an obstetrician and instead use a a midwife.  The moms decide whether they will have a home or hospital delivery. If you do opt for a hospital birth you will unlikely get an epidural due to the anesthesiologist's schedule. I also found it intersting that a baby may go home in as little as two hours A nurse will come to the house for seven days and it is know at maternity home care (kraamhulp).  I found this interesting because with my son I stayed in the hospital for three days after delivery and I felt like the doctors were not in a rush to send me home either. 

What would be interesting is to compare how different states in the United States deal with child birth.  I know that in Alaska it is very different than Washington State. 

36 Weeks Pregnant