Relationships can have both positive and
negative impacts on a person’s life. The impacts of those relationships mold
who we are. I have been very blessed to say that most of the
relationships that I have developed have left a positive impact on my life. It
is through the different relationships that I have learned how to laugh, love,
cry, and forgive. One of the relationships that has helped mold me, are my
parents.
My parents have taught me how to be women
of character. They have showed me how to love others through the eyes of God
and not through my own eyes. My mother has taught me how to be a wife that
brings honor to her husband. My father has taught me how a man should treat women.
It has been through my parents’ actions that I have learned how to be a
teacher, wife, and a parent. I am very grateful for my parents.
Another relationship that has left a
lasting impression on my life is my brother. My brother and I are very close.
Through the relationship with my brother I had learned how to develop and
maintain friendships.
It has been the relationships with my family
that have taught me how to be a friend and show love. These relationships had
taught me how to be a loving wife to my husband. My husband is my rock. I am
thankful that the Lord had brought my husband into my life. He is not just my
husband, but also my best friend. I could not imagine life without him. My
husband has taught me a lot about respecting and accepting different cultures.
He was born and raised in Cuba, and moved to the United States when he was 14
years old. It has been through his relationship that I have learned how to
combine two different cultures into one house hold. My husband treats me like I
am the queen of his world, and this makes it easier for me to trust his
guidance for our family.
God has placed each one of these
relationships into my life. I am thankful for the different lessons that He has
taught me through the loved ones that are around me. t I feel that God has been
using these relationship to prepare me for motherhood. I am pregnant with our
first child. We will be meeting our baby girl in October. I have learned that
relationships are not always give and take. There are times that relationships
are formed to solely benefit the other person. I can not wait to meet my
little girl and be able to be a mother that will help her to develop healthy
relationships. I hope to be a mother that can help her to learn about God.
love, laughter, joy, and forgiveness.
Lastly all of these relationships have helped
to develop me into a teacher. My relationship with my parents has taught me the
importance of how to treat others with respect. I take the lessons that my parents taught
me and I apply those lessons to my classroom. I have really been able to learn
a lot about the early childhood field, because my mother has over 25 years of
experience being an early childhood educator. My brother has helped me to learn
how to develop a friendship with the parents in my classroom. He has showed me
that it is important to establish a healthy form of communication with those
who are around you. I have learned about diversity and cultures through the
relationships that I have built with my husband and his family. Lastly I have
learned how to take care of others through the relationship that I am
developing with my baby girl. As an early childhood teacher it is crucial to
remember the differences that each family can bring into the classroom, and to
respect and honor those differences. It is also important to remember that the
parents are allowing me to teach their most prized possession, their children.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
A Note of Thanks
During the course Early
Childhood Development I have gained new insight regarding prenatal development
through middle childhood development. I am thankful for each one of my
colleagues’ insights that they had posted on their personal blogs. It has been
through these blogs that I have learned about the importance of breast-feeding. Susan Johnson had posted great research on
how breast-feeding has a positive impact on infants development. I had also
found the information that Mahitab Wasfy blogged about the view of intelligence
testing in Egypt. I am thankful that I have been able to learn from
professionals who are actively involved in the Early Childhood field. I would
like to thank each one of my colleagues for openly sharing their research and
personal options on their blogs.
Quotes regarding Childhood Development
“We should spend less time
ranking children and more time helping them to identify their natural
competencies and gifts and cultivate these. There are hundreds and hundreds of
ways to succeed and many, many different abilities that will help you get
there.”
- Howard Gardner
“The path of
development is a journey of discovery that is clear only in retrospect, and
it’s rarely a straight line.”
-Eileen Kennedy-Moore
Retrieved from
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/child-development
"The first duty of an education is to stir up life, but leave it free to develop."
-Maria Montessori
“Our aim is not only to
make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to
touch his imagination as to enthuse him to his innermost core.”
-
Maria Montessori
Retrieved
from http://junojuno2.tripod.com/words.html
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Assessment
I personal believe that administrators tend to put to much
emphasis on standardized testing. Educators feel the pressure of having their
students receive the desire scores on the standardized test. The pressures of
these scores can create an educational atmosphere that teaches facts about the
test. The pressures put on educators is creating an educational system that
Vygotsky had noticed and wanted to change. Vygotsky had noticed that the
educational system was becoming memorization (Stassen Berger, 2009). While
standardized testing is informative, it should not be the only means of
measuring students’ achievement. All aspects of school play an important role
in education. Assessment should be both formal and informal. The school system
should take the formal assessment of standardized testing and then combine that
with the informal assessments that have been made about that child throughout
the school year. Some children have test anxieties, which can cause them to
have lower scores on the standardized testing. Other students may have a
learning disability that may affect their test scores. So it is imperative to
take the test scores as a part of the child’s learning process and not the
whole. Some of the informal testing would be measuring the students’ critical
thinking skills. It is also important to see how the students work with one
another, their social skills. Every aspect of school should be considered when
measuring the child’s development during that year.
I wanted to study China and find out why their test scores
are higher then other countries. According to Mark McDonald (2012), a writer
for the International Herald Tribune, testing becomes a whole community affair.
Everyone in the community will go the extra mile to make sure that students are
given the best testing atmosphere possible. McDonald said that the Chinese
would go as far as blocking off roads that could go near a testing sight. This
emphasis on standardized testing has always been a part of the Chinese culture
(Mr. D’s Neighborhood, 2010). The reason for the emphasis on standardized
testing is to prepare the students for the Gaokao (Huff Post, 2012). The Gaokao
will determine what time of future a child in China will have (Huff Post,
2011). Most students who come from a wealthier background have a higher
percentage on doing well on the Gaoko (Mr. D’s Neighborhood, 2010). The Chinese
authorizes are starting to reevaluate the emphasis that has been placed on test
scores (Huff Post, 2011). “When
faculty of a major Chinese university asked [Professor Jonathan] Plucker to
identify trends in American education, he described our focus on standardized
curriculum, rote memorization, and nationalized testing. "After my answer
was translated, they just started laughing out loud," Plucker says.
"They said, 'You're racing toward our old model. But we're racing toward
your model, as fast as we can.' (Huff Post, 2011)"
I found it interesting that a University professor noticed
that America is turning to rote memorization due to the pressures put on
standardized testing. This is the same thing that Vygotosky had noticed. We
need to find a way to combine the standardized testing scores to other forms of
learning. We cannot expect all children to fit the same mold. Each child is
different and unique and with that uniqueness they all posses different types
of knowledge. As educators we need to find what the students excel in and how
to assess that knowledge. We also need to find ways to help students master the
standards that have to be met by using their natural interest.
Huff Post. (2011). Education In China v. America: The
Question Of Standardized Tests. Education. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/17/education-in-china-testing-diane-sawyer_n_785016.html
McDonald, Mark. (2012). Putting Chinese Students to the Test. International Herald Tribune. Retrieved from http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/07/putting-chinese-students-to-the-test/
Mr. D’s Neighborhood. (2010). How Standardized Testing Created, then Destroyed, an Empire.
Retrieved from http://mrdsneighborhood.com/2010/09/13/how-standardized-testing-created-then-destroyed-an-empire/
Stassen Berger, Kathleen. (2009). The Developing Person
through childhood 5th edition. New York, NY: Worth Publishers
Saturday, May 26, 2012
War and its impact on children
I have personally experienced the affects of two different wars. My first experience of war was when I was just a child. Desert Storm took place when I was about five years old. My family at the time was living on a military base and I was attending a school that was for military children. I was one of the fortunate children, in that my father was never deployed. Even though my father was not deployed my family and I had experienced the stress of war. One of the biggest factors was my family living in a complete different country from my extend family. My memories of holidays consist of my mother, father, and brother. There would be times that we would have to celebrate Christmas or Thanksgiving without my father, because he was working late hours due to the war. I am very grateful that I still had the chance to see my father and hug my him. There were a lot of my friends who were not as fortunate as I was. A lot of my friends had one parent who was deployed. Since my family was so far away from "home," we had developed a new family with our church. The main reason why I was able to still have a great childhood was due to my family and church family. I was able to cope with the many different stress of being a military brat by having other children my age dealing with the same situation around me. I feel that some of the consequences of the different stresses that I dealt with as a child has caused me to be hesitant towards change. I had to constantly deal with change, and now as an adult I want nothing to do with it. Even though the war had some negative affects, it has also had positive ones. I have a great sense of pride and citizenship towards America. I am very thankful for my country because I know from first hand experience what has been sacrificed for me to live here. I understand that Freedom isn't Free.
When I was a teenage I experienced the beginning of another war. This experience was very different because I did not live on a military base. I remember 9-11 like it was yesterday. I remember President Bush getting on TV and telling the military men to get ready, because they are about to make the citizens of this country very proud! I remember declaring war on terrorism, and wondering what all does that entail for me and my family. I remember my family going through such hardship because my father was in the military. Not everyone was accepting of the fact that America was going to fight terrorism. There would be people who would come up to uniformed military men a spit in their faces and on their shoes. My father would come to my basketball games in his uniform and people would yell and get upset with him. This left a very different taste in my mouth. I had missed being surround by other military families. I was so proud of my father and what he stood for. All of my experience made my pride for my counry and military grow deeper then ever.
I know this is not the norm. Many children are on the opposite spectrum of war. There children are in areas where war is taking place in their front and back yards. This gives those children a whole different stress level then what I had experienced. There are many children who physically watch their families die in the cross fires of war. One of the countries that is currently experiencing this is Afghanistan. In 2011UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan had reported that there had been 3,021 deaths during that year (ActionAid, 2012). Many of the schools and social places in Afghanistan have been destroyed due to war (ActionAid, 2009). The affects of the schools and social places being destroyed have caused many of the children to not have a place for education or playing (ActionAid, 2009). War has affected the families poverty which in return affects the level of education, nutrition, and health (Wellcome Trust, 2009). There has been stories of young children who have been trained by the government to fight and then turned into soldiers (ActionAid, 2009). Wellcome Trust (2009) had taken a survey of the children in Afghanistan to see the mental affects that war and poverty has had on the children. The results showed that one out of five children are likely to suffer from psychiatric disorders like: extreme anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (Wellcome Trust, 2009). Even though the children have experienced extreme hardship, Wellcome Trust (2009) also "... found that children reported great distress and hardship in their lives. But they also had remarkable strength to function, to get on with their lives, to help their families, and to work and study." It is sad to see how the choices of others causes severe consequences on the most vulnerable. War is a horrible thing, but it is a part of our world and unfortunately always will be. We need to find a way to keep these children out of harms way and to protect them from the consequences of war.
Resources
ActionAid. (2009, October 25). Afghanistan's Children of War. Retrieved from http://www.actionaid.org.uk/100581/children_or_war.html
ActionAid. (2012, May 17). NATO Chicago Conference: act now on women's security in Afghanistan. Retrieved from http://www.actionaid.org.uk/103231/nato_chicago_conference_act_now_on_womens_security_in_afghanistan_says_actionaid
Wellcome Trust. (2009, August 21). Afghan school children 'affected by everyday stress as much as war-related trauma.' Retrieved from http://www.welcome.ac.uk/news/2009/news/wtxo5687.htm
When I was a teenage I experienced the beginning of another war. This experience was very different because I did not live on a military base. I remember 9-11 like it was yesterday. I remember President Bush getting on TV and telling the military men to get ready, because they are about to make the citizens of this country very proud! I remember declaring war on terrorism, and wondering what all does that entail for me and my family. I remember my family going through such hardship because my father was in the military. Not everyone was accepting of the fact that America was going to fight terrorism. There would be people who would come up to uniformed military men a spit in their faces and on their shoes. My father would come to my basketball games in his uniform and people would yell and get upset with him. This left a very different taste in my mouth. I had missed being surround by other military families. I was so proud of my father and what he stood for. All of my experience made my pride for my counry and military grow deeper then ever.
I know this is not the norm. Many children are on the opposite spectrum of war. There children are in areas where war is taking place in their front and back yards. This gives those children a whole different stress level then what I had experienced. There are many children who physically watch their families die in the cross fires of war. One of the countries that is currently experiencing this is Afghanistan. In 2011UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan had reported that there had been 3,021 deaths during that year (ActionAid, 2012). Many of the schools and social places in Afghanistan have been destroyed due to war (ActionAid, 2009). The affects of the schools and social places being destroyed have caused many of the children to not have a place for education or playing (ActionAid, 2009). War has affected the families poverty which in return affects the level of education, nutrition, and health (Wellcome Trust, 2009). There has been stories of young children who have been trained by the government to fight and then turned into soldiers (ActionAid, 2009). Wellcome Trust (2009) had taken a survey of the children in Afghanistan to see the mental affects that war and poverty has had on the children. The results showed that one out of five children are likely to suffer from psychiatric disorders like: extreme anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (Wellcome Trust, 2009). Even though the children have experienced extreme hardship, Wellcome Trust (2009) also "... found that children reported great distress and hardship in their lives. But they also had remarkable strength to function, to get on with their lives, to help their families, and to work and study." It is sad to see how the choices of others causes severe consequences on the most vulnerable. War is a horrible thing, but it is a part of our world and unfortunately always will be. We need to find a way to keep these children out of harms way and to protect them from the consequences of war.
Resources
ActionAid. (2009, October 25). Afghanistan's Children of War. Retrieved from http://www.actionaid.org.uk/100581/children_or_war.html
ActionAid. (2012, May 17). NATO Chicago Conference: act now on women's security in Afghanistan. Retrieved from http://www.actionaid.org.uk/103231/nato_chicago_conference_act_now_on_womens_security_in_afghanistan_says_actionaid
Wellcome Trust. (2009, August 21). Afghan school children 'affected by everyday stress as much as war-related trauma.' Retrieved from http://www.welcome.ac.uk/news/2009/news/wtxo5687.htm
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
I have found that as a mother-to-be it is important to find out the different cause and preventions for SIDS. I have a sibling that had died of SIDS, and find it crucial to learn about ways that I can prevent this from happening to my own child.
A infant who seems to be healthy, but dies unexpectedly in their sleep due to not breathing, will be diagnosed with SIDS. In 1990 1 out of 8 infants in the United States of America passed away from SIDS (Stassen Berger, 2009). Thankfully the number of deaths have decreased, due to the increase of multicultural awareness for infant care (Stassen Berger, 2009). Scientist started to conduct studies to find out why Hong Kong's ration for SIDS was 1 in 3,000 and New Zealand's was 1 in 200, both where seemingly higher then the USA ratio (Stassen Berger, 2009). Being able to take a closer look at the different cultures with lower ratio for SIDS has allowed doctors and scientist to come up with several facts to the prevention of SIDS.
When a study was conducted in Bangladeshi infants, who have a low SIDS ratio, they found out several interesting facts to aid in preventing SIDS. One fact that they discovered was that the infants in Bangladesh were mostly breast feed. They also found that the infants were frequently surrounded by their families, even during times of sleep (Stassen Berger, 2009). Due to the families always being around the Bangladeshi infants were less likely to get long periods of sleep at the same time (Stassen Berger, 2009). They find that there was a correlation between the findings of the study of Bangladeshi infants and Chinese infants. The Chinese infants also experienced a lower chance of dying from SIDS. When studying the interactions between the Chinese mothers and infants they found some similar findings to that of Bangladesh studies. The Chinese infants were also, in most cases, breast feed. The Chinese mothers would also engage with their infant while the infant was sleeping. They would touch the infant or rearrange the way the infant was sleeping. It was through the study of the Chinese that doctors began to see the importance of placing infants to sleep on their backs and not on their stomachs or sides. It has been through these studies and studies of other cultures that doctors are able to say that breast feeding, infant sleeping on their backs, and the use of a pacifier are all great preventive measures for SIDS. Even though there are preventive measures for SIDS, there are still some environmental issues that can still lead to SIDS. Some of those environmental issues are families with low SES, parents who choose to smoke around the infant, overdressing the infant at night, teenage mothers, formula feeding, and low birthweight (Stassen Berger, 2009). After finding these facts, doctors in the Untied States were able to dramatically decrease infants who died of SIDS (Stassen Berger, 2009).
I found this study to be very informative. It shows the importance of branching out from our own comfort zones and learning from those who are around us. What if the doctors and scientist never decided to branch out and study the measures that other cultures took to prevent SIDS? Would the ratio of infants who died of SIDS be lowering, or would it be higher then ever? We need to be willing to learn from one another. I am personally thankful for these doctors and scientist efforts, because I can now take measures and certain precautions to prevent my infant from dying of SIDS. Even though there are still more studies to come, it is good to know that we are on the right track.
References
A infant who seems to be healthy, but dies unexpectedly in their sleep due to not breathing, will be diagnosed with SIDS. In 1990 1 out of 8 infants in the United States of America passed away from SIDS (Stassen Berger, 2009). Thankfully the number of deaths have decreased, due to the increase of multicultural awareness for infant care (Stassen Berger, 2009). Scientist started to conduct studies to find out why Hong Kong's ration for SIDS was 1 in 3,000 and New Zealand's was 1 in 200, both where seemingly higher then the USA ratio (Stassen Berger, 2009). Being able to take a closer look at the different cultures with lower ratio for SIDS has allowed doctors and scientist to come up with several facts to the prevention of SIDS.
When a study was conducted in Bangladeshi infants, who have a low SIDS ratio, they found out several interesting facts to aid in preventing SIDS. One fact that they discovered was that the infants in Bangladesh were mostly breast feed. They also found that the infants were frequently surrounded by their families, even during times of sleep (Stassen Berger, 2009). Due to the families always being around the Bangladeshi infants were less likely to get long periods of sleep at the same time (Stassen Berger, 2009). They find that there was a correlation between the findings of the study of Bangladeshi infants and Chinese infants. The Chinese infants also experienced a lower chance of dying from SIDS. When studying the interactions between the Chinese mothers and infants they found some similar findings to that of Bangladesh studies. The Chinese infants were also, in most cases, breast feed. The Chinese mothers would also engage with their infant while the infant was sleeping. They would touch the infant or rearrange the way the infant was sleeping. It was through the study of the Chinese that doctors began to see the importance of placing infants to sleep on their backs and not on their stomachs or sides. It has been through these studies and studies of other cultures that doctors are able to say that breast feeding, infant sleeping on their backs, and the use of a pacifier are all great preventive measures for SIDS. Even though there are preventive measures for SIDS, there are still some environmental issues that can still lead to SIDS. Some of those environmental issues are families with low SES, parents who choose to smoke around the infant, overdressing the infant at night, teenage mothers, formula feeding, and low birthweight (Stassen Berger, 2009). After finding these facts, doctors in the Untied States were able to dramatically decrease infants who died of SIDS (Stassen Berger, 2009).
I found this study to be very informative. It shows the importance of branching out from our own comfort zones and learning from those who are around us. What if the doctors and scientist never decided to branch out and study the measures that other cultures took to prevent SIDS? Would the ratio of infants who died of SIDS be lowering, or would it be higher then ever? We need to be willing to learn from one another. I am personally thankful for these doctors and scientist efforts, because I can now take measures and certain precautions to prevent my infant from dying of SIDS. Even though there are still more studies to come, it is good to know that we are on the right track.
References
Stassen Berger, Kathleen. (2009). The Developing Person through
childhood 5th edition. New York, NY: Worth Publishers
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Personal Birth Experince and Birthing experinces in Cuba
I am currently four months pregnant with mine and my husbands first child. All I have to compare this birth to is my mother's birthing experience with me.
My family was stationed in Italy when my mother was pregnant with me. They went to the military doctors located on the base that my father was working at. When my mother was five months pregnant with me she started to have major complications, which lead to her water breaking. My mother was rushed to the hospital were the doctors had performed a number of test on her to find out the cause of her water breaking so early on in the pregnancy. My mother and father were given a room that was shared with another family. It so happened that the family that was in the same room as my parents were missionaries. They heard the doctors telling my parents that the chances of the child living were very low. The missionaries knew that my parents believed in God and asked them if they could all pray together. The missionary family and my father gathered around my mother, and they all began to pray for the child that she was carrying. Shortly after they were finished praying the nurse came back into the room to take my mother for another check up on the status of the baby and more testing. When the doctors took the ultra sound they were in shock to find that the womb was completely healed and had enough fluid to get her through to the end of her pregnancy. When they came back to my mother and father with this information, my parents were overwhelmed with joy and thanksgiving towards our Heavenly Father. The doctors then did testing on my mother to find out what time of damage had been done to the child. This was the testing to see if the child had any forms of disabilities. When the test results came back positive for the child having 100% chance of mental retardation, my parents were strongly encouraged by the military and the hospital to abort the child. Both of my parents told the doctors and the military officer "No we will keep the child that God has given us!"A few months later the military decided that their facility was not capable of helping my mother in the delivery her child. When she was eight months pregnant the military made the decision to fly her to military base located in Germany. She was suppose to be going to Germany for a check up, so the military did not allow my father to go, when she had got there she went into labor. In March my mother gave birth to me in Germany. She was there all by herself because my father and brother were in Italy and her family was in the United States of America. I was a healthy 7 lb baby. As soon as my father found out, he got on a train and rushed to Germany to be with my mother. Here I am 26 years later and I do not have mental retardation, in fact I do not have any forms of disabilities. The only thing that I do have, is a learning disability called dyslexia, which has nothing to do with my mother's complications that she had experienced. As my husband and I continue on the path of our first birthing experience we have made the choice to not test our child for birth defects or disabilities. We are willing to love and protect the child that God gives to us. I hope that my birthing experience will be less dramatic then my mother's experience with me.
I have my mother's experience to compare my birth experience to, but we also have my husband's experience. I was very interested in finding out the differences and similarities to those who are born in Cuba. I first became interested in this when my husband came with me for my first blood work testing. Afterwards he told me, wow you are so fortune because the needle was so sharp. He continued to tell me that he remembers getting shots in Cuba to be a very painful process due the needles being very dual. That sparked my curiosity to want to find out more about the differences between our birthing experiences. Due to Cuba being a communist country it is not always the most sanitary place to have a baby (Weldon, Ruby, 2009). About 30% of the women who go into labor in Cuba are told that they will have to have a c-section (Weldon, 2009 & Schnitger, 2003). My husband's mother was told that she would need to have a c-section in order to give birth to her child. She was told that it was due to the size of her child and that it would be best for her to have a c-section. Also in Cuba they have clinics that offer 24 hours of care to expecting mothers (Weldon, 2009, Schnitger, 2003). Once the mother gives birth she is admitted into the hospital for two or three days for recovery (Schnitger, 2009). I found that even though Cuba is not the riches place, it does take pride in their women and try to make the best of the accommodation that they have. My husband was born in Cuba and he is a healthy grown man.
I think that my experience has some similarities to a child who is born in Cuba. The first similarity is that my mother was also told that she would need to have a c-section due to complications that occurred during her pregnancy. However my mother was admitted into the hospital for longer the two the three days after giving birth because I had to be closely monitored. I know that my husband and I will experience something different because our child will be born in the United States of America.
Resources
Schnitger, Eileen. (2003). Not feminist, but not bad: Cuba's surprisingly pro-health system. Retrieved from http://nwhn.org/not-feminist-not-bad-cubas-surprisingly-pro-woman-health-system
Weldon, Ruby. (2009). Cuban Health Care: Doctors without band-aids. Retrieved from http://matadornetwork.com/community/rubyweldon/cuba-health-care-doctors-without-band-aids/
My family was stationed in Italy when my mother was pregnant with me. They went to the military doctors located on the base that my father was working at. When my mother was five months pregnant with me she started to have major complications, which lead to her water breaking. My mother was rushed to the hospital were the doctors had performed a number of test on her to find out the cause of her water breaking so early on in the pregnancy. My mother and father were given a room that was shared with another family. It so happened that the family that was in the same room as my parents were missionaries. They heard the doctors telling my parents that the chances of the child living were very low. The missionaries knew that my parents believed in God and asked them if they could all pray together. The missionary family and my father gathered around my mother, and they all began to pray for the child that she was carrying. Shortly after they were finished praying the nurse came back into the room to take my mother for another check up on the status of the baby and more testing. When the doctors took the ultra sound they were in shock to find that the womb was completely healed and had enough fluid to get her through to the end of her pregnancy. When they came back to my mother and father with this information, my parents were overwhelmed with joy and thanksgiving towards our Heavenly Father. The doctors then did testing on my mother to find out what time of damage had been done to the child. This was the testing to see if the child had any forms of disabilities. When the test results came back positive for the child having 100% chance of mental retardation, my parents were strongly encouraged by the military and the hospital to abort the child. Both of my parents told the doctors and the military officer "No we will keep the child that God has given us!"A few months later the military decided that their facility was not capable of helping my mother in the delivery her child. When she was eight months pregnant the military made the decision to fly her to military base located in Germany. She was suppose to be going to Germany for a check up, so the military did not allow my father to go, when she had got there she went into labor. In March my mother gave birth to me in Germany. She was there all by herself because my father and brother were in Italy and her family was in the United States of America. I was a healthy 7 lb baby. As soon as my father found out, he got on a train and rushed to Germany to be with my mother. Here I am 26 years later and I do not have mental retardation, in fact I do not have any forms of disabilities. The only thing that I do have, is a learning disability called dyslexia, which has nothing to do with my mother's complications that she had experienced. As my husband and I continue on the path of our first birthing experience we have made the choice to not test our child for birth defects or disabilities. We are willing to love and protect the child that God gives to us. I hope that my birthing experience will be less dramatic then my mother's experience with me.
I have my mother's experience to compare my birth experience to, but we also have my husband's experience. I was very interested in finding out the differences and similarities to those who are born in Cuba. I first became interested in this when my husband came with me for my first blood work testing. Afterwards he told me, wow you are so fortune because the needle was so sharp. He continued to tell me that he remembers getting shots in Cuba to be a very painful process due the needles being very dual. That sparked my curiosity to want to find out more about the differences between our birthing experiences. Due to Cuba being a communist country it is not always the most sanitary place to have a baby (Weldon, Ruby, 2009). About 30% of the women who go into labor in Cuba are told that they will have to have a c-section (Weldon, 2009 & Schnitger, 2003). My husband's mother was told that she would need to have a c-section in order to give birth to her child. She was told that it was due to the size of her child and that it would be best for her to have a c-section. Also in Cuba they have clinics that offer 24 hours of care to expecting mothers (Weldon, 2009, Schnitger, 2003). Once the mother gives birth she is admitted into the hospital for two or three days for recovery (Schnitger, 2009). I found that even though Cuba is not the riches place, it does take pride in their women and try to make the best of the accommodation that they have. My husband was born in Cuba and he is a healthy grown man.
I think that my experience has some similarities to a child who is born in Cuba. The first similarity is that my mother was also told that she would need to have a c-section due to complications that occurred during her pregnancy. However my mother was admitted into the hospital for longer the two the three days after giving birth because I had to be closely monitored. I know that my husband and I will experience something different because our child will be born in the United States of America.
Resources
Schnitger, Eileen. (2003). Not feminist, but not bad: Cuba's surprisingly pro-health system. Retrieved from http://nwhn.org/not-feminist-not-bad-cubas-surprisingly-pro-woman-health-system
Weldon, Ruby. (2009). Cuban Health Care: Doctors without band-aids. Retrieved from http://matadornetwork.com/community/rubyweldon/cuba-health-care-doctors-without-band-aids/
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