Child Development and Public Health

Access to healthy and clean drinking water is extremely important for healthy development, especially for growing children. Many countries around the world lack access to clean drinking water and it saddens me. Many children suffer from countless illnesses and diseases due to lack of and access to clean drinking water.  South Sudan is a country located located in northern Africa that is plagued by unsanitary drinking water. According to UNICEF (2016), 32 percent of South Sudan does not have access to clean drinking water.  Lack of water has caused tension between sudanese communities and a third of children under the age five suffers from diarrhea and parasitic worms, according to UNICEF (2016). The information that I have learned through research inspires me to advocate for clean and sanitary water projects in the region of south Sudan. As an early childhood education leader, it is my main focus to impact and make a difference in the lives of children in order to promote healthy physical, cognitive and emotional development. According to UNICEF (2016), South Sudan consists of 98 percent of the world's cases of Guinea worm disease, a parasitic disease that is contracted by ingestion water fleas that are infected with guinea worm larvae or worms. As an advocate, I can merge with other leaders around the world to raise funding for clean drinking water. Early childhood studies is all about sharing knowledge amongst other researchers, policy makers and leaders who are destined to be apart of change. 


The link to the UNICEF article -----> https://www.unicef.org/southsudan/wes.html 

Childbirth In Your Life and Around The World.

I remember being in the hospital room June 27, 2007 while my oldest sister was experiencing awfully painful contractions before giving birth to my oldest niece, Sanai. Northside hospital has a very clean kept and caring nursing/delivery unit. They made sure my sister and family were as comfortable as possible during the process. I was overjoyed about being a first time aunt and unusually anxious. For hours and hours my sister went through painful contractions and was given an epidural to alleviate some of the pain. I hated to see her go through the pain, crying and miserable. The nurses and doctors, with the approval of Shaurina (my sister) agreed that a cesarean section would be the best route for a healthy and successful delivery. After 10 painful hours of labor and of course support from her husband and my mother and I, arrived my very first beautiful niece Sanai Andrea Dudley. I was the happiest and proudest auntie alive that day! <3

I chose this example because it was my very first time actually witnessing someone go through labor. As we all know, birth plays a very important factor in child development. The mother's physical health whether good or bad during pregnacy has major influences on the child's overall development. I am happy that my sister was able to experience very tentative, quality, nurturing and professional medical care during her labor experience. Healthy deliveries cause for healthy bonds between the mother and newborn and healthy bonds lead to healthy child development. When the mother experiences complications during pregnancy, lack sterile and proper medical care, or experiences unsupportive attention from medical professionals things like this can lead to development issues within children.

Childbirth In The Netherlands

Childbirth in the Netherlands differs in many ways than that of the United States. I learned that women in the Dutch maternity system are pushed towards having natural births, unlike in the United States it is the choice of the woman whether she wants to have a midwife, natural birth, water birth, home birth or give birth in the hospital. In the Netherlands pregnancy is not viewed as medical condition, as a result women are not handled as patients and more women experience home births. Only 10 percent of the women in the Netherlands use pain medications during childbirth. According to Expatica, the Netherlands is ranked highest in women experiencing home births in the world. Women in the US have access to pain medications and are encouraged to request them when contractions and pain during pregnancy becomes unbearable. As I stated earlier, the nurses were more than happy to administer an epidural to my sister in order to alleviate the pain that she was experiencing. In the United States many women choose to give birth in high tech operating rooms and labor rooms because it can be hazardous and dangerous if no one is there with proper expertise to rescue the newborn. Although home births are more common in the Netherlands than they are in the US, I found that women in both countries often appoint midwives to assist with the delivery processes. 


http://www.expatica.com/nl/healthcare/Maternity-matters-What-to-expect-in-the-Netherlands_101827.html <------- resourceful link