Week 4

A stressor from childhood:

In 1992 my family and I lived in Miami Florida when hurricane Andrew came through and devastated the area, I was 12 years old at the time. It was one of the scariest things I remember going through as a child. My family and I boarded up the house, filled the bathtubs with water, and tried to stock up on supplies. I remember going in to the grocery stores and the shelves being bare or almost empty of all the perishable foods and water. I remember my mother telling me not to worry we have plenty of food and supplies at home.

We all gathered blankets and pillows, flash lights, and toys and hunkered down in the hallway. During the storm the wind was howling and things were banging into the house. The window in my parent’s room got broken out from debris. The hallway where we were hunkered down in started leaking water. I was too young at the time to understand that the roof was being torn apart from the storm. My parents were trying to find a safer spot that would fit the seven of us, a place with no windows. We went to the garage but when my dad opened the door, there was a huge hole in the garage roof and if wasn’t safe for us to go in. My dad flipped over our couches and put them against the wall and we all climbed under them like a fort. This is where we spent our time during the remainder of the storm.

My parents tried during the duration of the storm to take our minds off of what was going on by telling stories and playing games. The talked to us about what was happening and told us not to worry that they would take care of us and keep us safe. After the hurricane our neighborhood and the surrounding areas were devastated. We were lucky and our house was still livable but many of our neighbors their houses where a complete loss. We were without power or clean water for a while. We gathered supplies, batteries and bottled water and helped deliver them to people in need. We helped cleaned up our neighborhood and where ever it was needed. It was a very stressful time. My parents helped us through this time by talking to us and letting us talk to them.

Stressors in other country/region:

There are many stressors children have to face in Africa such as, communal violence/armed conflict and HIV/AIDS. “The Research Program on Children and Global Adversity (RPCGA) works to close the global implementation gap between the realities facing children and families in adversity…the program operates at the crossroads between research, policy and program design, implementation and evaluation.  The RPCGA is engaged in applied research to contribute to stronger and evidence-based interventions to serve children and families in adversity worldwide.” (The Research Program on Children and Global Adversity [RPCGA], 2012, p. 1).  They have many current projects ongoing. In Rwanda they have a family strengthening intervention going on for families and children affected by HIV/AIDS. The Longitudinal Study of War-Affected Youth – Sierra Leon, the Somali Bantu Refugee Community Project, and the SAFE Project (RPCGA, 2012). These programs study the affect stressors have on children but also offer ways to help reduce the stressors in the children’s lives.

References

The Research Program on Children and Global Adversity. (2012). Program goals. Retrieved from http://fxb.harvard.edu/research-program-on-children-and-global-adversity/

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

SIDS is a topic that is very meaningful to me. When my children were babies my biggest fear was something unexplainable would happen to them while they slept. I have a friend who lost their daughter to sudden infant death syndrome and it is devastating. There is still no explanation or way to totally prevent SIDS but there are things for you to do to lessen your risks of it happening. Putting babies to sleep on their back has proven to decrease the risks of SIDS. Other risks that may cause SIDS are low birth weight, cigarette smoke in the household, soft blankets or pillow, and bed-sharing. Bed-sharing is when the baby sleeps with the parent(s).

SIDS in the UK

In the affluent West, SIDS is the most common cause of death of children between the ages of 1 month and 1 year,[2] with the majority of the deaths occurring between the ages of 4 and 6 months.[2] The true incidence may be masked due to discrepancies in the diagnosis used on death certificates - for example, accidental suffocation being misdiagnosed as suffocation and vice versa.

“In the affluent West, SIDS is the most common cause of death of children between the ages of 1 month and 1 year,^] with the majority of the deaths occurring between the ages of 4 and 6 months. The true incidence may be masked due to discrepancies in the diagnosis used on death certificates - for example, accidental suffocation being misdiagnosed as suffocation and vice versa.

·         More than 300 babies per year die from SIDS in the UK.

·         Among industrialized nations, Japan has the lowest reported SIDS rate (0.09 cases per 1,000) whilst New Zealand has the highest rate (0.8 cases per 1,000).

·         The UK rate for SIDS is 0.41 per 1,000 live births.

·         Cot death is more common in male infants (about 60%) of cases.

·         The number and rate of SIDS cases has been falling since 1989. This fall was most marked between 1991 and 1992, when the 'Reduce the Risk' campaign was launched. The USA implemented a similar campaign - 'Back to Sleep'.

·         In 2009, 78% of all SIDS cases were in infants aged less than 3 months. 90% of SIDS deaths occur in the first six months of life.

·         In 2009, babies with a low birth weight (less than 2500 g) were five times more likely to die than those of normal birth weight.

·         The most common season is the winter and the most common time is early morning. This may be related to changing sleep patterns as the infant matures, increased risk of respiratory infections in the colder months” (Patient UK, 2015, p. 2).

This information is vital to my future work with children. If I am working with infants I want to keep them safe while they are in my care. I can do this by following the recommendations on what to do to prevent SIDS. It is also essential to inform parents of these risks also and how they can help to try to prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.

                                                                     References

Patient UK. (2015). Sudden infant death syndrome. Retrieved from http://www.patient.co.uk/doctor/sudden-infant-death-syndrome

Childbirth In Your Life and Around the World

Childbirth in my life....

 

I have seen many births,  8 so far . All of them in hospitals and one almost on the side of the road. I have had 2 children myself. I am choosing to talk about my first child being born...

          My husband and I had a difficult time getting pregnant. We decided to start trying two years after being married, got pregnant and suffered a miscarriage. It would be 6 more years before success! The pregnancy started out good, no morning sickness! At 25 weeks we had our first scare, I started spotting blood. I ended up in the hospital and there they discovered my blood pressure was a little high, but never found the reason for bleeding. I stayed in the hospital for three days and was sent home on strict bed rest. I had to go in for blood tests and doctor visits every week. Nothing was showing up on my tests but my blood pressure being a little high. In my 27th week I went to my doctors appointment, an ultrasound. My labs had finally come back showing what was going on, and it wasn't good for me or the baby.  During the ultrasound they noticed that the blood vessels were restricted and the baby was not as big as he should be. My labs came back and with all the information my doctor had they diagnosed me with H.E.L.L.P syndrome. 

****HELLP Syndrome is a series of symptoms that make up a syndrome that can affect pregnant women. HELLP syndrome is thought to be a variant of preeclampsia, but it may be an entity all on its own. There are still many questions about the serious condition of HELLP syndrome. The cause is still unclear to many doctors and often HELLP syndrome is misdiagnosed. It is believed that HELLP syndrome affects about 0.2 to 0.6 percent of all pregnancies. 

The name HELLP stands for:

H- hemolysis ( breakdown of red blood cells)

EL- elevated liver enzymes (liver function)

LP- low platelets counts (platelets help the blood clot)

Resources: 

American Pregnancy Association

http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-complications/hellp-syndrome/ ****

I was very sick and now it wasn't only about my baby's health, mine was in danger too. The only thing that could help both of us was for the baby to be born. At 27 weeks, by c-section, we welcomed Enrique Meilo Juan into the world. He was 1 pound 10 oz and 12 1/2 inches long and whisked straight off to the NICU. He was 3 months early and we did not know what to expect.

Meilo: 1 lb 10oz 12 1/2 inches long

We got very lucky! After three months in the NICU he came home. Today if you saw him you would never even think that he was born that early! The only issue we deal with is asthma when he gets sick.

Meilo 7 years old

We understand that in many cases people are not as lucky as we were.


Childbirth Around the World...

Premature birth happen all around the world, not one country is exempt from this. The difference between the countries is the survival rate of being born premature.

          According to the World Health Organization (WHO)

*  Inequalities in survival rates around the world are stark. In low-income settings, half of the babies born at 32 weeks (two months early) die due to a lack of feasible, cost-effective care, such as warmth, breastfeeding support, and basic care for infections and breathing difficulties. In high-income countries, almost all of these babies survive.

*  More than 60% of preterm births occur in Africa and South Asia, but preterm birth is truly a global problem. In the lower-income countries, on average, 12% of babies are born too early compared with 9% in higher-income countries. Within countries, poorer families are at higher risk.


Resources:
World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs363/en/

Poverty and poor or no health care can severely impact the life expectancy of a preterm baby. I know from experience that it costs thousands upon thousands of dollars to care for a preterm baby. My husband and I were lucky in that regard also. We had very good health insurance and because he was born so small he was automatically enrolled in the free state insurance. From Meilo's birth to when he left the NICU is cost almost 1 million dollars!! We always joke with him that he is our million dollar baby and it really is no joke.