Child Development and Public Health

Access to healthy water

Out of all the public health topics to choose from (nutrition/malnutrition, immunization, access to healthy water, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), breastfeeding, and mental health of mothers, fathers, and families in general), I chose the topic of access to healthy water because of the significance of water to the body. Water, among breath, is the life force for the body. As we all know, one cannot function without air, food and WATER. Clean water is, also, vital for sanitation and hygiene.  A few months ago, I did a cleanse where I fasted for 4 days only drinking water and taking organic supplements. Through this fast, I began my research on water and alkaline foods, and on this journey, learned that all water is not the same. My husband purchased a water tester and we began testing various water sources: bottled water, tap water, and filter water from Earthfare. With a water tester, the device calculates how many contaminants in parts per million that are found in the water. When holding the device inside the water, if the meter read "000" the water is considered "pure" water with no added "elements". Some may think that drinking water is the best thing for the body but if you are not conscious of the "purity" of the water, you may be introducing harmful elements such as chlorine, lead, fluoride, dirt, etc. into the body. 

Water Tester

                                                                 

        "Water and sanitation concerns are of great magnitude: 1.1 billion individuals, approximately 17 percent of the world’s population, are without improved water and more do not have access to safe drinking water, and 2.6 billion, approximately 41 percent, are without improved sanitation. Even worse, many of the world’s school children attend a school without water or toilets. Not surprisingly, 40 percent of the world’s school-age children have worm infections, predisposing them to cognitive and developmental problems. It is further estimated that 5,000 children die every day from diseases because of lack of safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene (WSSCC, 2004)." 


Here is an excerpt from the water.org's website for India about their water supply and why clean water and maintaining a efficient water supply is so vital for the country...

   "India’s huge and growing population is putting a severe strain on all of the country’s natural resources. Most water sources are contaminated by sewage and agricultural runoff. India has made progress in the supply of safe water to its people, but gross disparity in coverage exists across the country. Although access to drinking water has improved, the World Bank estimates that 21% of communicable diseases in India are related to unsafe water. In India, diarrhea alone causes more than 1,600 deaths daily—the same as if eight 200-person jumbo-jets crashed to the ground each day. Hygiene practices also continue to be a problem in India. Latrine usage is extremely poor in rural areas of the country; only 14% of the rural population has access to a latrine. Hand washing is also very low, increasing the spread of disease. In order to decrease the amount of disease spread through drinking-water, latrine usage and hygiene must be improved simultaneously."

                              

The information that I have learned will impact my future work by simply being conscious to the type of water I serve the children at my center. As state above, not all water is beneficial to the body. I want to promote the expansion of the mind, body, and spirit and it is my personal opinion that the foundation of this goal, is the water and food that enters their body. 

Reference

Water.org (n.d.). Water.org's program in India. Retrieved from        

          http://water.org/country/india/n.d.)

Gangarosa, E. and Moe, C. (2009). Global Environmental Health: Research Gaps and     

           barriers for Providing Sustainable Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Services: Workshop 

          Summary. Improving Water and Sanitation Access in Developing Countries: 

          Progress and Challenges. Retrieved

          from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK50770/

Child Birth In My Life and Around the World

 As I think about the birth of my three daughters (ages: 12, 4, 2), the most memorable one would be of my oldest where I was in labor (assisted by pitocin) for 21 hours. I was 19 years old when I had my first child and I can still feel the pain of every contraction! I had never felt anything like that before and although the contractions only lasted a minute, that minute felt like an hour! My water broke around 7:30 AM on March 28, 2002 but it was a slow leak. I eventually made it to the hospital, after being advised by my OB/GYN "to take my time getting to the hospital", around 11:19 AM and that's were the fun began! Some hours passed and the nurse said I wasn't making any change in my cervix so she told me she was going to start giving me a medicine called Pitocin which was "suppose to make my contractions stronger"...what an understatement that was! I labored well into the evening hours, using Stadol and another drug for pain relief until I couldn't take it anymore. I labored for about 2 more hours before I received my epidural. Thank God for Epidurals!!!! But, then I kept feeling this pressure as if I had to use the bathroom! I remember telling my mother and the nurse I had to use the bathroom and when they checked me, it was time to push. I pushed for about 10 minutes to get her head out and about 3 more pushes for her body. On March 29, 2002 @ 4:24 AM, I was the proud mother of a 7 lbs. 3 oz baby girl! My first born! 

I chose this birthing experience because at that moment, my life changed for the better. This is when I discovered who I really was. My strengths, weaknesses, ambitions, my mindset before and after her birth, what really mattered in life, etc.  I got pregnant with my first born 2 months after graduating high school and it was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. My first born MADE me grow up and realize that every decision I made from this moment forward affected her and I had no choice but to get it together. I became serious about school and ended up transferring from my local community college to one of the universities in town with a 3.09 GPA and received 2 scholarships and 3 grants towards my education and..."the rest is history"!

Pregnancy and birth are beautiful experiences and one I wish all women could experience at least once in their lives. Child development begins at birth with the developing embryo. Working in the early childhood field, I am very familiar with the understanding that certain circumstances pertaining to pregnancy and birth can affect child development such as premature birth, the child being born with various physical ailments, the child experiencing trauma in the womb or during birth, etc.

 I actually googled "birthing practices around the world" to see what the Internet had to offer and found an intriguing article (10 Strange Customs Surrounding Birth and Babies) at http://listverse.com/2013/12/25/10-strange-customs-surrounding-birth-and-babies/ which included different customs surrounding birth. One birthing custom I thought was interesting was from Great Britain and is known as "Groaning cheese and Groaning cake". In this custom, new fathers had to offer a wheel of cheese and cake for the family. The "groaning" in Groaning cheese and cake came from the complaints and pains associated with the delivery of the child. The cake and cheese were part of the celebration of the new child and were eaten as part of a meal. The doctor would cut the cheese and cake after the birth of the child and it would be eaten by everyone who came to see the new parents and extend happy wishes. The similarities with this custom and my experience is the celebration that comes with the successful birth of a child. However, the differences are obvious! It is not very common (to my knowledge) that American fathers practice such a custom!