Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is one of the leading causes of death among infants one month through age one in the United States of America. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) defines SIDS as the sudden death of an infant under one year of age which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene and review of the clinical history.
This topic is meaningful to me because I had a co-worker who lost her baby at two months old and it was ruled as SIDS. I'll never forget her pain. I remember that she kept blaming herself and didn't understand what she did wrong. Her baby was strong and healthy, eating, developing normally, and all of a sudden one morning when she skipped a feeding, she realized that she was dead in her crib. No blanket, sleeping on her side, still. It's unimaginable and it's unexplainable because they still don't know what exactly causes SIDS. Research has concluded that some risks include sleeping with parents, tummy sleeping and blankets/pillows. But, my friend's baby had none of those things and still, she died of SIDS. Why? We may never know.
For unknown reasons, the rate of SIDS is much lower in Canada and Japan than in the United States, but higher in New Zealand (Berger, 2012). When researching SIDS in other parts of the world, I found that in India, a baby cannot sleep anywhere else but beside their mother and father. It is a tradition and it must be followed although that completely contradicts what the United States considers a huge risk factor for newborns.
The information I gathered on SIDS will greatly impact my future work because many of my student's parents are pregnant and I can pass along this information to them so they are aware of the many risk factors for their new babies and hopefully make a difference in someone's life.
REFERENCES
http://neuroanthropology.net/2008/12/21/cosleeping-and-biological-imperatives-why-human-babies-do-not-and-should-not-sleep-alone/
Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers
Friday, January 18, 2013
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Childbirth in my Life & Around the World
November 30, 1995 is an unforgettable day for me. It was the day I gave birth to my first son after 14 hours in labor. Back then they waited a really long time before they gave you the option of an epidural injection to help numb the pain, so needless to say, it wasn't easy. All through the pregnancy, my doctors had told me to stay away from coffee and tea, because caffeine would mean a hyper-active baby. At 19, I failed to realize that "iced tea" was the same as "hot tea" and therefore contained just as much, if not more, caffeine and sugar. I drank iced-tea by the gallons those nine months of pregnancy because it eased my nauseau which I had all the time. Long story, short, my son was moving so much when I got to the hospital that they couldn't monitor his heartbeat through a belly belt, instead they had to break my water, clamp his head (sorry for the mental picture) and monitor him that way for those long 14 hours!
This example came to mind immediately because as I lay there in pain, the doctor was trying to figure out why the baby had so much movement and why this complication was arising, and it was at that moment that the iced-tea, caffeine, factor came up. They concluded that my caffeine intake had greatly affected the baby and I should prepare myself for a very hyper baby. That delivery was difficult, more more so it has been 17 years of very hyper behavior and personality. He had poor impulse control his whole life and I've blamed myself for it his whole life. I'm older now and wiser and realize I was young and naive but I know that I significanly impacted his development and therefore impacted his life. Child development begins that early and I'm sure that in young adults who are first time parents, it's imperative that they understand every aspect of what they do when they are pregnant so they can avoid possible problems in the future.
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When researching about Mommies Do's and Dont's around the world and other birthing practices, I found the following facts to be interesting:
Guatemala: Women in this country, particularly those of Mayan descent, may remain at home throughout their entire nine months because they fear any influential exposure to illness, evil spirits or even the ill will of others.
Inuit: Inflating balloons or blowing bubbles with gum is avoided during pregnancy to prevent premature rupturing of the membranes.
Bolivia: No hand-knit booties for Bolivian babies! Knitting while pregnant is believed to cause the umbilical cord to wrap around the baby’s neck.
China: For the duration of their pregnancies, Chinese women make a conscious effort to steer clear of evil spirits, funerals and sex.
These practices show you that across the world, there are beliefs that may affect child development and women are urged to follow these practices to ensure a healthy baby, just like in the United States, staying away from caffeine is greatly encouraged. I guess my greatest insight is that mommy's everywhere have to follow directions, no matter how crazy it may sound. It's the culture and that's a major characteristic of child development EVERYWHERE!
**If you want to check out more facts about prenatal, birth and post birth practices around the world, click on the link under my references. It's very interesting!
http://www.pnmag.com/pregnancy-lifestyle/friends-family/passport-pregnancy-traditions-around-world
This example came to mind immediately because as I lay there in pain, the doctor was trying to figure out why the baby had so much movement and why this complication was arising, and it was at that moment that the iced-tea, caffeine, factor came up. They concluded that my caffeine intake had greatly affected the baby and I should prepare myself for a very hyper baby. That delivery was difficult, more more so it has been 17 years of very hyper behavior and personality. He had poor impulse control his whole life and I've blamed myself for it his whole life. I'm older now and wiser and realize I was young and naive but I know that I significanly impacted his development and therefore impacted his life. Child development begins that early and I'm sure that in young adults who are first time parents, it's imperative that they understand every aspect of what they do when they are pregnant so they can avoid possible problems in the future.
____________________________________________________________________________________
When researching about Mommies Do's and Dont's around the world and other birthing practices, I found the following facts to be interesting:
Guatemala: Women in this country, particularly those of Mayan descent, may remain at home throughout their entire nine months because they fear any influential exposure to illness, evil spirits or even the ill will of others.
Inuit: Inflating balloons or blowing bubbles with gum is avoided during pregnancy to prevent premature rupturing of the membranes.
Bolivia: No hand-knit booties for Bolivian babies! Knitting while pregnant is believed to cause the umbilical cord to wrap around the baby’s neck.
China: For the duration of their pregnancies, Chinese women make a conscious effort to steer clear of evil spirits, funerals and sex.
These practices show you that across the world, there are beliefs that may affect child development and women are urged to follow these practices to ensure a healthy baby, just like in the United States, staying away from caffeine is greatly encouraged. I guess my greatest insight is that mommy's everywhere have to follow directions, no matter how crazy it may sound. It's the culture and that's a major characteristic of child development EVERYWHERE!
**If you want to check out more facts about prenatal, birth and post birth practices around the world, click on the link under my references. It's very interesting!
REFERENCES
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