Sunday, November 25, 2018

Stressors: loss of a parent


Stressors are indeed a contributor to the development of a human being.  Early exposure to stressors can create either problems for the child or help the child development.  As healthy stress is needed for proper development of the brain.  Engaging the fight or flight response of their brain, creating proper use of this natural response.  With that being said, we are hard-wired to cope with certain stressors and adversities.  We are not designed to cope with an overload of stress, which can and will lead to health concerns, as well as development.  I have decided to refer to the reality of a crisis, which has a broad mean.  The crisis I will refer to will be the loss of a mother or father as a child is younger in age, still dependent on their parent.  The loss of a parent for a child can be devastating, creating many unanswered questions.  I was only 4 months away from being 7 years old when my mother died from battling cancer.  She put up a very long fight for years.  She was indeed a tough role model for anyone to follow.  She never lost her faith and always remained positive for her 3 little girls.  Each of us, my 2 sisters and self, responded differently to this stressor or crisis to say.  Based on the child’s age, environment, family unit, and more will determine how the child copes.  As for me I can remember seeing my mother weak and trying to take care of her 3 girls.  I remember the day we view her body in the casket and waiting her to just wake up.  I recall the many times as a girl, young lady, and as an adult now the times I could have truly used her support or advice.  This tragic event left an embedded imprint ono the development of my brain.  Thereforth creating a degree of mental health problems.  With proper coping and support, a child can overcome many diversities and stressors, but when one of these areas are weak or broken it makes a life-long impact on their life.  Of course in every situation of development we must remember the reality each child is an individual, unique in their own way.  “Personality traits, such as neuroticism, introversion, and prior mental disorders, also increase the risk for developing PTSD (Van der Kolk, McFarlane, & Weisaeth, 2007, p.86).  A child’s attachment throughout life is established with their mother, father, siblings, and immediate family members.  Change or lose of one of these can be detrimental to some children.  We must have a support for those in this situation, no matter the child’s socioeconomic status or culture.    

            When relating to my situation verses those children in Africa, I truly benefited a bit more than they did.  The reality that the epidemic of children being orphans is growing tremendously in Africa.  It is hard regardless to lose a parent, but these children have little to no support from other family unit.  Struggling to support siblings the oldest child will bear in poverty.  “Neither words or statics can adequately capture the human tragedy of children grieving for dying or dead parents, stigmatized by society through association with HIV/AIDS, plunged into economic crisis and insecurity by their parents’ death and struggling without services or support systems in impoverished communities” (UNICEF, 1999, p.3).  As medicine is improving and knowledge is being gained, the reality is still it cost to produce, dispense, and deliver the medication to these sick parents.  The cost continues to grow with their disease.  The reality is that these children need support to keep this epidemic from creating a crisis. 



References:

UNICEF, (1999, December). Children orphaned by AIDS: Front-line responses from eastern and southern Africa.  Retrieved from:          https://www.unicef.org/publications/files/pub_aids_en.pdf.


Van Der Kolk, B., McFarlane, A., & Weisaeth, L. (2007). Traumatic Stress: The effects of            overwhelming experience on mind, body, and society.    

   

Saturday, November 10, 2018

Mental Healh in Mothers/Parents


Mental health of parents is vital in the development of themselves, as well as the children in their care.  If children are sponges to their environment, then the aim of every parent should be to prompt healthy development.  I feel most parents truly strive to be a positive influence and role model for their children, but life happens.  In everyone there at some point comes stressors, or situations that contribute to stress.  As a parent myself, I have found it easy to be frustrated and its recoil is sometimes turn toward the kids.  Have you ever had a day where it seemed everything you touch fell apart, or anything you were engaged with just did not go a planned?  Life comes in many of these shades and we as adults have to be able to manage them appropriately.  We have to realize we have eyes and ears constantly soaking up or actions and demeanor.  As any parent the introduction of a baby is very rewarding but very nerve racking as well.  I remember the fear I had being a new mom.  I thought, how am I even going to put his clothes on without hurting him.  So tiny and so precious.  I did not have the first clue.  Besides the stress of the unknown with a new baby, the beginning mentality of the parents are vital.  Does the parents currently struggle with depression or any other mental health concerns, as there is an abundance of mental diseases.  For anyone with mental health problems it can be a struggle to get through daily functions, especially with another outside stressors.  The point is that parents with mental illnesses can contribute to how a child develops holistically.  If there is already an error in a parent’s DNA, we have to question whether this error was inherited by the child.  Will the child have similar traits?  All of these factors will paly apart in how we approach the vitalness of parent influence, attachment.  Parents and families contribute to an abundant amount of influence in a child’s life and throughout their life span.

Referring to a recent article based on the mental health of parents in Australia with children with disabilities, provided by Australian Government in August  22, 2012 (Burke-Taylor, 2012) creates great light into the stressors of life and the impacts it can make on a life of more than the one suffering from the disability.  Not only are the children with disabilities facing challenges in their own world, such as socially, school, learning, and more, but he family members as well.  Mother’s face many challenges related to their child’s disability.  The disability itself comes with health concerns from physical health and mental health of their child, cost of medical insurance, copays, coinsurances, etc, limitations with insurance, and more.  These are stressors the mother or parent has to focus on, which in hand contributes to its own line of stressors.  Then we must consider the changes in one’s life to accommodate the disability such as special routines, specific schedules with medical providers, and more.  Lastly the look into the mental health of the mother.  As we understand mothers are usually the prime nurturing source for the child.  Even though many fathers contribute to caregiving, the mother-child attachment begins in fetus.  With proper support and programs now available parents can receive support as needed to maintain over-all healthy life in order to be an adequate caregiver for a disabled child.  (Burke-Taylor, 2012).  Many mothers, as I have experienced, we put ourselves last compared to our children.  “Therefore, it is up to professionals who are engaged with families who are raising a child with a disability to play a key role advocating for pathways and services that assist mothers with mental health condition” (Bourke-Taylor, 2012, para. 7). 

In other words, life indeed has many stressors we can not see until we step into another’s shoes.  As an advocate for children and families, as well as a member of a community, one must join together and not judge the other, but support and lift one another up.  I know from my experience as a mother, there is no proper handbook.  Life happens, children have individual minds and we must remain open to any situation that may cause distress to our children or ourselves.  I have eaten the famous words “my child won’t do that,” many times.  We must remain positive, supportive, open, and loving in the life of our self and a child.  The mind is a very complex being that we are learning more about every day.  With what is current we know that development is dynamic and needs enrichment to strive for healthy development.  



Reference:

Bourke-Taylor, H. (2012, August 22). The mental health of mothers of school-aged children        with disability. Australian Government: Australian Institute of Family Studies.

Sunday, November 4, 2018

My birthing experience


            I would like to share my experience with my latest birth of my son.  I am currently a mother of three boys.  My first was about eleven years ago, then my middle five years ago, and now my latest was only three moths ago.  I will touch on the previous deliveries only because they were significantly different.  Due to my first delivery having to be an emergency cesarean, my odds of repeating the procedure was rather high.  Of course, my age was different with each child.  Which would contribute to my maturity level and the ability for my body to recover.  From the first delivery to the last the support for pregnant women has truly improved and gained great knowledge to support healthy development.  I feel now hospitals and doctors promote nurture and attachment sooner, then in previous years.  I can remember the nervousness was no different with either delivery.  Being a scheduled c-section, we knew the exact day and time.  Understanding the complications and knowing the odds did increase to a level of anxiety for me.   Having this knowledge at every delivery created stress and keep me from getting enough rest the night before entering the hospital.  Just as my previous deliveries family and friends gathered in the waiting room to celebrate his arrival.  With the new policy enforced in the hospitals, my son came immediately to me once he was examined.  Once everything checkout with fine and healthy he was placed in his father’s hands and brought to my chest.  Due to the nature of my delivery I was not able to hold him until I was in recovery.  Due to the amount of scar tissue from my last two caesareans, the time to suture me together was a bit longer than anticipated.  Nevertheless I remember the nurses being eager for him to join me.  Referring to my last two deliveries, it was totally different.  My first son the nurse offered to keep him in the nursey until I got some rest.  There was a delay on the attachment with my oldest son to say.  My middle child was a bit different with a stronger support for lactation and he was brought to the room while in recovery, but no support or guidance on skin-to-skin contact.  Personally, I would have to say my last delivery was the best for healthier development.  Mother-baby attachment is enforced stronger and the support for lactation is promoted.  At this last delivery there is not a nursey for healthy infants.  They must go to the room with the mother.  I truly appreciate the attempts to create an instant attachment to the mother as this is vital for a child to thrive.  Even though the mothers, as I was completely exhausted, the support to help one rest and receive help is ample.  Nurses, volunteers, and interns are willing to watch the infant for and hour to two to allow some time to rest.  As rest is vital for the mother, from every aspect.  



            I chose to research the birthing options available for women in Australia.  From the article I read it appears that the women from Australia have very similar options as women in the United States of America for delivering their babies.  Of course as in American there are similar environmental influences on the mother and fetus, such as socioeconomics, health concerns, genetics, and more.  Nevertheless, the available birthing options are as followed: Public and private hospitals, birth centre, or at home.  Of course insurance is a contributor in which choices some women make.  Per the policies in Australia in insurance and medical procedures there is a degree of differences.  For example, in public hospital the option for c-section is not allowed unless medically needed.  Another example would be the use of Birth Centre, this procedure is covered by Medicare and is free.  Of course private midwifes and doctors charge and can be file with insurance.  It is apparent that the options are similar in American, but due to hospital polices and those of insurance providers, there are limitations on the choice of delivery.  American can also be said to have policies through insurance and the hospitals.  These policies differ from region to region.  (2018, McCulloch).

            Birthing experiences indeed vary from region to region.  Many factors can contribute to how a baby is born.  For example, as I mentioned above my first child ended up being an emergency c-section.  Thankfully in American that is a possibility.  For the regions that have improved health care the focus on development of the baby should always focus at the starting of prenatal care.  Then the next focus of development should be after delivery and the impact of skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding, and attachment to mother.  These focuses can allow an infant to strive in development.



Reference:

            McCulloch, S., (2018, June 5).  Birth options in Australia: public, private, birth centre or home.  Retrieved November 2, 2018 from https://www.bellybelly.com.au/birth/australia-public-private-birth-centre-home/